The Battle of Picacho Pass

The Battle of Picacho Pass or the Battle of Picacho Peak was an engagement of the American Civil War on April 15, 1862. The action occurred all around Picacho Peak, 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Tucson, Arizona. It was fought between a Union cavalry patrol from California and a party of Confederate pickets from Tucson, and marks the westernmost battle of the American Civil War.

To view all of our photos from Picacho Peak...Click here.

The Battle of Picacho Peak.

Each year hundreds of spectators descend on Picacho Peak State Park to watch re-enactments of an Arizona Civil War skirmish and the New Mexico battles of Glorieta and Val Verde.

Visitors travel from around the country to experience three fascinating historic battle re-enactments complete with lifestyles of the soldiers in the southwest during the 1860s. More than 200 re-enactors come from many states and will camp at the park with their authentic Civil War camping gear.

Civil War battles across America were well documented and history teachers carefully covered each battle across the East Coast, but few ever thought what was happening in the West during this time. A battle of the American Civil War was a skirmish fought near a rocky spire called Picacho Peak located between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. The new highway follows the old wagon route that passed Picacho in 1862.

In 1860 the New Mexico Territory, which consisted of the lands that would become the states of Arizona and New Mexico, was sparsely populated. It ranked 34th in population out of 43 states and territories with only 83,009 inhabitants. It was 37th in black populations, with just 8 whom were all free. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the U.S. Government recalled the majority of its troops from the West to build the Union army for the fighting in the east. Henry Hopkins Sibley joined the Confederacy and convinced Jefferson Davis that he would raise an army in Texas and invade New Mexico territories. He proposed that mineral resources would fill the coffers of the Confederacy and fund their massive war effort.

In February 1862, a band of Confederate Rangers under Capt. Sherod Hunter raised the Stars and Bars of Tucson, Arizona, part of an effort to create an ocean-to-ocean Confederacy. In order to thwart this move, a Union "Column from California" under Col. James H. Carleton set out across the lonely desert toward Tucson. On April 15, Union cavalry under Lt. James Barrett met with Confederate Rangers near Picacho Peak, a rocky spire 50 miles northwest of Tucson. Barrett was killed almost immediately and fierce combat continued for more than an hour before the Federals retreated. Although the Rangers' victory at Picacho Pass delayed the Union force, the following month Carleton's Californian's eventually took Tucson without firing a shot.

Update from Casa Grande

March 16th.....Been awhile since we've updated so here are some things that have been going on.

Time has really flown by since we arrived in mid-December and now we get ready to depart April 1st for Reno.

Weather has been absolutley gorgeous with day time temps in the mid 80's and night time lows in the high 50's to low 60's.

On the way we'll stay at Buckskin Mountain State Park just outside of Parker, AZ. The Colorado River runs along side of the Park and should be beautiful. We'll stay for 5 nights.

Then it's on to Desert Hot Springs, CA where we'll meet up with friends from Reno, Ginny & Greg and Lucienne & Don. G & G will be bringing their new 5th wheel and L & D have a park model on a permanent site that they use from time to time. We'll be staying at the Sands RV & Golf Resort for 9 days before continuing on home arriving mid-April.

So...Valentines Day dinner in the clubhouse was excellent with delicious food with great people here in the Park.

Click here to see all the photos that were taken (not by me).

Weurtz Farm Annual Gourd Festival. Fun time seeing what people (artists) can do with Gourds.

From their website;

"The Wuertz Family has been farming in the Coolidge/Casa Grande area since 1929. Waylon Wuertz (a fourth generation farmer) started growing gourds as a young boy. He enjoyed watching them grow. After attending the University of Arizona he wanted to farm but didnt know what would be profitable. After a hay customer asked if he sold any gourds that he had, Waylon started thinking. He started small, growing a few rows his first year. Those few rows grew into a half acre, then 3 acres and eventually grew into 35 acres which he planted this year. 

The Wuertz Farm Gourd Festival is a family affair that many gourders refer to as a family reunion. The family atmosphere is what Waylon and Leah base their whole business on."

Pickleball Tournament

I played in a Pickleball Tournament here at the Park which had a double elimination format. My partner Randy and I lost the first game, won the next 3 then lost the final game to the same team that beat us the first game. That team ended up taking 3rd place so we lost to 2 good players. 26 teams were entered.

Click here for photos from that day including the banquet held that night in the Clubhouse.

Skydive Arizona - This was a fun trip to Eloy,AZ only a few miles from Casa Grande.

From their website;

"Skydive Arizona™, located in the heart of the scenic Sonoran Desert, lies midway between Arizona's two largest cities, Phoenix and Tucson. Drop zone founders Larry and Liliane Hill started out in the skydiving business at a gravel airstrip north of Phoenix with a single Cessna 182 in January of 1978. As their operation grew, it became apparent they would need more space, and in 1986 they moved to Coolidge, Arizona to start Skydive Arizona™. Soon the drop zone had grown to four Cessnas, four Beeches, and two DC-3s.

In 1990 Skydive Arizona™ obtained its first turbine airplane, a Westwind Beech. Business continued to grow and a new location was sought out that would allow for further expansion. Work began on the new DZ at Eloy (just 10 miles from Coolidge) in February of 1991, and the new facility opened for business in April of 1991. Since then, Skydive Arizona™ has grown into the world's largest skydiving center, averaging over 135,000 jumps per year.

Skydivers soon learned that the new Skydive Arizona™ was unlike any other drop zone in the world. Although close to major highways, it is surrounded by flat, uninhabited land for miles in every direction. Visitors remark on the oasis like appearance of the center, which has plenty of grass, a swimming pool, and trees in the midst of an otherwise barren desert. Around the central building, which houses offices, aircraft manifesting, classrooms, and an indoor packing area, one can find everything a skydiver needs. Equipment sales, food, a shower and laundry facility, grassy camping area, recreation hall with bunks for overnight guests, and a basketball court are some of the many amenities.

It takes more than just great facilities to put thousands of skydivers a year in the air efficiently and safely. No other skydiving center has the quality or quantity of aircraft found at Skydive Arizona™. The fleet is led by 4 Super Otters and 5 Skyvans, each capable of taking twenty three skydivers to 13,000 feet.

A venerable DC-3, once the workhorse of the fleet, carries the occasional load of 43 jumpers. Rounding out the flightline is a Pilatus Porter. Altogether, these airplanes can put over 240 skydivers at a time in the air, or over 500 jumps an hour!

Another factor in the success of Skydive Arizona™ is a talented, dedicated staff that averages over 5,000 jumps apiece. Among the expert coaches, instructors, videographers, pilots, and management are a dozen skydivers with over 10,000 jumps each and multiple former and current National or World Champions! This highly professional team has created an outstanding reputation for safety, efficiency, and expertise.

Finally, Skydive Arizona™ enjoys a perfect location. The clear desert weather allows over 340 jumping days a year. Average daytime temperatures range from the 60s in the winter to the low 100s in the summer. Throughout the year, the humidity is much lower than in other parts of the country, resulting in comfortable weather and cloudless skies. Throughout the winter, when skydivers find their home drop zones closed by cold, rain, and clouds, Arizona remains sunny and warm. The unique desert environment provides a scenic change of pace, with plenty of fascinating sites to visit.

SkyVenture Arizona is a state-of-the-art skydiving wind tunnel that is designed for everyone. We completely immerse visitors in the world of high adventure skydiving without ever having to jump out of an airplane or use a parachute. Whether you're a first-time flyer or a seasoned skydiver, SkyVenture Arizona provides the best instructors and coaches to give you the experience of a lifetime!

A real skydive is about one minute in the air. Every minute in the tunnel is equal to the free fall time of one skydive. No experience is needed, just a sense of adventure, a positive attitude, and a desire to have fun!"