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Tag: Maricopa County
Maricopa County, located in the south-central part of Arizona, encompasses the vibrant heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Spanning desert landscapes and urban centers, the region is renowned for its dynamic mix of culture, commerce, and natural beauty. Home to bustling cities like Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe, it offers a diverse array of attractions ranging from world-class resorts and golf courses to the Sonoran Desert’s rugged terrain and saguaro cactus-studded vistas. With a rich history, thriving arts scene, and a robust economy driven by industries such as technology, healthcare, and tourism, Maricopa County remains a quintessential blend of southwestern charm and modern innovation.
Mesa Free Press – A Curious Find
A Curious Find.
P. C. Bicknell is back from an extended trip into the Superstition mountains, where he went to look
up “the old Doc. Thorne mine,” on a clue he had himself found. The clue consisted in a cliff dwelling of the true ancient era, perched high up on the side of a canyon in the Superstitions, about ten miles east of Weaver Needle. The dwelling was seemingly as it had been abandoned by its occupants of several thousands of years ago, being in a notable state of preservation.
But, outside of its antiquarian interests, in one of the rooms were found articles that would deeply excite the curiosity of any prospector. One was a prospector’s pick, the other a short and small spade, evidently used in smelting, though its handle was missing. The main peculiarity of the odd looking tool however, lay in the fact that upon its blade were patches of silver stuck to its rusty face, much as solder splashes attach to tin. there is no silver in that region, so far as modern miners have been able to find. The nearest white metal is over at the Silver King, fully thirty miles away. The spade evidently was used for the purpose of skimming off the dross from the cast, metal in a silver smelting furnace of many years ago and had but recently been used for this purpose when abandoned in the cave.
Nothing was found that would indicate who the ancient refiner was, and in a close search of the surrounding country not a trace of minors 1 could be found in a radius of at least three miles. In the midst of a highly mineralized region, this neighborhood appears to be absolutely void of a formation in which silver or gold would be likely to be found.
Yet it is in this neighborhood, so Bicknell declares, that the Thorne mine was found three decades ago, the cliff dwelling well answering the description of the “stone cabin” in which the doctor had his adobe. Still, it may have simply been the temporary residence of a poor devil of a prospector, who left only to fall a victim to the Apaches, who infested the region till fifteen years ago.
The silver-flecked spade Bicknell brought back to Phoenix and it now can be seen a’. Luke Hurley’s.—Gazette.
References
Saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea )
The Saguaro ( Carnegiea gigantea ) is perhaps one of the most iconic member of the cacti family in the south west desert, and located primarily in Arizona. The giant desert guardian stands watch over the hot dry desert and exudes a quiet nobility which matches its environment perfectly. The slow growing giants can reach heights exceeding 35 feet in height. These pinnacles of stature are due in no doubt to their long life span of up to 200 years. The largest known Individual was measured at 78 feet tall before it was toppled in 1986 from high winds.
Like many other stem succulents, the Saguaro survives the dry climates by optimizing its water retention. Large tap roots anchor the plant to the ground and can harvest water from over 100 feet beneath the surface. The water is pulled into the cactus body and causes the the body to swell which enables the plant to survive long period of drought without water.
A single trunk of the saguaro is known as a spear, and the cacti can stay this way up to 75 years before the first arm is branched from the trunk. The cactus will bloom in the spring months of April, May and June. The white flowers of this plant will form only at the top of each branch and form a crown of beauty. The flowers open in the cooler nights after the sun was dropped below the horizon. Nectar is produced is encourage pollination from a variety of animals. The flower will close again by midafternoon. The flower is the state flower for the State of Arizona.
This cactus is protected by the State of Arizona, and sadly needs to be. The US Government created Saguaro National Park in 1994 to protect some of the population and its habitat.
Natural Distribution
