Gateway Copper Corridor Winter 2024 E-edition

GATEWAY TO THE 

Corridor 

Winter 

2024 

Visitors Guide For 

Safford • Clifton • San Carlos 

• Globe • Miami • Superior 

• Kearny • Tonto Basin • Young 

• Gold Canyon • Apache Junction 

FREE

2 

Gateway to the Copper Corridor Winter 2024

Table of Contents 

Welcome to the Winter 2024 

Edition of Gateway 

Let’s go to Clifton, Arizona ................................................... 4 

Ranching couple sees Scots cattle prosper in Arizona........... 6 

Map: Gateway to the Copper Corridor .......................... 12-13 

Topo Joes shuttle service for mountain bikers .................... 16 

Arizona Fan Fest celebrates pop culture ............................ 19 

Miami Loco Arts Festival 2024 .......................................... 20 

San Carlos Apache Culture Center Museum ...................... 21 

Apache Leap Mining Festival ............................................ 22 

Gateway Staff 

To advertise in the Gateway to the 

Copper Corridor, contact: 

~Publisher Mike Caywood 

mcaywood@silverbelt.com 

~Sales Representative, Kathy Riley 

kriley@silverbelt.com 

~Editorial, Douglas Long, David Sowders, 

dlong@silverbelt.com; dsowders@silverbelt.com 

Cover photo: 

Cover photo was taken by Tina Nixon 

Arizona Silver Belt 

PO Box 31 

298 N. Pine St. 

Globe, AZ 85502 

928-425-7121 

www.silverbelt.com 

Copper Country 

News 

PO Box 1692 

298 N. Pine St. 


928-425-0355 

www.coppercountrynews.com 

Gateway to the Copper Corridor Winter 2024 3

Let’s go to Clifton, Arizona 

Located on the 

beautiful San 

Francisco River, 

tucked into a rugged 

mountain canyon, Clifton, 

Arizona, offers a wide variety 

of history, recreation, 

attractions, watchable wildlife 

and raw beauty. Some 

would say Clifton is magical. 

It’s like stepping back 

in time. 

Founded in 1873, the 

town was named after Henry 

Clifton, an early pioneer. 

Others argue that the town 

was a contraction of “Cliff- 

Town,” so aptly described. 

It was the former mining 

center of Greenlee County. 

Entering Clifton, you’ll 

see the remains of an old 

smelter. Continuing your 

drive, you will see the historic 

train station, which 

houses the new addition of 

the Art Depot and the historical 

Clifton Visitors Center. 

This massive structure was 

deeded to the city by the 

Southern Pacific Railway. 

Daily, sometimes many 

times a day, you will see 

and be stopped at railroad 

crossings watching the Eastern 

Arizona Railway and 

the Freeport McMoran train 

transporting needed sulfuric 

acid to the Morenci Mine. 

Beyond the Visitors Center, 

on the left, you will find 

the old Clifton Jail, a rock 

bastille blasted out of the 

side of the mountain built 

in 1878. Here, the infamous 

were incarcerated. It is one 

of the state’s famous jails. 

Adjacent to the jail is the old 

Copperhead Locomotive 

No. 8, built in 1897. Farther 

on, you’ll find Chase 

Creek, once the epicenter 

of the town. In 1908, Chase 

Creek boomed for over 20 

years. However, because of 

raging floods, this part of 

town was almost washed 

away. Because of many 

people loving this wonderful 

area, it now showcases 

art galleries, antique shops, 

a book and toy store, an 

apothecary with many different 

local gifts available a 

beautiful church, and a historical 

museum. 

With all the history, expand 

your visit to include 

photo ops of the watchable 

wildlife. If you are lucky, 

you may come across some 

of our magnificent big horn 

sheep, often seen lazily 

grazing on the side of the 

road or train station lawn, 

and many more activities 

, including rock hounding 

and hiking. Did I mention 

bird watching? There are 

four trails within the area. 

Contact the CLIFTON 

VISITORS CENTER (928- 

865-3313 or P.O. Box 1415, 

Clifton AZ 85533) for more 

info. We will gladly help 

you plan your getaway for 

an unforgettable experience. 

Nestled high in the 

Pellocinno mountains, with the San Francisco 

river running by, you will find the North Clifton RV park. With 59 spaces, 

club house, Wi-Fi, showers, laundry, a new library walk, new playground equipment and 

picnic pavillions, pet friendly / pet area and beautiful scenery anywhere you look. 

Recreational activities abound. Birding trails, hiking, rock hounding, biking, river walk, watchable wildlife and if you are 

lucky you will see our famous bighorn sheep grazing on the grass in the park. 

Our park is in a quaint, quiet area, yet still in walking distance of Chase Creek, our historical district. Clifton, Az offers 

the rare blend of history, architecture, romance and adventure all wrapped up in the splendor of an Old West mining town. 

928-292-0070 

4 Gateway to the Copper Corridor Winter 2024

Gateway to the Copper Corridor Winter 2024 

5

Ranching couple 

sees Scots cattle 

prosper in Arizona 

Story by David Sowders 

Photos by Douglas Long 

Jim and Carol Ptak’s Gryphon Ranch, in 

the hilly El Capitan area south of Globe, 

Arizona, got its start in western Washington 

state 18 years ago. 

“We only had 100 acres; it was mainly a hay 

farm,” said Carol Ptak. It was after expanding 

that hay farm, doubling it in size, that the Ptaks 

were introduced to Scottish Highland cattle. 

“The next year, we went to harvest again, and 

we still had all that bad hay in the barn,” said 

Carol. “At that point you have a choice: Either 

pull it all out of the barn and burn it, or find 

something to eat it.” 

A friend suggested the “stupid-proof” Highland 

breed, so called because “you can be pretty 

stupid and still do well with them, because 

they’re so durable and hardy.” 

The Ptaks took that suggestion, buying a pair 

of Highland steers. Their intent was to eat one 

and sell the other. Discovering that it takes the 

breed three years to grow up, they purchased 

two more steers – and the couple’s venture into 

ranching would take off from there. 

“We had a neighbor down the road who had 

Highlands and he had taken ill, so we ended 

up boarding his breeding herd for six months,” 

Carol said. “He paid us in cow-calf pairs, and 

next thing you know we were off and running.” 

On an early January day, stretches of the road 

to Gryphon Ranch were covered in snow. As 

she drove a side-by-side toward the ranch, Carol 

said the road followed the original 19th century 

stagecoach route from Tucson to Globe. 

The move 

The Gryphon Ranch – Arizona’s sole commercial 

breeder of Highland cattle – has been 

at El Capitan for 10 years. It has always been a 

two-person “mom and pop” operation. 

The Ptaks came to Arizona for the same 


eason many people leave their home 

states: health, in this case Jim Ptak’s severe 

migraines. 

“We discovered, coincidentally, that he 

was well, or 90% well, here. So we picked 

up the operation and moved,” said Carol. 

The spread had some history as a ranch 

before they arrived. A former ice house and 

the ruins of an old slaughterhouse stand on 

the grounds where the Ptaks’ cattle roam. 

The property was once owned by Charles 

“Bud” Clark and his wife Lenora, then by 

Paul “Dupper” Corso, who ran Mid-State 

Pipe and Supply in Globe. Corso later sold 

the land to developers from the Valley – “just 

as property crashed in 2008,” Carol said. 

“Then we bought it from them and restored 

it back to ranching operations.” 

Jim and Carol brought 19 head of Highlands 

down to Arizona. 

“We butchered everything we could, loaded 

everything else into two trailers, and off 

we went,” Carol said. They had the help, she 

recalled, of some Mennonite farmers. 

“It was interesting because the day before, 

they had tried to load an Angus bull for about 

six hours, and here they had 19 head of Highlands 

to put in two trailers – and we had them 

all loaded in 27 minutes. They’re very calm; 

they’re very easy cattle to work with,” she 

said. 

“When we first moved here, a lot of people 

thought we were crazy, bringing these 

fuzzy cows; they called them the hippie 

cows. ‘They’re never going to survive here 

with their long hair,’ they said. Now people 

come to us to buy animals for breeding because 

they’re adapted to this climate.” 

See RANCH, page 8 


RANCH from page 7 

What are 

Highlands cattle? 

The name Highlands reflects 

the breed’s origin in 

that region of Scotland. 

“They were bred to be 

able to withstand incredibly 

difficult conditions,” 

Carol said. 

“For a while the Scots 

thought they didn’t have to 

feed the Highlands at all, 

but the reality is the Highlands 

were eating everything 

from the lichens to 

the trees. They’ll eat anything 

a goat will eat. 

“The Highland hide is 

twice the thickness of an 

Angus. I can pick up an 

Angus hide, no problem, 

and throw it around all day 

long. I cannot pick up a 

Highland hide; it takes two 

of us. They’re that much 

heavier.” 

Highlands cattle, she 

said, would live in the 

house with Scottish families 

– people upstairs and 

cattle downstairs. 

“They were used for 

milk, for fiber – they would 

The fold – a group of Highland cattle is called a fold, not a 

herd – usually comes in to feed around 4 o’clock. 

The road through the Gryphon Ranch follows the original 

19th century stagecoach route from Tucson to Globe. 

take the hair and spin it into 

fiber – and for meat,” she 

said. 

She said Highland meat 

was very lean and healthy, 

lower in cholesterol and 

higher in protein as well as 

omega-3 and omega-6 fatty 

acids. The breed comes 

in seven different colors: 

white, silver, red, dun, brindle, 

yellow and black – and 

the Ptaks own one dun bull 

that can produce all seven. 

The black variety, called 

kyloes, originated along 

Scotland’s western coast, 

where cowherds would 

swim them from pasture to 

pasture among the islands. 

Carol added that there is no 

such thing as a “miniature 

Highland,” despite online 

claims; adult Highlands 

cattle grow to around 1,000 

pounds. 

Each of their cattle has a 

name. 

“When we started – we 

thought this was going to 

be enough – we named 

them in the order of the 

Greek alphabet,” she said. 

Of that original series, two 

cows named Delta and Epsilon 

are still on the ranch. 

After that, the Ptaks went 

through gems and minerals 

from A to Z, the Greek 

gods and flowers. Their 

latest series is named after 

trees; the newest addition 

to the fold is Holly, born on 

Christmas Day 2023. 

“So far, knock on wood, 

we’ve never lost an animal 

to predation, because 

they can take care of themselves,” 

she said. “All 

Highlands have horns; they 

know where their horns 

are and exactly how to use 

them. If a predator goes 

after one of the babies and 

the baby starts squalling, 

then you’ll see a bunch of 

adults running real fast.” 

The Code of the West 

On Gila County’s official 

website, a page titled 

“The Code of the West” 

outlines the challenges and 

potential drawbacks of rural 

life – from lack of services 

to extreme weather 

to animals. “Since the rural 

West will not change to accommodate 

your lifestyle 

or expectations, you should 

be prepared to adapt accordingly,” 

it reads in part. 

Carol expressed it this way: 

“Congratulations, you 

bought property out here; 

don’t expect to see many 

services because you’re 

not.” 

“Living off-grid is an 

interesting phenomenon,” 

she added. “We don’t have 

a lot of things people take 

for granted. We’re totally 

out here on our own.” 

Though the Gryphon 

Ranch employs solar power, 

there is no electric power, 

water, sewer or mail/ 

package delivery, and 

stores are 14 miles away. 

“We do everything everybody 

else does; it’s just 

that we do it a little differently. 

Our internet comes 

by satellite, our power is 

solar, our water comes 

from a spring, we can’t 

use electrical fencing,” she 

said. “We had to replace 

water lines five times because 

they kept getting torn 

out by the next flood.” 

The Ptaks finally hired 


a local company, Dixon 

Rock and Materials, to 

bury their water lines 8 feet 

deep. An added benefit to 

this was fewer frozen water 

lines, which Jim Ptak had 

had to fight in wintertime. 

(For anyone interested in 

further reading, the county’s 

“Code of the West” 

page, which begins with 

a reference to no less than 

Western author Zane Grey, 

can be seen at https://www. 

gilacountyaz.gov/government/community_development/the_code_of_ 

the_west.php. Its text was 

adapted from “The Code of 

the West … The Realities 

of Rural Living,” written 

by former Larimer County 

(Colorado) Commissioner 

John Clarke around 1997.) 

Fire and flood 

Driving down the road 

to their property, Carol 

said ranching was not for 

the faint of heart – something 

that rings even more 

true when natural disaster 

strikes, as it did in 2021. 

Carol and Jim Ptak at their off-the-grid house on Gryphon Ranch. 

Gryphon Ranch’s business, 

she said, expanded 

greatly when COVID-19 

hit. On seeing no meat 

in grocery stores, people 

sought healthy options 

from a local source and the 

ranch sold out quickly. 

“We couldn’t expand 

our Highland offering fast 

enough for what the market 

was demanding,” she said. 

So the ranch began buying 

purebred Angus from a 

rancher in Klondyke, Arizona. 

“Angus finish for beef 

much faster, at 15-18 

months old; it takes 40 

months to get a Highland 

to finish,” she said. “The 

last few years have been 

very busy for us and very 

good – as a ranch. It’s been 

very good from a sales perspective.” 

But then there was the 

summer of 2021. On Gryphon 

Ranch, the devastating 

Mescal and Telegraph 

Fires came together; Carol 

called it the crossroads. 

“The fires burned 

out all of our perimeter 

fencing,” she said. “We 

were evacuated, and 

had almost a week to 

look at each other and 

say, ‘What are we going 

to do? Are we going to 

come back and rebuild, 

See RANCH, page 10 

Gryphon Ranch, located in the hilly El Capitan area south of Globe, is Arizona’s sole commercial breeder of Highland cattle. 


RANCH from page 9 

or sell it and go?’” 

Not all was lost, though: Firefighters 

were able to save the Ptaks’ house, 

barn, other buildings and, importantly, 

the cattle. 

“So we decided to rebuild, and 

it’s taken our life savings to do that. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t know the 

floods were coming,” Carol said. 

“We took 22 floods for the summer 

of 2021, starting on July 3. The 

last big one came through Christmas 

Eve, and it tore out all of our internal 

fencing, all of our water lines, and all 

of our cattle handling facilities. So on 

top of losing all of our fences to the 

fires, then we lost all of our internal 

stuff and our topsoil to the floods. It’s 

been a very difficult, long trek back – 

from being totally dysfunctional and 

wondering what we were going to do 

with all these animals. Now we’re 

pretty functional and are trying to get 

back to full operations, but the ranch 

still has not recovered the forage. We 

lost about 90% of our forage, so that’s 

been especially difficult. We’ve had 

to augment with more hay than what 

we did previously.” 

She added that the plants that have 

grown back are toxic to cattle. Compounding 

their troubles, she said, 

is that insurance does not cover the 

flood damage. 

Range tech 

On the Ptaks’ dining room table sat 

a bit of more modern technology, a 

GPS tracker ear tag with a solar panel. 

“It keeps track of where the animal 

is, so I have an app on my phone that 

tells me by number – the tag number 

is assigned to the cow or steer, and 

so I know where they’re at, I know 

where they’ve been traveling and I 

know where to go find them,” Carol 

said. 

“The ranchers who have tens of 

thousands of acres, the cowboys 

spend days and days riding horses 

looking for cows. So we’ve been trying 

to use the more modern technology 

of GPS tags on the cattle.” 

The tag, she added, was “not quite 

ready for prime time yet, because 

with that single hole they tend to tear 

out of their ears.” 

The Ptaks are also seeking to improve 

their stock – “take our cattle 

to the next level,” as Carol put it – 

through artificial insemination, using 

semen from a Highland bull in the 

home country of Scotland. 

“We’re going to be breeding 10 of 

our cows,” she added. Helping them 

with the project, she said, was fellow 

Gila County rancher Tyler DalMolin. 

She said they use as much of an 

animal as possible, adding that hides 

and heads are donated to the Apache 

tribe, who use the hides for latigos, 

drums or moccasins. As for the 

heads, she said, “We’ve got friends 

who are missionaries out in San Carlos. 

They clean the heads up, then the 

Apaches help decorate them and they 

sell them. The proceeds go to their 

feeding ministry out on the San Carlos 

reservation.” 

In mid-January, Carol flew to Denver 

for the National Western Stock 

Show, where two Gryphon Ranch 

bulls were being exhibited. 

“We’re coming out of little Globe 

and we’re now going to show up on 

the national scene and see what the 

national breeders think,” she said. 

“The initial feedback has been very 

positive, so we hope the boys do a 

good job up in Denver and win. The 

National Western is the most prestigious 

Highland event in the country, 

so we’re excited.” 

Emerald 

Gryphon Ranch, a grass-fed, 

grass-finished beef operation, spreads 

over 1,000 acres. 

“As we drove in, we probably 

passed 45 head of cattle that you 

didn’t see because they’re hiding in 

all those canyons and little draws,” 

said Carol. 

The Ptaks own 469 of those acres 

and lease the rest. 

“That makes us a very large ranch 

and a very small ranch at the same 

time. A typical Arizona ranch is tens 

of thousands of acres, but typically 

the rancher only owns deeded 40 or 

80 acres. So it gives us freedom that 

a typical rancher doesn’t have,” she 

said. 

“Ranchers are your best ecological 

care people. They’re going to 

take care of the environment better; 

they’re the original environmentalists. 

At the same time, if we didn’t 

ranch and if we didn’t eat the animal, 

they would be extinct. You can’t afford 

to feed 62 head of cattle; at least 

I know I can’t. By them fulfilling the 

mission of why God put them on the 

face of this Earth, we get to enjoy 

these beautiful animals. 

“The oldest cow that we retired 

was 19, which is very unusual for 

cattle. That was Emerald, who we 

brought down from Washington.” 

The fold – a group of Highland cattle 

is called a fold, not a herd – usually 

comes in to feed around 4 o’clock. 

“It’s like if you knew somebody 

was going to bake you warm chocolate 

chip cookies at 4 o’clock every 

day, where would you be at 4? Also, 

our ranch is the only water in the 

canyon, so they have to come in for 

that,” Carol said. “My husband and I 

enjoy a really high quality of life, because 

we look at the beauty of these 

animals every day.” 


Family Dining 

Join us for quality time and quality food! 

Open: 

Thurs - Mon 

11am - 8pm 

To go orders - 

pickup and delivery 

La Casita Cafe 

Locally owned and operated 

928-425-8462 

470 N Broad St • Globe, AZ 

Good Food • Great Dining 

Since 1947 

Featuring Our 

“2 nd Friday” Lectures! 

Second Friday of each Month. 

Doors open at 6pm 

Come Visit 

The Past, 

Present & the 

Future! 

Exhibits Include: 

• New photographs on display from 

various local artists 

• Meeting rooms available 

• Slavic History Exhibit 

• Mining & Mineral Display 

• Ranching History 

• Native American Heritage Exhibit 

• Congressman Ed Pastor Exhibit 

• and so much more! 

150 N Plaza Circle, Miami, AZ | 928-473-3700 

This advertising is paid for by a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. 


Open: 

Wed-Sat 11am-2pm 

Closed Sun-Tue 

11

Queen Valley Golf Course 

Boyce Thompson Arboretum 

Superior Chamber of Commerce 

Bullion Plaza Museum 

Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce 

Gila County Historical Museum 

Cobre Valley Center for the Arts 

Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park 

Round Mountain Hiking Park 

Old Dominion Park 

Roosevelt Lake & Visitor Center 

Superstition Mountain Museum 

Dolly Steamboat 

Tortilla Flat 

Apache Gold Casino & Resort 

San Carlos Rec. & Wildlife 

Mt. Graham Observatory 

Graham County Chamber 

Clifton AVIC Visitors Center



15

Topo Joes offers Pinal Mountain 

shuttle service for mountain bikers 

By Douglas Long 

Editor 

The Pinal Mountains 

just south of 

Globe are a haven 

for mountain biking, ranging 

from nearly 8,000 in 

altitude down to the high 

desert of 4,000 feet. The 

mountains are home to a 

wide variety of flora and 

fauna, including black 

bear, mule deer, bobcats 

and rattlesnakes. 

The severe terrain means 

that cyclists usually find 

themselves either pedaling 

up steep grades or flying 

downhill, with few options 

for flat, casual riding. 

For those who do not savor 

the prospects of struggling 

uphill for mile after 

mile to earn their downhill 

ride, Topo Joes bike shop 

in Globe offers a solution: 

a shuttle van that provides 

reliable transportation to 

higher elevations so mountain 

bikers can focus on the 

fun part of cycling – gravity-assisted 

downhill rides 

back into town. 

There are several options 

for the shuttle. Transport 

to higher points on 

the mountain – including 

access to Six Shooter Canyon 

Trail (TR-197), Telephone 

Trail (TR-192) and 

Kellner Canyon Trail (TR- 

242) – costs $30 per person 

with a bike, or $25 per person 

without a bike or with 

a Topo Joes rental bike. 

Douglas Long/Copper Corridor 

The Pinal Mountains: great terrain for riding downhill on a 

mountain bike. 

There is a three-seat (or 

$90) minimum to schedule 

a shuttle, but big groups of 

six or more can ask about 

special rates. Reservations 

should be made at least 24 

hours before the desired 

shuttle time. The drive up 

to these trailheads takes 

about 1 hour. 

A shorter option is a 

drop-off at the junction 

of FR-157 and FR-651, 

which provides access to a 

fun, 6-mile, mostly downhill 

ride on the two-track 

FR-157 northward across 

the Pinal foothills to downtown 

Globe. The track is 

less steep and less technical 

than the trails higher 

up the mountain, making it 

a great ride for beginners. 

It’s also a good option 

when higher elevations 

are snowed in, or for those 

who are short on time (the 

ride can be done in well 

under 1 hour). The shuttle 

cost for this ride is $5 per 

person with a bike. 

Topo Joes staff advises 

those planning on using 

the shuttle service to be 

prepared for conditions on 

the mountain. Temperatures 

can be 20-40 degrees 

cooler than in town, with a 

greater chance for precipitation 

and higher winds, 

so appropriate clothing 

and gear should be worn 

for existing and potential 

weather conditions. 

Water is not available 

on the mountain and there 

is no trash service, so cyclists 

should plan on disposing 

of waste properly 

and following the “pack it 

in, pack it out” ethos. All 

trails on the mountain are 

multiuse and bidirectional. 

Horses and hikers have the 

right of way over bicycles. 

Above all, Topo Joes encourages 

cyclists to have 

fun on the trails. The shop 

is fully insured, licensed 

and permitted by the U.S. 

Forest Service to provide 

shuttle service. 

For more information 

on the shuttle and other 

services, including bicycle 

repairs and sales, contact 

Topo Joes by calling 928- 

351-6411, texting 928- 

961-2583 or visiting www. 

topojoes.com online. The 

shop is located at 465 N. 

Broad Street, Globe, Arizona. 

Hours are 10 a.m. – 

6 p.m. Wednesday through 

Saturday. They are closed 

Sunday through Tuesday. 


YOUR HISTORY LIVES HERE. 

FIND YOUR BEGINNINGS IN GLOBE, ARIZONA. 

928.425.7385 

Tue-Sat: 11am - 2pm 

1330 N Broad St, Globe, AZ 

gilahistoricalmuseum.org 


17

Experience the Ancient History of Arizona 

The Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park in Globe, AZ, provides a unique opportunity to explore the 

partially restored ruins of the ancient Salado culture of the southwest. 

The Museum houses a large collection of pottery and artifacts that provide visitors a fascinating glimpse at 

the lifestyle of the people who occupied the site from 1225 to 1400 CE. 

Hours of Operation: Regular 7 Days 9AM-4:30PM, Summer Wed.-Sun. 9AM-4:30PM 

928.425.0320 | 1324 Jesse Hayes Rd Globe, AZ 85501 

Find us online! https://www.globeaz.gov/besh-ba-gowah-archaeological-park-and-museum 

: Amanda Moors 


Arizona Fan Fest celebrates pop culture 

Safford is the place, 

and spring is the 

time, for southeastern 

Arizona’s premier pop 

culture event – Arizona Fan 

Fest, a convention spotlighting 

comics, gaming 

and original art. 

This two-day event 

(Friday, April 5 – Saturday, 

April 6) features the 

finest comic creators and 

self-publishers, along with 

collectibles retailers and 

master crafters of everything 

from jewelry and 

clothing to wild, unique 

items for home and work. 

The highlight of Arizona 

Fan Fest is the Cosplay 

Contest, where everyone 

has the chance to become 

their favorite character. The 

contest includes a Premiere 

category for cosplay master 

crafters; the Premiere 

winner will go home with 

$1,000. 

Arizona Fan Fest will 

take place at the Graham 

County Fairgrounds in Safford, 

inside the Agriculture 

Building. 

Admission is just $5 per 

person per day, and the fairgrounds 

features plenty of 

free parking. For more information, 

email Arizona- 

FanFest@gmail.com or call 

928-322-5029. 

Fernando Shipley 

License: AZ-6735550 

1400 N Broad St 

Globe, AZ 

928-425-7656 

Apache Junction, AZ . (480) 827-9144 

www.dollysteamboat.com 

Golden Hills 

NURSERY & POULTRY STORE 

www.goldenhillsnurseryaz.com 

Mon - Sat 8a - 5p 

Sun 10a - 3p 

(928) 425-6004 

5444 E Golden Hills Rd. • Globe, AZ 


Arizona’s 

World 

Class Cruise 

Come up and see Mike! 

With over 40 years 

experience, Mike can 

help you find just what 

you need to make 

your life beautiful. 

Skilled Nursing Home Health 

For more info contact 

Franceen Gregovich 

Patient Care Coordinator 

996 N. Broad St. 

Cell 928-812-4227 

Cami, Kandace, Kenia, 

Danielle and Natalie 

Office: 928-425-4444 

Toll Free: 800-457-0274 

905 E Ash St 


(across from Chalo’s) 

www.camilucero.com 

Cami Lucero 

State Farm Agent 

19

Miami Loco Arts Festival 2024 

Courtesy of Amanda Rae 

Butoh Sonics from Tempe is among the acts scheduled to 

perform at the 2024 Miami Loco Arts Festival. 

The Miami Loco Arts & Music Festival returns for the 12th 

time this spring with live music, art exhibits, poetry performances 

and more over three days from April 19 to 21. 

The Miami Loco Arts Festival is a free, all-inclusive art walk 

in downtown Miami, Arizona. It will include art exhibits, dozens 

of bands, poetry readings and other stage performances for 

all ages and tastes at various locations around town. 

The event will feature a street stage on Keystone Street with 

live music on Friday night until midnight, Saturday all day and 

at night until midnight, and all day Sunday. Other artists will 

also perform on multiple stages in local bars and other venues 

around town. There will also be performance art, a poetry 

procession, food trucks, and vendors selling crafts and goods 

throughout the event. 

Among the performers confirmed for the festival are Courtney 

Odom and The Rhythm Weaver (Miami local), Karyn Ann 

(Portland,Oregon), The Max Riley Band (Sacramento, California), 

Comperson (Tucson), Dutch Holly (Phoenix), Instagon 

(Miami local), Sunburnt Stone (Albuquerque, New Mexico), 

20ft Neon Jesus (Phoenix), Joe Feldman (Phoenix) and Butoh 

Sonics (Tempe). Many more acts will be announced. 

Phoenix artist James B. Hunt (aka NXOEED) will bring a 

new show of art to the Miami Art Works Gallery. There are also 

plans for other popup art installations and exhibits around town. 

For more information on the festival, email the Miami Arts 

Commission at miamilocoartsfestival@gmail.com, or contact 

Lob Instagon at 562-225-7115. 

The Miami Loco Festival is a project of the Miami Arts 

Commission (MAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is 

to revitalize the Miami, Arizona, area through the arts. 

Courtesy of Amanda Rae 

Visitors get creative at the Miami Arts Commission table 

during the 2023 festival. 


Preserving tradition while looking to the future 

By Douglas Long 

Editor 

In 2018, Peridot native 

Marlowe Cassadore 

took over as 

director of the San Carlos 

Apache Culture Center 

Museum. The museum 

had been founded in the 

late 1980s, as Cassadore 

explained, by a group of 

people who felt the need 

to preserve Apache culture 

and language. 

“They thought one of 

the best ways to do it was 

to have a museum, because 

there was this transition toward 

younger Apache not 

understanding who they 

are, what their culture is and 

their language,” he said. 

Cassadore was born and 

raised in the Peridot area, 

where the museum is now 

located along Highway 70. 

When he started kindergarten 

at Peridot Lutheran 

Mission School, he didn’t 

speak a word of English. 

He came from a family rich 

in Apache culture and tradition. 

He later graduated 

from the University of Arizona, 

and then lived and 

worked for a time in California 

before returning to 

San Carlos. 

When Cassadore took 

over as director five years 

ago, the museum collection 

already included a range of 

displays on Apache baskets, 

pottery, clothing, jewelry, 

tools, foods, traditional 

games and ceremonies, and 

more. Cassadore immediately 

stated his intention to 

apply knowledge obtained 

from Apache Elders to expand 

the museum, add new 

activities and even find a 

new location. 

“This museum was started 

from scratch. Before, this 

building was a place where 

people got their cars fixed, 

and then it was a small café. 

It eventually became a museum,” 

Cassadore said. “I 

think it was supposed to be 

temporary, this building. 

It’s an old building, and it’s 

not very suitable to protect 

and preserve some of the 

collection here, as far as climate 

control and storage.” 

Among Cassadore’s 

tasks as director is applying 

for grants for things like 

purchasing instruments to 

measure the moisture in the 

air and to help regulate the 

building’s temperature and 

humidity levels. He also 

hopes to secure funding 

for capacity building so he 

can hire consultants to help 

with finding a new building 

to properly house and preserve 

the museum, to help 

with the proper handling 

and appreciation of the artwork 

in the collection, and 

to advise the museum on 

how to become more organized 

and codified in its 

work. 

The museum also recently 

submitted a grant application 

to offer classes to 

develop Apache artisans to 

make moccasins, baskets 

See MUSEUM, page 22 

FOLLOW US ON 

FACEBOOK 

Located near milepost 272 on Hwy 70 

Fore more information, 

please call 928-475-2894 or write to: 

Cultural Center Director, Marlowe Cassadore 

marlowe.cassadore@scat-nsn.gov 

SAN CARLOS APACHE TRIBE CULTURAL CENTER 


21

Apache Leap Mining 

Festival celebrates a slice 

of Superior’s history 

The 35th Annual 

Apache Leap Mining 

Festival takes 

place March 8-10, 2024, 

in the historic mining town 

of Superior, Arizona. This 

event is a chance to celebrate 

the town’s rich mining history, 

with a focus on the past, 

present and future of mining 

in the area. Named after the 

red escarpment on the east 

side of town, this event is a 

favorite among locals and 

visitors from across the state. 

One of the most popular 

events at the festival is the 

mining competition. The 

mining competition includes 

jack leg drilling, mucking, 

Courtesy photo/Debbie Torres 

The festival’s mining competition is a contest of brawn, 

skill and strategy. 

sawing and spiking. It is a 

competition of brawn, skill 

and strategy. While the spiking, 

sawing and jack leg 

drilling are individual competitions, 

mucking is a team 

sport. Participants are timed 

to see how quickly they can 

fill an ore cart, move to one 

end of the course and back, 

and dump it. Spectators will 

get a glimpse of the work by 

miners past and present that 

is often unseen, and will gain 

a new appreciation for the 

miners who work to bring 

critical minerals to the surface. 

This year’s competition 

will take place on Saturday, 

March 9, following the chihuahua 

races. 

The Mining Festival includes 

historical presentations 

on the town’s mining 

past, along with booths from 

local mines educating the 

public on their projects and 

the importance of mining 

and mineral extraction. 

Mining may be the focus 

of this celebration, but there 

is something for everyone at 

the 2024 Apache Leap Mining 

Festival, including a carnival, 

live entertainment all 

weekend long, a beer garden, 

speakers, chihuahua races, a 

petting zoo on Sunday and of 

course a wide variety of food 

and retail vendors. 

For more information and 

a schedule of events, visit: 

https://apacheleapminingfestival.com/. 

MUSEUM from page 21 

and other traditional goods. 

“Baskets are getting very hard to get 

ahold of now because they’re very expensive 

– only a few people can make 

them. People need them in ceremonies,” 

Cassadore said. 

In the meantime, the museum has 

been running a language preservation 

program in an effort to prevent the 

Apache language from going extinct. 

“I think my generation is probably 

the last generation that speaks fluent 

Apache. We’re at a point where it’s getting 

very serious that we are losing it,” 

Cassadore said. “Even though we try to 

preserve the language, I don’t think it 

will be in the form that I speak, because 

when you see people who don’t speak 

the language and who are learning, 

they really speak not wholly Apache. 

It sounds kind of different. It’s not pronounced 

the same way.” 

Another museum initiative is the 

Apache Clan Project, which endeavors 

to take people back to visit their original 

clan homelands. 

“If you’re Apache, you should have a 

clan name, so we have a project where 

we took people back to their clan homelands,” 

Cassadore said. “From that, 

I think people can relearn what their 

clans were and where they’re from.” 

The museum is also reviving the 

Apache Games – 15 games and athletic 

endeavors that Apache Elders say were 

played in the past, including a traditional 

stick game and running competitions. 

“We had some Elders advising us on 

the games, and they told us that they’re 

only played during the wintertime,” 

Cassadore said. 

“The Apache Elders say that the 

animals used to talk at one time to us 

but because they got disgusted with us, 

they didn’t want to talk to us anymore. 

So that’s why they say that in respect 

for the animals who are out during the 

summertime but are in their caves or hibernating 

in the wintertime, that’s why 

they won’t hear us, and so that’s why 

they say they have them in the wintertime.” 

As for the museum’s displays, Cassadore 

said he hopes they teach visitors 

that the Apache are still here and that 

each tribe is different, with their own 

language, their own ceremonies and 

their own ways of praying. 

“I’d like to see people who come here 

to learn that we still have our way of life 

and that it’s a life that is full of respect 

and that we try to honor other people 

and respect other people’s way of life 

and their religion,” Cassadore said. 

“We are a tribe that is trying to develop 

themselves so that we bring our 

people along with us, but at the same 

time we do it with respect to the spiritual 

things – the Earth, the water, the air, 

even the celestial beings up there.” 


WE ARE PROUD TO BE PART 

OF THE GLOBE-MIAMI COMMUNITY! 

Freeport-McMoRan is an international mining company with deep 

roots in the Globe-Miami area, dating back to 1915. Our Miami 

operations include an open-pit copper mine, smelter and rod mill. 

While the mine is not currently active, we continue to process 

copper concentrate at the smelter and copper rod at the mill. 

For more than a century, we have positively contributed to 

economic growth and community development in Gila County 

and the state of Arizona. We are proud of these contributions 

and look forward to a bright future together. Learn more at 

fcx.com or FreeportInMyCommunity.com. 

WE ARE HIRING! Explore mining careers at FMJobs.com. 

Gateway to to the the Copper Corridor Winter 2023 2024 31 23

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