Stone Cabin On Dove Mountain

Much of the land along Dove Mountain Boulevard in Marana, just north of Tucson, was once a part of a 1300 acre parcel owned by rancher Eugene "Cush" Cayton. The Cayton ranch, known as the T Bench Bar Ranch, was sold for development in 1985 but vestiges of the ranching years are visible in the Tortolita Mountains.

Here's a little stone structure, a cabin with a chimney, doors, and windows that overlooks Dove Mountain Boulevard. Constructed of stone with masonry filling, the cabin is hard to spot during the day when the colors of the stone blend into the hills and boulders around it.

In the evening when the sunlight slants low in the sky, the cabin is lit up with the warm sienna and ochre tones of evening light.

In the photo above, the cabin can be seen within the darkened oval area. One account of the Cayton ranching years says that the cabin was built by Cush Cayton's brother who lived there. Another source said that Cush Cayton built the cabin for his wife Inez. The Caytons were known for their entertaining. Cush Cayton was a cowboy and a poet, according to stories about him.

As I walk on Dove Mountain Trail, along the road, I often look for the Cayton cabin and wonder about its story. It seems to be located in a spot where if you looked southwest from the cabin, you would have a commanding view of the Twin Peaks over in the Tucson Mountains. One can imagine lovely winter evenings, sitting by the fire in the Cayton cabin, watching the sun setting over the majestic Tucson basin.

Grain Bins

Out on the far east end of Helena Road there is this collection of cylindrical grain bins that are linked together with all of the pipes and chutes that make up the drying and storage system for this site.

I like the industrial look of these collections of structures. Everything is in its place. The system works. Things have a purpose.

It's kind of like a Great lakes freighter with a mast and a headhouse and huge cargo bins. Things go in a certain place. Stuff happens. And at the end of the harvest season (or at the end of a trip for a freighter), there is a product to sell or transport.

It's all a very orderly and prescribed part of the economy, unlike some parts of life that are pretty unorganized and have no tangible result.

Buildings get me to thinking about things like that. Maybe that's why I like buildings.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Stone Cabin

Out on an evening walk recently, I captured this image of a stone cabin. It looks like it is stacked stone construction and the chimney certainly means that there must be a fireplace of some sort. This part of Dove Mountain was ranched for a number of years before development took over the landscape.

The stone cabin might have been early living quarters for a settler, or a chosen picnic spot, or maybe even a summer house. Whatever its vintage and use, it is an enticing landmark to behold as evening light casts golden shadows across the bajada in the Tortolita Mountains.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

More San Xavier

Yesterday's post introduced the architecture of San Xavier del Bac with a photo of the entire church structure. Today we'll take a closer look at the walls around the church. The photo above shows the unusual circle and dash pattern in the wall along the front of the building. You can get a good idea of how deep the wall is from the opening on the right. Notice the crumbling stonework. The building was completed in 1797 and has gone through several restorations since then.

This photo shows the large pedestal columns that frame a gateway on the east side of the structure. In the distance you can see the circle and dash pattern in the outside wall. The graceful arching of the walls and gates that frame the church are evident in the tall doorway arch to the left in this photo.

My quickly drawn sketch of the second photo uses a pen and ink approach with some watercolor added for accent. This illustration is from my daily art journal.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Signal Hill CCC Cabin

Ed and I hiked to the top of Signal Hill in Saguaro National Park's Tucson Mountain District on Saturday. We enjoyed the view of the Avra Valley and saw the petroglyphs on the rocks at the top of the hill. The Civilian Conversation Corps built the trail and the structures at the picnic area near the trailhead.

Here's the inside of the Signal Hill picnic cabin, a masterful building with timber framing and skilled stonework. It is like touching history to be in a building like this. You can feel the past and picture the young men from the desperate days of the 1930's whose lives were changed by the federal CCC program that put them to work building trails and dams and structures in national parks and other places.

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler