I love this old card of the covered bridge on Senator Highway below Hassayampa Lake. I started to research the lake, but have found nothing online so far. It looks as though I need to look for this at the Sharlot Hall Museum. If I am able to find out more about the lake that was at one time, a reservoir for the City of Prescott, I'll post a link to these pictures.
Meanwhile, here's the photo of the little bridge that, once covered, now stands exposed to the elements, and leading to it the road that sketches out a narrow passage with the mountain pressing in on one side and a sheer drop to Hassyampa creek on the other.. I was always a little nervous on this road, fearing we would meet someone and have to pass or try to back up.
I couldn't decide between the two post cards. Tinted or not, so just posted both. The last time we crossed this bridge, we drove from Lynx Lake road past Hassyampa Lake and back down to Prescott on the Senator Highway. It's a fun drive although the road at the top is still a bit rough and at times, has been snowy long after snow has melted in town.
Hassyampa Lake was still used as a recreational and fishing lake until in the nineties the City sold the lake to a private developer, and he some big log homes around the lake area. I haven't been up there for a couple of years so don't know if you can still drive clear through, or even if the lake has water in it.
click to enlarge pictures
If you're considering driving between Prescott and Lynx Lake on this road, you might want to call the Forest Service to ask about road conditions.
Lovely! All I know about Hassayampa Lake is that it was created as a city water supply and there is/was a tunnel through the mountain somewhere to deliver the water. The Lake is in a different watershed than Prescott. I always thought it was a bloody shame that the city sold the property, but I guess the lawyers had the last say. Either police the popular hangout or get rid of the liability potential.
ReplyDeleteGJ, right..I think it all boiled down to liability insurance. I don't believe using it as a reservoir worked out. The pipes washed out early on.
ReplyDeleteOh, now you've really peaked my interest ... there are so many places I need to discover in Arizona!
ReplyDeleteAlmost 7 years now, and I've only been to Tucson ... how lame is that?
Have a great weekend, Linda!
I love this new site. I have always wanted to go around the US and find the old covered bridges that still stand today.
ReplyDeleteMavely, it's funny how we put off the sight seeing when it's so much fun once we get going! We're really bad about it. There are many places close to home we haven't been to!
ReplyDeleteHelen, that would be a fun thing to do...a road trip with a purpose! Tthere weren't as many covered bridges in the west as there were in the east, This one is high in the mountains and the snow used to get deep.
We still have about 300 covered bridges in Ohio that are in use or were. This is a nice post too. Have you looked on E-Bay for old post cards from your area. I looked for and found a lot of them for a city in Japan were I was stationed after the war. And they were cheap.
ReplyDeleteAbe, thank you for your encouraging comment:)
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about eBay! Most of Sam's collection came from eBay.