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Just a day trip away from Tucson & 4 miles shy of the border of Mexico is a rare opportunity to look back at over a century of Arizona's mining history. From a once-thriving community of 1,200 people to a modern-day ghost town. Ruby has access to over 350 acres of trails, two lakes, and incredible biodiversity.

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Twin Arrows Trading Post a Route 66 roadside attraction was built in the late 1940's and was abandoned in 1995. It consists of giant yellow wooden twin arrows, an abandoned gift shop and Valentine’s diner, some gas pumps, and big tanks in the back still remain. The building and various structures are deteriorating, this Icon has certainly seen better days. From what I understand the land is owned by the Twin Arrows Navajo Casino, that appears have yet to cleanup the area. Now abandoned buildings and structures have become a canvas for graffiti artists. Lots of interesting and creative graffiti to explore.

What remains of Two Guns are the ruins of the original stone houses, the Apache Death Cave, the ruins of the buildings built in the final attempt to revive the town and the Canyon Diablo Bridge which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 30, 1988

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The Salado Phenomena, 700 years ago, blended ideas of neighboring Native American cultures to emerge a unique and vibrant society. Tonto National Monument showcases two Salado-style cliff dwellings. Colorful pottery, woven cotton cloth, and other artifacts tell a story of people living and using resources from the northern Sonoran Desert from 1250 to 1450 CE.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is located near Payson, Arizona. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. We hiked two of the three trails and enjoyed a lunch at the picnic area.

From 1942 to 1945, during WII, 120,000 men, women, and children, Americans with Japanese ancestry were removed from their homes and interned into ten remote camps throughout the American West. The government and the US Army, falsely citing “military necessity”. None of the people of Japanese ancestry were ever convicted or even charged with sabotage or espionage, yet were confined, some up to four years, in camps surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Topaz Camp, located near Delta, Utah, held around 8,000 of these individuals. This is one of the worst violations of civil rights against citizens in the history of the United States.