USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. II > Part 19
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build, the whitened hair told of the cares of many years of active life. At the veteran's side stood a tall, fairhaired youth, ambition, energy and hope outlined in every attribute of his makeup. The two stood with their hands clasped in an affectionate farewell. The tears welled in the old man's eyes as he spoke brokenly words of cheer and promise to the young man who had made so brilliant a beginning in public life. Ashurst was equally affected. Early in the session the two had become warmly at- tached, being respectively the oldest and young- est member of the body, and often did the young man seek the counsels of his old friend and profit by them.
""'We will probably never meet again this side the grave,' said the patriarch, as he gave the young man's hand a fervent farewell wring, 'but God bless you on your way.' "
In 1899, Mr. Brady moved with his family from Florence to Tucson, where he lived up to the time of his death, which occurred May 2nd, 1902, at the age of 77 years. All his children are still living and have their residences in Ari- zona. His second wife died August 14th, 1910.
One of the earliest business men to settle per- manently in Arizona was Michael Goldwater, who came to Arizona in 1860, locating at La Paz on the Colorado River. At that time he was associated in business with Mr. B. Cohen, and founded a large forwarding and trading business besides being Government contractors and mer- chants. They erected the first mill upon the Vulture Mine, and when it was completed, Mr. Goldwater, with Mr. James Cusenberry, the
MICHAEL GOLDWATER.
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EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
superintendent, took charge of the property, and ran the mill for about ninety days, paying off all the debts upon it and then turning it back to the owners.
In 1870, having large Government freighting contracts and the Colorado River having receded from the town of La Paz, Mr. Goldwater laid out the townsite of Ehrenberg on the Colorado River, as a result of which the town of La Paz was soon abandoned.
In 1869 Mr. Goldwater secured a contract to supply Camp Whipple and Fort Verde with corn, but a corner having been made in the market, he was unable to obtain the corn in the Territory, except at a great loss, and travelled overland to New Mexico, where he bought his supply and freighted it in by ox teams to Verde and Whipple.
In 1870 he opened a mercantile business in Phoenix, the first store of any size in what is now the Capital city. After about four years, he disposed of his business in Phoenix, to J. Y. T. Smith, King Woolsey and C. W. Stearns, re- taining his business in Ehrenberg. In 1876 he opened a store in Prescott, which is still carried on by his sons. For many years he was asso- ciated in the freighting business with Dr. W. W. Jones, one of Arizona's early pioneers. He served a term as Mayor of Prescott in the early eighties.
Like many pioneers Mr. Goldwater travelled over the country with his own team of horses and buggy, and had many a narrow escape from hostile Indians. As a business man, his career was above reproach; practical, active and far-
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seeing, and having great faith in the future of Arizona, he laid the foundation for a fortune, not only for himself, but for his family. To the Mexicans he was known as "Don Miguel" and to all others as "Mike." His friends were not confined to any one nationality. In 1883 he re- tired from business, turning his interests over to his sons, and went to San Francisco to live, where he died in 1903. He is survived by two sons, Morris Goldwater and Barry Goldwater, who, under the firm name of M. Goldwater & Brother, conduct large mercantile businesses in Prescott and Phoenix, and are very prominent in financial and business circles in the State, as will be shown as this history progresses.
Charles Trumbull Hayden, whose name is linked with the early history of Arizona, was born in Windsor, Connecticut, April 4th, 1825. When eighteen years old he taught school in New Jersey, and afterwards near New Albany, Indiana, and in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1848 he loaded a wagon with merchandise, and left Inde- pendence, Missouri, for Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he marketed his goods and returned in the fall. He continued in business at Independ- ence for some time, but when the gold excitement began in 1849, he outfitted a train of ox teams, and started over the Santa Fe trail. He arrived in Santa Fe late in 1849, and met some parties from California, who bought his outfit, consist- ing of fourteen wagons loaded with supplies, each drawn by six yoke of oxen. He then returned to Missouri to purchase another stock of goods and establish himself in business in Santa Fe. He was a passenger upon the first Overland Stage to
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EARLY PIONEERS AND SETTLERS.
Tucson in 1858, to which place he moved his stock of goods from Santa Fe and established himself in business there. He engaged in contracting with the Government for the furnishing of sup- plies to the soldiers and did a large freighting business to the mines, hauling supplies in, and ore out. He had many freight teams and brought his merchandise in these early days from Port Ysabel on the Gulf of California. After the close of the Civil War, supplies were brought up the Gulf of California from California. Mr. Hayden was appointed the first Probate Judge at Tucson under the laws of New Mexico, and bore his part in the early settlement of that part of Arizona by the Americans.
About the year 1870 he came to what is now Tempe. The river was up so high that he could not ford it, and, going to the top of the butte, it occurred to him that it would be a good irriga- ting country. He returned to Tucson and, soon afterwards, heard that Jack Swilling and his associates were taking out the Tempe Canal. He came over to see them and established the first ferry across the river and the first store in what is now Tempe, but then called Hayden's Ferry. He supplied the canal builders with merchandise and took an interest in the canal, through which he obtained water power for his mill, which began to produce flour in the year 1874. His business was extensive, he owned the mill, the mercantile business, the blacksmith shop, the carpenter shop, and practically the whole town, besides which he established other stores, two on the Gila Reservation, and one on
19
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the Salt River. He was a partner with a man by the name of Brooks at Prescott, and acquired some ranch property there under the Homestead and Timber Claim Law, and pastured cattle and other stock upon it.
In October, 1876, he was married at Nevada City, California, to Miss Sally Calvert Davis, a native of Arkansas. They came to Arizona on the railroad as far as Colton, from which place they took the stage to Ehrenberg, and from thence by his own conveyance to Tempe, which was his home up to the time of his death in Feb- ruary, 1900. By this marriage he had four children, Carl Hayden, who was the first repre- sentative in Congress from the State of Arizona, and three daughters, one of whom died in in- fancy, and two of whom are now living. His wife died in Tempe in 1907.
During the Civil War Mr. Hayden was the only representative of the Federal Government around Tucson for a year or two, the soldiers having been withdrawn from New Mexico. He frequently organized the whites to resist the Apache raids.
Charles Trumbull Hayden was a typical pio- neer, fearless, independent, energetic, and gen- erous to a fault, which made him, to a great ex- tent, the prey of designing men.
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
CHAPTER XV.
FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
GOLD PLACERS ON COLORADO - EUREKA DISTRICT -CASTLE DOME - LA PAZ - WEAVER AND WALKER DIGGINGS - PLANET MINE-ANTE- LOPE PEAK-LYNX CREEK-BIG BUG-VUL- TURE MINE-CASTLE DOME MINING DISTRICT -WEAVER MINING DISTRICT-PIONEER MIN- ING DISTRICT-YAPAPEI MINING DISTRICT- WALKER MINING DISTRICT-QUARTZ MOUN- TAIN MINING DISTRICT.
As we have heretofore seen, numerous at- tempts had been made by citizens of what is now Arizona, and also citizens of New Mexico, to organize the Territory of Arizona, which at- tempts, up to the winter of 1862-63, did not seem to have been taken seriously by Congress, this territory being considered practically worthless and the home of the wildest set of In- dians that ever cursed any portion of the contin- ent, and it is doubtful whether the Territory would have been organized had it not been for the discovery of gold and silver within its boun- daries.
The first discoveries, as we have seen, were made on the Gila about twenty miles from the Colorado, where gold placers were opened in 1858 and caused some excitement. A traveller passing at that time said he saw twenty dollars washed out of eight shovelsfull of dirt; this in the rudest manner by an unpracticed hand. The diggings were located in sand hills from a
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half a mile to a mile from the river, and there being no water at hand, dry washing was re- sorted to by the Indians and Mexicans, who made from one to two dollars a day, and occasionally secured twenty to thirty dollars.
About this time the Eureka District was located above what is now the city of Yuma, where a vein of argentiferous galena carrying from twenty to thirty per cent of silver with a small amount of gold, was discovered. These lodes were in the mountain ranges from one to twenty miles east from the river bank, and were reached by trails. A few of them were taken up in 1862, and at that time were partially developed.
Castle Dome, fifty miles above Yuma City, so called from its being located upon this isolated mountain resembling a dome, was laid out about this time. The lodes were in the mountains fif- teen to thirty miles back from the river, but were not easy of access, and water was very scarce. The ores were argentiferous galena in a vein stone of fluor spar, and contained from thirty to forty ounces to the ton. For years afterwards they were extensively worked and some of them proved quite profitable.
The next district was that above the town of La Paz, and bore the same name. It was first explored in the Colorado River gold excitement of 1862. Mr. A. McKey, a member of the Terri- torial Legislature from La Paz, furnished to J. Ross Browne, the annexed account of the dis- covery of the placers that caused the upbuilding of La Paz, which became a place of considerable importance and a favorite shipping point for
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
goods for Central Arizona, and, although I have heretofore alluded to these diggings, yet it may not be out of place to insert at this point the statement of Mr. McKey, which is as follows :
"Captain Pauline Weaver, and others, in the month of January, 1862, were trapping on the Colorado River, and at times would stray off into the mountains for the purpose of prospect- ing for gold. They had discovered what was then named and is still called 'El Arollo de la Tenaja,' which is about two miles north from El Campo Ferra, and about seven miles east from La Paz. In this gulch they had discovered gold in small quantities, and had taken out two or three dollars' worth, which Captain Weaver kept in a goose-quill.
"Soon after this discovery Weaver visited Fort Yuma and exhibited what gold he had. This evidence of the existence of a commodity so much sought for in this country convinced others that gold might be found in quantities by hunting for it. Don Jose M. Redondo having heard of the discovery, at once set out to visit the newly found 'El Dorado,' in company with sev- eral others. He arrived a few days afterward at the camp of Captain Weaver, who pointed out to him and his party the particular gulch from which he had taken the gold. After a short examination of this place the party set out in different directions to discover, if possible, some- thing which would pay to work, and the extent of the placers. Within less than a mile from Weaver's camp, south, Redondo took a pan of dirt to prospect, and when he had dry washed it, to the astonishment of himself and the party
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with him, he found that he had one 'chispa' which weighed two ounces and one dollar, be- sides other small pieces. Others of his party found good prospects, but none of the company had come for anything more than to ascertain the truth or falsity of the reported glad tidings and therefore were not prepared to remain and work for want of the necessary provisions and tools, but were compelled to return to La La- guna, a settlement some twenty miles above Fort Yuma, on the Arizona side of the Colorado. After their arrival at La Laguna, and report of what they had discovered, a party of forty persons prepared to visit the new mines. After their arrival in the placers, about the middle of February, 1862, discoveries were made almost daily, until it was known that every gulch and ravine for twenty miles east and south was rich with gold. Ferra Camp, Campo en Medio, American Camp, Los Chollos, La Plomosa, and many other smaller places, all had their rich diggings, but the discovery made by Juan Ferra, of the Ferra Gulch, was, without doubt, the most valuable of any. Very soon the knowledge of these discoveries spread to Sonora and Califor- nia, and people began to pour in from all points, and continued to come until they probably num- bered fifteen hundred. This population was maintained to a greater or less extent until the spring of 1864, when the apparent exhaustion of the placers and the extreme high prices for provisions caused large numbers to leave. The discovery of the Weaver and Walker diggings in the year 1863, drew away many of the miners from these placers.
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
"Of the yield of these placers, anything like an approximation to the average daily amount of what was taken out per man would only be guesswork. Hundreds of dollars per day to the man was common, and now and again a thousand or more per day. Don Juan Ferra took one nugget from his claim which weighed 47 ounces and six dollars. Another party found a 'chispa' weighing 27 ounces, and another one of 26 ounces. Many others found pieces of from one or two ounces up to 20, and yet it is contended that the greater proportion of the larger nuggets were never shown for fear of some evil spirits, who infested the mines at the time. It is the opinion of those most conversant with the first working of these placers, that much the greater proportion of the gold taken out was in nuggets weighing from one dollar up to the size of the 'chispas' above named. I have often heard it said of those days that 'not even a Papago In- dian would work for less than $10 per day.'
"As has been seen from the above, the gold was large and generally clear of foreign sub- stances. The largest piece (above mentioned) did not contain an apparent atom of quartz or any other base matter. The gold from the different camps varied a trifle in its worth at the mint in San Francisco, and brought from $17.50 to $19.50 per ounce. But all that was sold or taken out here went for from $16 to $17 per ounce. Since the year 1864' until the present, there have been at various times many men at work in these placers, numbering in the winter months hundreds, but in the summer months not exceeding 75 or 100; and all seem to do suffi-
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ciently well not to be willing to work for the wages of the country, which are and have been for some time, from $30 to $65 per month and found. No inconsiderable amount of gold comes in from these placers now weekly, and only a few days ago I saw, myself, a nugget which weighed $10, clear and pure from any foreign substances.
"Some parties have lately come into these dig- gings with what is called concentrators or dry washers, which they have been working for a few weeks, and in conversation with Mr. Finkler (an owner of one of these machines) he told me that he could make $20 per day where he was at work, and pay three dollars per day for his hands, and that he only required four to work the machine. Should these machines prove a success these placers will soon be peopled again with industrious, prosperous miners. Of the total amount of gold taken from these mines, I am as much at a loss to say what it has been as I was to name the average daily wages of the first years, and as I might greatly differ from those who were among the first in these mines, I do not feel justified in setting up an opinion as against them; I shall, therefore, give the sub- stance of the several opinions which I have ob- tained from those who were the pioneers of these placers. I have failed to find any one of them whose opinion is that less than $1,000,000 were taken from these diggings within the first year, and in all probability as much was taken out within the following year."
In 1863 what was known as the Planet Mine was discovered by one Ryland, who, in 1864, organized a company in San Francisco. This
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
was a copper mine, and the second copper mine discovered in the Territory. It was worked from 1865 up to 1873, the selected ore being shipped to San Francisco and there sold at a hundred dollars a ton. The mine was located twelve miles from the Colorado, and within a mile from Bill Williams' Fork.
It was not until 1862 and 1863 that an attempt was made to thoroughly explore Central Ari- zona. Whipple and Beale, as we have seen, had crossed on the 35th parallel. Aubrey and Leroux had seen something of the Verde River and the northern tributaries of the Gila, but no one had attempted more than a hurried trip through the country, although all believed it rich in precious metals.
Late in 1862, or early in 1863, Pauline Weaver, who had crossed Arizona by the Gila as early as 1832, being attracted by the placers at La Paz, was induced to look for others in the interior of the country, and started with a party of men for an exploration. They discovered what has since been known as Weaver Diggings near Antelope Creek, and located the town of Weaver some sixty miles south of Prescott. About this time the Walker party of gold hunt- ers arrived at the Pima Villages and determined to explore the country north, from which the In- dians brought fabulous reports of great wealth. This party discovered the Hassayampa, one of the main streams of Central Arizona, having its rise about ten miles southeast of the town of Prescott, and running south until it sinks in the desert some twelve miles below the town of Wickenburg. Part of the Walker party went to
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HISTORY OF ARIZONA.
the Weaver Diggings, and there Swilling and others, as we have seen, discovered the rich placers upon the top of Antelope Peak, which, from the accounts, was literally covered with gold, nuggets of unusual size being found. It is said that one man with his jack-knife took out four thousand dollars in a single day from these diggings, and that there was taken from the small area of ground a million dollars in gold.
The remainder of the Walker party gradually ascended the Hassayampa, finding gold at almost every point, and in the winter of 1863, took pos- session of the Lynx Creek and Walker Diggings, ten miles east from Prescott, from which it was estimated that not less than half a million of dol- lars was taken. They also gathered much gold on Big Bug, four miles east of Lynx Creek, and when these placers were exhausted, the pros- pectors turned their attention to quartz veins, and found there was no lack of them all along the Hassayampa, and upon the Agua Fria, a parallel stream of considerable size, and also upon Lynx Creek, Big Bug, and Turkey Creek, and other creeks in Central Arizona, lodes of gold, silver and copper were found. In the ex- citement, as is always the case, a great many lo- cations were made and recorded which had no value.
About this time Henry Wickenburg discov- ered and located what was afterwards known as the Vulture Mine, a ledge of about forty feet wide, having a chimney of ore five hundred feet in length, the ores of which averaged about forty dollars a ton, and another chimney about six
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
hundred feet in length, of about the same width, the ores of which ran about fifteen dollars a ton.
These chimneys were worked to a vertical depth of about a hundred and seventy feet on the vein, and many millions of dollars were taken out.
The opening of these gold mines in Central Arizona, accounts of which, no doubt greatly ex- aggerated as they were reproduced in San Fran- cisco and again in the East, were probably the incentive to Congress to organize at once the Territory of Arizona. The country, at that time, needed gold and silver to meet its war ex- penses, and our statesmen in Washington, no doubt became convinced that Arizona was a country worthy of reclamation and redemption from savagery.
The excitement attendant upon the discovery of these diggings drew into the Territory a large immigration, sufficient, in a way, to protect themselves from their Indian foes, which they had to do because the military, with the excep- tion of a small guard at Tucson and Fort Mo- have, was withdrawn from Arizona into New Mexico, and all the Indian tribes, with the ex- ception of the Papagoes, Pimas, Maricopas and Yumas, were upon the warpath.
The following early locations and organiza- tions of mining districts, made in those early days, will be interesting to the general reader. They are given without correction in grammar or spelling :
CASTLE DOME MINING DISTRICT.
"At a meeting held at La Paz on the 8th day of December 1862 by persons claiming interests
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in mineral veins near the Castle Dome range of mts Col Snively was requested to act as Chair- man and H. Ehrenberg as Secretary of the meet- ing and the following resolutions were adopted.
"That the District wherein said veins are situ- ated be called the Castle Dome District and be bounded as follows: Beginning at the peak known as Castle Dom-Thence 10 miles south- Thence East 10 miles-Thence north 10 miles- Thence West 10 miles to the starting point.
"2 That a mining claim in this District shall be 100 yards along said vein including all the angle spurrs &c belonging thereto-
"3 That the Discoverer or Discoverers of a vein shall be entitled to 100 yds extra on each & ever vein discovered by him or them.
"4 That in taking possession of claims the shall be clearly defined by conspicuous stakes or monmts of rock with the names of persons claim- ing.
"5. That 100 yards on each side of the vein where not conflicting with prior rights shall be considered part of the claim, and shall belong to the same, with any and every substance or thing found within these bounds on or below the sur- face.
"6. That all claims shall be recorded within 10 days after claiming them-
"7. That all claims thus recorded shall be properly described in their boundaries, and their relative position, as bearing and distances (where practicable) to any natural or artificial object stated.
"8. That in consideration of the want of mining implements and material in this section
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FORMATION OF MINING DISTRICTS.
at present, the time for commencing operations on the claims is fixed to 15 March 1863.
"9. That on and after that date all claims located shall be worked within 30 days.
"10. That all claims shall be worked in good faith for at least 4 days in each month.
"11. That companies holding various claims on the same vein shall not be obliged to work all of them severaly, but that the working of any one of their claims in accordance with article 10 shall be sufficient evidence of good faith and ownership of the parties claiming.
"No claims shall be considered abandoned or forfeited for suspension of work for want of water or on account of war with Indians or any other unavoidable circumstances or obstacle.
"13. A Recorder shall be elected for the Dis- trict who shall record the different claims, as presented in a book kept for that purpose and he shall give certified copies thereof-
"14. The fee of Recording shall be One Dol- lar for each claim, and no records of claims shall be made unless a specimen of the ore, coming from said claim shall accompany the statement to be recorded, which specimen shall be properly marked and preserved by the Recorder to serve as evidence in case of dispute hereafter.
"15. The Recorder to be elected hereafter shall for the present keep his office in the town of La Paz Arizona-
"16 Herman Ehrenberg is hereby chosen Re- corder for Castle Dom District.
"17 Any five miners holding claims in this District shall have a right to call a general meet- ing of the miners interested in claims there, for
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the purpose of revising the mining laws, the election of Recorder or for any purpose refer- ring to the general interest of the District.
"18. Any such meeting as mentioned in arti- cle 17 shall only be considered legal by having 2 notices thereof posted within the bounds of said district, and one at the Recorders office for at least 14 days previously.
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