Hello everyone, sorry I haven't written in awhile. Since I had previously been writing about
the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument area, I now want to write about the major town in that area, at least on the American side of the border. That town is Ajo. "Ajo" is the Spanish word for garlic and there is a plant in the surrounding desert that does smell like garlic, but, most likely, "Ajo" is a corruption of o'oho, which is the Tohono O'odham Indian word for paint and the Tohono O'odham had long gathered red pigments from the area around what became Ajo to use in painting pottery and making pictographs.
Even though Ajo is the major town of this area, it only has about 5,000 people. That is testament to how sparsely populated this area is. There is some debate about Ajo's population. In 1960, the population peaked at 7,049, but, in 1990, after the mines closed, it plummeted to 2,919. The 2000 Census had the population at 3,705 and then 3,304 in 2010. The most recent estimates put the population at roughly 3,500. Yet, there are very few abandoned residences in town and the town has seen significant growth since the population reached its nadir of 2,919. Alot of retirees have moved in and the town is now a regional headquarters for the Border Patrol. Quite a few Border Patrol employees and their families have moved in. 5,000 seems to be a more accurate figure. The majority of the houses that were occupied when the town had over 7,000 people are occupied again, but there are now alot of retirees, without children, living in town, in addition to the Border Patrol families, thus significantly changing the demographics of the town.
Ajo was built as a company town, owned by the Phelps-Dodge Company. it was built on the site of two former towns, Gibson and Rowood and, when Ajo was built, it was designed to resemble Tyrone, New Mexico, another Phelps-Dodge owned town that only lasted a few years before being abandoned to the elements. Tyrone was once called "the most beautiful mining town in the world" or "the million dollar mining town ." Ajo was designed to resemble Tyrone. As a result, Ajo has one of the most beautiful downtown plazas I have ever seen!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Looking for a new blog site
I may be transferring this blog, In My Travels and The Cactus Patch to another blog site if these problems continue in which I cannot access my own blogs. As it stands now, I can write in the blogs, by taking a roundabout way to get there, but I cannot view past blogs. There is also a possibility that I may delete all 3 of these blogs and create new ones through another site.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Organ Pipe
Five miles north of Lukeville, on the border with Mexico, is the visitor center and administrative center of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It is a great place to visit and there are lots of great books pertaining to the Sonoran Desert. There is also a short film called "Where Edges Meet" that is about this area.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument covers 330,688 acres. So it is a large park. The park was officially declared a national monument in 1937. The town of Lukeville already existed before then and this is why the townsite is not actually in the park even though maps make it appear that it is. The State of Arizona already owned this land before then and donated it to the federal government during Prohibition to try to stem the tide of illegal liquor being brought in from Mexico.
About one mile southwest of the Visitors Center, on a narrow park road, is the Twin Peaks Campground. It has 208 campsites. I have camped here twice in the past. From my campsite those two nights, I was able to see the lights of Sonoyta, Mexico, in the state of Sonora, plus two other small towns in Mexico. Sonoyta has about 12,000 people and is located directly across the border wall from Lukeville. There is one other formal campground in the park and that is Alamo Canyon, at the end of Alamo Canyon Road. That campground only has only four sites and the road leading to it is a dirt road. It is primitive camping only and there is a maximum of 20 people that can be in the campground at any one time.
In the winter months, when the weather is pleasant, there are some great ranger programs that take place in the amphitheater at the Twin Peaks Campground and I attended quite a few of those ranger programs during the 18 years that I lived in Arizona.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument covers 330,688 acres. So it is a large park. The park was officially declared a national monument in 1937. The town of Lukeville already existed before then and this is why the townsite is not actually in the park even though maps make it appear that it is. The State of Arizona already owned this land before then and donated it to the federal government during Prohibition to try to stem the tide of illegal liquor being brought in from Mexico.
About one mile southwest of the Visitors Center, on a narrow park road, is the Twin Peaks Campground. It has 208 campsites. I have camped here twice in the past. From my campsite those two nights, I was able to see the lights of Sonoyta, Mexico, in the state of Sonora, plus two other small towns in Mexico. Sonoyta has about 12,000 people and is located directly across the border wall from Lukeville. There is one other formal campground in the park and that is Alamo Canyon, at the end of Alamo Canyon Road. That campground only has only four sites and the road leading to it is a dirt road. It is primitive camping only and there is a maximum of 20 people that can be in the campground at any one time.
In the winter months, when the weather is pleasant, there are some great ranger programs that take place in the amphitheater at the Twin Peaks Campground and I attended quite a few of those ranger programs during the 18 years that I lived in Arizona.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Lukeville
There is a small town within the boundaries of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument called Lukeville, but the property within Lukeville is not National Park Service land. Lukeville, population 35, is basically a small commercial and service area that is located on the border with Mexico. It is mainly known as the place where people cross the border to go to
"Rocky Point." The town is officially called Puerto Penasco in Spanish and that name actually means "Rocky Port," but that doesn't change the fact that everyone calls it Rocky Point.
Puerto Penasco is a popular beach resort at the head of the Sea of Cortes and is only 62 miles south of the United States border. It is a very popular Spring Break destination.
Anyway, Lukeville is the place where people who visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument load up on supplies if they are staying for an extended period of time.
Lukeville is commonly called Gringo Pass and that is even the name that appears on the post office, but no one likes that name except for the one person who owns most of the property in town.
"Downtown" Lukeville is a shopping center next to the border wall that contains a restaurant, the post office, laundromat, Mexican car insurance, duty free shop and a supermarket, but that supermarket closed about 3 years ago. I noticed that the last time I was in Lukeville in March of 2013. I was stunned to learn that the store had gone out of business. Since the store closed, that means the local gas station/convenience store has filled in the void and is now the busiest place in Lukeville.
The aforementioned shopping center is directly across State Highway 85 from the Customs Station at the border. Across the highway and slightly to the north is the abandoned motel, the Gringo Pass Motel. I believe it closed around 2005 or 2006. I stayed there once, in the 1990s, and I remember the TV reception being terrible.
With the store and motel both closing, it may sound like Lukeville is dying off, but it really isn't. The population remains the same, but the businesses are closing mostly due to an absentee landlord who lives in Florida and is difficult to deal with.
Until a few days ago, I could not figure out why there are approximately 1,200 mail boxes in the Lukeville post office. The population is only 35 and there are some national park employees that live in a residential compound five miles north, but there aren't that many rangers in the park. No one else lives in the area. As it turns out, many business owners in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, 62 miles south, have post office boxes in Lukeville. I am not sure why, though. However, there are rumors that the post office will closed and be replaced with a FedEx or UPS delivery store. Again, due to renting from the landlord.
Lukeville is a tiny town of 35 people that is surrounded on three sides by a national park and on the other side by Mexico. It predates the establishment of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The park was established in 1937 in a very remote part of the Sonoran Desert.
Directly across the border from Lukeville is Sonoyta, Mexico, in the state of Sonora.
"Rocky Point." The town is officially called Puerto Penasco in Spanish and that name actually means "Rocky Port," but that doesn't change the fact that everyone calls it Rocky Point.
Puerto Penasco is a popular beach resort at the head of the Sea of Cortes and is only 62 miles south of the United States border. It is a very popular Spring Break destination.
Anyway, Lukeville is the place where people who visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument load up on supplies if they are staying for an extended period of time.
Lukeville is commonly called Gringo Pass and that is even the name that appears on the post office, but no one likes that name except for the one person who owns most of the property in town.
"Downtown" Lukeville is a shopping center next to the border wall that contains a restaurant, the post office, laundromat, Mexican car insurance, duty free shop and a supermarket, but that supermarket closed about 3 years ago. I noticed that the last time I was in Lukeville in March of 2013. I was stunned to learn that the store had gone out of business. Since the store closed, that means the local gas station/convenience store has filled in the void and is now the busiest place in Lukeville.
The aforementioned shopping center is directly across State Highway 85 from the Customs Station at the border. Across the highway and slightly to the north is the abandoned motel, the Gringo Pass Motel. I believe it closed around 2005 or 2006. I stayed there once, in the 1990s, and I remember the TV reception being terrible.
With the store and motel both closing, it may sound like Lukeville is dying off, but it really isn't. The population remains the same, but the businesses are closing mostly due to an absentee landlord who lives in Florida and is difficult to deal with.
Until a few days ago, I could not figure out why there are approximately 1,200 mail boxes in the Lukeville post office. The population is only 35 and there are some national park employees that live in a residential compound five miles north, but there aren't that many rangers in the park. No one else lives in the area. As it turns out, many business owners in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, 62 miles south, have post office boxes in Lukeville. I am not sure why, though. However, there are rumors that the post office will closed and be replaced with a FedEx or UPS delivery store. Again, due to renting from the landlord.
Lukeville is a tiny town of 35 people that is surrounded on three sides by a national park and on the other side by Mexico. It predates the establishment of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The park was established in 1937 in a very remote part of the Sonoran Desert.
Directly across the border from Lukeville is Sonoyta, Mexico, in the state of Sonora.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Organ Pipe Cactus
In southwestern Arizona, on the border with Mexico, is one of my favorite places on earth. It is Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The park was named for the organ pipe cactus,
which mostly grows in Mexico, but ventures into Arizona in a limited area. The great bulk of the organ pipe cacti grow within the boundaries of this national park, but they do continue north to the area around Ajo, a town that is 40 miles from the border and about a dozen miles from the national monument's northern boundary. For decades the organ pipe cacti were constricted to this area, north of the international border, but, lately they have been expanding their range. They also grow on the slopes of the Slate Mountains, on the
Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, which borders the national monument on the east; there is a "loner" or isolated specimen, growing in the Sand Tank Mountains in the newly christened
Sonoran Desert National Monument, a park that is bisected by Interstate 8; there is a solitary individual growing on a bajada slope in Picacho Peak State Park, near Eloy, between Tucson and Phoenix and one growing on Desert Peak, near Marana, which is a northern suburb of Tucson. These organ pipe specimens have somehow managed to grow and thrive even though they are well removed from their traditional range and they are located at least 40 miles or more from the nearest organ pipe. The seeds from which they sprouted most likely were deposited by a bird dropping or blown about by the wind and managed to take root. In addition, there are other organ pipes that were planted and they are doing quite well in their new location, such as one next to the Desert Laboratory atop Tumamoc Hill on the west side of Tucson, those that are in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and those that are in
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park near Superior.
The fact that they have expanded beyond their traditional range offers hope that the organ pipe cactus will occupy a much bigger range in the future, though I doubt it will ever become as numerous as the more familiar saguaro.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a place that I daydream about and it is a place I visited as much as possible when I lived in Arizona, but it is a very isolated place that requires preparation if you want to visit. It is accessible by a good paved highway, but services are very limited in the immediate area and, even in the nearby town of Ajo, which is the economic center for a wide area, services still are not very plentiful.
which mostly grows in Mexico, but ventures into Arizona in a limited area. The great bulk of the organ pipe cacti grow within the boundaries of this national park, but they do continue north to the area around Ajo, a town that is 40 miles from the border and about a dozen miles from the national monument's northern boundary. For decades the organ pipe cacti were constricted to this area, north of the international border, but, lately they have been expanding their range. They also grow on the slopes of the Slate Mountains, on the
Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation, which borders the national monument on the east; there is a "loner" or isolated specimen, growing in the Sand Tank Mountains in the newly christened
Sonoran Desert National Monument, a park that is bisected by Interstate 8; there is a solitary individual growing on a bajada slope in Picacho Peak State Park, near Eloy, between Tucson and Phoenix and one growing on Desert Peak, near Marana, which is a northern suburb of Tucson. These organ pipe specimens have somehow managed to grow and thrive even though they are well removed from their traditional range and they are located at least 40 miles or more from the nearest organ pipe. The seeds from which they sprouted most likely were deposited by a bird dropping or blown about by the wind and managed to take root. In addition, there are other organ pipes that were planted and they are doing quite well in their new location, such as one next to the Desert Laboratory atop Tumamoc Hill on the west side of Tucson, those that are in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and those that are in
Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park near Superior.
The fact that they have expanded beyond their traditional range offers hope that the organ pipe cactus will occupy a much bigger range in the future, though I doubt it will ever become as numerous as the more familiar saguaro.
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a place that I daydream about and it is a place I visited as much as possible when I lived in Arizona, but it is a very isolated place that requires preparation if you want to visit. It is accessible by a good paved highway, but services are very limited in the immediate area and, even in the nearby town of Ajo, which is the economic center for a wide area, services still are not very plentiful.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
A New Perspective?
Well, I stopped writing about Carlsbad, New Mexico briefly because I was planning a trip there and I wanted to write about it from a fresh perspective.
Well, I did go through Carlsbad, but my ability to sightsee was severely limited by the flooding that was going on at the time. This flooding in a desert town was caused by the remnants of
Hurricane Odile, which hit the Baja Peninsula of Mexico with full force. This hurricane wreaked havoc on southern New Mexico, southern Arizona and large portions of northern Texas.
When I was in Carlsbad, I arrived during a lull in the flooding, but there was still plenty of flooding around. I was able to see where waters had receded, however. This was indicated by mud and debris on the streets that proved that water had once flowed across the streets. When I arrived in Carlsbad on Sunday afternoon, September 21, the outside lanes of the major streets were completely flooded, forcing people to drive the inside lanes. This reduced the traffic to one lane each direction plus the turning lane and alot of traffic congestion ensued as a result. To turn onto side streets, drivers had to either drive in the flooded lanes to make the turn or make the turn from the inside lane and drive through the flooded area. Some intersections on secondary streets were completely flooded, probably most of them, but I did not see that many of them. The street in front of Walmart, on the south side of town, was completely flooded for a short distance.
I have heard varying reports on the amount of rainfall that fell on the Carlsbad area, but it was at least 15 inches. This is in a town that averages about 11 inches for the year!
The access road into Carlsbad Caverns National Park, State Highway 7, was closed due to
alot of debris that had washed across the road and blocked it. One oil field worker was swept away and killed by floodwaters and there was a group of 42 oil field workers that were stranded by flood waters and had to be rescued by helicopter. I heard about two different areas in which this happened, one near Artesia, which is 36 miles north of Carlsbad and one near Whites City, which is the town that is adjacent to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. So I don't know if one of the stories was in error or if it happened in two different areas. I don't know if the 42 figure represents one area or both areas.
So, I will have to resume my Carlsbad series with a stitched together series about my brief visit last a week and a half ago and my previous visits to this area.
The lull in the flooding that I saw when I arrived was brief. It poured down rain all night and the already saturated ground could not hold it anymore, so more flooding ensued the next morning. When I went through Artesia late Sunday morning, there was little evidence of the recent flooding, unlike Carlsbad, but, as I saw on the news that night, Eagle Draw, a normally dry watercourse that bisects Artesia, was raging out of control. It happened that quickly!!
Well, I did go through Carlsbad, but my ability to sightsee was severely limited by the flooding that was going on at the time. This flooding in a desert town was caused by the remnants of
Hurricane Odile, which hit the Baja Peninsula of Mexico with full force. This hurricane wreaked havoc on southern New Mexico, southern Arizona and large portions of northern Texas.
When I was in Carlsbad, I arrived during a lull in the flooding, but there was still plenty of flooding around. I was able to see where waters had receded, however. This was indicated by mud and debris on the streets that proved that water had once flowed across the streets. When I arrived in Carlsbad on Sunday afternoon, September 21, the outside lanes of the major streets were completely flooded, forcing people to drive the inside lanes. This reduced the traffic to one lane each direction plus the turning lane and alot of traffic congestion ensued as a result. To turn onto side streets, drivers had to either drive in the flooded lanes to make the turn or make the turn from the inside lane and drive through the flooded area. Some intersections on secondary streets were completely flooded, probably most of them, but I did not see that many of them. The street in front of Walmart, on the south side of town, was completely flooded for a short distance.
I have heard varying reports on the amount of rainfall that fell on the Carlsbad area, but it was at least 15 inches. This is in a town that averages about 11 inches for the year!
The access road into Carlsbad Caverns National Park, State Highway 7, was closed due to
alot of debris that had washed across the road and blocked it. One oil field worker was swept away and killed by floodwaters and there was a group of 42 oil field workers that were stranded by flood waters and had to be rescued by helicopter. I heard about two different areas in which this happened, one near Artesia, which is 36 miles north of Carlsbad and one near Whites City, which is the town that is adjacent to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. So I don't know if one of the stories was in error or if it happened in two different areas. I don't know if the 42 figure represents one area or both areas.
So, I will have to resume my Carlsbad series with a stitched together series about my brief visit last a week and a half ago and my previous visits to this area.
The lull in the flooding that I saw when I arrived was brief. It poured down rain all night and the already saturated ground could not hold it anymore, so more flooding ensued the next morning. When I went through Artesia late Sunday morning, there was little evidence of the recent flooding, unlike Carlsbad, but, as I saw on the news that night, Eagle Draw, a normally dry watercourse that bisects Artesia, was raging out of control. It happened that quickly!!
Monday, September 1, 2014
Silver City
The economy of Silver City has relied mostly on the mining industry and on the presence of
Western New Mexico University for most of its history. Today, those two components are still a big force in the economy, but it is a little more diversified now. Silver City is located close to the Gila Wilderness, which was the first federally designated wilderness in the country. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, fishing and camping in the Gila Wilderness. Also in the area is Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which are located at the northern end of
State Highway 15, which is a very slow, twisting mountain road. Silver City also has a nearly completely intact and very historic downtown area with most of the buildings dating from the 1800s or early 1900s. The downtown area of Silver City is one of my favorite downtown areas anywhere! Now this is not the adobe construction you might expect to find in a small
New Mexico town. Adobe is an anomaly around here. The principal downtown street is
Bullard Street, but it was originally Main Street, one block to the east. You see, Main Street
disappeared in a flash flood in 1896. Several more floods in the next decade carved the newly created canyon even deeper. Now it is a greenbelt called Big Ditch Park and the canyon is 55 feet deep and the series of floods washed it down to bedrock. There are buildings lining the
west side of Big Ditch Park that once lined Main Street and they have elaborate front entrances that now face a greenbelt park. When the town plat for Silver City was first drawn up, it was laid out directly in the path of storm water runoff and Main Street wound up paying the ultimate price for the bad design. There are still about four blocks of Main Street left, north of the downtown area. It begins at 14th Street and then dead-ends at approximately the point where it once would have intersected with 10th Street. A glance at an aerial map will show a straight stretch of San Vicente Arroyo going past the downtown area. This was once
Main Street.
Western New Mexico University for most of its history. Today, those two components are still a big force in the economy, but it is a little more diversified now. Silver City is located close to the Gila Wilderness, which was the first federally designated wilderness in the country. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking, fishing and camping in the Gila Wilderness. Also in the area is Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which are located at the northern end of
State Highway 15, which is a very slow, twisting mountain road. Silver City also has a nearly completely intact and very historic downtown area with most of the buildings dating from the 1800s or early 1900s. The downtown area of Silver City is one of my favorite downtown areas anywhere! Now this is not the adobe construction you might expect to find in a small
New Mexico town. Adobe is an anomaly around here. The principal downtown street is
Bullard Street, but it was originally Main Street, one block to the east. You see, Main Street
disappeared in a flash flood in 1896. Several more floods in the next decade carved the newly created canyon even deeper. Now it is a greenbelt called Big Ditch Park and the canyon is 55 feet deep and the series of floods washed it down to bedrock. There are buildings lining the
west side of Big Ditch Park that once lined Main Street and they have elaborate front entrances that now face a greenbelt park. When the town plat for Silver City was first drawn up, it was laid out directly in the path of storm water runoff and Main Street wound up paying the ultimate price for the bad design. There are still about four blocks of Main Street left, north of the downtown area. It begins at 14th Street and then dead-ends at approximately the point where it once would have intersected with 10th Street. A glance at an aerial map will show a straight stretch of San Vicente Arroyo going past the downtown area. This was once
Main Street.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
A Brief Detour
I apologize for not writing in such a long time. That has been the case with all of my blogs, though. I will try to rectify that situation.
Since I have a trip to New Mexico planned for next month, I will temporarily suspend my series about the Carlsbad area, so I can write about that area from a fresher perspective.
Meanwile, I want to "drift" over into western New Mexico. One of my favorite towns anywhere is Silver City, which is located in southwestern New Mexico. Silver City has about 10,500 people and the population has hovered in the 10,000 range for quite some time.
The whole area in which Silver City resides was settled due to the opening of numerous mines and today mining still plays a significant part if the region's economy, but mining is not the dominant force it once was. The economy today is heavily based on tourism. There are ample recreational opportunities in this area ranging from hiking and camping in the nearby mountains, ancient Indian ruins, ghost towns and a fascinating state park that contains very weird, grotesque and otherworldy rock formations. In addition, Silver City is the home of
Western New Mexico University, which has about 3,500 students and it was established in 1893, when New Mexico was still a territory. It was founded as a teacher's college. The university occupies a prominent, hilltop location on the west side of Silver City. The university is a large source of employment in the area.
There are 12 towns located in close proximity to each other in this area, in the central part of Grant County. They are: Silver City, Santa Clara, Bayard, North Hurley, Hurley, Vanadium, Turnerville, Hanover, Arenas Valley, Little Walnut Village, Pinos Altos and Tyrone. Silver City is the biggest of these towns and the county seat of Grant County. In addition, there are several housing developments and rural, residential neighborhoods, which makes this a well settled area.
Since I have a trip to New Mexico planned for next month, I will temporarily suspend my series about the Carlsbad area, so I can write about that area from a fresher perspective.
Meanwile, I want to "drift" over into western New Mexico. One of my favorite towns anywhere is Silver City, which is located in southwestern New Mexico. Silver City has about 10,500 people and the population has hovered in the 10,000 range for quite some time.
The whole area in which Silver City resides was settled due to the opening of numerous mines and today mining still plays a significant part if the region's economy, but mining is not the dominant force it once was. The economy today is heavily based on tourism. There are ample recreational opportunities in this area ranging from hiking and camping in the nearby mountains, ancient Indian ruins, ghost towns and a fascinating state park that contains very weird, grotesque and otherworldy rock formations. In addition, Silver City is the home of
Western New Mexico University, which has about 3,500 students and it was established in 1893, when New Mexico was still a territory. It was founded as a teacher's college. The university occupies a prominent, hilltop location on the west side of Silver City. The university is a large source of employment in the area.
There are 12 towns located in close proximity to each other in this area, in the central part of Grant County. They are: Silver City, Santa Clara, Bayard, North Hurley, Hurley, Vanadium, Turnerville, Hanover, Arenas Valley, Little Walnut Village, Pinos Altos and Tyrone. Silver City is the biggest of these towns and the county seat of Grant County. In addition, there are several housing developments and rural, residential neighborhoods, which makes this a well settled area.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Carlsbad
Carlsbad is a pleasant little town, a veritable oasis in the desert. It is a tree studded town, but, of course, the majority of those trees were planted after the town was settled. The town was started by people who utilized irrigation water from the Pecos River and the town was initially called Eddy. The county that would later be created was also called Eddy and the town of Eddy
was named the county seat. After mineral springs were developed, the town became somewhat of a spa community. As a result, the residents of the town voted, in 1899, to change the town's name to Carlsbad because Karlsbad, Bohemia(now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), was a well known spa community at that time.
Eventually, potash and oil were discovered in the area and then, after those discoveries were made, the most famous discovery was made---the Carlsbad Caverns. At first they were just called "The Bat Caves," and they are located about 20 miles south of Carlsbad. The
Carlsbad Caverns will be the topic of another blog entry.
Meanwhile, back to Carlsbad itself. Even though it is currently experiencing a resurgence due to the ongoing oil boom, there are still signs of the prior difficult times the town had experienced. Before the oil boom started, the number of abandoned buildings in town was getting larger every time I went through the town. Of course, some of this is attributable to the decline of downtown business districts everywhere, a phenomenon that began shortly after World War II and accelerated in the 1950s with the "explosion" of suburban developments. That is when cities and towns everywhere began to grow outward and the downtown areas began to suffer as a result. However, many of these abandoned buildings, in Carlsbad, were not in the downtown area. But, be that as it may, the recent resurgence in Carlsbad is noticeable with the addition of new hotels, restaurants and other types of businesses. Most of the growth is on the southwest side of town, along National Parks Highway, the road to the caverns. This federal highway carries the dual designation of U.S. Highway 62&180. This highway provides access not only to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but to
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is in Texas. Both parks are headquartered together in Carlsbad, on the south side of town.
Although Carlsbad has had its share of ups and down in regards to population, it was never in really bad shape like many other towns in this area are. It did not lose 50% to 60% of its population like some other nearby towns did. The nearby caverns may be the reason for this. That tourism industry, in addition to federal employment with two national parks being in the area plus a national forest (Lincoln National Forest), plus a federal courthouse and office building, provided federal government jobs for the town. Lincoln National Forest has a ranger station in Carlsbad for the Guadalupe Ranger District.
One thing that really sticks out in my mind about Carlsbad is the fact that traffic lights at a bunch of intersections have been taken down over the years. The first time I ever went through Carlsbad, in 1979, was when I was going to summer camp near Santa Fe. To the best of my knowledge, traffic lights at 14 intersections have been taken down in Carlsbad over the years. Some of these intersections are still extremely busy. I am not sure why, but that is one thing that always sticks in my mind about Carlsbad. If it was a dying city, I could understand this, but it is not a dying city. Of course, one intersection has received traffic lights in the past few years, that did not have them previously, two more intersections are about to receive them
(and they may be operational by now) and a few more intersections are being studied to determine of they need traffic lights.
was named the county seat. After mineral springs were developed, the town became somewhat of a spa community. As a result, the residents of the town voted, in 1899, to change the town's name to Carlsbad because Karlsbad, Bohemia(now Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic), was a well known spa community at that time.
Eventually, potash and oil were discovered in the area and then, after those discoveries were made, the most famous discovery was made---the Carlsbad Caverns. At first they were just called "The Bat Caves," and they are located about 20 miles south of Carlsbad. The
Carlsbad Caverns will be the topic of another blog entry.
Meanwhile, back to Carlsbad itself. Even though it is currently experiencing a resurgence due to the ongoing oil boom, there are still signs of the prior difficult times the town had experienced. Before the oil boom started, the number of abandoned buildings in town was getting larger every time I went through the town. Of course, some of this is attributable to the decline of downtown business districts everywhere, a phenomenon that began shortly after World War II and accelerated in the 1950s with the "explosion" of suburban developments. That is when cities and towns everywhere began to grow outward and the downtown areas began to suffer as a result. However, many of these abandoned buildings, in Carlsbad, were not in the downtown area. But, be that as it may, the recent resurgence in Carlsbad is noticeable with the addition of new hotels, restaurants and other types of businesses. Most of the growth is on the southwest side of town, along National Parks Highway, the road to the caverns. This federal highway carries the dual designation of U.S. Highway 62&180. This highway provides access not only to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but to
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which is in Texas. Both parks are headquartered together in Carlsbad, on the south side of town.
Although Carlsbad has had its share of ups and down in regards to population, it was never in really bad shape like many other towns in this area are. It did not lose 50% to 60% of its population like some other nearby towns did. The nearby caverns may be the reason for this. That tourism industry, in addition to federal employment with two national parks being in the area plus a national forest (Lincoln National Forest), plus a federal courthouse and office building, provided federal government jobs for the town. Lincoln National Forest has a ranger station in Carlsbad for the Guadalupe Ranger District.
One thing that really sticks out in my mind about Carlsbad is the fact that traffic lights at a bunch of intersections have been taken down over the years. The first time I ever went through Carlsbad, in 1979, was when I was going to summer camp near Santa Fe. To the best of my knowledge, traffic lights at 14 intersections have been taken down in Carlsbad over the years. Some of these intersections are still extremely busy. I am not sure why, but that is one thing that always sticks in my mind about Carlsbad. If it was a dying city, I could understand this, but it is not a dying city. Of course, one intersection has received traffic lights in the past few years, that did not have them previously, two more intersections are about to receive them
(and they may be operational by now) and a few more intersections are being studied to determine of they need traffic lights.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Oil, Potash and Caverns
In the southeastern part of New Mexico, thirty miles from the Texas border, lies the town of Carlsbad. Carlsbad is principally known for the nearby Carlsbad Caverns, but it is predominantly an oil town, its fortunes rising and falling with the oil industry. There are also quite a few potash mines in the area. Potash is a substance that is used in a variety of things, such as making glass, but it is mainly used in making soap. The word "potassium" is a derivative of "potash." Carlsbad's fortunes are currently on the rise due to the ongoing oil boom. Its population hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 for about 60 years, with the exception of the 1960s when it dropped to around 21,000. The population of Carlsbad is currently
about 29,000.
Carlsbad is a pleasant little town that is an oasis in the desert. There is a small lake in town, Lake Carlsbad, that is the result of a small dam that was built across the Pecos River. There are two more lakes north of town, Avalon and Brantley, that are also the result of dams, much bigger dams, across the Pecos River. The lake in town is basically just a deep and full river channel, resembling what the Pecos River must have looked like in the distant past. It takes a dam to get the river to fill up its channel in this parched corner of the Chihuahuan Desert.
When the Pecos River comes into Carlsbad from the north, it is just a dry channel, having been sucked dry by Avalon Dam upstream and also by the Pecos River Flume, which is considered to be an engineering marvel.
Carlsbad is one of the hottest places in New Mexico, which is typically a high elevation state.
I remember one time, in June of 1994, when I lived in Arizona, when I was on vacation and I met my family in Carlsbad and it was one of the most severe heat waves in a long time, with the high temperature in Carlsbad, over that stretch, averaging 118 degrees with the hottest temperature recorded being 121 degrees. The state record high temperature for New Mexico,
122 degrees, was recorded during that heat wave at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
southeast of Carlsbad.
Even with its somewhat lofty elevation, Carlsbad is still at an elevation of 3,111 feet above sea level. Even though this elevation is rather high, Carlsbad is one of the lowest towns in
New Mexico. In fact, the lowest point in New Mexico is south of Carlsbad at the Texas border at the point where Red Bluff Lake enters Texas. Red Bluff Lake was created by still another dam across the Pecos River. The elevation of the lowest point in New Mexico is 2,817 feet above sea level.
With this introduction, I will now write a series about Carlsbad and its county, Eddy County.
about 29,000.
Carlsbad is a pleasant little town that is an oasis in the desert. There is a small lake in town, Lake Carlsbad, that is the result of a small dam that was built across the Pecos River. There are two more lakes north of town, Avalon and Brantley, that are also the result of dams, much bigger dams, across the Pecos River. The lake in town is basically just a deep and full river channel, resembling what the Pecos River must have looked like in the distant past. It takes a dam to get the river to fill up its channel in this parched corner of the Chihuahuan Desert.
When the Pecos River comes into Carlsbad from the north, it is just a dry channel, having been sucked dry by Avalon Dam upstream and also by the Pecos River Flume, which is considered to be an engineering marvel.
Carlsbad is one of the hottest places in New Mexico, which is typically a high elevation state.
I remember one time, in June of 1994, when I lived in Arizona, when I was on vacation and I met my family in Carlsbad and it was one of the most severe heat waves in a long time, with the high temperature in Carlsbad, over that stretch, averaging 118 degrees with the hottest temperature recorded being 121 degrees. The state record high temperature for New Mexico,
122 degrees, was recorded during that heat wave at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant,
southeast of Carlsbad.
Even with its somewhat lofty elevation, Carlsbad is still at an elevation of 3,111 feet above sea level. Even though this elevation is rather high, Carlsbad is one of the lowest towns in
New Mexico. In fact, the lowest point in New Mexico is south of Carlsbad at the Texas border at the point where Red Bluff Lake enters Texas. Red Bluff Lake was created by still another dam across the Pecos River. The elevation of the lowest point in New Mexico is 2,817 feet above sea level.
With this introduction, I will now write a series about Carlsbad and its county, Eddy County.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Border Twins
WOW! I cannot believe that I haven't written in this blog since February 23rd. Well, since I
am writing about the upper part of the Texas Panhandle in my other travel blog, I have decided to begin writing about an area on the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. Specifically, two "twin towns" that are only separated by a state border. Those towns are Farwell, Texas and Texico, New Mexico. Farwell is located on land that was formerly part of the XIT Ranch, that legendary, 3 million acre ranch that existed on the western edge of the Texas Panhandle in the late 1800s. In fact, Farwell is on the opposite end of the former ranch from Dalhart, which I have been writing about in my other travel blog. Farwell was named for two brothers who were part of the Capitol Syndicate, a group that received the land that would become the
XIT Ranch in exchange for building the state capitol in Austin. This deal was struck after the old capitol suffered a catastrophic fire in 1881.
The town on the New Mexico side of the border is Texico. The town's name is rather obvious, it is a combination of "Texas" and "New Mexico."
Farwell was platted as a townsite in 1905. I have not been able to find a founding date for Texico, but I believe it was established at about the same time. Most towns in this area were established in the first decade of the 1900s. Farwell was platted in 1905 at the point where two railroads entered New Mexico. One railroad ran southwest from Amarillo and the other one ran northwest from Lubbock. They meet just inside the state border, in Texas. The highways that were built in later years that parallel these two railroads, U.S. Highway 60 and
U.S. Highway 70, meet just inside New Mexico.
Farwell and Texico are roughly the same size, with Farwell being a tiny bit bigger. In the
2010 Census, Farwell had 1,363 people and Texico had 1,130 people.
am writing about the upper part of the Texas Panhandle in my other travel blog, I have decided to begin writing about an area on the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. Specifically, two "twin towns" that are only separated by a state border. Those towns are Farwell, Texas and Texico, New Mexico. Farwell is located on land that was formerly part of the XIT Ranch, that legendary, 3 million acre ranch that existed on the western edge of the Texas Panhandle in the late 1800s. In fact, Farwell is on the opposite end of the former ranch from Dalhart, which I have been writing about in my other travel blog. Farwell was named for two brothers who were part of the Capitol Syndicate, a group that received the land that would become the
XIT Ranch in exchange for building the state capitol in Austin. This deal was struck after the old capitol suffered a catastrophic fire in 1881.
The town on the New Mexico side of the border is Texico. The town's name is rather obvious, it is a combination of "Texas" and "New Mexico."
Farwell was platted as a townsite in 1905. I have not been able to find a founding date for Texico, but I believe it was established at about the same time. Most towns in this area were established in the first decade of the 1900s. Farwell was platted in 1905 at the point where two railroads entered New Mexico. One railroad ran southwest from Amarillo and the other one ran northwest from Lubbock. They meet just inside the state border, in Texas. The highways that were built in later years that parallel these two railroads, U.S. Highway 60 and
U.S. Highway 70, meet just inside New Mexico.
Farwell and Texico are roughly the same size, with Farwell being a tiny bit bigger. In the
2010 Census, Farwell had 1,363 people and Texico had 1,130 people.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Idaho Revisited
Well, my posts keep bringing me back to Idaho. Idaho is a state that I have not visited very often, but I absolutely loved it when I did! Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico are my three favorite states. What is amazing about Idaho is how much of it is still untouched wilderness. There are huge chunks of the state that are still roadless to this day. This is especially true in the central part of the state and also in Owyhee County, which occupies the southwest corner of Idaho. But it holds true for the vast majority of the state.
I have not personally visited Idaho since 2008 and I am having "withdrawals." I now live farther away from Idaho than I did in the past, so getting there would be a little more difficult.
Idaho seems to have somewhat of an identity crisis. I don't mean that as a put down at all, but, in the past, whenever I would say "Idaho," people usually thought I was talking about Iowa or Ohio. Also, when people think of Idaho, they usually think of whitewater streams, dark, dense forests and mountain men. Well, that is true, but there is a lot more than that. The majority of southern Idaho is desert and a good sized chunk of northern Idaho is a lush grassland that is part of the Palouse Region. The Palouse Region lies mostly in Washington and also occupies the northeast corner of Oregon, but it extends into Idaho as well. There is also a lush grassland in southern Idaho, near the Utah border. In fact, this area is part of
Curlew National Grassland, a system of protected grasslands that were established after the horrendous Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. Most national grasslands are in the Midwest, in the Plains states, but there is one in Idaho and one in Oregon. These are the farthest west of the national grasslands. National Grasslands are administered by the U.S. Forest Service, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture.
In addition to Idaho's apparent identity crisis, it has recently been determined that the state's name is fictitious. It was believed that "Idaho" was a derivative of "eda how," which was supposedly a Shoshone Indian word that meant "sun shining on the mountains."
This has recently been determined to be false. Yet this claim appeared in text books until very recently. George Willing, an eccentric lobbyist in the 1860s, suggested the name "Idaho" when Congress was considering creating a new territory in this area. This name was initially rejected, but would not go away. The Colorado town of Idaho Springs took this name and later a steamship took the name "Idaho." Eventually a county was created called Idaho County. This name later was applied to the new territory. The county named Idaho got its name before the territory/state did. George Willing even admitted later that he made the name up, because he liked the sound of it, but this evidently escaped the notice of historians until very recently. And yet, there is a Comanche Indian word "idaahe" that means "enemy." Hmmmm could there be a connection there? People don't seem to think so, but there might be. Maybe George Willing just made up a word without realizing the similarity it had to a Comanche word?
Anyway, I am planning to write about Idaho for awhile.
I have not personally visited Idaho since 2008 and I am having "withdrawals." I now live farther away from Idaho than I did in the past, so getting there would be a little more difficult.
Idaho seems to have somewhat of an identity crisis. I don't mean that as a put down at all, but, in the past, whenever I would say "Idaho," people usually thought I was talking about Iowa or Ohio. Also, when people think of Idaho, they usually think of whitewater streams, dark, dense forests and mountain men. Well, that is true, but there is a lot more than that. The majority of southern Idaho is desert and a good sized chunk of northern Idaho is a lush grassland that is part of the Palouse Region. The Palouse Region lies mostly in Washington and also occupies the northeast corner of Oregon, but it extends into Idaho as well. There is also a lush grassland in southern Idaho, near the Utah border. In fact, this area is part of
Curlew National Grassland, a system of protected grasslands that were established after the horrendous Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. Most national grasslands are in the Midwest, in the Plains states, but there is one in Idaho and one in Oregon. These are the farthest west of the national grasslands. National Grasslands are administered by the U.S. Forest Service, under the direction of the Department of Agriculture.
In addition to Idaho's apparent identity crisis, it has recently been determined that the state's name is fictitious. It was believed that "Idaho" was a derivative of "eda how," which was supposedly a Shoshone Indian word that meant "sun shining on the mountains."
This has recently been determined to be false. Yet this claim appeared in text books until very recently. George Willing, an eccentric lobbyist in the 1860s, suggested the name "Idaho" when Congress was considering creating a new territory in this area. This name was initially rejected, but would not go away. The Colorado town of Idaho Springs took this name and later a steamship took the name "Idaho." Eventually a county was created called Idaho County. This name later was applied to the new territory. The county named Idaho got its name before the territory/state did. George Willing even admitted later that he made the name up, because he liked the sound of it, but this evidently escaped the notice of historians until very recently. And yet, there is a Comanche Indian word "idaahe" that means "enemy." Hmmmm could there be a connection there? People don't seem to think so, but there might be. Maybe George Willing just made up a word without realizing the similarity it had to a Comanche word?
Anyway, I am planning to write about Idaho for awhile.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
An Iconic Bridge
There are two attractions that come to mind when most people think of Yuma. One is the
Old Yuma Territorial Prison, which is now a state park, and the other is the Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge. The Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge was the first automobile bridge over the Colorado River. It opened to traffic in 1914. Since this bridge was the only river bridge over a huge area, it forced many people who were driving from east to west or west to east, to make a big detour to the Yuma area so they could cross the Colorado River safely on a bridge. At the time, the Colorado was a huge, wide, deep and cantankerous river that was very difficult to cross. That is no longer the case, since the river has been over allocated and over irrigated to provide water to a thirsty population in an arid climate.
Nevertheless, this is still an iconic bridge and is a marvel of early bridge building techniques.
The Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge, were built where the Colorado River squeezes between bluffs on each side, at least it used to squeeze between bluffs.
The bridge is 444 feet long, but these days, the majority of that span is over a dry riverbed with just a narrow stream snaking through the historic river channel. The bridge opened to automobile traffic in 1914. It was completely rehabilitated in 1943, during World War II, as a "national necessity" because, at the time, a major federal highway went over the bridge, providing a crucial link between California and the rest of the nation. Over the years, this bridge was bypassed by a new U.S. Highway 80 bridge, farther west on North 4th Avenue and then it was replaced again by the towering, twin bridges of Interstate 8 a short distance away. The bridge was eventually closed to automobile traffic in 1988 and became a pedestrian-only bridge. I have heard conflicting stories about why the bridge was closed. I have been told that it was functionally obsolete since there were newer and wider bridges nearby, I was told that the physical condition of the bridge deteriorated to the point that it had to be closed due to safety concerns and I was also told that there was nothing structurally wrong with it, it was just too narrow to accommodate modern traffic. After all the bridge was only 16 feet, 9 inches wide, barely wide enough for two cars. In that era, bridges were typically narrow, but the standard width was 18 feet, so this bridge was narrower than most bridges of its day. It was impossible to two trucks, or buses, to pass each other on this extremely narrow bridge. Maybe all three scenarios played a part in the bridge's closing, that is my personal opinion. At any rate, the bridge was reopened to vehicular traffic in 2002 after an extensive rehabilitation. I remember reading about the rehabilitation project in the newspaper when it was still in the planning stages. The California side of the river is the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and an Indian casino had already opened for business while the bridge was closed. The hotel/casino is just a short distance north of the bridge. The reopening of the bridge greatly facilitated traffic flow to and from the hotel/casino to Yuma and from the reservation, in general to Yuma. Although the bridge is carrying automobile traffic again, there is one major difference. It is open to only one direction of traffic at a time. Traffic goes down the middle of the bridge while both sides are used as pedestrian walkways. The direction of traffic flow is controlled by traffic lights on each end of the bridge. The traffic alternates between northbound and southbound, depending on who has the green light.
One iconic feature of this century old bridge is the fact that the words "OCEAN TO OCEAN BRIDGE, YUMA" are on the side of this iron truss bridge and the letters are lit up at night.
Old Yuma Territorial Prison, which is now a state park, and the other is the Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge. The Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge was the first automobile bridge over the Colorado River. It opened to traffic in 1914. Since this bridge was the only river bridge over a huge area, it forced many people who were driving from east to west or west to east, to make a big detour to the Yuma area so they could cross the Colorado River safely on a bridge. At the time, the Colorado was a huge, wide, deep and cantankerous river that was very difficult to cross. That is no longer the case, since the river has been over allocated and over irrigated to provide water to a thirsty population in an arid climate.
Nevertheless, this is still an iconic bridge and is a marvel of early bridge building techniques.
The Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge and the adjacent railroad bridge, were built where the Colorado River squeezes between bluffs on each side, at least it used to squeeze between bluffs.
The bridge is 444 feet long, but these days, the majority of that span is over a dry riverbed with just a narrow stream snaking through the historic river channel. The bridge opened to automobile traffic in 1914. It was completely rehabilitated in 1943, during World War II, as a "national necessity" because, at the time, a major federal highway went over the bridge, providing a crucial link between California and the rest of the nation. Over the years, this bridge was bypassed by a new U.S. Highway 80 bridge, farther west on North 4th Avenue and then it was replaced again by the towering, twin bridges of Interstate 8 a short distance away. The bridge was eventually closed to automobile traffic in 1988 and became a pedestrian-only bridge. I have heard conflicting stories about why the bridge was closed. I have been told that it was functionally obsolete since there were newer and wider bridges nearby, I was told that the physical condition of the bridge deteriorated to the point that it had to be closed due to safety concerns and I was also told that there was nothing structurally wrong with it, it was just too narrow to accommodate modern traffic. After all the bridge was only 16 feet, 9 inches wide, barely wide enough for two cars. In that era, bridges were typically narrow, but the standard width was 18 feet, so this bridge was narrower than most bridges of its day. It was impossible to two trucks, or buses, to pass each other on this extremely narrow bridge. Maybe all three scenarios played a part in the bridge's closing, that is my personal opinion. At any rate, the bridge was reopened to vehicular traffic in 2002 after an extensive rehabilitation. I remember reading about the rehabilitation project in the newspaper when it was still in the planning stages. The California side of the river is the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and an Indian casino had already opened for business while the bridge was closed. The hotel/casino is just a short distance north of the bridge. The reopening of the bridge greatly facilitated traffic flow to and from the hotel/casino to Yuma and from the reservation, in general to Yuma. Although the bridge is carrying automobile traffic again, there is one major difference. It is open to only one direction of traffic at a time. Traffic goes down the middle of the bridge while both sides are used as pedestrian walkways. The direction of traffic flow is controlled by traffic lights on each end of the bridge. The traffic alternates between northbound and southbound, depending on who has the green light.
One iconic feature of this century old bridge is the fact that the words "OCEAN TO OCEAN BRIDGE, YUMA" are on the side of this iron truss bridge and the letters are lit up at night.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Old Town Yuma
Yuma, Arizona is a city with more than 100,000 people, but its downtown area is very peaceful. If downtown is the only part of Yuma that a person saw, the person would most likely get the impression that Yuma is a very small town, but that is not the case. The only traffic lights in downtown Yuma are along the outer edges, 2 intersections on 4th Avenue, one intersection on
East Harold Giss Parkway and some on North Penitentiary Avenue and these traffic lights control traffic flow across a one way bridge. I will write about that bridge soon. It is one of the oldest automobile bridges in the western part of the United States. For the most part, traffic is very light in downtown Yuma and the streets are narrow. There are alot of adobe buildings. The entire town of Yuma was completely built out of adobe in the early years, but the adobe buildings would melt away during floods, since the town was located at the confluence of two rivers. The principal street of Yuma in the town's early years was Main Street. Main Street is still the heart of downtown Yuma, but is no longer the city's primary business street. In the early days of Yuma, Main Street was one of the widest streets in the United States. It was so wide that a team of horses pulling a buggy could turn completely around in the street. The street remained this wide through the early days of the automobile, but eventually, the growth in Yuma shifted away from downtown and, in 1969, a two block stretch of South Main Street was closed and turned into a pedestrian mall. It was thought at the time that eliminating vehicles from the street and allowing people to visit the stores without having to watch for traffic would revitalize the downtown area, but, as in most cases around the country, this pedestrian mall failed miserably.
The two block stretch of South Main Street between Second Street and Harold Giss Parkway was reopened to motorized traffic in 2002. I remember seeing South Main Street when it was a pedestrian mall. Most of the businesses had closed and the former street was lined with vacant storefronts. There were very few people walking around the area visiting the few businesses that were still open. Reopening the street to cars has brought the street back to life and nearly every business has reopened and people have returned to downtown Yuma. While the downtown area is coming back to life, it is still not as busy as other parts of the city. One look at Main Street in Yuma, either in person or on an aerial map, will reveal how wide the street once was. Today the street is lined with extremely wide sidewalks, grassy strips in front of the stores and large concrete boxes that are filled with desert plants or trees. In addition, there is angled parking on both sides of the street. Main Street has been reduced to a single lane of traffic each direction and that is all it needs, since the majority of the city has spread southward and westward from here.
East Harold Giss Parkway and some on North Penitentiary Avenue and these traffic lights control traffic flow across a one way bridge. I will write about that bridge soon. It is one of the oldest automobile bridges in the western part of the United States. For the most part, traffic is very light in downtown Yuma and the streets are narrow. There are alot of adobe buildings. The entire town of Yuma was completely built out of adobe in the early years, but the adobe buildings would melt away during floods, since the town was located at the confluence of two rivers. The principal street of Yuma in the town's early years was Main Street. Main Street is still the heart of downtown Yuma, but is no longer the city's primary business street. In the early days of Yuma, Main Street was one of the widest streets in the United States. It was so wide that a team of horses pulling a buggy could turn completely around in the street. The street remained this wide through the early days of the automobile, but eventually, the growth in Yuma shifted away from downtown and, in 1969, a two block stretch of South Main Street was closed and turned into a pedestrian mall. It was thought at the time that eliminating vehicles from the street and allowing people to visit the stores without having to watch for traffic would revitalize the downtown area, but, as in most cases around the country, this pedestrian mall failed miserably.
The two block stretch of South Main Street between Second Street and Harold Giss Parkway was reopened to motorized traffic in 2002. I remember seeing South Main Street when it was a pedestrian mall. Most of the businesses had closed and the former street was lined with vacant storefronts. There were very few people walking around the area visiting the few businesses that were still open. Reopening the street to cars has brought the street back to life and nearly every business has reopened and people have returned to downtown Yuma. While the downtown area is coming back to life, it is still not as busy as other parts of the city. One look at Main Street in Yuma, either in person or on an aerial map, will reveal how wide the street once was. Today the street is lined with extremely wide sidewalks, grassy strips in front of the stores and large concrete boxes that are filled with desert plants or trees. In addition, there is angled parking on both sides of the street. Main Street has been reduced to a single lane of traffic each direction and that is all it needs, since the majority of the city has spread southward and westward from here.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Arizona on the West Bank of the Colorado River?
For the most part, the Colorado River forms the western border of Arizona. First it separates Arizona from Nevada and then it separates Arizona from California and, with a few exceptions, the border does not leave the river. One of those exceptions is near the city of Yuma. When the Colorado River flows past Yuma, it briefly flows west for about ten miles before turning south again. It is in this brief east-west pattern where the border between Arizona and California deviates from the river. There is an old loop of the river on the north side of the present river channel, a short distance northeast of Yuma. I believe the river cut its new channel sometime during World War II, from what I have been told. This old river channel is still very visible on aerial maps and it can be seen from the ground really well to because there is still a line of trees lining the old river channel, with their roots spread wide to suck in the subterranean water. In places, the trees have cut down and part of the old river channel has been plowed up and farmed to take advantage of the high water table that still exists beneath the abandoned river channel. Most of the old river channel is still there, though. In fact, there are four lakes that exist in the upper part of the old river loop, Haughtelin Lake, Bard Lake and two much smaller lakes that appear to be unnamed. Haughtelin Lake is by far the biggest, it occupies the northwest corner of the loop, the part where the river briefly flowed west and then turned and flowed back south. All of these four lakes are at the upper part of the old river loop. There is some marshy land between these lakes as well. The line of trees along this old river channel is visible from over a mile away in this desert environment. The subterranean water table beneath the old channel of the Colorado River must be extremely high because it evidently drains a large amount of water into the new channel. The current channel is reduced to almost nothing at Imperial Dam, about 30 miles upstream from Yuma, because two canals, on each side of the river, siphon off 96% of the river's flow, leaving only 4% of the river's flow to continue downstream. After the river passes Imperial Dam and Laguna Dam, just a few miles apart,
the river is only a few feet wide, with the narrow stream meandering its way in a much wider channel that was formed over the eons. Yet, as the river flows past Yuma, it is wider than it is after it leaves the two dams, but still paltry when compared to the way it used to be. The
Gila River does meet the Colorado River between the dams and Yuma, but the Gila is usually dry. The Colorado is evidently receiving quite a bit of water from its abandoned channel.
This old river channel is really wide, but then nearly the entire length of the Colorado River was once really wide, before it was siphoned off to nothing to satisfy man's insatiable thirst and need for water.
I have personally driven across this old river channel. I drove down a well maintained dirt road, on the California side, north of Yuma. I was heading for the line of trees that I mentioned. When I got to the line of trees, I saw an obvious river channel, with deep silt deposits, on the south side of the road, but, on the north side of the road, the old riverbed has been plowed up, so I just saw farmland.
Usually, when a river, which forms a state or county border, the border stays in the old channel when the river shifts its course. There are a lot of places along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Red Rivers, for example, where the state border deviates from the current river channel because the channel shifted over time and the border stayed in the
old channel.
Well, when the Colorado River shifted its course just outside Yuma, it evidently set off a boundary dispute between Arizona and California. Sometime in the 1960s, the two states came to an agreement over how to divide the area within the old river loop. As a result, the state border does not follow the old river channel. Instead, it cuts across the loop with a series of straight lines that make several 90 degree turns.
Maps of this area do not agree, but most maps show that the land within this old river loop is not part of the adjacent Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, while other maps say it is part of the reservation. Most maps show the Indian reservation encircling this loop of three sides.
There are other places along the Colorado River in which the state border does not follow the river channel, despite what is shown on maps.
the river is only a few feet wide, with the narrow stream meandering its way in a much wider channel that was formed over the eons. Yet, as the river flows past Yuma, it is wider than it is after it leaves the two dams, but still paltry when compared to the way it used to be. The
Gila River does meet the Colorado River between the dams and Yuma, but the Gila is usually dry. The Colorado is evidently receiving quite a bit of water from its abandoned channel.
This old river channel is really wide, but then nearly the entire length of the Colorado River was once really wide, before it was siphoned off to nothing to satisfy man's insatiable thirst and need for water.
I have personally driven across this old river channel. I drove down a well maintained dirt road, on the California side, north of Yuma. I was heading for the line of trees that I mentioned. When I got to the line of trees, I saw an obvious river channel, with deep silt deposits, on the south side of the road, but, on the north side of the road, the old riverbed has been plowed up, so I just saw farmland.
Usually, when a river, which forms a state or county border, the border stays in the old channel when the river shifts its course. There are a lot of places along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Red Rivers, for example, where the state border deviates from the current river channel because the channel shifted over time and the border stayed in the
old channel.
Well, when the Colorado River shifted its course just outside Yuma, it evidently set off a boundary dispute between Arizona and California. Sometime in the 1960s, the two states came to an agreement over how to divide the area within the old river loop. As a result, the state border does not follow the old river channel. Instead, it cuts across the loop with a series of straight lines that make several 90 degree turns.
Maps of this area do not agree, but most maps show that the land within this old river loop is not part of the adjacent Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, while other maps say it is part of the reservation. Most maps show the Indian reservation encircling this loop of three sides.
There are other places along the Colorado River in which the state border does not follow the river channel, despite what is shown on maps.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Nogales
Downtown Nogales is right next to the international border. It is typical of most downtown areas of border towns. That is, the majority of the signs are in Spanish and most store owners have tables set up on the sidewalk in front of their stores to lure passersby to purchase their products. The downtown businesses in Nogales line Morley Avenue, Grand Avenue and Arroyo Boulevard, right next to the international border. The former train station in Nogales is now the Pimeria Alta Historical Museum. This is a great museum that displays the history of this area that was called "Pimeria Alta" by the Spanish government when this entire area was a colony of Spain. What is now Nogales was the major entry point for explorers, traders and anyone else who ventured into this area. There was literally a plethora of missions and presidios that were established in this area beginning in the 16th century. Nogales and its accompanying county, Santa Cruz, is a vital part of Arizona's history and any history book about Arizona focuses on this area.
The Pimeria Alta, or "upper land of the Pimas." was named for the Pima Indians and their close relatives, the Sobaipuri and the O'odham, who resided in this area when the Spanish
explorers arrived.
Nogales has about 22,000 people and is one of the busiest border crossing points on the entire United States/Mexico border. In fact, there are four border crossings connecting Nogales, Arizona with Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The crossing at the end of South Grand Avenue, called the
Grand Avenue Gate, is the busiest. In very close proximity to this crossing is the Morley Gate, which, I believe, is the only pedestrian only crossing on the entire Mexican border. This pedestrian crossing lies two blocks east of the Grand Avenue Gate between the ends of South Morley Avenue, in the United States and Calle Plutarco Elias Calles in Mexico. Between the Grand Avenue Gate and the Morley Gate is a railroad crossing. A movable gate usually lies across the multiple railroad tracks that cross the border here. On the west side of town, in a very rural area, is the Mariposa Gate, which is mostly used by trucks. There is alot of truck traffic in Nogales. It is a major point for cross-border trucking traffic and trucking companies are located all over town.
As I said in the last blog post, Nogales is a rather pleasant town and I like it. It is a very hilly town(though not as hilly as its counterpart south of the border) and there are quite a few streets in town that are very steep. the southern part of town definitely has the look and feel of being in Mexico, but that is typical of most border towns in the United States.
The Pimeria Alta, or "upper land of the Pimas." was named for the Pima Indians and their close relatives, the Sobaipuri and the O'odham, who resided in this area when the Spanish
explorers arrived.
Nogales has about 22,000 people and is one of the busiest border crossing points on the entire United States/Mexico border. In fact, there are four border crossings connecting Nogales, Arizona with Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. The crossing at the end of South Grand Avenue, called the
Grand Avenue Gate, is the busiest. In very close proximity to this crossing is the Morley Gate, which, I believe, is the only pedestrian only crossing on the entire Mexican border. This pedestrian crossing lies two blocks east of the Grand Avenue Gate between the ends of South Morley Avenue, in the United States and Calle Plutarco Elias Calles in Mexico. Between the Grand Avenue Gate and the Morley Gate is a railroad crossing. A movable gate usually lies across the multiple railroad tracks that cross the border here. On the west side of town, in a very rural area, is the Mariposa Gate, which is mostly used by trucks. There is alot of truck traffic in Nogales. It is a major point for cross-border trucking traffic and trucking companies are located all over town.
As I said in the last blog post, Nogales is a rather pleasant town and I like it. It is a very hilly town(though not as hilly as its counterpart south of the border) and there are quite a few streets in town that are very steep. the southern part of town definitely has the look and feel of being in Mexico, but that is typical of most border towns in the United States.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
On The Border
On the southern edge of Arizona, nestled among the steep hills, lies a town that is often misunderstood. It is Nogales, population about 22,000. Most people have the perception that Nogales is a violent town, a dangerous place to visit, but that is not true. The town gets a bad rap because it is on the border with Mexico, and for this reason people also believe that cities such as El Paso and Laredo, Texas are dangerous as well, but they are not. Nogales, along with other towns on the Mexican border, does have some unique issues due to the thriving drug trade, but it is by no means a dangerous place. The Mexican border has always been a dangerous place even before the days of the drug cartels because Mexico has always been a volatile land. Most American border towns have buildings near the border with bullet holes in them, due to bullets flying across the border at various times in the past, particularly the Mexican Revolution a century ago.
Nogales does have drug smuggling tunnels that have been found underneath the border fence, but I have been to Nogales many times and have spent the night there several times and have never had any problems. No one has ever harassed me or threatened me. In fact, I have met alot of friendly people in Nogales.
Nogales is not a desert town, though it is near the desert. It is about 1,500 feet higher than Tucson, an hour to the north. There are no saguaro cactuses growing in the Nogales area, just a few prickly pear and the occasional cholla. Nogales is located in a deciduous forest with several different types of trees, including the walnut tree, for which the town is named. The Nogales area is still an arid climate, but is is wetter and cooler than the nearby Sonoran Desert. The average low temperature in Nogales in the winter months is slightly below freezing, about 30 degrees, but temperatures have been known to drop into the teens and low twenties. On two occasions, I have spent the night in Nogales in January and, on both occasions, I had to scrape ice off of my windshield. Summers are hot, but not like the nearby desert that routinely sees temperatures surpass 110 degrees. Nogales is usually in the mid to upper 90s. The average yearly rainfall is 18 inches, which is still dry, but not as dry as a desert.
Nogales is a very hilly town as well, with some very steep streets, but, as hilly as Nogales is, its counterpart across the border, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, is even hillier. The border fence in this area is very undulating because it goes up one slope and down another, crossing canyons and ravines. In most places, a person can look up to to see residential areas, businesses and shantytowns in Nogales, Mexico because the hills are higher and steeper south of the border.
Nogales does have drug smuggling tunnels that have been found underneath the border fence, but I have been to Nogales many times and have spent the night there several times and have never had any problems. No one has ever harassed me or threatened me. In fact, I have met alot of friendly people in Nogales.
Nogales is not a desert town, though it is near the desert. It is about 1,500 feet higher than Tucson, an hour to the north. There are no saguaro cactuses growing in the Nogales area, just a few prickly pear and the occasional cholla. Nogales is located in a deciduous forest with several different types of trees, including the walnut tree, for which the town is named. The Nogales area is still an arid climate, but is is wetter and cooler than the nearby Sonoran Desert. The average low temperature in Nogales in the winter months is slightly below freezing, about 30 degrees, but temperatures have been known to drop into the teens and low twenties. On two occasions, I have spent the night in Nogales in January and, on both occasions, I had to scrape ice off of my windshield. Summers are hot, but not like the nearby desert that routinely sees temperatures surpass 110 degrees. Nogales is usually in the mid to upper 90s. The average yearly rainfall is 18 inches, which is still dry, but not as dry as a desert.
Nogales is a very hilly town as well, with some very steep streets, but, as hilly as Nogales is, its counterpart across the border, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, is even hillier. The border fence in this area is very undulating because it goes up one slope and down another, crossing canyons and ravines. In most places, a person can look up to to see residential areas, businesses and shantytowns in Nogales, Mexico because the hills are higher and steeper south of the border.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
A Backwards Lake
In the southern part of Yellowstone National Park, adjacent to the southwest part of the "Figure Eight" road in the park, sits a tiny little lake called Isa Lake. It is really more of a pond than a lake. The water surface fluctuates very little and is usually covered with yellow pond lilies. Isa Lake sits directly on top of the Continental Divide at the summit of Craig Pass, which is 8,262 feet above sea level. What makes this otherwise insignificant little pond famous is this: Since it sits directly on top of the Continental Divide, the waters of the lake drain to both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This is not the only body of water that does this, but it is the only body of water, in the world, that drains to two different oceans backwards. You see, the small stream that flows west out of the lake winds up draining to the Atlantic Ocean, to the east, while the stream that flows out the east side of the lake drains west to the Pacific Ocean. That small stream that flows west out of Isa Lake connects to the Firehole River, which flows into the Madison River, which flows into the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico, which is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny stream that flows east out of Isa Lake connects to DeLacy Creek, which flows into Shoshone Lake, which drains into the Lewis River and the Lewis River then passes through Lewis Lake on its way to the Snake River. The Snake River flows into the Columbia River and the Columbia River flows directly into the Pacific Ocean between Oregon and Washington.
Isa Lake was discovered in 1891, nineteen years after Yellowstone National Park was created, by Henry Chittenden when he was surveying a route for a road to connect the Old Faithful Geyser to the West Thumb area and its accompanying geyser basin.
Isa Lake was discovered in 1891, nineteen years after Yellowstone National Park was created, by Henry Chittenden when he was surveying a route for a road to connect the Old Faithful Geyser to the West Thumb area and its accompanying geyser basin.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
A Wonderland of Waterfalls, Geysers and Hot Springs
As the above title suggests, Yellowstone National Park is a veritable wonderland, a truly unique landscape. Even back in the pioneer days, when there was no such thing as a national park, fur trappers, mountain men, miners and other people who were passing through this area saw its potential. They thought it should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Probably the most photographed places in Yellowstone are Old Faithful Geyser, the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Grand Prismatic Spring and Morning Glory Pool.
Morning Glory Pool is stunning in the color variation, with water colors fading from clear to yellow to orange to green to light blue to royal blue to deep blue. It almost looks like something a child with a vivid imagination would draw in his or her coloring book. The majority of the attractions in the park are on the north and west sides, but that's not to say the rest of the park does not have things to see. I think my favorite spot is Dragon's Mouth Spring., a hot spring that emanates from an opening in the side of a small bluff. When the water comes out of the opening, it really does sound like a dragon exhaling!
The inner workings of the park's most famous feature, Old Faithful Geyser, were altered about a decade ago by an earthquake, so it no longer erupts every 56 minutes, now it is every 91 minutes. The entrance road to the Old Faithful area was rebuilt a few years ago and there is now an overpass, with exit and entrance ramps, where it meets the main "Figure 8" road of the park. I realize that this area is extremely congested, but an overpass looks completely out of place in a national park. Personally, I would rather see traffic lights there than an overpass. Traffic lights are not as intrusive to the landscape as an overpass with its accompanying ramps are and the current setup means that a bigger area had to be paved.
Just to the north of Old Faithful Geyser, there is a footbridge over the Firehole River and then the trail leads to Geyser Hill, which literally abounds with geysers! In the areas were geysers proliferate, there are boardwalks leading around the geysers, hot springs, fumaroles,
or boiling mudpots.
The Firehole River is aptly named. Since it flows through, and past, numerous geyser basins, full of geothermal activity, it contains very warm water. The water temperatures in the river have been measured as high as 86 degrees and this is in a land that mostly has coldwater streams. The Firehole River is 21 miles long. It joins the Gibbon River several miles north of Old Faithful. This confluence creates the Madison River. The Madison River, in turn, merges with the
Jefferson River near the town of Three Forks, Montana to create the Missouri River, at least in name. The Missouri Rivers actually begins in the Centennial Mountains, on the Montana/Idaho
border at Brower's Spring. It is initially known as Hellroaring Creek, then Red Rock River, then Beaverhead River, then Jefferson River, before taking the name "Missouri" at Three Forks.
Probably the most photographed places in Yellowstone are Old Faithful Geyser, the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River, Grand Prismatic Spring and Morning Glory Pool.
Morning Glory Pool is stunning in the color variation, with water colors fading from clear to yellow to orange to green to light blue to royal blue to deep blue. It almost looks like something a child with a vivid imagination would draw in his or her coloring book. The majority of the attractions in the park are on the north and west sides, but that's not to say the rest of the park does not have things to see. I think my favorite spot is Dragon's Mouth Spring., a hot spring that emanates from an opening in the side of a small bluff. When the water comes out of the opening, it really does sound like a dragon exhaling!
The inner workings of the park's most famous feature, Old Faithful Geyser, were altered about a decade ago by an earthquake, so it no longer erupts every 56 minutes, now it is every 91 minutes. The entrance road to the Old Faithful area was rebuilt a few years ago and there is now an overpass, with exit and entrance ramps, where it meets the main "Figure 8" road of the park. I realize that this area is extremely congested, but an overpass looks completely out of place in a national park. Personally, I would rather see traffic lights there than an overpass. Traffic lights are not as intrusive to the landscape as an overpass with its accompanying ramps are and the current setup means that a bigger area had to be paved.
Just to the north of Old Faithful Geyser, there is a footbridge over the Firehole River and then the trail leads to Geyser Hill, which literally abounds with geysers! In the areas were geysers proliferate, there are boardwalks leading around the geysers, hot springs, fumaroles,
or boiling mudpots.
The Firehole River is aptly named. Since it flows through, and past, numerous geyser basins, full of geothermal activity, it contains very warm water. The water temperatures in the river have been measured as high as 86 degrees and this is in a land that mostly has coldwater streams. The Firehole River is 21 miles long. It joins the Gibbon River several miles north of Old Faithful. This confluence creates the Madison River. The Madison River, in turn, merges with the
Jefferson River near the town of Three Forks, Montana to create the Missouri River, at least in name. The Missouri Rivers actually begins in the Centennial Mountains, on the Montana/Idaho
border at Brower's Spring. It is initially known as Hellroaring Creek, then Red Rock River, then Beaverhead River, then Jefferson River, before taking the name "Missouri" at Three Forks.
Monday, July 15, 2013
My Other Travel Blog
I recently stopped a series I was doing on this blog about the uppermost part of the Texas Panhandle because I wanted to write about Yellowstone National Park, which I had never done. I will continue that series soon, but, in the meantime, I will continue my series about the upper Texas Panhandle on my other travel blog, called "In My Travels,"which is available at
www.radzvacations.blogspot.com. In that series, I am currently writing about the Oklahoma Panhandle, which is adjacent to the Texas Panhandle, so I will "move across the border" very soon in that blog. Just wanted to let my readers know about that and also to let them know about my other travel blog.
www.radzvacations.blogspot.com. In that series, I am currently writing about the Oklahoma Panhandle, which is adjacent to the Texas Panhandle, so I will "move across the border" very soon in that blog. Just wanted to let my readers know about that and also to let them know about my other travel blog.
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