Route 60 Detour

OutdoorWriter · Aug 12, 2021

The Arizona Department of Transportation says drivers should plan for an extended closure of U.S. Route 60 between Superior and the Globe area. Flood damage along the highway means traffic must detour through Winkelman via state routes 77 and 177, adding about 70 miles to the trip. ADOT crews are planning 24-hour operations to repair the roadway.

SlowElk · Aug 12, 2021

So.... The drought is over?

OutdoorWriter · Aug 12, 2021

SlowElk said:
So.... The drought is over?

At least for today.

We got another good drenching last night at my place in Glendale.

Largebull · Aug 12, 2021

Up on Mt. Lemmon the big MT. in Tucson the news said last night they got 20" of rain so far this monsoon. Most of the State has got it good . Animals will be in good shape till Spring at least. Lets hope for some Winter this year now!........................BULL!

Bluehair · Aug 13, 2021

That should accelerate ADOT’s plans to widen things up through there.

I had an uncle who lived at Top of The World.

OutdoorWriter · Aug 13, 2021

Bluehair said:
That should accelerate ADOT’s plans to widen things up through there.

I had an uncle who lived at Top of The World.

That area used to be my old stompin' grounds, so to speak. A few miles down the hill & past the Pinto Creek bridge is a dirt road that heads to the Pinto Creek mine area. We would drive by it several miles to camp & hunt javelina.

The late, Sam Dudley, who was one of my hunting mentors in the 1960s, once told me the building with all the doors on the right side of the road that looked like a motel was once a brothel. So I did some research on Top of the World a while back and came up with the stuff below.

The brothel certainly makes sense since there was a dance hall in the middle of nowhere. Maybe they wanted it to be within reach of the those gents in both Superior and Globe that would avail themselves of such service. Sam never told me that he ever used those services, but he was already in his 60s when I knew him then, so it isn't a stretch that he frequented TofW as a young man in the 1920-30s.

This area is known as the Pinal Ranch, or sometimes Top-of-the-World. The name "Pinal" comes from the Pinal Apache people and is Spanish for "pine groves in the mountains".

The site was abandoned in 1871 by the army one month after being named Camp Pinal. The troops started their mule trail at "Infantry Camp" at the foot of Picket Post and then extended it into Picket Post Creek (later called Queen Creek). The trail then crossed Devil's Canyon (named by the troops) and halted at a post they intended to build in what was then called "Mason's Valley" (later, Camp Pinal). By April 1871 the mule trail and post were both completed and General Stoneman planned on making Camp Pinal his headquarters, but the project was abandoned after General George Crook replaced General Stoneman because of the Camp Grant Massacre of April 1871. By August of that year General Crook abandoned the post, and only the mule trail was left to indicate the intended ambitious presence of U.S. soldiers.

The old Craig Ranch was built at the site of Camp Pinal. The ranch was begun about 1874 by a Mr. Irion and the Craig family, even before the town of Globe was settled. Over the years the ranch house was improved upon, and it remained in the Craig family until about the 1970s. The ranch house is still in good condition, in spite of its 100+ years.

The Top-of-the-World was a dance hall started in the 1920s along the old highway east of the Pinal Ranch. This area was settled by Robert A. Irion in 1878. His stepson Dudly Craig continued the ranching tradition in the area after Irion's death.

On the road to Pinto Creek...

In camp at Pinto Creek...A very young Tony driving the Jeep & on the right in the 2nd photo. Note all the sohisticated camo.

Bluehair · Aug 13, 2021

Yup, know pinto valley well. Also Superior, San Manuel, Globe, Morenci, Safford,,,,,,well you get the picture.

My favorite mexican food in the whole world is in Globe.

OutdoorWriter · Aug 13, 2021

Bluehair said:
Yup, know pinto valley well. Also Superior, San Manuel, Globe, Morenci, Safford,,,,,,well you get the picture.

My favorite mexican food in the whole world is in Globe.

Chalo's or El Rey???

I can't recall the name now, but it started with a 'j'. It was a small place on the left side of the road well before getting into Globe, maybe actually still in Miami. We often stopped on our way home from a day of fishing at Roosevelt or San Carlos. They had excellent green chile. It's been years since I've been through that way, so it's probably gone by now.

Bluehair · Aug 13, 2021

OutdoorWriter said:
Chalo's or El Rey???

I can't recall the name now, but it started with a 'j'. It was a small place on the left side of the road well before getting into Globe, maybe actually still in Miami. We often stopped on our way home from a day of fishing at Roosevelt or San Carlos. They had excellent green chile. It's been years since I've been through that way, so it's probably gone by now.

Either will work for me. I like the one across from the old swimming pool. That may be Chalo’s.

El Rey is the one sorta between globe/miami as I recall. Excellent also.

My fav in phx is Carolina’s. That green chili has crack in it

OutdoorWriter · Aug 14, 2021

So I just did a google map. There are two El Reys.The one in Miami is off the highway about a block or two. Unless they moved, it's not the one I recall. The only one I find on the highway is Los Jiberto's. Name doesn't ring a bell with me, tho. Maybe it changed names/owners.

Never tried Carolina's. In the Valley, our early favorite circa 1960-70s was Garcia's, the FIRST located on S. 35th Ave in a house, way before the Tex-Mex. chain began. When we moved to our current casa, we found La Perla's in Glendale, about three miles from us. It was a Glendale institution for 50+ years & won many "best Mexican....(food)" awards. They closed its doors after the family patriarch died a few years ago.

Now we just cook our own at home.

Largebull · Aug 16, 2021

El Rey is My favorite. 40 years ago coming back from unit 31 with a Buddy, we stopped there . His dad had grown up in Globe so He knew about it. Been going every time I go thru there.......................BULL!

Largebull · Aug 16, 2021

. My Buddies Dad was the late great Ed Anderson. He was the football Coach at Coronado High School in Scottsdale. He won the State Championship in 1975 or maybee 76 can't remember. But the Football field there is named after Him......................Bull!