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Sonoran Desert

Arizona's Sonoran Desert

9 posts

Wilbanks Cabin

Wilbanks Cabin

The Wilbanks cabin in Arizona's remote Kofa Mountains was homesteaded in the early 1930s by a young cowboy named Jack Wilbanks. He dreamed of having his own cattle ranch. In 1931, the abundant grass, perfect for grazing cattle, attracted him to the area. He acquired some existing equipment

Kofa Cabin

Kofa Cabin

The Kofa Cabin is a rustic stone cabin located close to the northern border of Arizona's Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. It was built in the 1930s to serve as a camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews, who were tasked with building and improving roads, trails, and

Hoodoo Cabin

Hoodoo Cabin

The Hoodoo Cabin is a little historic cabin located in the heart of Arizona's Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. I believe it was built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and right about the same time that Kofa was established. Apparently, the cabin was built from a

Rob Roy Mine

Rob Roy Mine

The Rob Roy Mine is one of the few interesting mining ruins still left in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (another being the Big Eye Mine). The mine is small and was mainly worked in 1934-1935 and in 1941-1942 when it produced some 435 tons of silver and gold. After

Big Eye Mine

Big Eye Mine

Winter is a great time to be in the southern deserts of Arizona, and this time, we had our sights set on the Big Eye Mine down at the south end of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge and the Castle Dome Mountains. A. K. Ketcherside of Yuma discovered the Big

Quail Point Petroglyphs

Quail Point Petroglyphs

I met up with a few friends to explore a lesser-visited petroglyph site in Arizona. We didn’t know what we would find. We discovered Quail Point has hundreds of petroglyphs and was certainly worth the trip. The petroglyphs here show influence from the Gila (Hohokam), Desert Western Archaic, and

Indian Springs Petroglyphs

Indian Springs Petroglyphs

I did a little hike in the Eagletail Wilderness west of Phoenix on a cold winter morning. The Sonoran Desert of Arizona is full of tall saguaro cacti, and this is a fantastically scenic country. After crossing the open desert, I entered a canyon cut into some low-lying volcanic hills.