By James H. Riddle
There is a lot we now know about the heliograph stations that were established at Fort Whipple and Bald Mountain (Glassford Hill). In May of 1890, the signal officer in charge of the Whipple station, 1st Lieut. L. D. Tyson, 9th Infantry, wrote that for the first three days of the heliograph practice he had a detachment of three corporals and five privates from a signal class at Whipple who helped in manning his station. Their equipment included two heliographs, later reduced to one, a telescope and "the necessary" signal flags.
Tyson wrote, "The station at Whipple is located a short distance in front of headquarters building, as a fine view of Bald Mountain, the communicating station, can be had from there. Bald Mountain was only communicating station, distant seven and one-half miles by road; about six miles by flash".
With respect to the Bald Mountain station, 2nd Lieut. C. W. Fenton, also of the 9th Infantry, wrote in 1890 of having a detachment of seven men including a cook. The cook was placed in charge of the camp located at the base of the mountain while the signal party was on its top.
Tyson reported that the connecting stations were Whipple Barracks, Squaw Peak, and Baker's Butte. He further reported that another proposed station, Turret Peak, was not visible from the mountain, but he was incorrect on this as I have seen the peak from Glassford on numerous occasions; it is just hard to find from there.
A good view of Turret Peak is from AZ-69 just before turning south on I-17 when traveling from Prescott to Phoenix. Looking east, the peak is located on the horizon about 30 degrees to the left of the highway. It is a black, volcanic, flat-topped mountain with 45 degree sides, topped by the rounded "turret" on its right end.
Continuing with Lt. Fenton's report, he said that Bald Mountain's equipment included three heliographs, field glasses, a telescope, a wall tent and a small table, which he placed in the tent for writing messages. He wrote, "The telescope was fastened to a 4 X 4 post, planted firmly in the ground, and at such a height that the observer could take a comfortable sitting position. Bald Mountain is covered with volcanic rocks (basalt), which were used to build a wall along the west side of the station for protection from the wind, the prevailing wind coming from that direction. This wall broke the force of the wind very materially and enabled me to keep more perfect adjustments".
Concluding the 1890 practice, Col. Wm. J. Volkmar, the Assistant Adjutant General and Chief Signal Officer for the Department of Arizona, wrote, "While at Fort Bayard (near Silver City, New Mexico) I received from the Department Commander a test message telegraphed from Los Angeles to Whipple Barracks and transmitted thence by heliograph 365 miles, minimum flash repetitions, desiring me to convey to all officers and operators upon the lines his 'congratulations upon the handsome results attained through their energy, skill, and enterprise'".
Volkmar went on to report that of 2,544 miles included in the 1890 charted heliograph system, about 2,000 miles were actually operated during the two week practice. He also told of the world's longest heliograph communication, which was successfully transmitted during the practice, a communication between Mt. Reno (Ord) and Mt. Graham, a distance of 125 miles and a world record.
Unfortunately, because of a severe sand and dust storm, which raged between the San Andreas and Sierra Blanca stations in New Mexico (no doubt blown up from the White Sands area), the final connection to Fort Stanton was not successfully completed on the appointed day for the Whipple to Stanton test message.
Col. Volkmar ordered the lines closed except for voluntary practice or special experiments and returned to Whipple by railway where he arrived on May 13th and devoted one day to the Bald Mountain station, finally closing the general practice at sunset, May 15, 1890, at which time he wrote, "the various parties started upon their homeward marches".
The heliograph station at Whipple Barracks was probably located on the east side of Prescott's VA Medical Center on a small hill now occupied by a children's playground. This location jibes with Lt. Tyson's description and with the adjusted 1890 bearing and distance from Glassford Hill. Glassford hill is still plainly visible to the northeast of the playground.
The playground is in a restricted residential area so that permission to visit it should be obtained from Frank Cimorelli, Public Affairs Officer at the VA (Tel: 520-445-4860 Ext. 6281).
Today, Glassford Hill is occupied by a radio facility that was constructed in 1986, and depends on the sun's rays for power just as the heliograph did a hundred years earlier when Geronimo surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon in southeastern Arizona.
Glassford can be reached at the end of Coral Dr. in Diamond Valley east of Prescott, but written permissions are needed from the Arizona State Land Department (520-778-9567), and from Fain Land & Cattle (520-772-8810), holder of a grazing permit for the land. The Fains request that hikers carry their permission letter with them while hiking the mountain.
Should you decide to climb Glassford, the three heliograph stations visible from it are Baker Butte (East, or 87° and 58 miles), Squaw Peak (East, or 94° and 30 miles), and Whipple Barracks (SSW, or 224°, and 5 miles). Looking to the east, Baker Butte is a minor rounded prominence on the distant flat horizon of the Mogollon Rim; Squaw Peak, only half the distance, is just to the right of it and has an almost vertical slope on its left, but slopes back gently from the tall cliffs to the right.
The Squaw Peak station, which is located about 7 miles south from Camp Verde, was used to communicate with Fort Verde prior to its closure just before the practice. Baker Butte connected with other mountaintop heliograph stations to the east and south in the Sierra Anchas, the Pinals and the Mazatzals, which, in turn, connected with many other stations.
In looking from Glassford Hill, the Prescott VA is located below and to the right of the Yavapai Indian Tribe's Prescott Resort, a hotel and gambling casino, which sits prominently on a hilltop across US89 and Granite Creek from the VA. The Whipple station can be seen from Glassford with a good pair of binoculars by looking for three white inverted "V's", the gable ends of three of the VA's residential structures. The playground may be visible just below and to the right of the gables.
The hike up Glassford is steep, especially at first, and may take up to an hour or more depending on your condition. There is a road up the mountain but the gate is locked. Pick a clear, cool day, pack a lunch, and be sure to take a hat, water, binoculars and a compass. The views from the bald mountain are marvelous of the surrounding valleys and mountains, however, there are no apparent signs of any heliograph stations on the mountain.
The VA station is visible from near the top of the west side of Glassford, and Baker Butte is visible from the opposite side of the peak. Because Lt. Fenton had three heliographs, two of which were developed for shorter ranges, it is probable that separate stations were setup on these opposite sides of the mountaintop with the long range heliograph being used for Baker Butte. It is also most probable that signal flags were also used between Whipple and Glassford.
I really hope we can commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Volkmar practice with a reenactment of Lt. Fenton's March 15, 1890, visit to Bald Mountain in which messages were exchanged between Whipple Barracks and Ft. Verde at Camp Verde. This would be a demonstration project for anyone interested to enjoy.
James Riddle is an avid hiker who is considering publishing a guide to the heliograph stations in the Southwest. For more information, you may contact him at 520-445-4245 or kd7aoi@arrl.net.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(playground at VA) Reuse only by permission.
The location of the heliograph station set up over a hundred years ago at Fort Whipple is right where a playground is today at the VA. The area is restricted so that permission to visit it should be obtained from the Public Affairs Officer at the VA.