b'Duncan is a quaint little town worthy of a good walkabout. Places like Duncan are increasingly rare. It is an authentic small Western town with real cowboys and cowgirls, charming small businesses, back roads to explore in the mountains or along the river, and no commercial tourism.t he biggest little town in the fertile Upper Gilathe building of a narrow-gauge railway from Clifton Valley and the last stop before the New Mexicoto Lordsburg, New Mexico, to meet the Southern border on the Old West Highway (Hwy 70),Pacific line. Called "Purdy" in the Post Office register Duncan goes about its business much as it did in theof 1883, it was founded by Messrs. Purdy and first years of the 20th century, blending Mexican,Bachelor as a way station on an ore haulage line that Latter Day Saints, Arkansas pioneer and otherlinked the railhead in Clifton with Silver City, Newbe reached via the Black Hills Back Country Byway.cultures. The beautiful Gila River winds throughMexico. At that time, the town was located on theThe ruins of the mine at Carlisle, in the Steeple Rock it, with windswept, walkable levees overlooking itsnorth bank of the Gila. District of Grant County, New Mexico, are just a few course, guarded on all sides by mountains ladenmiles northeast of Duncan on a well-maintained with secret back roads, waterfalls, abandoned minesTo accommodate the new "Arizona and Newdirt road. None of the buildings still stand, but the and exotic wildlife. Duncan is free of the hustle andMexico Railroad," the people of Purdy movedfoundations and a tremendous amount of scrap are bustle of city life, a place where the traffic is light,their settlement to the south bank of the river andstill there to pick through. What appears to be a jail the air is fresh, the sky is big, and people welcomerenamed it "Duncan," after Duncan Smith, thecell, a cave carved out of a mountain, the opening visitors with warm interest. managing director of the Arizona Copper Company. secured with iron bars, is said to be just that. Local legend has it that Herbert Hoover himself spent a HISTORY Duncan prospered until the Interstate Highwaynight in that cave jail for drunken and disorderly The town of Duncan was actually established in(I-10) was built further south. The new highwayconduct. He is said to have protested, "The Mexicans 1883 with the coming of the railroad, but the earlyre-directed traffic away from Duncan and businessesand Indians made me do it. It is a popular spot for settlement here was started in the 1870\'s along thebegan leaving the area. In 2001, local citizens formedrock hounds today.Gila River on an important stage & freight route.the Duncan Pride Society and began restoring and re-purposing some of the old buildings. So far, theyThis area is world-renowned as a natural repository In 1881 and 1882, when thehave done a splendid job. of historic and pre-historic Native American Arizona Copper Company wasartifacts too.formed at Clifton-Morenci, anWHAT TO DOinflux of Scottish capital financedRock Hounding BirdingAlthough she was born in ElA checklist of bird species seen in and near Duncan Paso, Justice O\'Connorborncan be picked up at the Visitor Center/Country Sandra Dayspent much of herChic, Duncan Town Hall or the Simpson Hotel. childhood near Duncan on the Day family\'s Lazy B Ranch, whichParking for Duncans one-mile birding and wildlife straddles the Arizona-New Mexicotrail along the Gila River is at the foot of the bridge border. The Round Mountain rockon the south sideyoull see a Birding Trail sign hounding area south of Duncanthere. Walk past the kiosk and then straight ahead is accessed through the Lazy B Ranch across thetoward the river but not down under the bridge. border in New Mexico. Different owners now runAfter a quarter mile or so there is a path that takes cattle on the ranch and its huge federal land grazingyou down into the channel, if the water isnt too lease. Its a beautiful drive over well-maintained dirthigh. After that the trail curves around back to town roads, and the cowboys there wont bother you at alland takes you through a damp irrigation runoff area as long as you dont bother them.where wild currant grows and many birds shelter. Climb up and walk along the dike all the way back The largest fire agate field in America is in the Blackto the parking area, with a sweeping view of the Hills rock hounding area north of Duncan and canriver valley.28 January 2020'