[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by Jack Gifford

Hmm... I guess that puts guys like me with the walking dead...

Hey Jack, We would love to have you back in Az for a little adventuring/exploring. Gosh it is fun! Hoping you are doing well.

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by mechanickeith

That is the info from the ghost town site we had been reading through. Several places on that site said these were asbestose mines used for roosevelt dam. According to that site, the Mule hoof bend town was from the 50's.


EDIT!! MY mistake,,,Went back & found the info,,,The asbestose was used for Hoover Dam, not Roosevelt.

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/az.html

That may be but, Hoover dam was built in the 30s and these mines ran several decades after that. I am sure some of these mines were in use in the 30s but, remember the hiway to these mines was not in place until the early 30s so, it must have been a trail or something to get to them. there are so many in this area. I read close to 90 of them.
Indeed, there is much more to learn about this area for all of us.

[NBF823]

Thanks for posting up those pics! I really enjoy looking at those sorts of things.

[Jack Gifford]

Yeah, I am envious, Steve. But I like seeing how much enjoyment you guys are getting out of your "explorations". Keep the photos coming!

[Skip Fix]

Steve as a Jr High kid I went with my dad on a trip a little north of Pheonix near the Superstition(sp?) to install seismographs. I think to monitor for nuclear tests in Russia-not all the seismographs are for earthquakes and oil exploration.They were putting them deep in some old mines. There were several other abandoned mines on the hills one of the other boys and I explored-just had to dodge the rattlers and bats!

Pretty cool. They used the old acetylene lamps-water and some calcium carbide crystals that react and produce it for light.

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

Steve as a Jr High kid I went with my dad on a trip a little north of Pheonix near the Superstition(sp?) to install seismographs. I think to monitor for nuclear tests in Russia-not all the seismographs are for earthquakes and oil exploration.They were putting them deep in some old mines. There were several other abandoned mines on the hills one of the other boys and I explored-just had to dodge the rattlers and bats!

Pretty cool. They used the old acetylene lamps-water and some calcium carbide crystals that react and produce it for light.

Interesting Skip

[Steve Barcak]

We ventured out on another exploratory hike and found some interesting things.

These appear to be natual wells, there are 2 of them.





Then, we found some more old cars and parts. Not sure what this is off of but, it looks WWI era to me, perhaps 20s.





more pics coming from this trip

[Half-Inch Stud]

Are you gonnalet some of us retire, as ranch hands, or wrenchers, and live on the back 40?

[John Eiseman]

Hey Steve, I've explored some of the Neveda desert, old mines, hot springs, ghost towns Indian petroglyph, wild horses. There is so much history there. I look forward to bringing my dirt bike down to explore the Arizona desert, if you'll have me.

[RUDOLFSSON]

Great post!

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by John Eiseman

Hey Steve, I've explored some of the Neveda desert, old mines, hot springs, ghost towns Indian petroglyph, wild horses. There is so much history there. I look forward to bringing my dirt bike down to explore the Arizona desert, if you'll have me.

Sure! Plenty of room here and things to do and see.

[Steve Barcak]

This Sunday morning will be heading back east of Superior, Az to do some more hiking/exploring. Heading back to the Queen Creek tunnel and more.

then- 1921-1951



Today



If anyone wants to join us, contact me. We are meeting at an IHOP at 6am as our meeting area.

[muscle_collector]

that is cool. did rt 66 or some highway do away with that road???

[Engine-Ear]

Steve: specifically what does the second line of the caption in the upper pic read?

Looks like "Highway 60 + 70".

I looked at the current satellite map of the Miami to Superior route and see that US 60 is still a route... where does the now-abandoned portion of US 60 (lower pic) fit on the current satellite map?

I said it before, I'll say it again... I wish I could attend.

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by muscle_collector

that is cool. did rt 66 or some highway do away with that road???

This section of road started as a wagon trail in the 1870s. The town of Globe had a silver boom and much larger than the Phx are. The Army/Calvery carved out a trail to connect them. With the motorvehicle, the road had been upgraded and, over the decades, was realigned and straightened, etc. From what I have learned, most of the improvements started around 1920 when federal money for improved roadways allowed for this. This appears to be the reason for the concrete overpasses and tunnel put in around the time ( 90 years back ). The, newer, larger Queen Creek tunnel was finished in 1952 and is still in use today. That tunnel bypassed the old Claypool tunnel.
My understanding is the hwy was paved by the 1940s or so. Have some postcards showing the hwy in use in the 1930s while still graded.

This is why I have found many wrecks and abandoned cars and trucks in the area, dating as far back to the WWI era.


I found this tunnel on my own and it was quite a find indeed!
This shows a west bound view of hwy 60 with the 1952 Queen Creel Tunnel on the right. If you looks close, you can see the entrance to the 1921 Claypool tunnel to the left.



remember, Arizona history/civilization/population is much shorter than places east. Very little was happening here over 100 years back.

Here is a ut bue of going through the tunnel on a bike.

One day will video going through there in my GTO! Maybe get a few guys up the road a few miles to warn me of any dangers and, with that cleared, go through at 'extra legal' speeds! hmm It's a great road to drive real fast and to even drive real slow while towing. There is much to see and enjoy.
Personally, I would never do this on a bycycle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guSDgFGIOAE

Several years back in my modified '71 GTO 455HO, was on the way back from a day of skiiing with a date and got into a clash with some expensive, fancy foreign German car with the motor in the back late that night. I ended up running well over 100 on the wrong side of the double yellow getting around him. As I got back on the right side of the road, YIKES! my radar detector lit off, there was a full dress bear sitting there looking at me. He was on the other side of the road, just outside of the tunnel. As his lights went on, I had so much speed going I just kept my foot in it! I think he got the porcshe thing that I got around because never saw either again. Scary and but, you gotta do what you gotta do to defend your country, right?! I doubt the bogie has a chance to barely get a glance of my GTO as I was going so fast and was around the corners and out of sight in less than a few seconds. Everytime I drive throught there, I often remember that exciting night.

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by Engine-Ear

Steve: specifically what does the second line of the caption in the upper pic read?

Looks like "Highway 60 + 70".

I looked at the current satellite map of the Miami to Superior route and see that US 60 is still a route... where does the now-abandoned portion of US 60 (lower pic) fit on the current satellite map?

I said it before, I'll say it again... I wish I could attend.

You are correct. It says hwy 60 70.
The abandoned hwy sections are right in the same area, on both sides of the current hwy but, primarily on the south side. You should be able to see a lot of it.

[gto4door]

Steve......if I lived in AZ, I would join you on one of your expeditions. This is good stuff, my family settled in Arizona over a 100 years ago. Unfortunately, my Dad left the area in the 1950s.

[mrrat1]

Wow some great scenes & cars I was luck to take a road trip in 71' with my dad I was 10. The west is such a beautiful place to drive, hike, & explore!!
Steve you need to set up a Pontiac Dude Ranch Week, guided tours & stuff!

[drailed]

I use to have a blast when I would go out in visit my father and we would cruise Az, NM, and CO. I remember back around 1990 finding a nice rust free fender off of a 67 tempest in a junkyard in springerville AZ. Then going back 10 years later and finding the same car in the same spot and grabbing the other fender and front bumper. I havent been out there in a long time but I remember seeing a lot of GTOs nice old musclecars sitting out on indian reservations and in junk yards. Im sure alot of them are gone now.

[Steve Barcak]

Originally Posted by drailed

I use to have a blast when I would go out in visit my father and we would cruise Az, NM, and CO. I remember back around 1990 finding a nice rust free fender off of a 67 tempest in a junkyard in springerville AZ. Then going back 10 years later and finding the same car in the same spot and grabbing the other fender and front bumper. I havent been out there in a long time but I remember seeing a lot of GTOs nice old musclecars sitting out on indian reservations and in junk yards. Im sure alot of them are gone now.

I bought as many of them as I could. Once I bought my acreage and obtained the proper zoning and permits, my first goal ( 1995 time frame ) was to buy every inexpensive GTO I could find. I combed yards all over the state buying GTOs. After that, started buying other models. My thinking was there would always be repro parts in the coming decades but, there are only so many real GTOs out there. At one time had close to 50 of them, now down to less than 40. In '95 I bought the last GTO in the Springerville yard you mentioned. I was on a Colorado ski trip in my '70 GTO with 2 friends when we detoured a bit on the way home to visit a few years. Bought 2 GTOs that day. An endura delete '68 4 speed and the '67 ht, a/c, auto with headrests at Springerville auto wrecking. The '67 still has the original matching eng and trans.. Do you remember that car? It was repainted white.

There is still a lot of old iron around here. You just have to keep your eyes open.