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 The
Superstition Wilderness Area and the desert that
surrounds it is a vast region of a delicately
balanced ecosystem. There is no ecosystem in the
world more fragile than a desert environment except
for the high latitude tundra. Humankind has for
centuries played a major role in impacting the Upper
Sonoran Desert.
The various Native American groups have used the
region for several thousand years in subsistence
hunting and gathering modes. Many of the ancient
archaeological sites found in the area today are a
mute testimony to the existence of these cultures.
The ancient sites are rapidly disappearing as the
desert continues to be developed.
Most development allows no desert greenbelts at all
for minimal survival of fauna and flora in the
Sonoran Desert, unless you want to call a golf
course a greenbelt. It is a tragic sacrifice for
what we get in return. Our gift in return is more
air pollution, more traffic, more water quality
problems and more crime.
The Native Americans followed the early prospectors
who were searching for mineral wealth in these
mountains long before the tales and myths of lost
gold and treasure emerged from the region. There is
some evidence that suggests early Mexican
prospectors from Sonora and along the Gila River may
have entered the region of Superstition Mountains as
early as 1799.
The first American miners penetrated the area about
1863.These were small parties of prospectors coming
down from the Bradshaw Mountains near Prescott
during the winter months. Once silver was discovered
in the Pinal Mountains the Anglo American population
began to grow in the area. The miners and
prospectors were soon followed by the cattlemen. The
early years of the cattle barons were totally
unregulated. Thousands of cattle roamed the canyons
and mountains of the Superstition Wilderness Area.
 One
of the earliest of the cattlemen was Robert A.
Irion. He arrived in the area from Wyomingwith a
herd about 1878. Irion brought beef on the hoof to
feed the miners at Globe and the Silver King Mine.
He was followed by other cattlemen like Jack Fraser,
Ed Horrell and W.J. Clemans.
Fraser started his herd with 300 head of cattle he
won in a poker game at the Silver King Hotel. When
Fraser sold out to W. J. Clemans in 1909, more than
5,000 head of cattle roamed the Superstition range.
All of this activity severely impacted the fragile
Sonoran Desert ecosystem.
Regulated grazing was introduced to the Superstition
Wilderness with the formation of the Tonto Preserve
in 1909. The purpose of this preserve was not to
protect the fragile ecosystem of the Sonoran Desert,
but rather the watershed of the Salt River drainage
system. The creators of the Salt River Drainage
Basin feared overgrazing would cause severe soil
erosion therefore destroying the drainage basin
planned for natural runoff.
After the turn of the century and the death of Jacob
Waltz, of the alleged Lost Dutchman Mine fame,
hundreds of treasure hunters, gold prospectors and
promoters searched the area for gold. Their efforts
produced several books and a few permanent scars on
the land. Their unique Our Desert Lands history
survives to this day, but in reality did little
damage to the Sonoran Desert. Those permanent scars
are now monuments to the determination and tenacity
of those who searched for gold and treasure, right
or wrong.
The Superstition Wilderness Area has been impacted
by all, including cattlemen, prospectors, miners and
treasure trove hunters. The hundreds of holes
produced by these people not only scarred the
landscape but also created dangerous pitfalls for
the innocent or novice adventurer.
During the mid-1960s the wilderness received yet
another kind of human impact, the kind caused by the
recreationist. This group fell into two large
categories: the hikers and the horsemen. The overuse
and the improvement of the trail system for these
recreational users created a critical management
problem for forest service. These new trail systems
impacted the terrain to such a degree the trails
were visible from space and high vantage points.
The sheer numbers of recreationists who use the
Superstition Wilderness have heavily impacted the
trail heads, trails, water sources and campsites.
This impact dramatically affected the fauna and
flora.
Stone rings used for campfires are found throughout
the wilderness even though the forest rangers have a
campaign to reduce them. There are areas where the
vegetation is totally denuded, even in isolated and
remote locations.
There are three modern forms of litter found
throughout the wilderness since the 1960s. They are
filters from cigarettes, poptops from cans and gum
wrappers. These are monuments to human occupancy and
use of the region in the 20th and 21st Centuries.
Maybe sometime in the 21st Century we will realize
how important open space and desert greenbelts will
be to future generations.
If we don’t recognize the importance of desert
greenbelts, most of the upper Sonoran Desert life
zone will be lost to our society and future
generations. If we are to maintain the beauty and
solitude of this urban wilderness and the desert
around it we need to examine our priorities and
express concern about what is happening to our
lifestyle here in the desert. Apache Junction has
become one of the most unique areas in the Salt
River Valley (in addition to Scottsdale) to make an
attempt to preserve portions of the Sonoran Desert.
How important is this desert lifestyle? Ask any real
estate agent about property values adjacent to
forest service lands in the Apache Junction area.
The desert has always been a part of our lifestyle.
If we are to enjoy this beautiful desert we must
educate people on how to care for it and how
delicate it really is. We must also learn how to
preserve it for the future. This we must do now.
Apache Junction has taken an initiative to protect
natural areas in greenbelts. Hopefully these
attempts will be supported by the citizens of our
community. We will need these desert preserves for
future generations. |
