Page 17 - Cooke's Peak - Pasaron Por Aqui

This old road, first marked for the United States by the Army of the West’s Mormon Battalion, was later improved and significantly shortened. It survived virtually unchanged by a dozen decades of weather, and a few modern vehicles, until late in 1984 when a two-week period of intense thunderstorms forever altered significant portions. Still, much of this road, known by many names, continues to survive better
1
than the few historic edifices nearby.
The area around Cooke’s Peak is nearly deserted,
as it has mostly been throughout time, except for a few scattered ranches and an occasional hunter or camper. The solitude is fitting because many people, White, Brown, Red, and Black, have breathed out their last moments on earth near here.
The mining town of Cooks high on the eastern slope of the mountain, the Indian ruins close by the spring and at the western end of the canyon, and the Butterfield Station on Cemetery Ridge have suf- fered greatly from the ravages of time and treasure hunters. Most vulnerable of all, however, Fort Cum- mings (Figure 2) continues to sink back into the dirt from which it was constructed. This old military installation has suffered as Paul Horgan predicted of fictional Fort Delivery:
One day soon the last few men would leave the post, and the quadrangle would be empty to the workingsofthedesert. TheMexicanwinds,the rain when it finally came in season, would take
off the shoulders of the buildings. Settlers far away might think it woith while to come for timber and whatever metal might be had. Top- less doors would lead nowhere. Floors open to the sky would rise up gradually in the corners of rooms, and grasses would spring up. The walls wouldfall unevenly and at longinteivals. Little mounds would remain where houses stood and then melt away into the fat desert. Made of dust, they would surrender to dust. Old wagon nits would hold longest, coming nowhere
Nevertheless, the spring and the road were vital links in the occupation, settlement, and develop- ment of the United States. The realization of Pacific coastal ports for Oriental trade and ultimate Manifest Destiny was greatly enhanced by those who claimed “pasaron por aqui” or they passed by here. The author, too, can claim “paso por aqui,” and it is an earnest desire that the many contacts established and presentations delivered during the preparation of this manuscript will have served in some small way to further the preservation efforts necessary to save this area and the associated artifacts that represent such an important contribution to the development of our country.
Figure 2. Fort Cummings today. Photo by the Author. 3
Introduction
r