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By Sarah Grace McCool Arizona is a wonderful place for a budget vacation. The sce nery is grand, the history is ter rific and the people are wonder fully kind. This is the time of year to visit Mount Graham, the wildflow ers will soon be in bloom and fire-danger is about over for this summer. It is in the Pinal eno mountains not far from the site of old Fort Thomas. The blue-clad troopers gave many of the place names to this moun tain as they daringly rode up and down the steep trails while keeping their eyes on the A pache Indians, who lived on the nearby reservation at San Car los. The cool, spruce -clad mountains must have seemed like paradise compared to the sweltering heat of the fort on the Gila. Take state route 666 through Willcox, turn left onto the Swift Trail 12 miles this side of Saf ford. A few miles up an easy grade is Noon Camp _ picnic area (it was named by Army patrols). It is a pretty place with picnic tables, restrooms, grills, a stone bridge, a log bridge. Many interesting hik ing trails start here. The camp is shaded by an enormous alli gator juniper A few miles higher is Cool Camp in Cool* Canyon: on a summer day it is ten degrees cooler there than at Noon Camp. Tables are on terraces shaded by hackberry trees, cold water flows in the canyon. A brass plaque gives “‘grateful recog nition to T.T. Swift, whose vi sioning of a scenic highway over Graham Mountain and a recrea tion center at Turkey Flat for the benefit of the community was successfuly consumated due to his splendid forethought, leadership and untiring efforts. Erected and dedicated by the Safford Rotary Club Sept. 15, 1938. The next stop is Arcadia Fo rest Camp, where overnight camping is permitted as well as picnicking. It is shaded by ash and walnut trees. The road now is steeper and ascends past some old log buildings up and over Ladybug Saddle, at an ele vation of 8,000 feet, it creeps along the side of the mountain and on your right a scattering of wild flowers and heavy tim ber appears. Over the saddle is Hospital Flat, here invalids from Fort Thomas and other desert camps were doctored, those with ma laria were given quinine and whiskey and the pure mountain air speeded their recovery. To day two groups of tables, water faucets, rest rooms and a shel ter, in case of snow, make an inviting campsite. Farther along the trail is Heliograph Fire Lookout Tower. It is in a park shaded by spruce, fir, balsam and aspen trees. The ground is carpeted with navy blue flowered mint, big, yellow, arica-daisies and yarrow. During the Indian Wars a he liograph tower was built here at an elevation of 10,028 feet. During daylight hours messa ges were relayed by the use of mirrors from Fort Bowie, by way of Signal Hill in Benson and on to Fort Huachuca, the heliograph was the answer to the Apache smoke signal and did much to end the hostilities. Fire watchers can see in all di rections from the tower, but it is closed to the public, there are also towers at Webb Peak and Clark Peak. Farther along this safe, well graded road is Fort Grant Look out in a setting of woodbine, tall oaks and golden-rod. Cars are parked behind a stone parapet while visitors look out across the desert to Fort Grant, Ben son and beyond to the Whet stone and Huachuca mountains. Sign posts point out many camp-sites, hiking trails and side roads from this point on. There is Moonshine, Post, Sol dier and Goudy Creeks, there is Marijilda Canyon, named for Marijilda Grihalva, the great and good Army scout who was once stationed at Fort Wallen, which pre-dated Fort Huachu ca. There is Treasure Park with its story of buried trea sure and interesting Twilight trail, Inception, Deadman and Gibson Canyons, many of these have very pretty mountain streams. There is a fine campsite at Columbine Forest Camp and a modern campground at Sol dier Creek, where Frederick Re mington, the great Western Ar tist once camped with the sol diers’ and sketched. It is 32 miles from the begin ning of Swift Trail back there on hot, dusty state route 666 to cool, cool Riggs Flat Lake, well stocked with trout, around the lake are many camp sites shad ed by tall spruce trees. There is much lumbering on Graham Mountain and a num ber of groups cut Christmas trees under the supervison of the Forest Service each year. There are a few black bear in these mountains and bear hunt ing with hounds is permitted during the bear season. Some times bear may be photographed at the garbage dump maintain ed by the Forest Service. Win ter snow has been recorded ten feet deep at Turkey Flat. The staff of Forest Service and Wild life employees retreat to Saf ford when the heavy snows come but students from Eastern Ari zona Junior College enjoy win ter sports on the big mountain.
Newspaper Details
Douglas Dispatch
Douglas, Arizona, US
Thu, Aug 06, 1970
Page 2
Full Page
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Maria I.
USA 25 Jun 2026
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