Sharksbaja - 3-2-2005 at 12:49 PM
I drove thru El Arco on my way out from San Franciquito. Why is the town called El Arco. Not many outcroppings there. Was this town a major hub at one
point cause it looks like its been there a while. Did the old road run thru here. I forget.
bajalou - 3-2-2005 at 01:14 PM
The area was on the main road thru the area and was a major mining center at one time.
I expect we'll both learn more from some other posters.
TMW - 3-2-2005 at 04:39 PM
Before the paved road, the main dirt road went thru El Arco, not GN. The town at one time had over 1000 people working gold mines etc. in the area. I
don't know why they put the paved road over by GN instead of on top of the old road thru El Arco. David K. probably knows. Maybe something to do with
the salt works.
My Opinion...
David K - 3-2-2005 at 06:30 PM
Guerrero Negro is where the money, people, and future was... So, it made sense to route Mex. #1 by it.
El Arco was almost dead in 1973, as it remains today. They did pave a side road to El Arco (Mex. #18), but it was pretty well gone within 10 years
(like the Puertecitos road, near Puertecitos!).
Oh, El Arco also means the rainbow... as in where the pot of gold is found! It was... many years ago! They hopped copper discoveries would bring life
back, but hadn't yet.
[Edited on 3-3-2005 by David K]
Near El Arco
Sharksbaja - 3-2-2005 at 07:25 PM
Makes sense to me. The drive over the boulder mountains from San Francisquito was really beautiful, much like the Catavina area. Giant boulders and a
multitude of (big) cactus species.
