THE OLD GHOST TOWN OF COURTLAND, ARIZONA

 

AN OLD STONE WALL IN COURTLAND

Heavy frost on everything this morning & I could still see snow on the Chiricahua mountains about 40 northeast of us.  I mix up the chicken feed at night now so that is all I have to do in the morning.  Just toss it out to the girls without freezing my hands up.  Might have to get some of you RV ladies to knit us up 8 toasty little warm chicken sweaters for the gals.

We have been to what's left of most ghost towns here in the Sulphur Springs valley & last Saturday on our way to Pearce's Heritage Days we came across the ruins of the once booming & bustling little mining town of Courtland.  As with all other true ghost towns there wasn't much left of anything compared to what was once originally there.  What is left of Courtland is stretched out over a mile or so along a dirt road.  A few remnants of a stone wall here, some concrete slabs there, & one heavily constructed & reinforced concrete building that once was a jail.  As with all ghost towns we have rambled around in it is hard for the mind to  imagination what actually took place at these sites.  Standing amidst rubble of tumbled walls I try to close my eyes & return to the towns heyday but all my imagination has to go on are old faded photos of ghost towns, some old Hollywood movies, pieces of pottery, crumbling walls, maybe a few weathered boards with rusting nails, & perhaps an old leather sole from an old boot long forgotten.   Underbrush overgrows what were once bustling streets filled with people.  All traces of former railroads are gone & it's difficult to look back into history across the desert landscape & see old steam engines pulling railroad cars loaded with merchandise, ore from the mines, cattle, & people.  Hard to imagine children playing in the streets, horses tied up alongside old wood sided building & folks dressed in their finery buying sugar & flour in the general store.  Miners whooped it up in the many saloons at nights.  Strangers arrived daily by horseback, stagecoach, or trains.  It is an era that is lost forever & it is only the winds in the mountains that whisper the tales of a life & times that none of us will ever know......or imagine:(( 

This was COURTLAND.

And below is Courtland to-day.

 

INSIDE THE JAIL	THE COURTLAND JAIL

We caught ourselves a break to-day when the local propane delivery truck from Wilcox brought a load of propane for Jeanie & Ray's large propane tank here at the ranch.  It's a once a year delivery & supplies the house with heat.  We had filled up our motorhome's propane tank in Douglas about a month ago & were down to about half a tank.  Normally at three quarters empty we would have to square everything away, bring in the slides, disconnect the water, sewer, electricity, & satellite dish lines & drive our house to a propane filling station either in Douglas or at the closer Double Adobe RV park about half way to Bisbee.  While the fellow was filling the ranch tank Kelly asked him if he could fill our tank as well......& he did.  Nice break & it sure saved us a disruptive hassle.

SIGNS OF MINING NEAR COURTLAND

I have a habit of loosing camera lens caps & as of last Saturday my last lens cap had departed to the fair land far away where missing things somehow go.  Needed a lens hood for my smaller lens anyway plus both camera lenses were in need of UV filters.  Figured we might as well head on over to Sierra Vista where we had looked up a camera store that had all the aforementioned items.  The road to Sierra Vista is an easy wide open spaces drive that gently winds between the Dragoon & Mule mountains.  We drove through Tombstone at high noon & if I would have had my window down we might have heard some gunfire coming from the OK Corral gunfight site.  They do re-enactments there daily.  We have been to Tombstone a couple times before & it is very commercialized but I would recommend you do the BIRDCAGE THEATER if you go there.  Check out our TOMBSTONE PHOTOS.  This place has not been jazzed up & re-constructed.  It an eerie place to wander around in & it smells very, very, old.  If there are such things as ghosts I'm sure they are present in this old aging building.  Yes, there is a gift store at the back door exit but that doesn't have anything to do with what is inside that old building!!

<<< INSIDE THE BIRDCAGE THEATER 2007

The Charleston Road runs between Tombstone & Sierra Vista & for us to-day it was a trip down memory lane because we spent a few very enjoyable weeks boondocking in the area this past January.  It was at this time we did day trips to the ghost towns of Charleston, Millville, & Fairbank.  Took us 2 days to find the crumbling adobe walls of Charleston amidst the heavy mesquite underbrush.  If anyone is interested you can find our daily adventures in our archives.  Look back to late January of this year for our times in this area.  Also February & March for our times at the ranch & our escapades into the Dragoon & Chiricahua Mountains.

THIS CAN BE A HARSH LAND

Sierra Vista is a fair sized city & easy to get around in.  Every kind of store, facility, or business you need is here stretched out along Fry Boulevard.  Big box stores like Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, & Frys.  All the regular eating places are here too.  The driving force behind Sierra Vista is the large army base, Fort Huachuca.  We toured the Fort last March plus, Coronado Peak & Carr Canyon.  And of course it's all in our March archives.  

DESERT JUNK

Hit a few thrift stores to-day & then the busiest grocery store I've ever seen.  Frys is a grocery chain found only in the southwest  & is very, very, popular.  It was our second trip to Frys this year & it must have been our lucky day because we caught ourselves another break.  Kelly had picked up a Fry's discount card last March & that saved us a few dollars but on the first Wednesday of every month it is an additional 10% off for Seniors.  We didn't know that but when Kelly went to pay, the cashier eyed me up & down with a wary eye, turned to Kelly & asked, "is he 65!!"  Guess my old torn shirt, dusty hat, & totally out of control beard must have scared her real good & she was afraid to ask me directly.  I like when that happens.  Don't ask me about the days an old girlfriend dressed me in white pleated pants, panama sneakers, pink polo shirts, & hung a gold chain around my neck. Made me wear a matching gold bracelet to my sparkly watch on my other wrist.  No, don't even go there!!  And no, the gold was not real.  It was just window dressing for her new boyfriend.  Is it any wonder I prefer to be a scruffy old sod busting cowboy these days:))  Maybe I'll do a blog on that era of my life sometime.  Maybe use some pink ink too!!

Anyway, I got kinda sidetracked again but I did find the camera accessories I needed & if your in Sierra Vista & need to do some wheeling & dealing be sure to drop in & see a friendly old guy by the name of Harvey Ross at LANDMARK PHOTO 400 W Fry Boulevard.   "Old guy' were Harvey's words not mine:))

We were back at the ranch by 4:15 just in time to get the chickens saddled up & the dog's fed.  Another fine day in the life & times of, The Bayfield Bunch:))

GROANER'S CORNER:))  Two cows standing next to each other in a field, Daisy says to Dolly "I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe you," said Dolly. "It's true -- no bull!", exclaimed Daisy.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

MY SMUG MUG (I am finally working on updating this site)

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HUNDREDS OF OLD MINESHAFTS IN THE TOMBSTONE HILLS

TIMBERS AROUND AN OLD MINING PIT ENTRANCE

Not much to say about the weather here because everyday is the same. Lots of sunshine & warm daytime temps. That's it, all day every day. We love Arizona:))

Back in the mid to late 1800's this area we are camped in was a bee hive of mining activity. There are hundreds of small open pit mines scattered throughout these hills. We can look out our window & see mounds of stones among the mesquite where men have dug down into the rocks & gravel looking for silver. It was many of these rough tough miners with their picks & shovels who made the town of Tombstone as notorious as it was. It's hard to believe when standing at the top of one of these open pits that all the work in those days was done by hand. Shovels & picks to get through the solid rocks & layers of sand & gravel. All that stuff had to be hauled back up to the surface with ropes & buckets. Add to that, hundred degree temperatures in the summer with no trees for shade, rattlesnakes, scorpions, Apache Indian attacks, sparse water resources, & a multitude of other hazards & you have the makings of some very tough & hardened people. Being camped right in the middle of this environment these past few days has been a good eye into the past for us.

SOME OF THESE PITS ARE SAID TO BE 200 FEET DEEP

Gwen & Jack, the folks who cattle ranch here told us about the many open pit mines nearby so this morning we took the car & headed up some of the old rock strewn bumpy roads in the hills behind us. Didn't take long to find the mines. Always a tell tale sign of rocks & gravel shoveled up in a pile amongst the prickly mesquite. Some of the pits are simply a black hole leading down into an abyss. Jack says some pits are as deep as 200 feet. Rumors & legends abound about bodies at the bottom of some pits. One pit in particular was suspicious so Jack said his son one time brought over a piece of farm machinery, some ropes & pulleys, & lowered himself down the suspect pit to the bottom, but no bodies or bones were found. (maybe the ghosts heard him coming) Some pits still have what's left of wooden frameworks around the entrances. Old weather beaten boards & rusted nails. One pit still had an old hand made ladder descending down into it. (web album photo) A BIG WAVE ON THE TRAIL FROM CATTLEMAN JACK

Jack also told us that Tombstone's waterline runs across the property from the Huachuca mountains about 20 miles to the west. Yesterday on the road to Ramsey Canyon we saw a sign beside the road for the Tombstone Aquaduct. To-day we actually found part of that exposed water pipe itself nearby with a sign beside it saying Tombstone Aquaduct. (picture) The black pipe looked pretty old & we were surprised to see a section of it running across the rocky surface exposed to the elements.

Gwen & Jack have another watering station for their cattle a little higher up in the hills so we drove as far as we could to find it. Road got a little rough so we walked the last section & found the water corral. No hydro up there but the 2 water lines we saw were tapped into the Tombstone Aqueduct. Some old flannel shirts were wrapped around the water pipes coming out of the ground to prevent them from freezing up. Didn't see any of the cattle to-day but there was lots of evidence on the ground of them having been there.

THE SECOND WATERING HOLE

We followed the old road back to the Charleston highway & decided to head down the road a few miles & see if we could find the ruins of an old cabin that 3 miners had been robbed & murdered at in 1858. Turned off the highway onto an old road but didn't have any luck. We may go back again to-morrow & have another look for Brunknow's Cabin. It is said to be haunted. But, then again, doesn't everything have a sense of haunting in the old wild west. It's the thing legends are made of!! THESE MINING PITS DATE BACK TO THE MID TO LATE 1800'S

We were back to the rig by noon & spent the rest of the afternoon just simply enjoying our peaceful surroundings. Kelly had computer things to do for her Deer Park Lodge job & I had things to do like relaxing in my lounge chair working hard on my afternoon siesta. At one point though I actually wound up getting a haircut. Kelly said I was starting to look like the wild old man of Borneo with potatoes growing out his ears. Well, I guess she was right so out came the scissors & off came my hair. Well, some of it anyway. I'm sure glad I met Kelly back in 93 because that's the last time I ever paid for a haircut. Oh the perks, oh the perks:)) OUR LOVELY LADY GATEKEEPER

Beautiful half moon lighting up the desert landscape to-night. When I took Max out a few minutes ago I stood quietly for awhile listening. They say you can still hear the sounds of the Indians in the hills & the miners shovels & hammers striking the hardened rocks in the pit mines. I stood very quietly facing the hills, & I listened & I listened and........................................ CHARLESTON HILLS IN FOREGROUND & HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

No, I'm not a writer........I'm just a simple guy who likes to write.

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IT WAS A GREAT DAY FOR JUST PUTTERING

MORNING WALK IN THE TOMBSTONE HILLS. THE TOWN OF TOMBSTONE IS JUST OVER THAT HILL ON THE LEFT

Our morning walk took us about a half mile up a dusty road & back. That was as far as we got for the whole rest of the day. It was a warm, sunny, Saturday morning & it just seemed too nice out to even bother going anywhere. We had some twittering little birds in the desert broom shrubs nearby, a slight breeze, & a western view that stretched forever between the Huachuca, Whetstone, & Mule mountains. Yep, just a nice stay at home puttering kinda day.

Kelly busied herself with a clean up inside the rig & I worked away outside with my rake & broom cleaning up a lot of dirt & sand that had been washed onto the concrete from the local rainy season. Have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of litter & broken glass here. Many times we find boondocking areas like this have been trashed by the local young people if there is a town nearby. Drinking & party hang-outs. But, so far I've only found one unbroken empty beer bottle, one pop can, & a plastic bag. I think it has to do with the fact that there is a gate out at the road with an official looking sign on it. We open & close that gate anytime we leave here. Also, the older couple (Gwen & Jack) who lease this land & graze their cattle here see to it that there are no shenanigans going on. Jack, in his big wide brimmed white cowboy hat complete with jeans & jacket looks like he just stepped out of an old Hollywood western. He may be slowed down a bit by some arthritis in his older age but he wouldn't be afraid to put the run on any desperados that showed up here. Gwen & Jack live in Sierra Vista & come out here twice a day to water & feed their cattle. They trundle along the bumpy old trails in their aging Ford pick-up truck as they check out the cattle's watering spots in three different locations. Yesterday morning they were headed up into the hills to have a look for a few cows that hadn't showed up for a couple of days. They are truly a down home nice couple. It's been a treat to have met them.

THE SAN PEDRO VALLEY

The rest of the day was just spent puttering around & totally enjoying our environment. This is one of the best boondocking sites we've ever had. However, we also know that anybody could come rolling in here at any time & set up right next to us, crank up their radio, haul out the beer, & fire up their ATV's & dirt bikes, so we're trying to savor every preciously quiet moment we are here.

Our DVD documentary for to-night was, The Heart Of The Cowboy." A journey into California's final frontier. The life & times of the remaining Corazon Vaquero's in the Baja. A people living in harmony with their environment. Something we should all take a lesson from. Thanks to the two guys we met on our Mountain Palm Canyon hike awhile back for recommending it:))

KELLY'S RELAXING WITH A BOOK

Also would like to once again thank all you people out there for taking the time & expressing an interest in our blog. The emails, comments, messages, & shouts are very much appreciated. I read them aloud to Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse at bedtime & it always sets their tails to wagging..........................:))

No photos for the web album to-day.

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CAMPED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO RIVER

THE CHARLESTON ROAD PARKING LOT

Definitely a little cooler in this neck of the woods. Had a quiet night & no town constables came around to roust us out behind the Visitor's Center. The Centers doors opened at 8 & a few minutes later we were inside asking questions about the area & stocking up on brochures. An elderly lady was most helpful and made it clear there was no boondocking sites in the area. Luckily we had heard of one on the highway from Sierra Vista to Tombstone.

I checked Google Earth last night & it showed us where we could find a Wal-Mart in town so we didn't waste any time getting ourselves over there for a few groceries. In the meantime the wind gusts had picked up something fierce & while in the Wally-World parking lot our rig was being rocked back & forth like a small boat on a choppy lake. Picked up a few groceries & waited out the wind.

Around 11 we decided to head out in search of the Charleston road boondocking site. Wind had let up a bit so the short 8 mile drive wasn't too bad. I had previously un-hooked the car so Kelly followed along behind. Had checked the site out on Google Earth so knew as soon as I came to a river I would be there. No problem finding the big square parking lot on the south side of the bridge & east of the San Pedro river.

THE SAN PEDRO RIVER IS ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS BEHIND THE RIG

The whole parking lot slopes towards the river so there was no finding a level spot. Ended up putting some wood under the back tires. Didn't want to use the jacks in case we had to unexpectantly leave in a hurry. We are only about 20 miles from the Mexican border here so there are additional things to take into consideration when setting up camp.

Took the furry guys for a walk down along the banks of the San Pedro river. Lots of animal tracks down there & later in the day around dusk we walked over to the old steel bridge (web album) & looked down upon 3 deer casually drinking along the river bank.

STROLLING ALONG THE BANKS OF THE SAN PEDRO

About a mile north of us up the river lies the ruins of the old western town of Charleston. In it's heyday Charleston was known as a rough & tumble town which boasted saloons, livery stables, restaurants, hotels, a school, a church, a post office, & stores that held $100.000 in goods. We understand there isn't much left on the site anymore. A few crumbled foundation walls & that's about it. We'll try taking a hike up that way in the morning but the underbrush along the river is pretty thick so we'll see how far we get. Or, we may follow the old railroad bed on the east side of the river & then try crossing the river farther up.

There is also a cairn (will get a photo of that to-morrow) here dedicated to the Morman Brigade who in 1846 encountered a number of wild bulls at this spot while trying to cross the river. A clash with the bulls erupted resulting in injuries. It is said that the "battle of the bulls" was the only battle the Mormon Battalion ever fought.

Nice sunset to-night & we were fortunate enough to see deer down at the river drinking. We've heard this parking lot is a favorite spot for telescope gazing astronomers & I can sure see why. No moon to-night & the sky is about 90% clear of clouds so the stars are just a poppin out of the night sky. In fact it was so clear that I could actually see beyond the stars into the future. And, the future told me if I don't smarten up right quick & knock off all the peanut butter & honey sandwiches I'm going to roll right past the 210 pound mark!!!!

No idea where we'll be to-morrow night but it just might still be here in this very same spot. And thanks to the folks on the RV Net Forum for the info & stories on this area......................

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm

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THE BAYFIELD BUNCH RIDES INTO COCHISE COUNTY

DOING AN OVERNIGHTER BEHIND THE VISITOR CENTER IN SIERRA VISTA AZ.

We waffled back & forth for awhile this morning & then about 8 a.m. the decision finally came down. We would head for Sierra Vista in southeastern Arizona. Didn't take us long to pack things up because we hadn't put the solar panels up or the awning & mat out. Said good-bye to Bren & Bob & away we went.What an exceptionally beautiful morning it was with warm temps, a few cloud skiffs, light breeze, & plenty of sunshine. Always a twinge of excitement in the air for me when setting out for unknown new vistas & adventures. I like to be on the move & mornings is a great time to be moving.

It was Sunday and the traffic was lite as we approached Tucson from the north on I-10. In early December while heading west we had really got tangled up in the construction chaos along the I-10 corridor so I didn't want that to happen to us again so figured Sunday morning was the best time to run the gauntlet. I figured right as the traffic was very light & we had no problems at all. Except.......we suddenly got snagged by another Cracker Barrel:)) And how do we justify two Cracker Barrels in less than a week?? Well, here's how we do it. We never get desert & we don't buy coffee. That brings the bill in around $16. We rarely eat all the food so always take a bowser bag back to the rig & that usually ends up being our supper later on as well which in effect, kinda cuts the bill in half. Also, in this case we may not see another Cracker Barrel to well on into March sometime.....therefore an exception was made & we did two CB's in a week. Now, how's that for some pretty smart Senior logic........:))

Climbed off I-10 at Benson following highway 90 south to Sierra Vista. The directions we had were to follow the blue signs leading to the visitor center. Some sites were behind the center & other sites were somewhere in the area. Found the visitor center but being it was Sunday we found it closed. Pulled around back looking for the RV sites. Didn't find the sites but found a sign saying the RV section had been closed since April of 2005. Guess our direction information was a tad old. The area was very spacious so we just decided to park here for the night anyway. We'll check into the visitor center when it opens in the morning at 8.

VISITOR CENTER ON LEFT

Looking forward to spending over a month in this general area because there is a lot to see & do. This is what it says in one of the brochures......"Prepare to enjoy more history per square mile than you can find in most places in the United States. You will find that our history is that which you've read about, play acted as a child and thrilled to in the cool darkness of your hometown theaters. It encompasses the famous like Wyatt Earp, Cochise and Geronimo." The area is also a huge birding region & is hailed as the Hummingbird capital of the United States. There are ghost towns here, many canyons to explore, trails to hike. Cochise's stronghold where the Indian Chief is supposedly buried somewhere. Geronimo's Skeleton canyon where he was finally captured. Yes, we are going to be busy. And the old west history goes on & on & on.

Two years ago we had passed through this area while traveling from Columbus New Mexico to points further west. We did an overnight stop in Tombstone but that was about it & the next day we were rolling again. Here are some photos I took over a 2 day period as we approached & finally stopped for the night in Tombstone. We were driving a truck & fifth wheel at the time. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THURSDAYDEC28 http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/FRIDAYDEC29

Looking forward to our new adventures:))

No photos for the web album to-night.......but soon!!

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