b"Greetings fromSAFFORDMt. Graham Golf Coursethatcher.az.govSAFFORD IS THE CAPITAL OF GRAHAM COUNTY with a population of a little under 10,000. It is a place where locals and visitors alike can enjoy the outdoor life and natural environment. Located at an elevation of around 3,000 feet, there is only an average of an inch of snow each year and 10 inches of rainfall, but water is not a scarce commodity, with several creeks and streams as well as the Gila River, a tributary of the Colorado River.t he city dates back to 1873 and owes its establishmentROPER LAKE STATE PARKto frontiersmen Amos Perigo and H. J. Davis whoThis 400-acre park has five miles of nature trails arrived in the valley and helped Joshua Bailey andthat wind through desert landscapes and leadGila Box Riparian National Edward D. Tuttle, who entered Arizona in 1862, createto stunning mountain views. There is plentyConservation Areaa town. Bailey named the new town after territorialof water for boating, swimming, and fishing. governor A. P. K. Safford and built a store and bar,Roper Lake is located approximately six miles becoming the community's first postmaster. Landsouth of Safford and consists of a 32-acre lake speculator William H. Kirkland invested in constructionstocked with largemouth bass and rainbow and designed the new town. Tuttle was a member oftrout. You can also take a three-mile hike or the Territorial Legislature and taught at the first Saffordwalk to Dankworth Pond, which offers a picnic school, an adobe structure that stood at the site of thesite, and enjoy a recreated present post office. Safford was a small community ofAmerican Indian village. This family farms.village contains replicas of Apart from service industries and administration, thedwellings, grinding stones, economy of Safford revolves around mining, oil and gasroasting pits, and other tools extraction, and quarrying. and artifacts used by a variety of southwestern tribes. The Safford is the setting for the 1985 Albert Brooks comedyvillage demonstrates thevisitarizona.comLost in America and is also the setting for the Jim W.changing lifestyles starting with Coleman book Omens.the Paleo-Indians and going through to the Mogollon tribes.Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area GILA BOX RIPARIAN NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREAHacienda Campground has 20 water and electric hookupThe 23,000-acre area includes four perennial waterways, sites. Cottonwood Campground has 25 water and electricthe Gila and San Francisco rivers, and Bonita and Eagle hookup sites. Eight cabins line the lake and are variablycreeks. This region is a very special riparian ecosystem furnished with bunk beds with mattresses and/or full-sizeabounding with plant and animal diversity. A canyon beds with mattresses along with electricity and air- section, known as the Gila Box, is composed of patchy conditioning/heating. AZStateParks.com/roper-lake mesquite woodlands, mature cottonwoods, and sandy beaches. The Gila Conglomerate Cliffs tower more than CLUFF RANCH WILDLIFE AREA 1,000 feet above the Gila River, and bighorn sheep are It is 788 acres and is composed of a variety of habitats,commonly spotted. Bonita Creek, a key tributary of the including a ten-acre fishing pond, riparian stream,Gila River, is lined with large cottonwoods, sycamores, mesquite bosque, agricultural fields managed for wildlife,and willows. and desert scrub community. There are not any fishing, boating, or swimming opportunities at Cluff RanchHikers have the opportunity to safely enjoy the Roper Lake State Park Wildlife Area at this time. Recreational opportunitiesscenic canyon with the lower water levels. Numerous will be restored as soon as conditions permit. Campingprehistoric and historical structures can be viewed. The spots are available at the Berry Patch and near SmithBonita Creek Watchable Wildlife Viewing Area provides Pond. AZgfd.com, 928-485-9430 a birds-eye view of the riparian canyon below, with over 24 January 2022"