Then and Now in Cave Creek Canyon

Below is the next set of paired photographs spanning 90-100 years from Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.  The top photograph is a view of the entrance to cave creek canyon taken in the 1920's by the McCulloch Brothers.  While the lower photograph was taken September 22, 2011.  The location was the road fork where Portal Rd splits into Forest Service Rd 42 and 42B (the road to Paradise).  The time of day differs between the 2 photographs, since the light suggests the 1920's view was taken in the afternoon while the current photograph was taken in the morning.  Hence there is little light on the east side of the canyon in the modern photograph.

Notice the closely cropped vegetation in the 1920's photograph while the modern photograph shows an abundance of  high grasses and shrubs.

Photograph of the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County (Ariz.)

Photograph of the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County (Ariz.), courtesy of  the History and Archives Division, Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, obtained from http://azmemory.lib.az.us/"

Replicate view of Cave Creek Canyon taken September 22, 2011

Cave Creek Canyon: Then and Now

Everything changes and evolves and many are uncomfortable with that notion.  Many find security in the idea of permanence and long for places that are unchanging.  But the reality is change is the norm not the exception as exampled by the Horseshoe Two Fire of 2011 which involved a rapid change in the Chiricahua Mountains.

How is change measured and quantified?  For many it is memory based, and the first line starts "I remember when..." and frequently ends with "it is all ruined now".  But there are alternatives ways to measure change that are more quantitative and do not rely on the imperfections of memory.  One methodology is photographic.  Images captured over period of time can be used to document change and are neutral recordings of changes in the landscape.

Below are 2 images of the entrance to Cave Creek Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains of the Coronado National Forest.  The first is a postcard taken in the 1940's, while the second is a photograph taken from the same place on September 18, 2011, a span of 60-70 years.

Note the changes in the entryway, the bronze plaque is missing as is the left stone pillar.   Cathedral Rock as well as the other outcrops are the same but an abundance of low scrubby vegetation has grown up obscuring part of the view.  But the overall density of vegetation covering the lower slopes appears similar.

1940's view of the entrance to the Coronado National Forest in Cave Creek Canyon

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The same view taken September 18, 2011.