This cache is located on an Arizona portion of the Great Western Trail. This section is the old railroad
bed of the The United Verde & Pacific Railroad. In good
weather, the cache can be reached by automobile, though a high
clearance vehicle may be better. In bad weather 4WD may be
necessary. The position accuracy was 19.5 ft.
History
The United Verde & Pacific Railroad was once described as the
“crookedest line in the world” because it had 126
curves along its 26.3-mile length. The 3-foot wide railroad was
constructed in 1894 by Senator William Andrews Clark, the owner of
the United Verde Copper Company, a rich mine in Jerome. The
railroad connected Jerome to Chino Valley (then called Jerome
Junction) and the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway. Jerome
Junction was originally called simply Junction when it was
established in 1895, but the name was changed to the less confusing
Jerome Junction in 1914. The station was used by both
railroads.
The line was not without its problems. Heavy rain often caused
washouts, which in 1905 and 1906 were severe enough to stop the
trains. No trains into Jerome meant no coke for the smelters, and
production was curtailed on several occasions. Rockfalls along the
line often had to be cleared as well.
Wooden trestles were built to cross the gullies and to create an
acceptable grade, but frequent fires started by engine sparks often
delayed the train. Twenty-three trestles were replaced between 1898
and 1901 by the built-up grade that you see today. The project cost
a quarter of a million dollars.
The trail bears evidence of the sidings and turnaround points
for the railroad. Near the eastern end of the trail, an open area
beside the road is Horseshoe Siding, which is believed to be the
site of a sawmill that milled timber from Woodchute Mountain.
Timber was used to fire the smelters before coke was brought
in.
The United Verde & Pacific Railroad closed in 1920, and
Jerome Junction was renamed Chino Valley in 1923.
from Backcountry Adventures
Arizona
by Peter Massey and Jeane Wilson
From Chino Valley head east on CR70, the Perkinsville Road. Turn
right at the corral and tank, about 6 miles from Chino Valley. You
are now on FR318a.
From Jerome head north on the Jerome-Perkinsville Road, CR72,
about 7 miles and turn left on FR318a.
The cache is in a .30 caliber ammo can. We hope you enjoy the
drive.