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In the midst of all the Cambrian
limestone of the House Range, a large granite intrusion has been
exposed at Painter Springs. Formed deep within the earth, this mass
pushed up against, and sometimes through, the overlying sedimentary
layers. As the minerals that compose the mass cooled, they formed
large crystals of white and clear quartz, pink feldspar, thin
flakes and sheets of mica and needles of black hornblende. Over
millenia this mass was exposed and carved by the elements into the
precipitous spires and needles of granite that compose most of the
rock formations in this canyon. Contact metamorphism, a result of
the intrusive granite exerting heat and pressure against the
sedimentary layer, caused other minerals to coalesce. Garnet,
calcite, malachite and azurite are just some of the minerals that
can be collected in the canyon.
Painter Spring flows out from this
mass of rock, releasing precious water to the small oasis of trees
which grow in the canyon. Long ago, the native inhabitants of this
region used this canyon as a camping and hunting ground.
Eventually, sheepherders and cattle ranchers discovered this source
of life and brought their thirsty flocks and herds. The Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCCs) tapped the spring in the late 1930s to
provide water to a "spike" camp located in the foothills below the
canyon. The pipeline has been rebuilt a number of times and
currently supplies the water tank at the crossroads below the
canyon. Today the canyon remains a cool, inviting place to weary
desert travellers.
The CCC spike camp was originally
set up in several tents located near the site of the upper tank. It
was later moved to a set of wood-frame barracks. The concrete
foundations can still be seen along the road, midway between the
upper and lower tanks. These barracks were moved to Painter Springs
from another camp at Kanosh. The spike camps were managed from the
main camp headquarters at Antelope Spring on the south side of the
Swasey mountain. From these spike camps, workers were sent out to
construct flood control barriers, build roads, and dig reservoirs.
The Painter Spring camp was dismantled in 1939 and moved to Black
Rock.
The road leading to the cache is
passable by most vehicles to approximately N29 11.319, W113 27.016.
From there, the road crosses a wash and gets narrow, steep and
rough. Four-wheel drive may be needed in some places beyond this
point. You may choose to park here and hike about 1/2 mile up the
road to the cache. Those who continue in a vehicle are advised to
stop at the cottonwood trees, next to the large rock overhang
because turning is easier there.
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