The Search for Bradshaw's Grave, Part II

In my last blog post I recounted an attempt to find the grave of Isaac Bradshaw and the numerous abandoned mining sites close by. These sites are easily accessed from the south via Wickenburg, AZ, by a popular trail printed in major off-road books. My goal was to access this area from the north and Wagoner road ( FS362 ) in an area known as Johnson’s flat. My 1st attempt resulted in a missed turn that couldn’t have been more obvious if it featured a neon sign pointing south saying “Bradshaw’s Grave”. There was a group of dirt-bikes taking a break at the location, so maybe the view was just blocked. 

I also did some reinforcement in the way of GPS help. My Magellan Explorist 400 has never had the detail on its’ “detail map” to truly use as a trail guide, so I have been experimenting with using an old smartphone and TOPO maps app for an inexpensive GPS ( and GoPro remote ). In this case, Trimble outdoors app and a 14 day free trial kept me aware of what trails I was taking…though this app has proven to have mixed results despite working without a hitch this day.

Anyway, a week after out last attempt, my brother-in-law and I returned to try our hand again. This time taking the right road, albeit one unnamed on any map I can find. All I can tell you is that it turns due south just east of oak-creek windmill, and eventually passes Tussock springs. It is a well-traveled route, and we met several Jeeps, SxS’s, and quads on the day.

Shortly after turning south, the road then splits with east-west choices, us taking the west route. This wound its way around the tops of several tall ridges, ending at what was some sort of mining claim on Lehman Mountain.

Along the way we passed a trail that led down into one of the canyons and a mark on the map called Lehman Mill. It sounded interesting, so we decided to investigate. The trail itself wound down into a wash which it followed for several hundred yards. Despite the Record Monsoons rains we had this year it was largely intact with only a few skid plate grinds to show. Eventually we arrived at a windmill and a small corral, with roads leading in three directions.

Initially I was disappointed, as I thought this was the Lehman Mill we had seen…and there was nothing but your garden-variety Arizona windmill and some tanks. A quick look on my “new” GPS confirmed that the mill was a bit further to the south, so we proceeded in that direction, noting that an older trail also headed off up the hillside to the south. After a few hundred yards, we came upon what was obviously Lehman’s mill, complete with boiler and various ruins.

After taking a break to investigate the area and consult the TOPO app, we headed back to the older road to the south, thinking this was the road we were looking for that headed to Bradshaw’s grave. Actually, this road does go to that area…but it has been in a state of disuse for many years, and research found a ride report from 2009 where a group of quads did this trail and found it to be just big enough for quads…as I found out after a few hundred yards of travel. Too tight for my SxS, so we turned back, thinking that our intended route to the grave was yet again foiled.

Now, back at the windmill there was a trail that traveled up the mountain to the west and looked to be fairly used, but I dismissed it as not going anywhere…something I tend to do at times based on what I think I know. I call it trail prejudice.
 Keep this in mind as you continue to read this ride report…

At this point we headed back up and out, all the way back to the original split just south of FS362. Looking at maps, it appeared an alternate route might be found in this area to the south-east of our intended destination, but it would take some miles of riding to do. So we set off down the trail for several miles until we hit a split, with signage of the west branch informing us that Walker Gulch was in that direction. It also seemed to go back in the general direction of Bradshaw’s grave, so we took this for a few miles until we decided to take a photo break.

By this point we were in honest-to-goodness Sonoran desert, complete with towering Saguaro cacti all around. Despite riding in Arizona for a few years now, this is only the second time I have encountered these majestic sentinels of the American West…strange when you consider how much I love the low desert; even the smell is comforting to me.

By this time it was getting a little late and we had seen nothing promising in our pursuit, and I was coming to accept that fact that we were NOT going to make Bradshaw’s grave yet again. 
At that point I pulled out the TOPO app again and looked for any quick ways…when one caught my eye and gave us new hope for possibly making it to our destination. Back tracking only a few hundred yards sent us on a side trail ( an actual trail ) of twisting two-track that wound its way across ridges and trough dry washes…and really put the capabilities of my Pioneer to the test. Fact is, the monsoon’s had taken their toll on this trail, and several sections looked more like single-track than the quad trail it started life as. This all came to a head on a narrow spine heading uphill with a giant gully having taken most of the trail with it.

Much like the trail past Silver Dollar mine in our 1st attempt, this trail could have been done had it been absolutely necessary, but we are out here to enjoy the desert…and it is a long way to help. Again, I decided that discretion is the better part of valor, and turned back. Foiled again!

After getting back to the main trail, we ate dinner at an old corral as the sun got low in the west, making for long shadows from the Saguaro looking on as we consumed our meatballs and spaghetti, a few little Debbie’s, and a bit of Vodka.

It says "Easy Street ^^^ ".

After swapping tall tales and relaxing for the better part of an hour, we started our journey back to the trailer.

Climbing steadily in the night with only my headlights set to the backdrop of the distant lights of metropolitan Phoenix miles away, the coyote and owl look on with curiosity about this noisy contraption disturbing their hunt. Like them, we are on the prowl…searching out trails leading to cool destinations. Sometimes we succeed…sometimes we fail, but we always have fun in the process.

Post ride investigations revealed that little is known about Lehman’s Mill, though it probably served the numerous mines in the area. It also revealed that while the too-narrow trail we had tried to take does go to our destination, it wasn't the trail I had wanted to take. That honor goes to the west-heading trail at the windmill I dismissed as nothing. Trail prejudice strikes again! When will I learn?

Of course…that means part III is coming soon!

Click here for part III