Stage Station & Homestead (c. 1879)

Aerial images from yesterday’s flight over a a one-room adobe station and mesquite corral in rural Pinal County.

The station was first built in 1879 by the Southern Pacific Mail and Stage Line Company, operating as a horse changing and water stop on the route from the railroad station at Picacho for passengers going to Florence and beyond.

In 1913, local rancher Juan Verdugo recorded the property as a homestead and in 1917 he added a room, raised the roof, and built a ranch school to the north.

The property returned to the State in 1920 and was later leased by area ranchers who used the buildings as bunkhouses and storage until the late 1980s.

The site is currently located on State Trust Land and designated as a historical site. Local ranchers hold an active grazing lease and move their cattle through the area.

Although the location is open to the public, a recreational permit from the Arizona State Land Department is required to visit.

(32° 49.406′ N, 111° 26.184′ W)

(click on an image to view a larger size)

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