Arizona’s past is still present at Seneca and Pantano
From Nov. 3, 2016:
Between Globe and the Salt River Canyon is a place labeled Seneca. There is an abandoned gas station and some houses with broken windows and graffiti. What was Seneca and why was it abandoned?
Seneca is located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. It is sort of a sad story of a good idea that went bad.
In the early 1970s the tribe, with high hopes, opened a large restaurant, trading post and campground on the site. There were plans for an 80-unit motel, golf course, riding stables and other amenities.
The financing fell apart and with it, the dream. Vandals and nature took over and today there is nothing left to see except for a few ruined, vandalized buildings.
The tribe also built a lookout point that offered spectacular views of the Salt River Canyon. That also has been ruined by vandals.
On the bright side, there is nearby Seneca Falls with a drop of a few hundred feet into a natural stone pool. It must be something to see when it rains.
Also, Seneca Lake offers warm- and cold-water fishing for bass, catfish, sunfish and trout. There is a boat launch and fishing piers. You’ll need a permit from the tribe.
Have you ever heard of a place called Pantano, Arizona?
Pantano — Spanish for “marsh” — is a ghost town in Pima County near Vail.
It was originally a mail and stagecoach stop for the Butterfield Overland Mail company. Over time, as often happened on stage lines, a town grew up.
By 1922, Pantano had a population of 500. The Depression hit hard and the place started to go downhill. The post office closed in 1952.
In 2004, the Pantano Townsite Conservation Area was founded inside the Ciénega Creek Natural Preserve to preserve what’s left of the town, which isn’t very much. A water tank is the most visible landmark and the cemetery still draws some visitors.