GRAHAM

NAME: Graham
COUNTY: Catron
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 4
CLIMATE: Mild winter, warm summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Spring, winter, fall
COMMENTS: Make sure to walk the catwalk
REMAINS: Some interesting remnants including the catwalk

At the mouth of Whitewater Canyon, the community of Graham came into being in 1893 following the discovery of gold and silver deposits in 1889 in the hills above the canyon. The narrowness of the canyon made it impossible to construct a mill at the mines. A John Graham selected a site at the canyon mouth and built the mill in 1893 and gave his name to the young town. There was always plenty of water in the high mountain reaches of Whitewater Creek but often dry at the mill site. The problem of meeting the demands for water at the mill site and for the townspeople was solved by the construction of a water pipe starting in the mountains and ending three miles down the canyon at Graham. Nothing is left of Graham today except the foundations of the mill. The water line, long since torn down, has been replaced by a metal catwalk. Thousands of annual visitors enjoy walking on the catwalk as it weaves up the canyon, following the same course of the old water pipe. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.

GRAHAM. Named for a man named Graham was superintendent of the Confidence mine at Mogollon. GRAHAM: Post office 1895/1904 changed to CLEAR CREEK Submitted by: Samuel W McWhorter

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