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SASCO, ARIZONA |
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The ghost town of Sasco can be found about 30 miles northwest of Tucson, AZ, near the present day "city" of Red Rock. Sasco is an abbreviation for the Southern Arizona Smelting Company, which was the principal impetus for the town being founded in 1907. Just three years later, the company could no longer support itself financially and the town eventually disbanded in 1919. There are only a few, shoddy remains of this uniquely spooky ghost town hidden amongst the desert landscape. Finding it requires you to drive around a maze of precarious dirt roads past some very sketchy residences and farms. You know you are the way to Sasco if you can spot the ruins of two buildings off to your right in the distance. These crumbling foundations of red stone and mortar are said to have been a jailhouse and a hotel. Further up the road at the foot of a high ridge, there is a sign that welcomes you to the part of Sasco that was once the actual smelting facility.
Just beyond the entrance sign, you can see two stone labyrinths dug into the ground. The ceilings of these labyrinths have mostly been destroyed by erosion, but there still remain a few musty tunnels that wind beneath the sun-dried orange soil. The walls of these empty tunnels are speckled with the marks of stray paintballs, which makes a nice backdrop for the terrible graffiti that cannot seem to be avoided on ghost hunts.
Another odd remnant of the smelting facility is a large hollow silo with an ovular opening in the side. It would certainly be coincidental if the metals stored in this silo nearly a century ago could have actually ended up in some of the cans, bedsprings and other trash that can be found inside it today. Behind the silo are about a dozen identical stone walls. They are built in a row, parallel to one another, in a way that resembles some sort of peculiar ancient monument.
The final and most rewarding part of visiting Sasco is finding the archetypal graveyard of sporadically placed white crosses. The graveyard has been fenced off by barbed wire but its simple, poignant impact can still be appreciated.
With a good vehicle and good directions, I would definitely recommend a trip to Sasco. It is one of the few ghost towns in Arizona that seems to have tangible evidence of its past. As far as I can tell, the state has probably never even discussed the fate of Sasco. The town will probably survive well past the centennial of both its birth and death, continuing to act as prime real estate for partygoers, paintballers, and ghost hunters. Please visit http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/az/sasco.html to read more about the historical background of Sasco and view a bunch of pictures from the area. From this site, you can also access information about a bunch of other ghost towns all over the country. Words and Pictures by Chris |
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