Croton Springs

Croton Springs, formerly called Nugent's Springs, lies in Arizona's Sulphur Springs Valley on the northwest edge of the Willcox Playa in present-day Cochise County. In the nineteenth century, it was a crucial watering place on wagon routes across this arid country. Beginning in 1849, travelers used it along the Tucson Cutoff, which connected Cooke's Wagon Road with routes leading west toward Tucson by way of Stein's Pass, Apache Pass, the playa, and the San Pedro River crossing. After the 1855 Railroad Survey expedition, it was temporarily known by John Nugent's name. Its significance came from dependable water, though irrigation pumping later lowered the water table and ended the springs' flow.

Arizona · United States