Union Pacific/Oatman massacre pics

[AZG23]

Got to take a cool day run with Big Dave, Tom Fooshee and myself today..we headed out Agua Caliente to the UP service road to check out the Gilespie/Arlington derailment site...ane then on to the Oatman Mtn massacre site and Painted Rock area..and the petroglyphs...had a great time jsut cruisin thru the desert...here are some pics

Cool old bridge crossin the Gila @ Gilespie dam area
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1162.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1163.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1164.jpg

Derailment site
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1168.jpg
Down track one of the bridges
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1166.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1167.jpg

Hansen Ranch area
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1170.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1172.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1175.jpg

cont

[AZG23]

Oatman Mountain Massacre site
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1177.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1178.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1182.jpg
Wagon wheel marks in the rock
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1181.jpg

Indian Petroglyphs
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1184.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1188.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1191.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1189.jpg

Hope ya enjoy some of the pics....

[desertdawg]

Very Interesting, Thanks for sharing!:)

[Antman]

That narrow bridge is on the old highway from Arlington to Gila Bend and has a special memory for me. Back in 1965 when I joined the Navy, it had been raining so hard for so long in Arizona that that bridge was the only way to get from Phoenix to Gila bend as the other bridge on 85 was washed out. Crossing that bridge on a Grey Hound bus with the water eating at each end as it tumbled pass was really scary!:eek:

I have been all over that country down there. I have been on Oatman Mountain many times when I worked for the State. Its fun to travel that country in the winter!:D

[Wind_Danzer]

Wow, great pics!!!

Keep me in the loop when this gets planned again.

BTW, where is that narrow bridge? Reminds me of home.

[joedokes28]

Wow, those are some great pics of a neat area. What are the details of the derailment? Was this the one done by the militia in 1995?

[WalterD]

Got to take a cool day run with Big Dave, Tom Fooshee and myself today..we headed out Agua Caliente to the UP service road to check out the Gilespie/Arlington derailment site...ane then on to the Oatman Mtn massacre site and Painted Rock area..and the petroglyphs...had a great time jsut cruisin thru the desert...here are some pics

Cool old bridge crossin the Gila @ Gilespie dam area
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1162.jpg


Next time you guys make a run out there I would love to go. My dad grew up out in that area. He's told us many stories about living out there in half tents and dirt floors. Great pictures. Thanks
Walter

[AZG23]

Tom was the resident expert on the actual derailment...but yes...I believe that was the same one. He can chime in here

As for the next one...will see..we wanna do a couple more exploring trips around there...like Buttercup Stage run, etc...

The water was flowing under the bridge...and unfortunately...I didnt bust the camera out in time to get pics of the washed out Gilespie dam. I can imagine water up even to it was quite a site...coming up to it I was like.." is that an old wooden bridge..?" as its rusted and brown in spots..and looks like wood from afar...as for the old cement overpass bridge...theres still one section standing...but thats it...it definitely made it fun having guys along that kow the area and its history...

[AZG23]

gotta couple more here....

Along the tracks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1165.jpg

another view at the rock cabin
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1171.jpg

looking back up the MBTrail...Tom kept talking to his GPS! Muttering sumthin' bout her sexy voice....and recalculating..:D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1179.jpg
looking out across the stage route I believe...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/azg23/100_1183.jpg

[WalterD]

The water was flowing under the bridge...and unfortunately...I didnt bust the camera out in time to get pics of the washed out Gilespie dam.

It's amazing what millions of gallons of water can do, especially when helped along with dynamite.
Walter

[Hunter]

Wow, very nice. Looks liek it was a godo trip. Are those tracks still active at all?

[Hunter]

Ah ha!, never mind, I caught your other post and I figured out what those tracks were. Did Tom mention if they were going to reopen that line anytime soon?

[AZG23]

He mentioned possibly next year sometime....but nothing certain

[Antman]

Wow, great pics!!!

Keep me in the loop when this gets planned again.

BTW, where is that narrow bridge? Reminds me of home.

If you get off I10 at the Gila Bend exit and go south, look for the Arlington exit just before your cross the river. Turn right and go down through Arlington to Gila Bend on what I call the back way or old way and south of Arlington, you will cross the bridge. The road follows the river down there on the east side after you cross. Then come back to Phoenix the other back way, up the other rail road tracks to maricopa. You can see all this on a map.

[Curly]

I woke up this a.m. thinking I should go to the massacre site. I am off for 2 weeks and have been wanting to go to the Oatman site. Then I come here and see your post. Gonna have to make that trip. Neat Photos.

[tomfooshee]

I just got back from Yuma.

I mentioned to Dave I wanted to wheel along the RR track to verify rumors of the railroad preparing the line for reopening. They havn't fixed anything. Right now they are storing empty RR cars until business picks up.

I've made a couple of thousand trips over the line over the years. It brought a lot of memories back.

I was on the investigation of the Amtrack wreck. The "Sons of the Gustapo" claimed responsibility.

I knew all about the RR track but Dave was the expert on the area. We went to the Oatman Massacre site from the north instead of the way in from Sentinal. There was a grave site for the three children of the Fourr family who manned the Butterfield stage depot. That part isn't in the Wells book. According to the GPS we were only .2 of a mile from the Oatman family grave at that point. Dave was clued in to all the history. The bridge on the old US80 was built so Patton could get his tanks across the Gila River. There is a memorial on the north side of the RR tracks east of Kofa dedicated to the troops who trained there before going to Africa. Dave and I took the Old US 80 back to Surprise. I think next time it would be neat to start out that way.

I got to play with my new Jeep trailguide from Garmin. It shows the roads that are on the county map, but the roads and two tracks we were on to the massacre site wern't on the mapsource. I loaded the coordinates into the GPS the night before and it was helpful in finding the site. I have the language set to British English. Sounds like Kelly LeBrock from the movie wierd science. I think she said "Well you're here but I don't know Bloody ell how you did it"

It was a last minute deal but it was extremely enjoyable. Dave was an excellent tour guide. Thanks Dave.

[Curly]

I just got back from a trip to the massacre site. This thread prompted me to go and I have been wanting to go for a long time. It is a looong way to exit 87 (I-8) from Yuma, but the trip was worth it. I was using the Wells book to find the sites, and the GPS info in the book was off a little, but it is an easy trail to follow. We went to the massacre site, graves and the Four's gravesite. We came in the Sentinal way, and returned the same way, we wanted to go check out Aqua Caliente hot springs.

I can see that if you come in from painted rock dam rd/rockypoint road, it would be a snap.
This trail would probably rate a mild 2 except for one spot of soft sand. It was deep enough that I had sand coming over my hood like snow from a drift! Had no trouble getting through it, traction wise, just don't have enough lift (2") so I wound up plowing through it.

[big_dave302]

Don't worry about the sand. Brad and Tom were making fun of me for plowing through it too. Not enough lift either but its all good.

[AZG23]

yeah...Dave disappeared for a minute...LOL...POOF!

[Sc00by]

I'll probably get flamed for this... I was born & partly raised in Ajo, Most of my family is in the Buckeye area. My Grandma use to have the mail route between Buckeye & Gila Bend, I would ride with her some times too she use to collect water samples from that dam for the state back in the day. I too remember crossing that bridge when it was the only way into Phoenix.
Before I got he XJ I drove my Durango down thru there & Ajo & to Kitts peak.
Pics here --> http://www.flickr.com/photos/pzelez/sets/72157594329205647/

After I get the XJ more road worthy I would like to go out that way & try out that trail.

[Symon623]

looks like a good time...thanks for sharing.