Boom Towns |

Curly Bill: The Outlaw King of Old Galeyville

September 5, 2011 By Andrea Aker Leave a Comment

The genesis of Galeyville, on the eastern side of the Chiricahua Mountains, was similar to many other short-lived boom towns in Cochise County.

In this case, it all started in 1880 when John Galey arrived from Pennsylvania to promote a silver mine. Since the prospect was only 60 miles, as the crow flies, from Tombstone’s bonanza, Galey visualized himself as the next silver king of Arizona. He secured some financial backing and laid out a townsite. Before long, Galeyville boasted 11 saloons and some 30 other various and sundry enterprises.

The boom lasted only about a year. The silver played out and Galeyville became another metropolis that didn’t quite metropolis. The story of old Galeyville might have ended right there, had not a pack of outlaws led by Curly Bill Brocius decided to take up residence.

Filed Under: Dose of History, Small Town Scene, Southern Arizona Tagged With: boom towns, cowboys, crime, history

How Miners Dug Gold in Old Arizona

March 19, 2011 By Andrea Aker 2 Comments

Back in 1850, when the New Mexico territory was created, the wild, untamed western portion that would become Arizona was sparsely populated by non-Indians. The only white community was Tucson. Word quickly trickled back east about the vast mineral riches. “If ya stumble on a rock, don’t cuss it—cash it” or, “If ya wash yer face in the Hassayampa River ya can pan four ounces of gold dust from yer whiskers.” Rumors—but each one sent thousands of would-be millionaires scurrying up hundreds of arroyos searching for the elusive madre del oro.

Placer gold, the kind you could mine with the toe of your boot, or a jackknife, soon played out and the day of the romantic jackass prospector evolved into the era of the hardrock miner.

Filed Under: Dose of History Tagged With: boom towns, early arizona, mining

Pauline Weaver: The Story of Prescott’s First Citizen

March 9, 2011 By Andrea Aker 3 Comments

When old Joe Walker, a big, strapping, ex-mountain man, and his party of prospectors arrived at Granite Creek in the Spring of 1863, another old mountain man, Pauline Weaver, was already camped there. The area where the future territorial capital city of Prescott would be founded was the stomping grounds of the Yavapai and Tonto Apaches. Both groups had a reputation as formidable foes of the whites who asked no quarter and gave none. Surprisingly, the earliest days of Prescott’s history were relatively free of bloodshed and the credit goes to Pauline Weaver.

Weaver is one of those ubiquitous characters who best fits the description of one who never had time to write or narrate early Arizona history—he was too busy making it. Born in Tennessee around 1800, he was the son of a white father and Cherokee mother. For a time he worked for the Hudson Bay Fur Company but preferred warmer climates, so he headed for the Southwest.

Filed Under: Dose of History, Northern Arizona, Small Town Scene Tagged With: boom towns, civil war, early arizona, history, la paz, prescott, small towns, storytelling

The Partial Resurrection of Fairbank in Southern Arizona

May 3, 2010 By SamLowe 1 Comment

In its prime, Fairbank was the site of a hotel, school, mercantile, several houses, stage depots and four railroads. Not bad for a town which, even at the height of its popularity, had only about 500 residents. But those days are gone and Fairbank is now a mere remnant of its glory days as a center of mining activity. Now, however, there’s a valiant effort underway to make sure those days aren’t forgotten, as well.

Filed Under: Dose of History, Small Town Scene, Southern Arizona Tagged With: boom towns, early arizona, fairbank, small towns

Mining the Past at Castle Dome City

April 25, 2010 By SamLowe Leave a Comment

There was a time when Castle Dome City was bigger than Yuma, but those days are long gone. So is most of Castle Dome City.

Fortunately, Allen Armstrong and his wife, Stephanie, are collectors, and what they collect is history in the form of old buildings. As a result, Castle Dome City lives on. In a way.

The Armstrongs have collected and restored more than 20 old buildings that were once part of the Castle Dome Mining District, a former major silver producer. The mining began in 1862 and was productive until 1978, when the last mine closed. The Armstrongs bought what was left of the town and began collecting artifacts that related to mining.

Filed Under: Dose of History, Southern Arizona Tagged With: boom towns, history