I awoke to an astonishing sea of Ironwoods and Saguaros on the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Route; I’d never seen a site quite like this one. As I enjoyed my morning coffee, I was joined by a few friends in the air… …and not all of them were birds!
The El Tiro Gliderport is located nearby, and a member of the Tucson Soaring Club was out enjoying the day a few hundred feet above me. As I read my map for the day, plotting the way to Picacho Peak, the name “SASCO RUINS” stood out to me. On any good adventure, when you come across ruins, you’ve got to explore them; so I decided to start my day with an unexpected detour.
The mountain roads I’d driven up last night were even better in the daytime, offering sweeping views of the Ironwood Forest, along with a rewarding descent. It’s sites like this that really highlight the Bureau of Land Management areas, simple, with no real guidelines and raw natural beauty.
The turnoff I took to the Sasco Ruins was from the West, under this powerline, and I’m glad I did. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and taking this approach really allowed me to come upon the Sasco Ghost Town suddenly, as I crested the hill. A lone grave lay atop the hill, looking out over the ruins. I pondered a mysterious life lived, and paid my respects to Smokey, whoever he was.
Perched from Smokey’s resting place, the entire ghost town of Sasco can be seen. The Southern Arizona Smelter Company, SASCO for short built what they thought would be the premiere smelting town of the Southwest here, in 1907. For less than two decades, the town wrestled with stiff competition down in Tombstone, and a nasty bout with the Spanish Flu, which decimated the town.
Today, the town still has the intact ruins of the Hotel, the Sasco Jail, and the large smelter complex. It seems to be a popular hangout for local graffiti artists, with the old railroad support blocks offering outstanding canvases for detailed graffiti. The juxtaposition of the art amidst the ruins was a nice symbolic representation of time moving on. Picacho Peak, my next stop, tempted me on the horizon as I explored SASCO. I moved down to explore the town itself, it was pretty neat to wander the ruins… and I found my favorite graffiti in the entire site. “Hi Mom!”
As I walked through the foundation of the smelting complex, I encountered an interesting local man who rides his mountain bike here. We talked about a myriad of topics, he enlightened me on the history of the town, and we swapped sea stories of our travels, and then we parted ways. From here, I was off to Picacho Peak to do some hiking. From the base of Picacho Peak, I prepared the 2000-foot elevation gain that lay ahead. Picacho Peak was an important stop for me, as it was not only home to a station on the Butterfield, but it was also the site of the Westernmost battle of the American Civil War,
The Battle of Picacho Pass, in which A Union cavalry patrol from California conducting reconnaissance skirmished with Confederate scouts from Texas. The Union commander, Lieutenant James Barrett was under strict orders not to engage, but decided to do so anyways. His insubordination cost him his life, and the life of two of his men, in addition to the Confederates egressing to Tuscon and warning their main body of the Union Advance. Lieutenant Barrett’s body remains unmarked, under the nearby railroad tracks, down there in the middle of the valley pass. Just past this site was also where Waterman Ormsby first encountered Indians, I’ve shared his account with y’all, here. A steel guidewire offers support as you venture over the 2,000 feet of elevation gain. If it’s a hot day, you may also want to bring a set of gloves along.
I finally reached the summit, took in the views and was joined by a critter friend here for a quick snack before heading back down. This little guy was enjoying some rare shade. It was the climbs and history on this hike that made it memorable… I understand why this is one of the most popular hikes in the region.
I set back out on the road towards my next section of the trail, taking advantage of the cell phone service to call my mother and say hello. I stopped at the “Pointed Mountain” station’s location along the Santa Cruz River, but there was no trace… so I pushed onward to Saguaro National Park, where I’d be staying for the night… fortunately I arrived to the park perfectly in time to enjoy that great desert sunset.
I would technically lay my head at the Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park, a small area surrounded by the larger Saguaro Park. From here, I enjoyed another clear night sky and ate dinner before turning in for the evening. #Butterfield #Overland #BuffHorses