Comments on: Swansea Townsite http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/ Your independent source of information about Wickenburg, AZ. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:15:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Richard Balcom http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/#comment-4865 Richard Balcom Sat, 24 Dec 2011 04:15:37 +0000 http://www.gilesrd.com/?p=69#comment-4865 Jelayne Haight: I recall meeting both you and your younger brother when I was visited your mom's home in Las Crusas, NM in 1959 while I was staying with Aunt Dorothy for 6 months in Silver City, NM. I recall that you brother had just shot his first deer the day we arrived. You can contact me at richard.balcom@gmail.com. I would like to finding out more about my father's side of the family including the name of my third Aunt since I've been writing my memories which include my family history. I confirmed that my father Earnest grew up in Swansea after finding two articles on-line from Desert Magazine of the Southwest from June-July 1985 and January 1941 that had pictures of him and a letter he wrote to the Department of Mineral Resources that discussed the small mining operation he was managing in Swansea in 1943 just before he left for WWII and Swansea became a ghost town. Jelayne Haight: I recall meeting both you and your younger brother when I was visited your mom’s home in Las Crusas, NM in 1959 while I was staying with Aunt Dorothy for 6 months in Silver City, NM. I recall that you brother had just shot his first deer the day we arrived. You can contact me at richard.balcom@gmail.com. I would like to finding out more about my father’s side of the family including the name of my third Aunt since I’ve been writing my memories which include my family history. I confirmed that my father Earnest grew up in Swansea after finding two articles on-line from Desert Magazine of the Southwest from June-July 1985 and January 1941 that had pictures of him and a letter he wrote to the Department of Mineral Resources that discussed the small mining operation he was managing in Swansea in 1943 just before he left for WWII and Swansea became a ghost town.

]]> By: John Fisher http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/#comment-4855 John Fisher Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:17:19 +0000 http://www.gilesrd.com/?p=69#comment-4855 My wife Marge and I visited Swansea yesterday, the second time in 26 years. It was a beautiful, mild, perfect day to make the journey. Couple of differences from 1985, the previous time we were there (!): 1) the Swansea Road is MUCH improved from what it was back then. For the msot part, it is wider, better graded, and way less rutted or pocked. The only "challenge" for our 4X4 Jeep Cherokee, really, was the last portion -- the climb through the hills and then back down toward the Bill Williams River, passing the natural arch on the right. During this phase, the road narrows fairly dramatically (to a 1-vehicle width), is much rockier, and therefore a whole lot riskier to tires. And 2) at the site itself, the markers and trail are a nice bonus compared to our previous visit, though the place is by no means in danger of becoming too "touristy." It's still primitive and sparsely visited -- thank goodness. On the way back to Bouse, we saw what we believed to be a family -- male, female and juvenile -- of 3 feral burros on the right side of the road, just after coming out of the rocky, narrow section. And, after our experience yesterday, we very much recommend that you come prepared for a flat tir -- which we had. Basically it happened just before the first crossroads on the way back, so we still had 20 miles to get to Bouse, and very little light to change the tire. Happily, that proved to be just enough to do the job, and we were also lucky enough to find a guy back in Bouse willing to fix the flat and change back the spare, pretty much in the dark [Marty Mattice, owner of Bouse Tires and More - on 72, going west from the cafe]. The bad tire had a clean, straight slice about 1/2 an inch long, right in the middle of the tread, as if done by steel. Probably we caught some small bit of sharp metal on the road, and that's all it took. So drivers beware! But all in all, a GREAT day and visit! My wife Marge and I visited Swansea yesterday, the second time in 26 years. It was a beautiful, mild, perfect day to make the journey. Couple of differences from 1985, the previous time we were there (!): 1) the Swansea Road is MUCH improved from what it was back then. For the msot part, it is wider, better graded, and way less rutted or pocked. The only “challenge” for our 4X4 Jeep Cherokee, really, was the last portion — the climb through the hills and then back down toward the Bill Williams River, passing the natural arch on the right. During this phase, the road narrows fairly dramatically (to a 1-vehicle width), is much rockier, and therefore a whole lot riskier to tires. And 2) at the site itself, the markers and trail are a nice bonus compared to our previous visit, though the place is by no means in danger of becoming too “touristy.” It’s still primitive and sparsely visited — thank goodness. On the way back to Bouse, we saw what we believed to be a family — male, female and juvenile — of 3 feral burros on the right side of the road, just after coming out of the rocky, narrow section. And, after our experience yesterday, we very much recommend that you come prepared for a flat tir — which we had. Basically it happened just before the first crossroads on the way back, so we still had 20 miles to get to Bouse, and very little light to change the tire. Happily, that proved to be just enough to do the job, and we were also lucky enough to find a guy back in Bouse willing to fix the flat and change back the spare, pretty much in the dark [Marty Mattice, owner of Bouse Tires and More - on 72, going west from the cafe]. The bad tire had a clean, straight slice about 1/2 an inch long, right in the middle of the tread, as if done by steel. Probably we caught some small bit of sharp metal on the road, and that’s all it took. So drivers beware! But all in all, a GREAT day and visit!

]]> By: Bob Dieterich http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/#comment-381 Bob Dieterich Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:58:40 +0000 http://www.gilesrd.com/?p=69#comment-381 Good Morning: I live over at Signal, north of Alamo Lake. I've been trying to determine the origin of the old town name of "Signal". I know there was a Signal Mine Group involved in purchasing the Swansea Mine but that was well after Signal was establish. One rumor says that it was named after Signal Mountain which was name "Signal" because the Army had a heliographic station on that mountain. I have flown carefully over that mountain and there is no sign of development. Any ideas where the nane "Signal" used for the Signal Mill Site and the McCrakin Mine came from? Thanks Good Morning:

I live over at Signal, north of Alamo Lake. I’ve been trying to determine the origin of the old town name of “Signal”. I know there was a Signal Mine Group involved in purchasing the Swansea Mine but that was well after Signal was establish. One rumor says that it was named after Signal Mountain which was name “Signal” because the Army had a heliographic station on that mountain. I have flown carefully over that mountain and there is no sign of development. Any ideas where the nane “Signal” used for the Signal Mill Site and the McCrakin Mine came from?

Thanks

]]> By: Jelayne Haight http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/#comment-380 Jelayne Haight Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:36:42 +0000 http://www.gilesrd.com/?p=69#comment-380 Richard Balcom- My mom, Arnita White, and I came across your posting while also googling "Ernest C. Lane". Your father was my mom's uncle. Her mother was Dorothy Lane White. Ernie was her brother. We have some family history if your are interested so please contact us. I believe you stayed with my mom, Arnita, and her family in Silver City, NM. Richard Balcom- My mom, Arnita White, and I came across your posting while also googling “Ernest C. Lane”. Your father was my mom’s uncle. Her mother was Dorothy Lane White. Ernie was her brother. We have some family history if your are interested so please contact us. I believe you stayed with my mom, Arnita, and her family in Silver City, NM.

]]> By: Richard Balcom http://www.wickenburg-az.com/2007/03/swansea-townsite/#comment-379 Richard Balcom Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:21:09 +0000 http://www.gilesrd.com/?p=69#comment-379 I found your website about Swansea by chance when I Googled "Earnest C. Lane Arizona". My father Ernest C. Lane grew up in a remote mining town in Arizona and operated a copper mine during the the early 1940's before joining the Army during WWII. He died in 1950 when I was only 2 and my mother died shortly thereafter therefore I don't have that much information about him except for some photos that my grandmother showed me when i was a boy. The photos showed a mine, a small town in the desert and a steam locamotive pulling a flatbed car with a Dusenburg on it. Your history and description of Swansea seems to fix except that Earnest C. Lane was born in 1915 therefore he couldn't have managed the mine at that time. My father took over operating the mine only after my grandfather die in the late 1930's. I believe that I was name after my grandfather's who was Richard Lane. I found your website about Swansea by chance when I Googled “Earnest C. Lane Arizona”. My father Ernest C. Lane grew up in a remote mining town in Arizona and operated a copper mine during the the early 1940′s before joining the Army during WWII. He died in 1950 when I was only 2 and my mother died shortly thereafter therefore I don’t have that much information about him except for some photos that my grandmother showed me when i was a boy. The photos showed a mine, a small town in the desert and a steam locamotive pulling a flatbed car with a Dusenburg on it. Your history and description of Swansea seems to fix except that Earnest C. Lane was born in 1915 therefore he couldn’t have managed the mine at that time. My father took over operating the mine only after my grandfather die in the late 1930′s. I believe that I was name after my grandfather’s who was Richard Lane.

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