REEDS WATER AREA

Reeds Water is a beautiful riparian area on the south central boundary of the Superstition Wilderness. Seasonal water flows in nearby Randolph and Whitlow Canyons support stands of Fremont cottonwood trees and stream side vegetation. The surrounding hills are covered with a wide variety of Sonoran desert plants. Prehistoric habitation is evident by artifacts and rock art and remnants of the cattle and mining era give the area a rich history. The Superstition Area Land Trust wants to preserve four sections, or about 2500 acres, of State Trust Land near Reeds Water. 

Reeds Water Area

Reeds Water is the official name of the windmill and well that lie inside the Superstition Wilderness, however we also refer to the surrounding riparian area just south of the Wilderness boundary as Reeds Water.

Buzzards Roost rises to 3754 feet and is the prominent landmark on the approach via Elephant Butte Road. The Reeds Water riparian area includes Randolph Canyon, Dripping Springs, Wolf Trap Spring, Whitlow Canyon, Deer Horn Spring, Jack Tank and the Milk Ranch Wash. All are managed by the Arizona State Land Department as State Trust Land.

History

Reeds Water was named for Abe L. Reid (map makers misspelled his name) who prospected for silver from the 1930s until he died in 1957. His camp and mill were near the windmills, and his prospects are on the south slope of Coffee Flat Mountain.

Whitlow Canyon is named for Charles A. Whitlow who ran cattle from the 1870s to 1898. In 1904 the Whitlow ranch was sold to Jim and Bill Anderson, the main ranch located on Queen Creek just below the present site of Whitlow Dam. The current cattle grazing lease on this property is held by Charles Backus of the Quarter Circle U Ranch.

In 1894, a miner named Wagoner would board the stage in Pinal (now a ghost town near Superior) with his load of rose-quartz gold ore from the Superstitions and travel up Whitlow, Randolph and Red Tank Canyons, then down La Barge canyon and to the top of Picacho Peak. The site of Wagoner’s find has never been discovered. A freight wagon road ran along the southern slopes of the Superstition Mountains and is still visible along Fraser Canyon in the Wilderness.

ARCHAEOLOGY

Petroglyphs, artifacts and lithics in the Reeds Water area are evidence of prehistoric occupation. At least one large Hohokam or Salado ruin has been documented in this region. 

WATERSHED

The watershed for the Reeds Water area, estimated at 27 square miles, originates in the Superstition Wilderness. Randolph Canyon and Fraser Canyon join and flow through Whitlow Canyon into Queen Creek. During the dry summer months, the ground is only damp, but the towering trees suggest the life supporting flow of underground water. In winter and spring, the creek beds are characterized by the intermittent flows with occasional riffles and pools.

WILDLIFE

Reeds Water area is home to many large and small mammals, reptiles and birds. Although they usually go undetected except by their tracks or scat, javelina, fox, rabbits, bobcat, badgers, coatimundi, ringtail cats, coyotes, squirrels and mule deer are present. The occasional cattle kill by mountain lions still occurs.

VEGETATION

The dwindling riparian areas in the Sonoran Desert are a special place, because water is the ingredient that supports life. Randolph and Whitlow Canyons are dotted with majestic Fremont cottonwood and Goodding Willows. Netleaf hackberry, Arizona sycamore, sugar sumac and mesquite hug the riparian area. Woody plants such as seep willow, desert broom and giant bursage are common. Lush stands of mesquite, cat claw acacia, tomatillo, wolfberry, Fremont barberry and desert broom make walking difficult unless you follow a trail or walk in the stream bed. Hillsides abound with jojoba, palo verde, ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, barrel cactus, saguaro, buckhorn cholla, teddy bear cholla, terpentine brush and bursage. Juniper, normally found at higher elevations, grows sparingly here. Native and exotic grasses are abundant and the mesquite bosques provide a low green canopy of shade from the intense desert sun. One can usually find at least one flowering plant each month, and in a wet year the spring wildflowers run riot. 

Lush stands of mesquite, cat claw acacia, tomatillo, Wolfberry, Fremont barberry and desert broom make walking difficult unless you follow a trail or walk in the stream bed. Hillsides abound with jojoba, palo verde, ocotillo, prickly pear cactus, barrel cactus, saguaro, buckhorn cholla, teddy bear cholla, terpentine brush and bursage. Juniper, normally found at higher elevations, grows sparingly here.

Native and exotic grasses are abundant and the mesquite bosques provide a low green canopy of shade from the intense desert sun. One can usually find at least one flowering plant each month, and in a wet year the spring wildflowers run riot.