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I first visited Organ Pipe Monument during the winter in the mid-1980's. I was in the bicycle business and every year I attended an annual show in Long Beach, California. Eager to see some of the natural beauty near Long Beach I often extended my visit for a few days. One year I went to Death Valley. The next year I added five days to the show and visited Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah before heading back to Long Beach and flying home to Connecticut. During that trip I drove through Organ Pipe and into Lukeville and then Sonoyta in Mexico. A sleepy Mexican guard wearing a shawl, a wide sombrero and clutching an antique carbine waved me through the checkpoint. A single 60 watt bulb lit his station. It was night and few lights were on in Sonoyta. People cooked with charcoal and I could smell the smoke. It looked like a third world country. When I reached the end of the town in about a mile I turned the rental car around and headed back to America.
A clean Jeep that has served me well. |
A homemade gypsy trailer. |
I set up my tent and my new home for the next week or so. After a tasty dinner of lamb chop, mashed potatos and a fresh salad I read the park newspaper. I learned that several hiking trails wound there way around and through Organ Pipe. They looked intriguing. A talk by the Border Patrol was held today and I missed it. Another would not be held for two weeks. Little mention was made of the criminals; human and drug smugglers who use the park for their nefarious deeds. The paper went on to say that if you saw immigrants in the desert you should not approach them and please tell a ranger. I noticed that a few of the park's roads followed the border and I was determined to explore them. I thought there was a tall, heavy wire fence along the entire border but I kept hearing how easy it was to sneak in to our country under cover of darkness. I also wanted to visit some of the abandoned mines that were scattered throuhout the park. What were the folks mining? Could I find some interesting minerals like I did in Death Valley back in 2010? Would I see as many flowers as I did on the Devils's Highway in 2017? I had many questions and started discovering answers the next morning.
The search for answers begins with an early morning hike into the desert. |
The trail was well maintained with stone steps leading out of a wash. |
Saguaro cacti dotted the landscape. I saw very few flowers but the season was still early. Most of the rocks in the park are young volcanics and hold little mineral value. The older mineral bearing beds were turned almost 90 degrees on edge like Death Valley and are full of mineral viens. Gold, silver and lead were mined here from the veins. Copper is also abundant but resides in green rocks that were once under water. I met several hikers in the first few miles. After an hour or so they all disappeared. I visited one mine and saw the remains of a stone building. The mine holes were covered with bat vents. The tailing pile yielded nothing of interest.
Almost 90 degree rock layers make it easier to find minerals. |
An abandoned stone mine building. |
The mines were often small; run by one or a few prospectors with little powered equipment. The digging was done with shovels and picks. Some rock was blasted with explosives. Bigger and more mechanized gold mines were in place futher north in what is now the KOFA refuge south of Quartzite, Arizona.
The remains of another stone building at a bigger mine across the ridge. |
A small, hand dug open pit mine just past the stone buildings. |
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