BARNEY FLATS AREA; SAGINAW SOUTHERN; CONNECTIONS WITH BIG SPRING CANYON, COUGAR PARK/HELL CANYON, MC CANYON/ELK RIDGE LINES
BARNEY FLATS COPYRIGHT; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (5/10/22) The Saginaw Southern Railroad, part of the Saginaw lumber Company, ran due south from Williams, Arizona. Started in 1898, the road wound its way through the rich timber stands, and at the far end eventually passed Davenport Tank, before reaching an abrupt end of the line a few miles to the south. Along the way the line crossed a beautiful and scenic area, known as Barney Flats. The company was not in the business of selling scenery, but had a keen interest in Ponderosa Pine. The surrounding area near the Flats was rich in timber, waiting for the touch of the crosscut saw. Whether it was by design or coincidence, this geographic location proved central to the number of spurs winding their way into the woods. Barney Flats doesn't appear to be the site of a logging headquarters camp. Instead, the surrounding area was systematically logged, and then the operation was relocated on a new spur. What was different at Barney