Feature – Bloody Basin Trek (Part 2)
Native Americans to modern frontiersmen
We topped a high ridge at almost 5,000 feet in elevation and
got a grand view to the west looking into the Mustang Hills and far beyond. The
classic red ‘83 Scrambler belongs to Jim Werkmeister, who brought along his
son, Max.
The classic red
‘83 Scrambler belongs to Jim Werkmeister, who brought along his son, Max.
The cable suspension bridge is meant only for livestock,
pedestrians, and motorcycles. The only way of crossing the Verde River here is
by fording at a spot under the bridge. Your chances of successful fording
depend on time of year, recent rainfall, and snow runoff.
We followed F. S. Road 269 to the north side of Sheep
Crossing and descended down to the Verde River. Here, a wooden suspension
bridge was built in the early 1940s. The Red Point Sheep Bridge was used for
ranching in the Bloody Basin, providing a way for ranchers to move their flocks
from pasture to pasture along the river and move them up or down in elevation
according to the grazing seasons.
Here’s a classic out running the trails. This is a ‘65
Toyota FJ45LV wagon that Jack Adams has been bringing back from the brink of
automotive death. The old Toyota sat idle in a junkyard for some years, and
Jack made it road-worthy again with a ‘74 F engine and four-speed transmission.
Look for a full feature on this cool rig coming soon.
This is a ‘65
Toyota FJ45LV wagon that Jack Adams has been bringing back from the brink of
automotive death.
On a rocky side trail we found an old, uninhabited farmhouse
constructed largely from native stone. This was probably used over the years by
ranchers in the area. We explored the grounds and found a number of vintage
relics and hardware scattered about the site.
This stone building had two rooms. There was the main room with
kitchen, fireplace, and sleeping cots. A second room c n the other end of the
building offered storage.
James May ran the trail with us in his ‘02 GMC 2500 truck.
The relatively dry trail conditions made it an easy run; very scenic, but not
challenging. As such, we were able to cover a lot of ground and see a lot of
sights during our long day on the trail.
James May ran the
trail with us in his ‘02 GMC 2500 truck. The relatively dry trail conditions
made it an easy run; very scenic, but not challenging.
Sheep herding was done in the Bloody Basin as early as the
beginning of the 20th century. This is one of the original bridge towers
erected during World War II using hand tools and some mules. The towers were
originally constructed from wood but were subsequently reinforced with concrete
buttresses. The current bridge here was built in 1989 to replace the aging
original.
We ventured down to the edge of the water to check out the
Verde River. This waterway is Arizona’s only federally designated Wild and
Scenic River. It starts further north near Flagstaff from Sullivan Lake. We
found the water to be cool, with a green tint as its name suggests.
Inside we were amazed to find the interior of the cabin to
be well preserved with furnishings, bedding, and even some canned goods and
such in the pantry. We were pleased to see that visitors had been kind to this
structure and its contents. We even saw evidence of items left behind by
visitors to this remote area trying to keep this setting intact and nostalgic.
It was a gem.
We didn’t have the time to hike to some of the more
substantial Indian ruin sites but did stop at the easily accessible Sears-Kay
site on the last part of our run. This Hohokam site is about 900 years old. It
was a 40-room village that sat atop a hill and was constructed across five
separate buildings.
