HACKSAW TOM

Okay - I'm a legend junky. But this one is so fun. I learned about Hacksaw Tom at the Superstition Mountain Museum.

Hacksaw Tom is a legendary desperado along the Apache Trail. He preyed on travelers of the Mesa-Roosevelt Dam region from his remote hiding place near Fish Creek Canyon. This was a stretch of primitive one-lane bridge and when teamsters were tryin to contol their teams, Tom -took advantage of the situation using his 12-guage double barrel shotgun. He stood about five feet eight inches and weighed about 160 pounds with blue eyes and light blond hair. He never used a horse because he just climbed up and over the boulders up Fish Creek Canyon and was seldom pursued because of the dangers of climbing these boulders.

For almost a decade Hacksaw Tom relieved travelers along the Apache Trail of thier change and bills. Seldom did any of his robberies net him more than $40. Many teamsters felt it was more like paying a toll to cross the bridge. During all his years of robbery, not one person was injured or killed. Not one shot was fired.

The real mystery of Hacksaw Tom is his identity. To this day, no one knows for sure who he was.