Glenwood is a small village in the Gila National Forest, dating back to 1878 with a single ranch house. Presently, there are about 300 residents enjoying the scenic mountains and moderate climate found here. I came here, as most visitors do, to see the Catwalk National Recreation Area in Whitewater Canyon. Driving to my campground, I passed a fish hatchery and noticed a sign that said "New Mexico Birding Trail 14". Naturally, I went there the following morning to check it out. With a nice sized pond fed from the hatchery, both water fowl and song birds are attracted. It was a fun and productive morning.
 |
Curved-bill Thrasher
|
 |
Vermilion Flycatcher
|
 |
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
 |
Black Phoebe
|
 |
Ring-necked Duck
|
 |
Ring-necked Duck (Female)
|
 |
Cinnamon Teal
|
The Catwalk National Recreation Area was extremely popular the day I was there, with more than fifty vehicles in the parking lot and all the picnic tables in use. Most of the cars had New Mexico plates, with a few from Texas, California and Arizona. Whitewater Creek was lined with large trees, including some sycamores that are common in Southern Arizona. All in all, it was an oasis in the high desert.
A sign near the exit listed several other attractions near Glenwood, one of which was a ghost town called Mogollon. After a little internet research, I paid a visit to Mogollon the next day. The town is located deep in the mountains some nine miles from the highway. The road is nicely paved, but steep and curvy, with the last five miles being one lane. The town was founded in the late 1800s to support several gold and silver mines. Being so remote, it had a reputation as one of the wildest towns in the West. Mogollon has a history of ups and downs, boom and bust, robberies, fires, floods and attacks by the Apaches. The last mine shut down around 1950. The population, once nearly 6000, is now fifteen year-round residents and a few more summer residents.
Old mine sites, mining equipment and original buildings remain to draw tourists. There are also a surprising number of newer buildings. The creek that runs through town has been deepened and lined with rocks to prevent flooding and erosion.
No comments:
Post a Comment