Gila Wilderness

I must admit, I could have found better ruins in the Gila Wilderness to write about, but I was on deadline and this site along the Middle Fork of the Gila River was all I could find. I have since learned that larger and better-preserved cliff dwellings exist further upriver. Nevertheless, this crumbling 11-room Mogollon ruin is pretty cool, and there are some interesting pictographs in and around the site. Bald eagles, black bears and natural hot springs also make this a great area for hiking.

One of the better

preserved rooms

of the cliff

dwelling.

A crumbling black pictograph

painted inside another room.

It is probably a possum

or armadillo.

This large zig-zag is among

many red images painted high

on rocks above the Gila River.

Although located just downstream

from the cliff dwelling above, this

pictograph is probably not of Mogollon

origin. At least one researcher

has proposed itwas made by Apaches

who arrived much later.

A cousin of the endangered Mexican Wolf

and second Uncle twice-removed of the

Timber Wolf, the Retrieving Wolf (Lupus goofus)

is known for its tendency to swim playfully

and fetch things. This one is shown carrying

a stick across the Gila River.