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Posted by Scott Rogers on June 1st, 2009In 1863, prospectors led by Joseph Walker and Pauline Weaver, discovered placer gold along the upper Hassayampa River, northeast of Wickenburg, and not too far north of Wickenburg, where a surface nuggets covered the ground on what came to be called Rich Hill. Gold fever resulted in a large influx of prospectors hoping to strike it rich. However the lack of water needed to placer mine brought disappointment and frustration. The Hassayampa has yearly cycles of a lot of water and no water in the summer. It was said that there was either enough water to float a steamboat …
Continue reading “The Walnut Grove Dam“
Posted by Scott Rogers on April 20th, 2009I had heard about an ocotillo fence that was part of an old sheep herders camp. The camp was located close to Constellation Road, near Wickenburg, Arizona. After a fifteen mile ride on my ATV, which involved much searching, I found the location. The remains of an ocotillo fence were there.
There was an old man at the camp. We sat around and talked. He related the following story to me.
His granddaddy, Reed, started the camp we were in and he was the one who planted the ocotillo fence. One spring just weeks before the lambing season he hired a young man …
Continue reading “A Sheep Camp Story“
Posted by Scott Rogers on December 9th, 2006There have been several comments on my article about Bradshaw’s Grave and there seems to be an interest in visiting the site. I would be happy to lead a group out to the grave and share the history of the area that we pass through. We will visit several abandoned mines. We will pass by the ghost town of Swallow; we will also go by the sight of the former Whipsaw Nudist Colony (which was established by Hippies in the 1960’s). We will be close to the site of the Wickenburg version of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. We will …
Continue reading “4WD Historic Trip to Bradshaw's Grave“
Posted by Scott Rogers on August 31st, 2006After the Walnut Grove dam disaster in 1890, the narrow minded leaders of the community of Wickenburg refused to allow the Mexicans and Chinese who had perished in the ensuing flood to be buried in the local cemetery. Ygnacio Garcia was a local rancher who responded to this affront and donated land for a cemetery so they could have a proper burial place. The cemetery is located about one mile west on Highway 93. The cemetery is on your left set back from the highway. Not wanting to acknowledge the generosity of a Mexican, the town called the cemetery “Catholic Cemetery.” …
Continue reading “Ygnacio Garcia's Gifts to the Community“
Posted by Scott Rogers on August 19th, 2006When Cortéz and his conquistadors entered Tenochtitlan they were taken back by the bright red color of some of the clothing worn by the Aztecs. They had nothing like it back in Spain where they only had plant materials to dye clothes and the colors were not very bright. They were quick to seek out the source of this bright red dye. The source of the red color was from the cochineal scale, a small insect that attaches itself to the purple prickly pear cactus (Santa Rita Opuntia). When crushed this scale results in a bright red color When they found …
Continue reading “Cochineal Scale“
Posted by Scott Rogers on July 5th, 2006Hard rock mining in the West was dangerous. It was more dangerous than any other occupation. A miner’s life was not worth much to the mine owners and it was commonly said that miners were cheaper than timber. Danger existed in any task — a carelessly swung hammer, lack of timber or a poorly placed timber, a poorly loaded charge. Probably the most dangerous aspect of mining was silicosis.
Americans and Chinese were experts in placer mining (above ground), but most lacked the expertise to be hard rock miners. The mining companies always sought out the miners with hard rock mining experience. …
Continue reading “Hard Rock Miners Died Young“
Posted by Scott Rogers on April 4th, 2006In 1886, forty year old Barney Martin a friendly and well liked stage agent and owner of a general store was forced to sell his store and his ranch in Stanton (formerly knows as Antelope Springs) by Charles B. Stanton, a corrupt and vicious man. Barney, his 32 year old wife Rosie and their two sons, John 13 and William 10 loaded their personnel belongs into a wagon and left on the stage road to Phoenix. Barney’s intentions were to send his wife and children back east to stay with her parents while he would return to Stanton to make repairs …
Continue reading “Martin Family Massacre“
Posted by Scott Rogers on March 23rd, 2006In 1862 the brothers William and Isaac Bradshaw along with William Warringer, sought and received a 20 year exclusive contract from Arizona’s first territorial legislature for a ferry service across the Colorado River between Providence Point, California and Olive City in Arizona. William Bradshaw’s brother Isaac, ran the ferry most of the time, while William went to the Weaver Mining District in Arizona and spent his time prospecting and exploring. William died in 1864, later that year the Silver Mountains were renamed the Bradshaw Mountains.
In 1867 Isaac Bradshaw got gold fever so he sold his interest in the ferry in Providence …
Continue reading “Isaac Bradshaw's Grave“
Posted by Scott Rogers on March 3rd, 2006Constellation Road was built as a road to service the mining Districts of Black Rock, Morgan Butte and Sam Powell. Around 1890 an old stagecoach driver by the name of Ed Devenny started a stage service from Wickenburg to the town of Constellation. Ed was a famous Western stagecoach driver. The days of the Concord stage were over and since he had spent most of his life looking at the East end of a West bound horse, he opted to finish out his days driving horses. He would leave Wickenburg every morning driving a buckboard mail stage and return to Wickenburg …
Continue reading “Constellation Road“
Posted by Scott Rogers on February 6th, 2006The Anderson Mill was run by two brothers. At the start of World War II all of the mines and mills that were not essential to the war effort were ordered closed. Anderson Mill and the mines supplying it were allowed to continue.
The Anderson Mill
The mill was for obtaining muscovite mica. As part of the mining of the granite pegmatites other minerals were at times selectively hand cobbed and shipped. The mica produced was used as electrical and heat insulation as well as in joint compound and paint.
The mill was last operated in 1951 and it is my understanding that it …
Continue reading “Anderson Mill“
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