10
MARCH 2022
www.GlobeMiamiTimes.com
All Roads Lead To Globe-Miami
The drive up to Globe-Miami through Devil’s Canyon bursts with color from late February to early April as wildflowers come into bloom. Photo by LCGross
Exploring US 60 from Apache Junction BY DAVID ABBOTT
F
Photo by LC Gross
Courtesy of Gila Historical Museum
Hotel | Restaurant | Tea Room
rom museums in the East Valley to hiking trails and rock climbing in and around Superior, the road from Apache Junction to Globe is filled with history and adventure for the intrepid desert traveler on US 60, one of Arizona’s oldest stretches of highway. Originally dubbed the “million dollar highway,” the 21-mile stretch of the Miami–Superior Highway cost $1 million to build and was constructed with prison labor between 1919 and 1922. The road was dedicated on April 29, 1922, and the original 300-foot tunnel named for state senator W.D. Claypool was completed in 1926. In 1952, the route became US 60 and the Claypool tunnel was replaced by the 1,200-foot Queen Creek Tunnel. But the road’s history goes back decades, if not centuries before, to the first appearance of Europeans in the region that came to be Arizona. What was to become US 60 is one of the oldest, most historic sections of highway in the entire state, according to an Arizona Department of Transportation historical report commissioned in 2011 ahead of the state’s centennial. Once Spaniards, led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, entered the region in 1540, Europeans’ movements along ancient indigenous trails created a framework for centuries of travel throughout the territory. It wasn’t until 1853, in the wake of the California Gold Rush, that the United States began to invest in surveying and creating roads and railroad routes to speed up travel in what would become the Arizona Territory in 1863. In 1877, the Territory’s first road project was a “wagon road” between Phoenix and Globe, funded with $10,000 in Territorial bonds, the first highway construction bonds issued in Arizona’s history. Prior to WWII, between 1917 and 1938, and with the aid of $40 million from the federal government, the majority of the state highway system was mapped out and developed, although only a small percentage was actually paved until much later. By 1938, the Arizona highway system had grown to include nearly 3,500 miles of highway, and the state’s tourist economy had been given a “tremendous shot in the arm,” in the words of an ADOT study. During that period, the author says, “the foundation had been laid for the highspeed and high-capacity highways that would be built after the Second World War.” From that time to the present, the state and federal highway systems have evolved from routes built locally with whatever materials might be at hand, to the intricate and complex system of urban superhighways and rural roads that exists today. US 60 is still evolving, with modern projects like the Pinto Creek Bridge and Devil’s Canyon widening project east of Superior that weighed in at nearly $9 million. For the modern adventurer to truly appreciate this stretch of road, though, it’s important to take time to slow down and absorb what Arizona has to offer along one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the state.
HISTORIC HOTEL MAGMA
From a 109 Year Old Boarding House to a Cozy Boutique Hotel •21 Very Stylish Bedrooms •Beautifully Landscaped Courtyard •A Welcoming Lobby •Exquisite Dining Room •Cozy Tea Room and Bar •Roof-top Patio •Second Floor Veranda
MIGUEL SFEIR, MANAGER
www.hotelmagmasuperior.com
100 W Main Street • Superior, AZ 85173 info@hotelmagmasuperior.com • (520) 689-2300
