From 1902 until about 1904, steam engines ambled through the forests as timber was harvested along the North Chalender Line. The history of the line has been shrouded in mystery, but one thing is certain; timber was the source of profits for the Saginaw, and the Sitgreaves Mountain area grew it in abundance. The market for lumber continued to expand. The mines at Jerome and growing communities needed the lumber for buildings, and timbers to shore up new diggings. Miles of new railbed for the Atlantic and Pacific, merged into the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad (henceforth to be affectionately referred to as the Santa Fe), required carloads of new ties. Even the mill seconds, those ties rejected by the mainline railroads, were used to expand their logging cousins.
The Saginaw Lumber Company was well-placed to harvest the vast Ponderosa Pine forests, spreading over thousands of acres of land holdings that the company owned or controlled. The company had a large modern mill at Williams and logging railroad lines penetrated the woods. In the first decade of the new century, four separate logging lines owned and operated by the company were either planning, expanding or concluding: the old Saginaw Southern; the North Chalender; the Chalender south lines; and the Bellemont line. The company had to continually develop new rail lines to meet market demands and to feed the voracious appetite of the mill.
All of the lines, with the exception of the Saginaw Southern line out of Williams, directly connected with the Santa Fe Railroad. The Santa Fe was a crucial component in the assembly-line operation: timber was felled, prepped and hauled by big-wheel teams to the logging spur; logs were loaded and transported by log cars to the Santa Fe connection; trainloads were hauled to the mill; timber was cut and shaped into a marketable product; and processed loads were shipped out, once again using the Santa Fe. The now-empty cars were returned to the logging sidings, where the process was once -again repeated. The Santa Fe began raising rates, and as a result the Saginaw considered building their own line to bypass the railroad (See Garland Prairie Line and the Proposed Mainline.)
The management of the Saginaw planned far in advance for their continued existence and profitability of the company. One piece of that plan was the development of the North Chalender Line. Before any rails were laid, many an intrigue took place before the line could be born.
INTRIGUES, LAND SALES AND GOVERNMENT LAND SWAPS
The early 1900s proved to be a crucial time period for the company. Far to the east In the Halls of Congress, plans were being made to create forest reserves with government oversight and control. Decisions made thousands of miles away began to impact the forests of Northern Arizona. The concept of sustained yield was gaining favor, coming to fruition with the Forest Reserves program. No longer would the harvesting of timber be left to the whims of local control or of logging interests. The Federal Government was about to make their presence known.
The Saginaw and Manistee had already acquired timber rights for thousands of acres of prime timber. Complicating further harvesting was the legacy of the Railroad Land Grants, dating from the time when the trans-continental railroads were provided Federal land. The land grants were every other plat, resulting in checkerboard appearance on a map.
Company management devised a plan to satisfy their need for timber, and to appease the Federal Government. Why not propose a land exchange with the newly created Forest Service? They would get a continuous, homogenous Forest Reserve, and the Saginaw would get the same for harvesting. This would allow for the building of the North Chalender Line.
Thus ensued a flurry of negotiations and correspondence between the Saginaw, The Federal Government, and Doctor Perrin - owner of the vast land holdings that the other two coveted logging railroads coveted (all correspondence and records hitherto referred to are located at the Northern Arizona University Cline Library; MS NO 84, Box 13 of 15, Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company, 4(C)2, Folder 457; 1896-1902.)
The Saginaw officials wanted to keep this scheme a secret. It would be advantageous to certain competitors if they found out. Complicating the decision-making process was that officials of the company traveled far and wide, from Michigan to California, with particular attention to Arizona. The standard means of communication were the telegraph and the U.S. mail. Since a telegraph transmission was accessible to anyone with a telegraph office, it was decided to use coded telegrams. At stake were 86,000 acres owned by Doctor Perrin, and possibly the very future of the company.
Negotiations with the Doctor created internal intrigues within the company. Company letters of the time period between officials indicated that they felt the landowner couldn't be trusted and was causing issues. More than likely the Doctor sensed an over-eagerness by the officials to purchase his land, and he was more than likely willing to play one against the other. The building of the North Chalender Line was directly mentioned in the official correspondence.
James R. Fuchs wrote the following regarding Dr. Perrin:
"Dr. Edward B. Perrin became one of the largest cattle and sheep ranchers in northern Arizona. The Perrin Land and Cattle Company owned thousands of acres of grazing land purchased from the railroad, as well as the Baca Grant--a tract of over one hundred thousand acres in Western Yavapai County. Although Perrin--whose Arizona holdings were under the general managership of his brother-in-law, Dr. George F. Thornton--was primarily interested in cattle at first, he soon converted much of his land to the sheep grazing (Page 87.)"
It appears that Dr. Perrin was a very successful businessman, and as such was a very shrewd negotiator. The company officials were not an easy mark, having built a timber empire in Michigan. It would have been an interesting spectacle to watch both parties play poker in the old west days of Arizona.
In addition to negotiating with the Doctor, the company had to placate the Secretary of the Interior. Legal complications resulted as the government had issues with the transfer of the land titles. No legal sleight of hand was being allowed. Minor disputes over the minutia of details had to be resolved, such as 1/100 and 10/100 of an acre.
Finally, in August 1902, all issues were settled, and the land sale was completed. The owner received the purchase price of $4.00 per acre ($344,000.) Then, from September through October, the company in good faith transferred the lands to the government ledger. This resulted in the creation of the San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserve. The Saginaw in return received contiguous timber rights, soon to be harvested by the North Chalender and Bellemont lines.
The company had rights to harvest the timber until January 12, 1926. This was later extended until December 31, 1950 (Box 13, Folder 458, NAU Special Collections.) On a thirty-year growth cycle, the possibility existed for a double harvest on certain timber tracts. Not a bad deal for all participants, especially the Saginaw and Manistee.
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All lines approximate. Courtesy Google Maps
The line connected with the Santa Fe in the Chalender area, then proceeded in a northerly direction through Pittman valley. At the now-designated Radio Hill, the grade began to encounter the foothills of Sitgreaves Mountain, who's peak soars to 9378 feet. Proceeding north-easterly, the grade passed Frenchy Hill, and Hardy Hill.
Several spurs once branched off the main line, reaching deep into the timber. Two spurs ventured north of Sitgreaves Mountain, near Little Squaw and Squaw Mountains. It was reported that as part of the lease the Saginaw was required to finish logging these two mountains. The cost of logging this area met or exceeded the profits of the cut timber, due to the ruggedness of the terrain.
The line continued to the east of Sitgreaves Mountain, passing by East and West Elk Springs (West Triangle Tank occupies the lower end of the valley.) This area was once traveled by the Beale expedition, surveying and building a road west to the Colorado River. It is possible to imagine that members of the expedition camped in this area, while camels grazed upon the lush grasslands. Certainly, migrants traveling the road west would have availed themselves of this clear, cool spring water.
The northeastern reaches of the line are somewhat blurred by the later spurs of the Bellemont line. One question has perplexed the researchers; did the two lines join deep within the forest? According to field research, the answer is yes. One branch of the N. Chalender line (1902-1904) headed east to the remote area of Beale Tank. A westerly spur of the Bellemont Line (1903-1929) made a direct approach to the same Tank, passing it and continuing further on. The two lines operated concurrently for several years. There are several other locations that indicate they overlapped each other.
The line extended to the Spring Valley area, where a number of spurs covered the region. The Saginaw had long-term rights to harvest the timber tracts. This was a powerful motivation to continue logging the eastern reaches of the North Chalender Line. This also may have played an important part in its demise, as timber could now be hauled on the newer Bellemont line.
HARDY HILL SPUR
At Willow Spring Tank, a spur was laid, running to the west, entering a ravine just south of Hardy Hill. This spur was a unique feature of the entire line, causing much speculation by historians as to its intent. The area continues to be the focus of research for students of industrial archaeology.
The archaeological evidence shows that the spur was part of a wye near the mainline. A wye would have been used to turn the direction of a locomotive without the use of a turntable. The roadbed encountered a ravine, then opened to the west into a sandy flat area, stretching for several miles. This area provided ample room for whatever the railroad had intended.
The ravine was walled-in by basalt rock outcroppings, leaving the railroad little choice as to how to descend to the bottom. The problem was solved by building a trestle. This structure was not of an ordinary design; it was simple and functional. The trestle was formed by notched logs, stacked in square columns. The descending grade was adjusted by reducing the height of the stacked logs. Logs were then placed across the top, spanning from one structure to the next. Not a common practice for a mainline railroad, which would normally use bents fashioned from squared timbers and bolted into a bridge structure. After 117 years, the trestle still stands today, albeit showing signs of decay.
This ravine shows an abundance of Native American rock art and is one of three important sites in the region. The other two are Laws Tank (documented by the Beale expedition); and Rock Tank (located one mile north of old route 66, West of the town of Parks.) As indicated by the presence of the rock art, the Native Americans were aware of the spring in the ravine prior to the coming of the railroad. This provides a clue as to why the railroad spur was built.
After descending the trestle, the spur entered the sandy plain area. The Forest Service has concluded that most if not all of the structures in this area are from a later time period. After the demise of the line, this area was covered by an orchard and was privately owned. Remember that it has special protected status, as a cultural and historical site.
Why did the Saginaw access this area by building a trestle? WATER-such as the Native Americans had discovered in the ravine- was needed in large quantities for the thirsty loggers. Most of the camps were located near tanks or springs where horses could be watered. Locomotives needed constant refilling of their tenders, and the numerous tanks along the line could slake thirsty boilers. However, good clean, fresh water was needed for the crews and for the cookhouses. Ample supplies would be a necessity given the dry, arid climate. Men do not work long with a belly full of contaminated water.
A source of clean water would help alleviate the transport of water by the Santa Fe from the Williams mill site. A curious, yet interesting, exchange of letters began in 1903 that may shed some light on the situation (referred to documents reside in the Saginaw and Manistee collection, NAU Chandler Library, special collections.):
On January 9, 1903, Mr. M.J. Drury, Division Master Mechanic, wrote a response to Mr. G.R. Joughins, Mechanical Superintendent of the Santa Fe Railroad, Coast Lines. The letter acknowledges the repair bill, #4540-5, for damage to the Santa Fe Railroad cars 91913 and water car 30065. Notable was reference to the fact that the Saginaw was still using link-and-pin couplers. Life for the rented water car on the logging railroad was hard: the sills were loose and split due to a missing bolt; a side stake pocket was broken; floorboards were damaged by fire; brake beams were broken by a derailment.
(The Safety Appliance Act made air brakes and automatic couplers on all common carrier, interstate commerce cars, mandatory starting in 1900. The railroad could deny transport of any car not so equipped after this date. The law did not apply to logging or industrial railroads, as long as they did not interchange with a common carrier. It would be interesting to research as to when the Saginaw modified their equipment for the interchange with the Santa Fe.)
The Saginaw and Manistee rented additional water cars from the Santa Fe. They received another Santa Fe billing on February 24, 1903 (Car Service Department Bill #77.) The logging railroad reportedly rented cars #95313, 99578 for 13 days, having been charged $15.00 during this time period. The Santa Fe had raised their rental rates from $1.00 to $1.50 per day. Also included was the billing for hauling A.T.99578 from Gallup, NM, to Chalender, 210 miles at 10 cents per mile. The total billing was $36.00.
On March 7, 1903, on company stationery, the Saginaw responded to Bills #77 and #139. Bill #77 was returned to the Santa Fe, the Saginaw insisting several errors had been made. The Santa Fe apparently had the mindset to gain as much profit from old equipment: car #95313 was an old engine tender on a flatcar, with a capacity of 2500-3000 gallons; car #99578 held 5,000 gallons. Contending to have been overcharged, the Saginaw argued the correct amount should be $1.00 per day. The additional charge for hauling #99578 was disputed, as no such charge had previously been made.
On March 16th WM. F. Dermont of the Saginaw wrote the Santa Fe, asking that the $1.00 per diem should be charged for 9,000-gallon cars, not $1.50 per diem for a 5,000-gallon car. The letter further states that the car is used on the "New branch from Chalender North and cannot get along without a water car inasmuch as the water is at one end of the line while our camps are at the other." He further contended that they should not be charged for Sundays, when the car was not in use.
What can be surmised is that the Saginaw had a daily need for large amounts of fresh water. Apparently, water was available but had to be hauled a great distance to the camps. Renting cars of dubious heritage from the Santa Fe, then being charged for repairs, was causing a strain on profits. Later in company history, the Saginaw apparently purchased their own water cars.
The water issue could be mitigated if an on-line source of clean water could be exploited. The Hardy Hill spur just might have been the answer to the problem.
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This is a fascinating area, often studied by student and scholar alike. However, it is a historically significant site that is legally protected. Due prudence and respect should be shown for its historical nature. Access to the remote area can be difficult, and only the experienced hiker should access the site.
Another possible reason for the trestle site is that it connected with a spur, which circled around the hills to the south. This would have created a continuous loop to harvest the timber to the west of the mainline.
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