Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-09-05
BY JAMES c. GOODWIN

SY JAM ES =. lOOBWtN
or years men have travelled the Old
StNer King trail or the superior trah
mat passes around and up over the
apache Leap. crossing "a mountain
carrier that separates the Salt River
valley from the towns of Miami and
Globe which towns are located and are
sustained by some OF the greatest cop
per mines in the world
L have just returned from a trip to
Globe and Miami, driving up to SUI
per1or. Leaving the car / walked up
Queen Creek canyon, distance OF
about four miles, 10 Ran Bones camp.
From that point [ drove with Mr.. Bone
q Globe. Mr.. Bone has charge Of
about so men building road down
the canyon toward Superior l wish to
say that he is to be complimented in
Sne manner and rapidity in which he is
driving the road toward Superior. Mr.
Bone has crew of white men who are
Well paid and are well housed and fed
and are doing good work. About 5000
feet further down the canyon T. c.
Twitchell has charge of the prison
gang that is building up the canyon
lie is to be congratulated on the
amount of work done. There is about
5000 feet of road work to be con
structed between the two working
gangs. 1t will take about four months
to build this 5000 feet. When this is
completed it viii be possible to drive
from Phoenix by the way of Superior
to Globe over a road that is 80 miles
shorter than the Roosevelt road. There
IS at present from Bones camp to
Schultz ranch, a distance of about Is
miles, only temporary road. The
road that is a building is from Superior
TO Schulzs ranch. a distance of Is
miles, From Schultzs ranch to Miami
the road has been completed Nine
miles OF this Is miles of road is in
ella county and nine in Plnal county
a orf
ranch toward Superior for three and
one-half miles. The other five and
one-half miles of the road in ella
county will probably be let in a few
days The seven miles of road from
Pfnal ranch west will be rebuilt by the
prison and white labor as soon as the
5000 feet is completed.
The building of this road is the most
stupendous undertaking in the way of
road building that has ever been start
ed in Arizona. This road when COM
pIeted Will have a roadbed 20 feet wide
drain ditch ON the inside. There will
be no grades on this road over six per
cent. Much of 1t will be less. The
highest point of this road is the Pinal
ranch. an elevation of about 5000 feet.
From Pinal ranch this road follows
west for about three miles to Devils
canyon. From this point it goes over
raise, perhaps $50 feet, to Oak Flat
Crossing Oak Flat the road enters
Queen Creek canyon and from that
point goes down grade all the way to
Phoenix. Starting east from PinaI
ranch you go down grade for about
three miles to Pinto creek and then
up over a raise of about $50 feet and
trom that point goes down grade all
the way to Miami. This is road
without hills hollows or canyons to
cross except the above two places
When completed this road Will be
about 80 miles shorter than the Apache
trail A trip can be made from Phoe-
nix to Globe in less than five hours.
For years it has only been people
with wild imagination who talked of
road across this summit to connect |
the Salt River valley with a great |
mining camp. When Tom Maddox /
was first appointed state highway en-
Fineer by Governor Campbell some of /
Toms friends went to him and talked /
him into making a survey over this |
route 1t took nerve and a wild ina |
finatlon even to do this. He did more |
than anyone had the nerve to do. He |
spent money and made the survey, and |
out of this survey the road is building. !
his road passes through some of the
most scenic parts of Arizona. The road
from Superior for the first four miles
in Queen Crek canyon is hewed out of
solid rock. This canyon cuts through
q mountains which is almost perpen-
dicu1ar to the height of 1000 feet
above the town Looking up as you
enter the canyon at this point you can
see what is said to be the place where
the government soldiers in the early
days surrounded a band of Apache
Indians After having killed a great
many they forced the rest over great
cliff and today the place is known as
Apache Leap
As the road passes along up the
canyon at some points it Will be at the
bottom of the canyon and at others 200