Glenwood and the Catwalk

Sunday, November 17th

We had a bit of a hiccup this morning getting ready for our departure. Our door latch is sticking quite a bit to get in and out of the motorhome. The outside handle is a bit bent from thieves trying to break in last winter while the coach was at Revy RV for repairs. The door would not open so the thieves broke the passenger window to gain access before being chased off for some reason. Anyways I guess mechanism is a little out of whack and this morning Ray was locked out. Fortunately I was inside (Freya and I locked in), so he had to come in via a ladder through the drivers window. After an hour and a half of taking it apart and putting it back we were on our way. What a guy. The lock now works good but we will have it looked at while the coach is in for the washing machine.

Once on the road we headed the short hour's drive to Glenwood, NM. I planned for us to stay at this teeny tiny RV park with only 6 sites. Turned out to be a pretty good spot for two nights. Basically just a gravel lot. The owner's very friendly, and the price was right at $20 per night with 50 amp and water and sewer. There is no cell coverage, but they have Wifi which is the guys phone number. lol It does cut in and out however.

After we were set up and ate lunch, off Ray and I went to tour "The Catwalk", our reason for coming here. The afternoon was the perfect temperature for a short hike.

Here is some history of the Catwalk:

John T. Graham built his ore-processing mill at the mouth of Whitewater Canyon in 1893. The mill, and later the town of Graham (population 200), were built roughly where the parking lot and picnic areas are located today. Remnants of the mill can be seen on the hillside to the west.

Water was needed for the town and the mill but, during the dry months of the year, it did not always flow beyond a mere trickle by the time it reached Graham. Since water ran year-round further up the canyon, investors of the Colorado-based mining company determined that three miles of four-inch pipeline along Whitewater Creek was the solution. If a boulder got in the way, they simply blasted out slots the height of a door to make way for the pipe and, in an engineering feat that probably would never be attempted today – much less pass government "rules and regs" – workers suspended themselves from ropes, sometimes 25 feet above the canyon floor, and chiseled out square holes to brace the supporting timbers and iron beams.

The pipeline literally hung from the west side of the canyon – along the path of today’s trail from huge bolts and rigid cables anchored into the solid rock. To keep it from freezing, workers packed the entire pipe in sawdust, then encased it in wood. A bigger pipeline was built four years later. It paralleled the original one and, while more water could rush through the 18-inch line, it was in constant need of repairs. It was those same repairmen, loaded down with tools as they balanced themselves along the pipe, who dubbed their precarious route "the Catwalk."

The mill went belly up in 1913, many blaming its demise on mismanagement. Others pointed at flash floods. Whatever the reason, Graham dried up, too, and most of the mill and pipeline were torn apart and sold for scrap metal. Residents moved to the present site of Glenwood and left Whitewater Canyon to return to its natural state.

The Civilian Conservation Corps – better known as the CCC – changed all that in the 1930s, when the corps’ Depression-era workers rebuilt the Catwalk for visitors to the Gila National Forest. Hikers followed that CCC-built Catwalk Trail until 1961, when the Forest Service constructed the steel walkways used today.

Here are some historic pictures of the water pipe.






The trail is quite easy and there are lots of picture opportunities for Ray. So glad we came to see this.

The beginning of the trail and picnic area.

Very huge trees along Whitewater Creek.

Meeting up with the more difficult trail on the other side of the canyon.

Remnants of old supports from the pipes.

Looking back at the catwalk.

Very Pink Rock

We turned around as the trail became more difficult with rocks etc. and headed back to the catwalk.

New supports for the catwalk.

Below all that is left of the processing mill.

 Back to the campsite to enjoy the rest of the afternoon in the sunshine. A great adventure. I wonder what we shall see tomorrow?