September 7, 2009 © Thomas J. Kollenborn. All Rights Reserved.
There are
many interesting stories about the Superstition Wilderness Area. Some
tales are believable and others are not. The following story was told to
me by an old cowboy named Bud Lane many years ago. Bud had worked for
both Floyd Stone and the Barkleys. One evening, some time in the late
1970’s I was riding with Bud over the Apache Trail.
We were headed for the IV Ranch where we
were taking a group of riders to the Reavis Ranch from Floyd Stone’s IV
Ranch. As we rounded Inspiration Point and looking into the vast
emptiness of Fish Creek Canyon we saw a brilliant meteor tracking north
to south across the sky near Castle Peak. The meteor was so bright the
light was reflected by Castle Dome Peak. It was at this point Bud spoke
up and told this story.
“Tom,” he said, “all the crazies around
Apache Junction and the mountains are always talking about flying
saucers. I am not going to tell you I believe in flying saucers, but
this really happen to me. I’m going to tell you a true story, but I
don’t want you to ever repeat it until after I am dead and gone. First, I
want to tell you I have never seen a flying saucer drunk or sober, and
if I had I wouldn’t admit it for fear people would think I am a
lunatic.”
At this point, Bud cautioned me again
never to tell this story until he was dead and gone. Bud continued the
story something like this. He said he was working some stray Mexican
steers for Floyd Stone near the upper end of Tortilla Canyon above
Doggie Springs. He planned on riding until dusk then working his way
back to the Tortilla ranch house. Close to dusk he said, “Tom, I heard
this whining roar that was so loud it was deafening. It even vibrated my
lungs. All of sudden back toward Doggie Springs I saw this object rise
into the sky so fast I couldn’t recognize what it was. Actually I
thought it was some kind of a volcanic eruption. The object was gone in a
split second.”
Bud further explained he had ridden all
around the area trying to confirm what had happen. He found nothing to
support what he had seen. He told me he was not suffering from illusions
and he didn’t have a hang-over that day. Bud said he continued looking
around the area every chance he had when he was in the region. Some ten
or twelve years later Bud said he was in the area and found an
interesting formation on the ground. On the side of a sandy wash he
found a ring of sandy glass about ten feet in diameter. He was convinced
this sandy glass ring wasn’t a geological feature. He believed the
glass ring was formed from extreme and sudden heat. The heat, he
believed, was produced by a rocket launch or something similar. I had
known Bud since 1965, and he had always been exceptionally truthful with
me. However, Bud was known to tell dudes a few tall tales when he
worked for Billy Crader’s Safari Wilderness Trips.
This was a very puzzling and intriguing
story that would be impossible to prove unless the melted sand ring
could be found. Bud indicated it was located somewhere about Doggie
Springs. I have ridden into Doggie Spring several times over the years
and found nothing. Tom Jarvis, Maricopa Deputy County Medical Examiner
and I spent an entire day riding the area and searching for this melted
sand ring.
Several years later a hiker tried to
sell me a piece of melted sand, much like sand that has been melted by a
lightning strike. When he told me it came from the Doggie Springs area I
immediately became more curious. He said it appeared at one time this
piece of melted sand and glass had been part of a large circular piece
material. He further stated he didn’t really know what it was, but he
was -quite convinced it was part of a lighting strike. He gave me
directions to the site, but I never found it. I am quite sure the site
had been damaged from flash flooding over the years which made it
difficult to recognize.
The story still fascinates me because
Bud was such truthful story teller; unless he was just joshing you
around. But, he would always relent andlet me know he was just joking.
He never relented and said he was just telling mea tall tale when it
came tothis story about an unknown melted sand ring near Doggie Springs.
I am sure
Bud probably told this story to others. There are numerous stories about
unusual things occurring in the area. I still wonder if this is a true
story about some unusual occurrence in the Superstition Wilderness Area
or a powerful lightning strike caused by ground to cloud lightning.