The Coolidge examiner., 1939-07-13
Casa Grande Ruins,
Mount Lennon L Are
Motorlogue Goals

The third series of motorlogues
conducted by the Arizona Republic
In cooperation with Phoenix auto
mobile dealers and the Travel
Bureau Of the Arizona Highway De.
partment, outline trip to the
Ruins and Mount Lennon. We are
reprinting the article as we think
that it contains information that
will be of interest to everyone.
Mount Lennon, the highest
peak in the Santa Catalina noun
tains, attains al elevation of $3.50
feet, and from its vantage point
one is afforded panoramic view
of Pima county and most of the
rest of Southern Arizona. From this
peak, at night the lights of Tue
son may be seen in the valley be
low, their friendly twinkle resen-
bling a myraid of stars in black
sky.
This high region Of the Cata-
linas covered with a heavy forest
and alive with cool mountain
breezes, is a summer resort FOR
Tucson and Southern Arizona resi-
dents. It's proximity to Central
Arizona makes it ideal for a Sun
day outing.
Monument Is On Way
Valley residents setting forth on
a Sunday drive to Mount Lennon
may include in this trip stopover
at the Casa G1ande Ruins, a ra-
tional monume ut near Coolidge.
The Republics motorlogue party
visited the monument en- route 10
the Catalinas, and spent an enjoy
able hour at this prehistoric site.
To reach the monument, a short
way is to leave Phoenix via U. 5.
Highway go, 70, and SO, travelling
east through Tempe to Mesa. At
Mesa take State Highway 81, which
turns south on South Mesa boule-
ward, and go on through Chandler
Olberg, and to Casa Grande Ruins,
about a mile north of Coolidge.
Following this route you pass
through a large portion of the
agricultural area of the Salt River
Valley, and also through a portion
of the Gila River Indian Reserva-
ton, the agency of which is 1T
Sacaton, but a few miles from the
main highway.
Casa Grande is one of 26 national
monuments in t h e Southwest
which are under the direction OF
Frank Pinkley, superintendent OF
Southwestern National Monuments.
who has his headquarters at this
monument. The national moru-
ments are in Arizona, New Mexico,
Southern Utah and Southern Colo
RADIO. A. T. Bicknell is custodian Of
the Casa Grande National Monu-
ment.
The Casa Grande Ruin, a four
story watchtower apartment house,
is more than 600 years old. A Span
ish missionary, who visited it to-
ward the end Of the 18th century.
was of the opinion the ruin then
had been standing for more than
two centuries. Fay Marcos de Mia
spoke of it in 1910 and the Rev.
Ensebio Francisco Kino visited it
lin November, 1894.
Is WeII-Preserved
Despite it's antiquity the ruin is
in fine state Of preservation. The
park service, to guard it from the
elements, has erected a covering
over it, the copper rain trough OF
which is more than 40 feet from
the ground.
Visitors to the ruin are accom-.
panied by one OF the park rangers
whose lecture ard guide tour is in
structive and interesting. 1t is pos
sibe to enter the interior OF the
ruin through the small doorways
left by the Ho no kan, the pre-
historic people believed to have
been the erectors Of this adobe
edifice. Surrounding the Casa Gran
de are many smaller ruins, indicat-
ing that this was the site of large
village of prehistoric people. Evil
dences are to be seen today of
primitive irrig8 ton canals used
long before Columbus discovered