RECENT FINDINGS: SAGINAW SOUTHERN, RAILS IN THE WOODS

 RECENT FINDINGS: SAGINAW SOUTHERN

    I consider the National Forests and environs near Williams, Arizona as my back yard. Here I have thousands of acres to roam, with respect and consideration. I do my best to keep my own property in the best of shape, likewise I treat the forest with even more consideration.

    One of the benefits is that on any given day, I can decide to revisit sites that were previously explored. Some of the spurs of the Saginaw Southern, south of Williams, can be challenging to locate and document. One such spur has been mostly recovered by nature or reclaimed by man, as roads or recreation areas. The earliest spurs have largely disappeared into the forest floor, yet natural occurrences will reveal man's past travels through the land.

I recently was out harvesting natural grass seed to restore my property, and in so doing was in a location where a spur was once laid. Little remains, but then again, I decided to walk along the creek, where the original loggers usually laid the tracks. Erosion had a revealed a marvel to behold: a section of rail- one of the rarest and most cherished of finds!




The section of rail had recently been exposed, along with the remnants of several ties. Upon closer inspection, I found the rail stamped "Joliet 1882." It was not uncommon for the Saginaw to purchase, or lease, used rails and fasteners from the mainline railroad. Considering the date on the rail, and that the Saginaw Southern was built in 1898, it is possible that this was relayed from the earliest days of the logging line.
 An item such as this, found in its natural state, helps researchers to understand when this spur was laid. That is why it is important to leave such items where they are found. The spur line that this rail was once part of, has been difficult to map. The Saginaw had a habit of following the path of least resistance, which were the creek beds and flood plains. In the general area are signs of where the grade was shored up using logs, and the remains of an early tent camp and tank. No, I will not identify exactly where this artifact is located. It waited 140 years for me to discover it; let it continue to rest in the wilds. 

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