Maricopa Wells Station
Maricopa Wells is the most important station on the stage route through Hell's Furnace. The stretch of road between Gila Bend and Maricopa Wells is long and grueling. Water is extremely limited and there is no place to rest. Fresh horses, food, and a change of drivers are needed if the wagon and its passengers are to continue. The station is situated in the middle of several good watering holes. From late fall through mid-summer, horses can find feed near the station. Additional fodder and food for the people at the station, as well as the passengers and drivers, are purchased from the local tribes who grow it along the Gila River to the north. The station is unusual in that it has a small storage building that can hold freight that is destined to transfer to or from Sanford or Florence.