On the drive between Phoenix and Tucson you'll cross desert plains with views
of the Superstitions, Picacho Peak, Santa Catalina Mountains, and other rugged ranges.
Desert plants along the roadside sometimes bloom in blazes of bright color in spring.
Several spots are worth a visit, whether you take the old Pinal Pioneer Parkway
(AZ 79) or the speedier I-10.
Florence, one of the oldest white settlements in Arizona, dates back to the arrival
of Levi Ruggles in 1866. Ruggles found a safe ford on the nearby Gila River and
believed the valley suitable for farming. He laid out a town site that soon became
a trade center and stage stop for surrounding army camps. Some people advocated
Florence as the Arizona territorial capital, but the town had to settle for designation
as the Pinal County seat. The first county courthouse went up in 1878, and is now
open as McFarland State Historic Park. The second county courthouse, completed in
1891 with an ornate cupola, stands as Florence's chief landmark. Funds ran out
before the clock could be installed in the cupola, so workers attached the hands
at a permanent 11:44!
Not everybody comes to Florence by choice—the
Arizona State Prison sits at the edge of town. Convicts completed the prison in
1909, replacing the territorial prison at Yuma. Inmates now number over 8,000—more
than double the town's 3,800 inhabitants.
Florence has
two museums and a large number of historic buildings—over 150 listed with
the national register. Old porch-fronted shops line Main Street. You can pick up
a guide at the visitor centers or at the museums.
Pinal County Historical Museum
This diverse collection portrays
the area's long history. Native American pottery, baskets, and stone tools come
from prehistoric and modern tribes of the area. An 1880 horse-drawn opera coach
offers a taste of early pioneer elegance. Tools, mining gear, household items, and
clothing exhibits portray the life of the early settlers. News clippings describe
the tragic death of silent-screen hero Tom Mix, killed in a car accident nearby.
Bullet aficionados will find hundreds of different types on display. Outdoor exhibits
include farming and mining machinery, a blacksmith shop, and a homesteader shack.
The prison exhibits are sobering: hangman's nooses framing photos of their victims,
a hanging board, gas-chamber chair, massive prison registers from Yuma and Florence,
and the story of murderess Eva Dugan, hung and simultaneously decapitated in 1930.
A research library has additional information on local history. The museum, 715
S. Main St., 520/868-4382, is open Sunday noon-4 p.m. and Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
except closed July 15-Aug. 31; donations are welcomed. Main Street Park has picnic
tables across from the museum.
McFarland State Historic Park
This adobe building served
as Pinal County's first courthouse, sheriff's office, and jail from 1878
to 1891, then functioned for 50 years as the county hospital. In 1883 an angry mob
took two murder suspects from the jail and hung them in a corridor. Exhibits illustrate
the lives and personalities of Florence's pioneers—describing the town's
good guys and bad guys—and detail construction of the town's hospital
and courthouse. Photos show the Florence POW camp through which 13,000 Italian and
German prisoners passed in 1942-45. You'll also learn about Ernest McFarland
(1894-1984), who began his political career in 1925 as Pinal county attorney, then
rose to serve as U.S. senator, Arizona governor, and chief justice of the State
Supreme Court. The park is near the north end of Main Street at Ruggles Street;
520/868-5216, https://azstateparks.com/mcfarland,
open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (9 a.m.-2 p.m. June-Sept.) Mon.-Saturday. A city park just to
the north offers shaded tables, playground, ball fields, and a pond.
Poston's Butte
Charles Poston explored and mined in what
is now Arizona from 1853 to 1861, but his greatest achievement was successfully
lobbying in Washington, D.C., for a territorial government in 1863. Poston went
on to become the first superintendent of Indian affairs in Arizona and one of the
first Arizona delegates to Congress. His congressional term finished, Poston traveled
to India and became a fire worshipper. Upon returning to Arizona in 1878, he built
a continuous fire—a sort of temple of the sun—atop a hill, naming it
Parsee Hill. The flames died out several months later, ending a project that disbelievers
mocked as "Poston's Folly." Today, Poston lies buried in a pyramid-shaped
tomb on the summit of the hill, renamed Poston's Butte, northwest from Florence
across the Gila River.
A trail—steep and with some loose
rock—leads to the top. If you'd like some exercise and views, drive north
a bit over a mile from downtown on AZ 79, cross the Gila River Bridge and continue
0.1 mile, turn left (near Milepost 136) 1.3 miles on the Hunt Highway, then turn
right onto an unpaved road leading under the railroad tracks. Depending on your
vehicle, you may wish to park here and walk. After the underpass, park on the left
and walk half a mile (one way) on the track up the hillside; elevation gain is about
300 feet. It's possible to reach the summit with a 4WD vehicle, but the way
is very bumpy.
Box Canyon
This beautiful canyon attracts picnickers, hikers,
and photographers. Desert plants, volcanic rock walls, and an intermittent stream
make for delightful exploring. Loose sand and gravel can trap cars on the way, so
it's best to have 4WD. From Florence, drive north on AZ 79 across the Gila River
bridge and continue 0.3 mile, then turn right 14 miles on a dirt road (before the
railroad tracks). On the way in you'll parallel the Gila River past fields,
an orchard, and, at 9.4 miles, the Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam. The road curves
northeast, crosses some washes (cars may have trouble here), and enters Box Canyon.
Some drivers manage to get all the way through the canyon in another 13 miles and
come out on AZ 79 or US 60 to the north, though this route requires difficult four-wheeling.
St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery
The main church
and four chapels rise above beautifully landscaped gardens about 10 miles southeast
of Florence. Since its founding in July 1995, the monastery has grown to about 40
monks who follow a rigorous schedule of work and prayer, including praying while
working. Visitors interested in the monastery (520/868-3188,
www.stanthonysmonastery.org) and
its religion may drop by for a visit from 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Modest dress
is important: men should wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, women need to
have skirts well below the knees, long-sleeved shirts, and their head covered with
a scarf; clothing may be available to borrow
Tom Mix Monument
October 12, 1940, was a sad day for fans
of movie hero Tom Mix. Speeding north from Tucson in his big Cord, he lost control
of the car and rolled over in a ditch, subsequently renamed Tom Mix Wash. A roadside
monument, topped by a riderless horse, marks the spot, 17 miles south of Florence
on AZ 79, between Mileposts 115 and 116. A rest area here has picnic tables.
Shopping
The Prison Outlet (northeast corner of Butte Ave. and
AZ 79, 520/868-3014, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Mon., then daily in Dec.) sells arts and
crafts produced by the inmates.
Information and Services
Operated by the Greater Florence Chamber of
Commerce, Florence Visitors Center (24 W. Ruggles St., Florence, AZ 85132,
520/868-5216, www.visitflorenceaz.com)
offers lots of information on local history and sights as well as places farther
afield in Arizona; some books are sold. Hours run 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sat., Oct.-April,
then 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. in summer.
One block south and
east from the courthouse, the Pinal County Visitor Center (330 E. Butte Ave.,
P.O. Box 967, Florence, AZ 85132, 520/868-4331 or 800/557-4331,
https://pinalcountyaz.gov) will also help
you with local and state travel. It's open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri. and 9 a.m.-2
p.m. Sat. (closed Sat. in summer).
The post office
is on N. Main Street across from the state park. Florence Community Library
(520/868-9471) is open daily near the high school; turn off S. Main Street at the
sign, one block south of the Pinal County Historical Museum.
Arizona's biggest and most perplexing prehistoric building contains 11 rooms
and rises four stories above an earthen platform. An estimated 3,000 tons of mud
went into the rectangular structure, whose walls range in thickness from 4.5 feet
at the base to 1.8 feet near the top. Archaeologists don't know the purpose
of Casa Grande, but some speculate that it was used for ceremonies or astronomical
observations; certain holes in the walls appear to line up with the sun at the summer
solstice and possibly with the moon during selected lunar events. Smaller structures
and a wall surround the main building. Hohokam, who had farmed the Gila Valley since
about 200-300 B.C., built Casa Grande around A.D. 1350. This is the only structure
of its type still standing. By about 1450, after just a few generations of use,
the Hohokam abandoned Casa Grande along with all their other villages. The Jesuit
priest Eusebio Kino recorded the site in 1694, giving it the Spanish name for "great
house."
At the monument's visitor center, exhibits
introduce you to the Hohokam and their irrigation canals, farming tools, jewelry,
and ball courts. You'll learn some of the various theories that account for
their disappearance. Models show how the Great House may have looked. Rangers lead
tours of Casa Grande, or you can set off on the self-guided trail. Signs identify
cactus and other desert plants. The visitor center sells books on Arizona's
tribes, settlers, and natural history.
The monument, 1100 Ruins Dr. (Coolidge,
AZ 85228), 520/723-3172, is one mile north of downtown Coolidge off AZ 87. (These
ruins shouldn't be confused with the modern town of Casa Grande, which is about
20 miles away.) It's open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; admission is $2 per person, maximum
$4 per vehicle; www.nps.gov/cagr.
Coolidge
Two small museums encourage a detour east off the
highway onto the quiet streets of this small town. Golden Era Museum,
520/723-5044, displays a collection of antique toys and trains open Sat.-Sun. at
297 W. Central Avenue. The Coolidge Museum, 520/723-3588, has historic
exhibits open by appointment at 161 W. Harding Avenue. Travelers will find two motels
on the north side of town and two adult RV parks on the south side along the main
highway, AZ 87/Arizona Boulevard. The Coolidge Chamber of Commerce, 520/723-3009,
offers local info Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. beside a city park at 320 W. Central Ave.
(Coolidge, AZ 85228);
/www.coolidgeaz.com/visitors.
Blackwater Trading Post and Museum
Drop in to see fine Hohokam
pottery, baskets by Tohono O'odham and Pima, and artifacts of other Southwestern
tribes. You can shop for Native American jewelry and crafts. It's on the north
side of AZ 87; head west 4.3 miles from the AZ 287-87 junction or, from I-10, you
can go east 9 miles on AZ 387 and AZ 87; 520/723-5516. Open daily; donations welcome.
This cultural center on the Gila River Reservation makes a fine break from freeway
driving. About 12,000 Pima and Maricopa live on the 387,000-acre reservation, which
was founded in 1859. A museum displays artifacts of the tribes and interprets local
history. Photo exhibits include Snaketown, a 200-acre Hohokam site, and the 1942-45
Gila River Internment Center that held Japanese-Americans. Crafts in the gift shop
include pottery of Maricopa and New Mexican tribes, Tohono O'odham baskets,
Hopi kachina dolls, and Navajo rugs. Jewelry, paintings, and prints come from many
tribes. An inexpensive restaurant offers fry bread and some Mexican and American
items daily for breakfast and lunch.
Outside, Heritage Park
contains traditional structures of the Hohokam, Pima, Maricopa, Tohono O'odham,
and Apache tribes; a booklet available at the gift shop describes each group. Gila
Indian Center is open daily except some holidays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; donations welcome;
480/963-3981. Native American craft demonstrations and performances take place during
the Thanksgiving Celebration (weekend following Thanksgiving) and the Anniversary
Celebration (third weekend in March). From I-10 Exit 175, go west half a mile on
Casa Blanca Road; the exit is 26 miles southeast of Phoenix and 85 miles northwest
of Tucson.
Once a small, sleepy agricultural town, Casa Grande has been discovered by winter visitors. Originally, no town was planned here. It was just a spot where the railway stopped laying tracks during the summer of 1879. Shipping agents then dropped off agricultural and mining supplies beside the track. When the tracks continued on to Yuma, people stayed and the town grew to a population of 500 by 1882, but the national mining slump in the 1890s caused Casa Grande to dwindle to just a mercantile store, a saloon, and two small businesses. Agriculture became the mainstay, with livestock, vegetables, alfalfa, wheat, barley, citrus, and cotton contributing to the local economy. Now, the town depends just as much on the winter visitors who patronize the resort, motels, and RV parks. Casa Grande's population has passed 26,000 and continues to grow.
Casa Grande Valley Historical Museum
The museum takes you
back to the days of the early tribes and pioneers. You'll learn about area mining
and view period living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. The collection and a gift
shop are open Mon.-Sat. 1-5 p.m. from September 15 to May 15; $2 admission. The
museum is downtown at 110 W. Florence Blvd. (behind a 1927 stone former church);
520/836-2223.
Casa Grande Art Museum
This small gallery offers a chance
to enjoy paintings, sculpture, photographic displays, and ceramics as well as an
outdoor sculpture garden. Most work is for sale. Exhibits change about once a month.
It's at 319 W. 3rd. St., one block south and east from the historical museum;
520/836-3377; call for days and hours; closed in summer.
Information and Services
The friendly Greater Casa Grande Chamber
of Commerce (575 N. Marshall St., Casa Grande, AZ 85222, 520/836-2125 or 800/916-1515,
www.casagrandechamber.org, 9 a.m.-5
p.m. Mon.-Fri.) has a central location; turn south from Florence Blvd. at the Dairy
Queen.
Picacho Peak has long served as a landmark for tribal groups, Spanish explorers, American frontiersmen, and modern-day motorists. Park visitors enjoy hiking, camping, and picnicking in this scenic area. Saguaro and other plants of the Sonoran Desert thrive on the rocky hillsides. Mexican gold poppies can blanket the hillsides in spring after a wet winter. Monuments near the flagpole commemorate the Battle of Picacho Pass (where I-10 now runs) and the building of a road by the Mormon Battalion. The Battle of Picacho Pass, on April 15, 1862, was the most significant conflict of the Civil War this far west. Confederate forces killed Lieutenant James Barrett, leader of the Union detachment, and two privates. Aware that Union reinforcements would soon arrive, the Confederates retreated back down the Butterfield Road to Tucson.
Civil War in the Southwest
This reenactment takes place on
the second weekend in March. Infantry and cavalry fight three historic engagements
to commemorate two battles that took place in New Mexico plus the Battle of Picacho
Pass. Smoke spreads over the desert as the crack of rifles and roar of cannons echo
off the hillsides. In calmer moments between the conflicts, you can visit the encampments
of each side and see how the soldiers and civilians lived.
Practicalities
The park (520/466-3183,http://azstateparks.com/Parks/PIPE/index.html)
offers trails, picnic areas, campgrounds with showers, and a dump station. Fees
are $5 per vehicle for day use, $10 for camping in non-hookup sites, or $17 with
water and electric hookups. No reservations are taken, but it's rare for all
sites to fill. Groups can reserve picnic and camping areas. To get there, take I-10
Exit 219 (70 miles southeast of Phoenix and 41 miles northwest of Tucson) and follow
signs a half mile.
Hiking Trails
Hunter Trail climbs 1,500 feet to the summit
of 3,374-foot Picacho Peak, a tilted remnant of ancient lava flows. This rugged
four-mile roundtrip requires four to five hours. (For a shorter but still strenuous
hike, also with expansive views, take the Hunter Trail just as far as the saddle,
a two-mile roundtrip of 1.5 hours.) Be careful on the backside where the trail crosses
some loose rock; posts and cables provide handholds in the rougher spots.
Sunset Vista Trail traverses the back of the peak in a 6.2-mile
roundtrip to the summit; it has fewer hikers and a more secluded setting as I-10
is out of view most of the way. Good shoes, plenty of water, and sun protection
will help make an enjoyable and successful climb on either of these trails. If you
hike up one trail and down the other, you'll have to arrange a shuttle or walk
the 2.2 miles between the two trailheads to get back to your car.
Calloway Trail is an easier climb to a low pass between Bugler's and Picacho peaks, 1.5 miles roundtrip, requiring an hour. A half-mile-loop nature trail introduces desert plants; you can begin from Memorial Plaza near the contact station or from the hookup campground. Rangers offer trail maps.