Chino Valley

Chino Valley is the site of the first Territorial Capital of Arizona. U.S. Army Cavalry Lt. Amiel W. Whipple gave the community its name while traveling through the area. “Chino” is the Mexican name for the abundant, curly, grandma grass growing in the area. For many years Chino Valley, farmers have grown corn and alfalfa, and raised cattle. The capital moved to the town of Prescott, 15 miles south in 1864.A narrow-gauge branch of the United Verde and Pacific Railroad was completed to Jerome in 1895. This joined the Prescott and Arizona Central, and established the Jerome Junction. Between1900 and 1925, the activities of Jerome Junction were absorbed by Chino Valley. Chino Valley’s elevation is 4,750 feet. It is located in north central Arizona on Highway 89, and lies 15 miles north of Prescott and 35miles south of Ash Fork, which is on Interstate 40. The town of Chino Valley was incorporated in 1970.

      

Chandler

Chandler, named after Dr. A.J. Chandler was the first veterinary surgeon appointed to serve the Arizona Territory. In the 1890s, he acquired some 18,000 acres of irrigated farmland. In 1911, Dr. Chandler began to subdivide his land into agricultural plots. The city of Chandler was established in 1912 and incorporated in 1920.

Central

Central Arizona’s history began long ago with the Hohokam people. The Hohokam Indians date back to 300 B.C. They built canal systems in this region to sustain their crops. The reason for their disappearance is still unknown.
Today, you can see the remains of the Hohokam culture at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The monument is located just northeast of Casa Grande, near Coolidge. These ruins are some of the best-preserved pieces left behind by this Indian community.

Not only, did the Indian culture leave their mark on this area, but also so did the early pioneers. Tempe, Queen Creek, Litchfield Park and Chandler all had their beginnings in farming. The Salt River Valley offered rich soil and ideal climate for the new settlers. These towns may have started out as fields, but they have grown to become popular residential spots.

It is time to find out more about the towns of Central Arizona and their history. You will learn who was responsible creating each town and how every contribution has led to the establishment of a major metropolitan area.
      

Bouse

Bouse was settled in 1906 and named Brayton for John Brayton Martin who kept the Brayton Commercial Company for the Harquahala Mine. However, when the postal application was filed in1907, postal officials picked up the applicant’s name, Thomas Bouse, and the name Brayton faded into history.  

East of Bouse, 30 miles along a dirt road, is Swansea. Now a ghost town, Swansea was once a copper mining community of 750. Although the mine closed in 1924 and the town died, many remnants still exist. 

Twenty miles east of Bouse, in the remote Butler Valley, is Camp Bouse. This secret Army base was built during World War II to train men with a “new” tank designed for night warfare. Camp Bouse Ninth Tank Group Memorial was recently established on Highway 72 in Bouse. 

The Bouse Assay Office has been restored and opened as an information and tourist center. Founders Day is celebrated in November. The Bouse Boosters hold both a Christmas Bazaar and Spring Fever Days.

      

Bagdad

Bagdad was created in 1864, the town is approximately 104 miles northwest of Phoenix. Its history is closely tied to the copper ore responsible for its establishment. Nestled in the hills of the Aquarius Mountains, the town was named for the mining claim discovered by W.J. Pace and J.M. Murphy in 1882. A post office was established in 1910 with Henry Geisendorf as the first postmaster. 

Ruins of modern-day ghost towns survive as remnants of the rich mining history in this area. Today cattle roam where prospectors once searched for fortune.

Avondale

Avondale, founded around 1900 and incorporated in 1946, is named after a nearby ranch. 

White Tanks Mountain Regional Park lies to the northwest and is named for its natural rock water tanks. Many unusual petroglyphs are found in the 26,000-acre park, which features hiking trails, a waterfall and scenic desert vistas.

Ajo

Ajo, the birthplace of copper mining in Arizona, has a rich history dating back hundreds of years. Indians, Spaniards and Americans have all extracted mineral wealth from Ajo’s abundant ore deposits. Around 1800, there was a Spanish mine here nicknamed “Old Bat Hole.” It was later abandoned due to Indian raids. The first American in Ajo, Tom Childs, came in 1847 and found the deserted mine complete with a 60-foot Shaft, mesquite ladders, and rawhide buckets. High-grade native copper, so rich it was shipped to Wales for smelting, made Ajo the first copper mine in Arizona. Ajo did not boom, however, until after 1900 with the advent of new recovery methods for low-grade ore. Col. John Greenway formed New Cornelia Copper in 1906 and expanded on a grand scale. In 1931, Phelps Dodge, the nation’s largest copper company, bought New Cornelia. For several decades, more than 1,000 men worked for Phelps Dodge at Ajo. 

Ajo (pronounced ah-ho) comes from either the Spanish word for garlic (Ajo) or the Papago Indian word for paint (auauho). Papago’s often obtained red paint pigments from the area. The Ajo lily, an onion-like plant, grows nearby. 

History of Ajo Arizona

A Spanish mine was developed near Ajo in the 1750, called the “Old Bat Hole”. The mineshaft was on a sixty-degree angle and about every ten feet a layer of mesquite logs four feet long and three feet wide were placed to serve as rest stations for the men carrying the ore. The miners had rawhide buckets strapped to their backs to carry up the rock. Unfortunately, it was abandoned due to Indian raids. Then in 1847, the first American set up his mine in the Ajo area. Tom Childs came upon a deserted mine and found high-grade native copper. 

Ajo became the first copper mine in Arizona . Then the Ajo Copper  Company organized in 1854. During this time pack mules carried the ore to Yuma, where it was shipped down the Colorado River. Then it was sent on by boat around the Cape Horn to Swansea, Wales for smelting. However, Ajo did not flourish. The mining town remained relatively unnoticed, until the beginning of the 1900’s. The reason for its sudden popularity was the development of new ore-refining techniques, which made mining in Ajo much easier and more profitable. One of the first companies in Ajo was the New Cornelia Copper Company. John Campbell Greenway, who named the company after his wife in 1917, started the company. The town began to prosper. 

A downtown plaza was built in 1917. The plaza reveals the Spanish architecture that has influenced the town, due to its proximity to the Mexican border. Then in 1931, the company was sold to Phelps Dodge. The company had over 1,000 men working in the mine, until 1986 when it closed down. Phelps Dodge sold many of its homes in town to retirees.

Today you will find the town is a prefect retirement spot. As for the name of the town, it is hard to pinpoint. Some say it is from the Spanish word garlic, which Mexican miners found in the area. Others say it came from the Papago Indian word for paint, because this was the area the Indians collected copper minerals to make the paint for their bodies. 

Bisbee History

The town of Bisbee is one of the richest mineral sites in the world. It is interesting to know, that it beganvery simply with Hugh Jones in 1875, who came through looking for silver. Hugh decided to move onafter only finding copper stains. Then in 1877, a government scout named Jack Dunn came across anoutcropping of ore. Jack took some samples before leaving the area.

Later on, Dunn met up with George Warren, a prospector with a shady background. Warren agreed to fileclaims on Dunn’s behalf. Unfortunately, Warren told others of his agreement and filed claims with his newpartners. The Copper Queen Mine was born. Several years later, Warren lost his share of the mine bylosing a bet. Around this period, electricity became popular and so was the need for copper. In 1880, Judge DeWittBisbee of San Francisco decided to invest in the Copper Queen Mine. Then shortly there after, the town ofBisbee sprang up, getting its name from the investor.

Following its purchase, a smelter was built and themine operated 24 hours a day pulling out an endless supply of ore.Later, Dr. James Douglas visited the area and convinced Phelps-Dodge to purchase a mine near the CopperQueen Mine. After years of fighting over the ore at the boundary lines of these two mines, the two minesdecided to merge and became the Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company.In 1898, another mining company popped up on the scene. The Calumet and Arizona Company was soon arival to Phelps Dodge. During those rival years the town of Bisbee began to take off. Bisbee soon becamea rowdy little town.The town is made up of two canyons. One canyon called Main Street and the other is known as BreweryGulch.

Brewery Gulch was a popular spot for saloons and wild women. It was said that Brewery Gulchhad nearly 50 saloons. It is still a popular site to visit today. Bisbee also attracted immigrants to town. There were individuals from Germany, Italy, Ireland and Russia.All of these people came to work in the mine. High copper prices allowed miners to be paid high salaries.This caused Bisbee to be the wealthiest city in Arizona and one of the largest mining sites in the world.Bisbee held the title of being the largest cosmopolitan town between St. Louis and San Francisco. At onetime, the town soared to a population of 20,000.The town’s growth was most evident in 1902, when the four-story Copper Queen Hotel was built. TheCopper Queen has high ceilings, chandeliers and long hallways.

This elegant hotel’s guests include TeddyRoosevelt and Black Jack Pershing. During a visit to Bisbee you can stay in this historic hotel.It wasn’t until 1925 when Phelps Dodge Mining Corporation bought out all the small mines includingCalumet and Arizona Company. This purchase gave Phelps Dodge ownership of over 9,000 acres. Then inthe 1950’s, the Lavender Pit opened. The pit was named after Harrison Lavender, a manager of the CopperQueen branch of Phelps-Dodge. This pit sunk to more than 900 feet and enclosed more than 300 acres.Phelps-Dodge operated the underground Queen Mine and the Lavender open mine pit for many years.By the end of the 70’s most of the mining had closed down, due to falling copper prices.

It is amazing tothink by the time mining ended, the Bisbee area had produced 6.1 million dollars from 3 million ounces ofgold, over 97 million ounces of silver, over 8 billion pounds of copper, nearly 273 pounds of zinc and 304million pounds of lead. Mining has seen many improvements through the years from mules to earthmoving equipment and Bisbeehas followed in the steps of mining history by making changes in order to thrive. Today the town hasswitched gears and has become a haven for artists and cultural events.

Benson History

The area surrounding Benson has been inhabited for centuries. In 1697, a Spanish officer wrote in his logthat the houses along the San Pedro River were on fertile land and except for the frequent Indian attacks; itwas pleasant place to live. Then in 1860, near the place of Benson the Butterfield stagecoaches crossed theSan Pedro River.

It wasn’t until 1880, when the railroad created the town of Benson. The town was chosen for two reasons.One was its proximity to the San Pedro River and the second its location to the mines on the upper SanPedro Valley. Benson became the railroad town for the famous mining town of Tombstone. It was also ashipping point for supplies south to the towns of Bisbee and Douglas.It was in that same year, that Benson was founded. The town was named after Judge William B. Benson,who was a good friend of Charles Crocker, the Southern Pacific Railroad owner. Benson remained a
railroad hub for southern Arizona until 1910. Today it is a tourist spot, trading hub and popular retirement town.

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