SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by deducer »

Tom,

Wander all you want- anything you say is always of immense interest.

I am sorry about Sharon's diagnosis and wish you both nothing but the best, and hope she pulls through.
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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by Joe Ribaudo »

LDMGOLD wrote:Today I received a note about clarifying the name of Blow Saddle and Parker Pass. Blow Saddle (c.1973, source Bud Lane) and County Line Divde are the same physical land mark. I have known it as County Line Divide since first going into the mountains with dad in the late forties. The site is the boundary between Pinal (south side) and Maricopa (north side). There was a county line marker in the divide for many years. I am not certain it is still there today. The divide is about one miles from the trail head on the First Water-Charlebois Trail (Dutchman Trail) FS 104. Now Parker Pass is the new saddle or divide to the west of Transmission Gap on the old trail. This pass is about two miles from First Water Trail Head (Upper Trail Head.) The oldest landmark mentioned here is probably the First Water-Charlebois Trail. It was originally called the First Water Trail from First Water (Barkley's Camp) to Charlebois Springs. This dates back to the military use of the area in the 1870's and maybe earlier. The old U.S. Army field sketch maps of the area have may names which I will try to mention in the future. Sometime supposition has to be used to figure the names and dates out. For example the military use Sierra Supersticiones for the Salt River Mountains. I sign off, I am beginning to wander a little.
Tom,

I was always told that riders always stopped there to give their horses a chance to blow/breathe. Kind of where we always took a break when hiking.

Take care,

Joe
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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by LDMGOLD »

Joe,

Yes, County Line Divide (Blow Saddle) was were we would blow the horses and tighten cinches usually. Sometime we stopped at Transmission Gap. Place names in the Superstition Wilderness Area are complicated and complex both. For example I have a canyon on Tortilla Mountain called Crab Canyon because an old prospector figure out he had the crabs and couldn't decide whether to go back to town to get rid them or bear it out. Lots of interesting and personal names in this mountains, but none like Coyote Rock, Skull Rock, Sleeping Maiden, and many, many more I have in a data base of place names and landmarks. Presently I have over 3,000 names with alternate and sources. The are fun to go through. Many I have come up with where in old newspaper files sometime more than a hundred years old.

Take care, and have a great week.. We completed our first week of Radiation.
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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by LDMGOLD »

P.S. I will have to relearn how to post old photographs again one of these days. Check out my Face Book page.

Tom K.
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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by Joe Ribaudo »

Tom,

Thanks for that information. You are still the best.

Our best to you both,

Joe
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Re: SUPERSTITION WILDERNESS AREA PLACE NAMES & LANDMARKS

Post by oroblanco »

Ditto to what Joe said - thanks Tom and you ARE the best! I hope you will consider writing a book explaining all the place names in and around the Superstitions, or at least some of them. I fear that some of the old names will be lost unless they are published in a book.

I hope that you and Sharon are well, and hope to see you both soon. I won't try to kiss the cook again though, Joe has a mean left hook! :mrgreen:
Roy ~ Oroblanco
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