CHALENDER MILL AND LINES SOUTH (REVISED AND UPDATED 10/25)

 CHALENDER MILL AND LINES SOUTH (REVISED AND UPDATED 10/25)

(All Maps, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of Google Maps)

A rare picture, possibly of the Chalender Mill, circa 1893-1897.

Arizona Memory Project: Williams, Arizona Collection. A copy of the original scan is available at the Williams Historic Photo Project.

    The Chalender and Williams Mills were built in 1893. The two sites gave the Saginaw a firm footprint in the regional lumber markets. The second mill site at Chalender proved crucial to the survival of the new company. In July of 1896, the Williams mill burned to the ground. This did not deter the investors; by June of 1897 a new and larger mill was constructed on the Williams site. With the new mill, and expanded capacity, the Chalender site was redundant. An unlikely end to an operation that kept the production flowing when the main mill was in ashes.

    The question can be asked; why didn't the company keep two mills, and expand the Chalender site? Profitability and efficiency of operations were two primary considerations. A third and more important aspect was the potential lack of water resources at Chalender. A large tank, nearly a lake in size, was eventually built near the millsite. One of the grades skirts this tank, indicating that it was built at the time of the mill. The Williams site had the potential to harness water for future expansion, as the company controlled one of the drainages from Bill Williams Mountain. Although water shortages were a frequent problem in the early years, eventually the William location proved to be the best choice. 

    Another viable reason is that a competitor mill was situated in the Chalender area. This mill was part of a town that at one time rivaled Williams. Along with the mill, the area was known for ranching and cultivating the sheep industry. Much of the original town and mill have disappeared with time and are located on private property. 

    In 1894, two logging railroad spurs penetrated the forests south of the Atlantic and Pacific connection. Some discussion has been made as to whom built and ran the lines. The A&P was thought to have operated the first spur. However, the Saginaw had the experience and knowledge to operate both (Stein, 31.) It is possible that the Saginaw rented or leased A&P engines, that were then operated by logging crews. The A&P would have installed the switches and sidings along the mainline to access the spurs and serve the mill until it closed. 

THE LOGGING SPURS

Locations of the spurs is approximate. 

    One of the spurs (indicated to the left on the map) appears to have connected with the A&P near present day Sherwood Forest Estates.  Much of this grade has disappeared and is difficult to determine its exact location after passing through the Sherwood Forest area. The remainder of the grade is left to speculation, and general assumptions based on what evidence remains in the forest. 

    The second spur (on the right of the map) connects with the A&P and generally follows the notation on the map. After passing to the west of Mineral Lake, crosses Frenchy Canyon on a large rock fill trestle. As the line continues south, much of the grade and ties are still visible. The spur ended near Moose Ranch, which is private property. 

    The above map provides a close-up view of the first spur, as it approaches the Moose Ranch area.

The line skirted the east side of McDougal flat and appears to have continued southeast on what is now FR141. It was first proposed during initial research that the line entered the hills and exited via a canyon to Moose Ranch. However, as the arrows indicate, the hillsides are relatively gentle, as they slope to the valley floor. This provided an excellent opportunity for big-wheel carts to transport the logs to the railhead in the valley. There was no need to build spurs when the terrain allowed easy access to the timber.  

FRENCHY CANYON TRESTLE

    The trestle is approximately 150 feet in length and stands at or near ten feet in height. In addition to rocks and gravel, logs were used as fill. Sections were also built of carefully placed stones. This indicates that after initial construction, the trestle was rebuilt and patched as needed. The timber must have been of high value to justify the amount of work involved in building this structure. 

    Please remember that this structure has significant historical value and is protected by law.