Shadows of the Past: Exploring the Ghost Towns of Alto and Salero in the Santa Rita Mountains

[@aking032962]

Onyx Cave and the Cave of the Bells are in that area.

[@JayDeeBerryman]

Other side of the mountain range closer to Kentucky Camp which they did a video on

[@buzzyobrien1626]

One of your best videos. Thanks so much.

[@CactusAtlas]

Wow, thank you! 😊

[@KidYuma1880]

Great video of more off-road trails, some look like stagecoach trails probably not. Can’t wait to see more off-roading going to some historic Old West places that are now non existent in Arizona.-Kid Yuma

[@CactusAtlas]

Some of our favorite places to go! 😄

[@KidYuma1880]

@ that’s great, glad you enjoy places.

[@desert-walker]

Thanks I was thinking of going there tomorrow. I was just down that way checking out some other ghost towns, but you definitely showed the road which is what I cared about. It didn’t look that bad. I’ve been on a lot of horrible roads so this video helped a lot so thanks. You do a good job with your videos.😊🌵😎

[@CactusAtlas]

Glad to hear! We can relate about wanting to know road conditions. 😄👍

[@RoadTrippingFrank]

@40:20 there was a overlook point pull off tp the right..... you would have loved that point.... its one of my spots i enjoy sitting and watching time creep past......

[@troyalger1603]

You should check out the White dove of the desert aka the San Xavier mission just south of Tucson Arizona. Also there's a few ghost towns in the mountains south of Tucson. I had a buddy that we'd go on adventures in the mountains of southern Arizona. Lots of Spanish history. Father Kino came to Tucson in the 1400's and looks around and thought that the area could hold 30,000 people. There's over 800,000 people in the surrounding areas.

[@CactusAtlas]

We're not done with that area by a long shot. A lot of the time we intend to visit more but run out of time. 😅

[@arielrochin2567]

Late 1700s early 1800s.

[@jandenham540]

We love all of your videos. Did you do a video showing all of the photography equipment you use. I was wondering in particular what drone Glenn uses? The clarity is incredible.

[@CactusAtlas]

We never did, unfortunately. Meant to, but had trouble carving out time. The drone we use though is a DJI Air 2S. I believe they have a model 3 out now, but we've had no complaints about the one we have. 😊

[@johnwhite5818]

My 2003 Ford focus made it. Lol

[@daynavillanueva1732]

The large building in the middle is the boarding house and post office, the house to the left was the old accessory office for the mine and the other house was the mining supervisor home. the post office was active from Aug 13, 1884 until April 17, 1890. There more ruins back behind the 3 buildings . There is also a small cemetery approximately 4 miles up the hill from the town of Salero. Alto's post office was open from 3-6-1907 until 12-30-1933. Josiah's wife Minnie became the postmaster and ran the post office out of their house. Minnie was also a school teacher,. but was killed in a freak accident, when she was struck by a bolt of lighting not far from their home in1922. The bond Family, ( Josiah , Minnie and the 3 Children are buried at the small cemetery not far from the adobe ruins of Alto.

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh, heck yes! Love the info about what buildings were. Thank you! 😄👍

[@oohmomma69]

Amy should come out more, she sounds like a very cool young lady! Love your videos!

[@CactusAtlas]

Why thanks! I'm a bit more of a homebody than Glenn and tend to stick at home during his trips to care for our cats and keep things rolling for the channel while Glenn films. 😊

[@chrismartin6370]

I grew up in Nogales, AZ, and have lived in southern Arizona most of my life. It is an incredibly beautiful and diverse area. I love it here. Thank for showing it to the world. I just discovered your channel, am a new subscriber, and am looking forward to sharing your explorations. A Most Excellent experience.

[@CactusAtlas]

Yes, it IS incredibly beautiful in that area. We've got a lot more explorations to make there. Welcome to our channel and so happy you found us! 😄

[@martinbahena3648]

love your videos, wishing i can do that..

[@CactusAtlas]

Maybe one day? If not, we're always happy to have you join us each week. 😄

[@jamescorbin5090]

When the Spaniards first arrived in the 1500's there was 'free silver' all around the area. Slabs and chunks of it just laying on top of the ground. The Salero mine was a good producer, you can tell because whenever someone poured concrete and built a mill, out buildings and house there was a reason, the mine had to be rich enough to justify the expense. Those buildings still have hardwood floors and roofs! Very well constructed.

[@CactusAtlas]

Indeed! Our next Thursday video actually mentions things just like that. 😄

[@foxmulder7616]

There still is. Someone found an 80lb silver nugget up near globe. And then found a ton more. AZ geological society had a video on it, 419 project or something like that.

[@susannecarpenter1155]

I hope you carry driving by yourself out there!

[@michaeltruman5109]

Your pronunciation of ocotillo is the one I’ve always known and used. Think the dictionary backs it up. Great video. Have visited the buildings at salero years ago

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh, how cool! How did you go about seeing the buildings?

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

I am looking at land in the area. When i do, maybe come visit. Some of those roads i could definitely get my 2wd f150 and f250 through. 4wd would be handy. Thank you for the views.

[@CactusAtlas]

4WD is always handy to have. Never know when you might come across changed conditions. 😅

[@rainemarsh8409]

That was very interesting! Hubby and I spend winters very near the Santa Ritas. Fantastic scenery but it's probably even more beautiful when the spring greens show up.

[@CactusAtlas]

It really is. The green is really beautiful and appreciated when it comes in spring. 😊

[@fredfear7107]

The nail you moved was a modern Pallet Nail. Distinctive twist and offset head. It was most likely from pallet wood used for firewood.

[@CactusAtlas]

Interesting! 😄

[@caseyl3631]

That grave site was waking distance from alto on the hill other side of the road. Mrs Bond lays there, hit by lightning while riding her horse as the story goes.

[@CactusAtlas]

Heard that story too. I know Glenn was in a rush to get to his next location before the sun set so the site was skipped. 😢

[@RoadTrippingFrank]

you should have made a right up Mt. Hopkins road and tajen a nice sunset frive and enjoyed the vies.... love that area....

[@CactusAtlas]

Next time, maybe. Had to rush to get to the next location to start another video. 🫤

[@RoadTrippingFrank]

@@CactusAtlas maybe Collab next time down this way?

[@ajw7469]

I’ve hunted there since 1984. Beautiful country,thanks!

[@CactusAtlas]

Our pleasure! 😊

[@martinbahena3648]

Thank you, I'll keep watching your videos. Makes me feel like i'm there with you.

[@CactusAtlas]

Awesome! Love hearing that. Thank you! 😄👍

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

Beautiful drive! Makes me homesick for the desert Southwest.

[@CactusAtlas]

Glad you enjoyed it! Few places that have that effect like the Southwest. 😊

[@susanasalinas4273]

What a view!! Beautiful scenery n great friends. Glad I could tag along. Hi Amy. Take care everyone. On to the next adventure.

[@CactusAtlas]

Thank you! You too! ☺️

[@balsamicvinegar5789]

A few years ago I took a primitive road outside of Tucson in a Honda Civic. Not a great idea.

[@CactusAtlas]

Yikes! Yeah... done a few with my VW Golf before we got our offroad truck. I can totally relate. 😅

[@joywyse6996]

Glenn, Amy and Slim absolutely beautiful. I'm doing a jigsaw puzzle of a map of Arizona to hang on my wall of my new home in Arizona. I'm finding some historical places that you have been to, Tumacacori Mission. That was a great surprise to see. It's really small on the puzzle. There are other historical sites on this puzzle. I think I will really treasure it when I get it finished. Can[t wait for the next one. Thanks.

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh, that's super cool! What other sites are on there I wonder. Sounds like something we'd probably enjoy putting together as well. Might have to find ourselves one as well. 😅

[@bobmoto3528]

Forest Service Road 143 - Patagonia to Mt Hopkins Road

[@gstiles7]

WOW, I had never ventured to that part of southern Arizona while living in Tucson. Truth be told, being a dumb college kid, I would have ignored those signs to explore the buildings, which is probably a good thing, lol. I can't wait to see what's next!

[@CactusAtlas]

More to come! Exploring that area is a first here as well. 😄

[@Ddax-td7qy]

Thanks for the great vicarious ride! I wonder if you have passed by Agua Caliente Hot Springs along the Gila River West of Gila Band. (no springs anymore: all sucked down by alfalfa) Was quite a bit left of the "spa" and stage station last time I was there.

[@CactusAtlas]

We have! Funny you ask, though. We're actually thinking of heading back sometime soon, actually. 😄

[@dianesnow9806]

Thank you for sharing! We drove years ago from one side of the Santa Ritas to the other. Couldn’t say if it was the same road but oh what fun. 👍🫶

[@CactusAtlas]

Very well could be! It's a beautiful drive. 😄

[@SidetrackAdventures]

That area is amazing. Its too bad so much of the townsite is on private land. That post office building looked great though. Looked like it would have been a pretty good sized building.

[@CactusAtlas]

Oh indeed. Pretty sizable compared to other buildings we tend to see of that time.

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

Could you send me in the direction of how to find these locations.

[@CactusAtlas]

If you look up "adobe ruins at Alto Camp" on Google Maps, you'll find the adobe walls that were the old post office. All are along Salero Canyon Rd (also known as Forest Service 143 Rd).

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

@CactusAtlas thanks. When loooking up, I had previously found the heliport to thr south.

[@pattiporco8598]

Love it when you match up the old pics with the actual current landscape. Maybe you can find out who owns that property and send them a message, along with a link to your page, so they can see for themselves that you are "legit" and just trying to document history.

[@CactusAtlas]

Worth a shot! Would love to document them and take a peek. 😊

[@votrolacres8526]

Great dirt road adventure! It’s unfortunate that you weren’t able to explore the ghost town in person but the drone footage was good.

[@CactusAtlas]

Very true! Would LOVE to explore the buildings if we could manage to make contact and get permission. 😄

[@Moisessilva-u1p]

Cuidado com os comanches apaches ou chirikawas 😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@CactusAtlas]

😅

[@troutstalker23]

Love ya Glenn and Amy ❤

[@CactusAtlas]

😊😊

[@DeserTech]

Almost thought we'd hear more from Slim. Miss that "guy". Loved the video, though.

[@CactusAtlas]

You and me both! He'll show up here and there. He's not dead yet! 😄

[@t-bone9403]

I've been there a couple of times, do you know more about the history ?

[@CactusAtlas]

Not too much more sadly.

[@RangelandRebel15]

Excellent drive! It would be cool to pitch a tent for an overnight by those ruins.

[@CactusAtlas]

No joke. Kinda want to go back and do that just for the experience. 👍

[@denise20240]

Hi Glen, have you ever visited “Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs” in the Spirit Mountain area of southern most point of Nevada?

[@t-bone9403]

Patagonia rents the paddle boats, Parker Canyon does not.

[@CactusAtlas]

We have not. Probably been by there many many times though. 😅

[@Desert2snowoffwego]

Given the weathering on that nail, I doubt very much that it has happened in the last 150 years. That is a very old artifact unless it sat in some type of acidic soil. I know that environment, I used to live next to the San Rafael Valley on the other side of those mountains and that is a relatively arid environment.

[@CactusAtlas]

How curious! Such a mysterious little nail in the desert. 😂 Given the relative remoteness of the location and other similar nails that were nearby, I just can't fathom that they were somewhat recent. Just doesn't seem logical that anyone was out there working or dumping nails. 😅

[@richardbeee]

Absolutely a wonderful and beautiful area. Full of history. Some titles of property are patented. We own property in Montana, with a patented title. The highest title in the U.S.A. signed by the president. Most people dont know that the minerals under their property belongs to the government. There is a town in Nevada that got moved because a large gold and silver deposit was found under it. Another one where the town banded together and bought the mineral rights off the individual. So they wouldn't suffer the same fate. You can deny a person from flying over your patented property. Most dont care. Tell Slim i said Howdy. Heck with out a workhorse like him helping, we probably wouldn't be getting such great shots. Peace....😊

[@CactusAtlas]

Appreciate the info! Thanks so very much! 👍

[@Moisessilva-u1p]

SERTÃO DA AMÉRICA ESSE CARA TEM MUITA CORAGEM O SOLITÁRIO PALADINO DO VELHO OESTE XERIFF MR. GLENN FORD É LEI KKKKKKKKK

[@robertlyman9789]

A bad road I saw a video was the Wickenburg trail, that looked really bad. Trail rate 6 I think?

[@CactusAtlas]

It's so hard to really trust some of those ratings sometimes. Can't always tell what changes have happened since the last person rated it.

[@stevenrafters7817]

That adobe structure seems to be surrounded by a rock wall as seen from your drone. It looks to cover a large area

[@CactusAtlas]

I noticed that as well. Quite a sizeable property if that's what the intent was.

[@skyh]

The Spanish into the unknown until they met the Apache Indian.

[@JodyM2]

I like Parker Canyon Lake it's close by we like to rent the Peddle Boats, have you tried the Ocotillo? Go pull the stamens out of a flower & suck on the end that was in the flower it's sweet & people are speaking of making a tea out of it on my foraging groups

[@CactusAtlas]

Did not know about that! Learning something new every day! Thanks for the info! 😄👍

[@Moisessilva-u1p]

Glenn enguanto é dia claro é muito bom mas à noite cara isso aí deve ser horrível kkkkkkkl boo boo kkkkkkkkkkkkkk👽👽

[@CactusAtlas]

Hahaha! Still think it would be cool to camp there next to those old adobe walls. 😄

[@robertlyman9789]

Funny all the trees look burnt, but the grasses are green

[@robertlyman9789]

My dad and I used to hunt in that area in the 1980’s, I think I took a poo in the corner of one of those buildings 😂

[@CactusAtlas]

😂

[@ghostedyoutuber263]

Why do you have such a lisp?

[@CactusAtlas]

He doesn't. Why do you feel the need to ask?

[@ChrisAllen23]

Please quit talking to your truck