Second Canyon Ruin, San Pedro River – 5/17/2018

Second Canyon. May 2018.
Second Canyon. May 2018.

Creosote, desert, depressions, mounds and a scattering of small sherds – without pictures and papers my untrained eye might have passed over this landscape without a second thought – but I know, just a little, about what is here – and even without an academic’s knowledge of the ruins wandering the site and wondering about the past is a privilege.

Tucson Daily Citizen, December 10, 1969 - Ruins Uncovered At Redington. May 2018.

Tucson Daily Citizen, December 10, 1969 – Ruins Uncovered At Redington. May 2018.

In the late 1960s a paved road between Redington and San Manuel was planned that would have passed thru, and destroyed most of the Second Canyon Ruin, so in 1969 and 1970 it was excavated as part of the highway salvage archaeology program. Thankfully the road was never built and the Second Canyon Ruin still exists. Hayward Hoskins Franklin published information on the excavation in his 1978 dissertation and today one interesting starting point for reading about this area is Archaeology Southwest’s  Summer 2003 (Volume 17, Number 3) Magazine.

The ruin today doesn’t look like the pictures from the excavations – I assume that the excavated areas were filled in once the project ended nearly 50 years ago – plenty of time for the desert to reclaim the site.

Second Canyon Sherd. May 2018.

Second Canyon Sherd. May 2018.
Pottery at Second Canyon. May 2018.
Pottery at Second Canyon. May 2018.
Second Canyon Sherd. May 2018.
Second Canyon Sherd. May 2018.

Small Pieces, Vista Del Rio Cultural Resource Park – 4/16/2018

A Hohokam pottery sherd in Vista Del Rio Cultural Resource Park. April 2018.
A Hohokam pottery sherd in Vista Del Rio Cultural Resource Park. April 2018.

Below the Santa Catalina Mountains, between Tanque Verde Creek and Pantano Wash, tucked into a neighborhood near the intersection of Sabino Canyon and Tanque Verde Roads a small piece the Tucson Basin’s history is preserved by the Vista Del Rio Cultural Resource Park.

Hohokam lived here between 950 and 1150, perhaps irrigating and farming areas closer to the nearby washes. Pit houses and earthen roasting pits have been excavated here – artifacts including pottery, jewelry, arrow points and metates found.

There are not any excavated structures, elaborate reconstructions or large collections of artifacts on display at VDR – just a few informational signs and a subtle scattering of artifacts under a covering of creosote – an interesting look at what an unexcavated archaeological site often looks like and a wonderful space to walk thru and contemplate the past – just a small piece of the Tucson Basin and its history, but well worth a visit.

April 2018.
April 2018.
April 2018.
April 2018.
Looking towards the southwest corner of the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Vista Del Rio Cultural Park. April 2018.
Looking towards the southwest corner of the Santa Catalina Mountains from the Vista Del Rio Cultural Park. April 2018.

Lower Edgar Canyon – 1/8/2018, 1/16/2018, 2/25/2018, 2/26/2018

Walking in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.
Walking in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.

Snippets from lower Edgar Canyon – I wish I knew more, maybe one day I will…

Arizona Daily Star, May 14, 1965, Section A, Page 11:

O. R. (Ope) Parker, one of a noted Southern Arizona trio of brothers, died yesterday. He was 75 years old. … Mr. Parker was a native of Abilene, Tex., and became the owner of the Bar-6 ranch here. He came to Tucson in 1919.

Sycamores and Saguaros in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.
Sycamores and Saguaros in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.

Arizona Daily Star, January 11, 2015, Obituaries, C5:

Shortly after his arrival home, his father laughing and crying, told him there was just so much land, and too many cows, and “one of us has to leave, and I’m staying”. From this point on, Joe was branched out on his own. He first leased land along the present Tangerine Road from George Pusch, then went on to buy a square mile of flood plain on Brawley Wash, “Santa Patricia”. Next he purchased Cactus Hill west of Winkleman, followed by Ope Parker’s 6-ranch west of Redington.

Old cattle chute and fall leaves in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.
Old cattle chute and fall leaves in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.

Arizona Daily Star, September 3, 2006:

Pima County has bought its sixth ranch using voter-approved open-space bonds: the Six-Bar Ranch in the San Pedro River Valley northeast of Tucson, for $11.6 million.

Joe Goff, who has owned the 3,300-acre spread for 50 years, agreed to sell to the county after a private party approached him with an offer that could have led to the construction of 36-acre ranchettes, said the leader of a land trust that helped negotiate the county purchase.

A reflection at the end of the surface water below the spring in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.
A reflection at the end of the surface water below the spring in Edgar Canyon. January 2018.

Piety Hill – 7/11/2017

Looking South from Piety Hill. July 2017.
Looking South from Piety Hill. July 2017.

Redington Road had been closed since the start of July due to the Burro Fire – on the first day that it re-opened I drove out along the fire perimeter and hiked to the top of Piety Hill. The Burro Fire was stopped west of Piety Hill and in the sunset light it was hard tell where the Burro Fire burned – I am sure that there are areas that were heavily impacted by the fire but from Piety Hill I can still see green trees and grass below.

Piety Hill's shadow towards the San Pedro Valley. July 2017.
Piety Hill’s shadow towards the San Pedro Valley. July 2017.

Piety Hill is located on Pima County’s A7 Ranch – at 4,714′ it is not stunning high (‘Hill’ is the right name) – but it is high enough to overlook the San Pedro Valley and offer great views of the surrounding terrain! There is no official trail to the top, but the terrain, while steep, is reasonably open and it is not hard to find a way to the top.

Looking up into the Santa Catalina Mountains from Piety Hill - Mount Bigelow on the left, Westfall Knob in the center. July 2017.
Looking up into the Santa Catalina Mountains from Piety Hill – Mount Bigelow on the left, Westfall Knob in the center. July 2017.
Balloon Trash on the slopes of Piety Hill. July 2017.
Balloon Trash on the slopes of Piety Hill. July 2017.

Apache Peak – 7/9/2017

Looking south from Apache Peak. July 2017.
Looking south from Apache Peak. July 2017.

From the Lower Oracle Ridge Trailhead it is about 4 miles to get to the top of Apache Peak located on the north end of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Most of the miles are on the Oracle Ridge Trail which traverses below the peak, but there is no established trail for the final steep climb, and in my experience while you can pick better/worse ways to the top there probably is not a ‘great’ way up (the climb is not overly long but expect the standard rocky/loose/brushy off-trail Santa Catalina hillside…).

Sun disappearing behind the clouds at the end of the day on Apache Peak. July 2017.
Sun disappearing behind the clouds at the end of the day on Apache Peak. July 2017.

I arrive at the top just in time for the last light on the ridges to the south, the sun dipping below the clouds on the horizon, city lights coming on thru Charouleau Gap and the moon peaking thru the clouds as it rises over the San Pedro Valley – but tonight it is what I don’t see that is the surprise: no glow from the Burro Fire (currently at just over 27,000 acres), no spots of flame visible on the distant ridges and no obvious/large columns of smoke! The Burro Fire is burning to the south – Apache Peak certainly doesn’t have a view directly into the active part of the fire, but I suspect that the fire would have been clearly visible from here several days ago…

Watching the moon rise over the San Pedro Valley from Apache Peak. July 2017.
Watching the moon rise over the San Pedro Valley from Apache Peak. July 2017.

Clouds covering the moon make the hike back down surprisingly dark – spider eyes glint in the headlamp beam and when I finally slow down to look more closely it turns out to be many more spiders than I thought…

A spider - and many/mini spiders... On the Oracle Ridge Trail. July 2017.
A spider – and many/mini spiders… On the Oracle Ridge Trail. July 2017.