Friday, December 02, 2016

A New Adventure

Since our touring around Congress AZ has been curtailed by the cold weather, we were getting antsy. A friend at North Ranch RV Park  told us about this place we just had to see.  He said it was a mining ghost town.  To get out of the house today we decided to check it out.  At Congress we hung a left onto County Rd. 71 and drove twenty miles south east straight through the desert toward Aguila.

That overpass is AZ 93. 

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The road led us gradually up 600’ through Merritt Pass (3400’).IMG_6538

With Aguila visible in the distance, we turned right at the Indian

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and saw our goal nestled against the foot of the mountain.

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Two miles of gravel and dust brought us to

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Robson’s Mining World.

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Robson’s Mining World is a step back in time at the site of the Nella-Meda Gold Mining Camp.  The mine sits in a notch in the Sonoran Desert’s saguaro covered hills.  Trails around the mine lead to an ancient Indian campsite, an old stage stop and miles of untouched desert wilderness.  The sign below explains how the mine changed hands and ended up in its present stage of restoration.  Fourteen of the original buildings were restored.  Old buildings were moved from other locations, new buildings were built to look old.  Slowly the town, once again, came to life.  The town is home to thousands of pieces of antique equipment and 26 artifact-filled buildings.  Displays show how the equipment was used.

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The mine is up there in the notch.

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We came to explore the town, but were blown away by the breathtaking views.

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Tomorrow we’ll see more of the town.

Louise and Duane

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