b'Gila Bend is on a stretch of highway that acts as a major corridor to San Diego and other Southern California towns and cities. The town was founded in the 1870s and was purportedly named after a particularly sharp 90-degree bend in the nearby Gila River. t he small town of approximately 1,900 people is inof the 1879 Wagon Road and 1920s unpaved highwayand thousands of years ago. This ancient archaeological the southwestern portion of Maricopa County, 70from Yuma to Phoenix are still visible today. Travelerssite might make you think of UFOs and aliens. There are miles southwest of Phoenix. The towns populationin the 1920s and 1930s enjoyed rare ice cold drinks anda few good examples off Rocky Point Road in Gila Bend. swells in the winter when snowbirds and RV enthusiastsfresh ice cream when stopping at the Stout Hotel inThe site is just a quick detour from I-8 and in addition swarm to the area to enjoy the wide-open spaces andGila Bend, which had its ownto the petroglyphs; there are English inscriptions for a wonderful weather. ice generating plant. battle that took place nearby in the years after the Civil War. The area is rustic. There is a campground, but they Gila Bend figuresGila Bend is memorialized indont provide water, so bring everything you need; be prominently in the earlythe film, The Man Who Lovedsure to watch out for rattlesnakes and other poisonous history of the southwest. ACat Dancing starring Burtcreatures. Since it is an archaeological site, please be large Hohokam settlementReynolds and Sara Miles,respectful by not climbing or marking the rocks. Several once thrived here andand most recently was in thehistoric trails lie within the campground. The Juan remnants of their platforminternational spotlight whenBautista de Anza National Historic Trail, The Butterfield mound and canal systemPrince Harry called GilaOverland Stage Route, and the Mormon Battalion Trail remain. For centuries GilaBend home for a month whileare three trails that played prominent roles in the history Bend has been a place fortraining at the local Gila Bendof Arizona and the American West.weary travelers to stop andAir Force Auxiliary Field. blm.gov/visit/painted-rock-petroglyph-siterest. Those that regrouped in Gila Bend include famousGila Bend enjoys minorSONORAN DESERTguides Father Kino, Juannotability among touristsNATIONAL MONUMENTBautista de Anza, Kit Carson,and aficionados of roadside attractions. Besides theThe Sonoran Desert National Monument is large even and Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the son of Lewis andquirky welcome sign, the town boasts several roadsideby Arizona standards with nearly 500,000 acres of Clark Expedition guide, Sacagawea. Well-known groupssculptures and the space age Lodge Motel and restaurantpublic land under management. Three different rugged of travelers that stopped and rested include the Mormon(opened in 1963), named for its "Space Age" themedmountain ranges converge in the area. Visitors can Battalion and numerous 49\'ers on their way to thearchitecture and decor. enjoy a wide range of activities including hiking and California goldfields.horseback riding, camping and stargazing, and some GILA BEND VISITORS CENTERFrom 1857, the area was named Gila Ranch and was aAND MUSEUMstagecoach water and camping stop on the San Antonio- Gila Bends rich history, geography, and heritage are all San Diego Mail Line, and in 1858 as Gila Ranch Station,worth exploring so stop by the museum at 644 W Pima was a stage station on the more famous ButterfieldSt. Suite 1. During WWII, the area was the location Overland Mail route to California. In 1860 the Gilaof an internment camp, where people of Japanese Ranch Station was burnt down by marauding Apachedescent were held under the suspicion that they may but was soon rebuilt. In 1861, the Butterfield line shutassist the Japanese war effort. The museum highlights down but during the American Civil War, Gila Ranchthis interesting segment of history and has plenty of Station remained a stop for freighters to and from theinformation about the Native American cultures that river port of Arizona City on the Colorado River, passinglived in the area long before it was officially settled. travelers, the troops of the Confederate Army that brieflyTheres also an exhibit dedicated to the infamous passed through and then the California Column of theOatman massacre that occurred nearby.Union Army that invaded Confederate Arizona and occupied New Mexico Territory in 1862. PAINTED ROCK PETROGLYPHSArizona is known for its abundant petroglyphs. When the railroad laid its tracks in 1879, the townPetroglyphs are the pictures and representations of moved four miles southwest to its present location toanimals and other elements of the natural world that take advantage of the economic opportunity. PortionsNative Americans inscribed into rocks hundreds 24 April 2021'