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| Iron King Mine |
Despite being isolated in the wilderness of Arizona, mining camps still enjoyed wondrous and touching Christmas celebrations in 1903.
Lynx Creek District
The Lynx Creek district was close enough to Prescott that everyone but two men left for the town or elsewhere. That left George Hartman and Bill Moore isolated in the camp, and they decided to celebrate Christmas in a novel and unique way. The two also enjoyed the bird life of Yavapai County.
“There were no children near,” the Weekly Journal-Miner explained, “and they determined on having a Christmas observance, even in the loneliness of their camp, and gave probably as unique and original a Christmas tree as was ever given. It was a Christmas tree for the birds.”
They found a young, 15-foot-high pine tree upon which they hung meat, bread, rice, and other delicacies that birds enjoy, completely loading it down. “On Christmas day, they probably had the biggest Christmas party held in Arizona,” the paper believed. The birds flocked in by the hundreds. When they ate their fill, “they flew away and apparently notified others, as their places on the tree would soon be occupied again. A sufficient supply was placed in the tree to last two days, and the Christmas party was kept for that period.” The men stated that “they had as happy a time watching their feathered guests, as they ever experienced on a Christmas Day.”
Christmas Shopping in 1897 Prescott
A description of what it was like to Christmas shop in 1897 Prescott, Arizona.
Sultan Mining Camp
The Sultan mining camp was home to scores of people and truly was isolated, being located approximately 16 miles south of Bagdad.
The first thing on their Christmas program was a large dinner that would make “the White House turn green with envy,” the Journal-Miner stated. Two women put it all together, and after 56 people had eaten their fill, there was still plenty of food left over.
Then the school children performed a program which included songs, 6 tableaus (skits) and 5 recitations. Judges awarded prizes to the children who performed the best.
Then came the Christmas tree, “which was decorated profusely with all kinds of presents and ornaments,” the paper continued, “the prettiest and most costly being the fine band instruments presented to the band boys of Santa Maria.” One man footed the bill for the instruments, and the band members must have been thrilled. After the presents were all distributed, everyone marched to the dance hall, keeping time to the grand march as it was performed on the new instruments. The dancing began at once, “keeping the room warm until midnight, when a nice lunch was served.” Then it was back to dancing, which continued until the sun rose.
Iron King Mine
1903 was the first large Christmas celebration at the Iron King Mine, located just east of Humboldt, “to which everyone in the camp is cordially invited,” the Journal-Miner explained. “A Christmas tree and entertainment are to be given…on Christmas Eve.” Every attendee, whether a child or a child at heart, would get at least a bag of candy and nuts.
The sun was out, the sky was blue, and there wasn’t a sign of snow anywhere. But the relatively warm weather mirrored the warmth of the camp’s celebration. Gifts came in through the postal service, and people invited one another to dinner.
“The most enjoyable feature of all was, of course, the Christmas tree and [the] entertainment held on [Christmas Eve],” the paper told. “The Christmas tree [was] heavily loaded with gifts of all kinds, beautifully decorated and brilliantly lighted by numerous wax candles… Everyone in the camp, from the age of five [who were] able to get there at all, was present, for Santa Claus was surely as good as his word.” 150 people crammed into the camp’s meeting hall with every seat taken. A committee of ladies was responsible for all the festivities, raising over $75 (nearly $2800 today) to purchase the gifts.
A “live” nativity scene was performed on a stage in the back of the hall, which was constructed just for this purpose. An abbreviated version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was staged, “which seemed to the audience [as] all too short,” the paper said. The entertainment also included five seasonal carols and fourteen recitations.
After the entertainment, gifts were distributed with everyone receiving at least a bag of candy, nuts, and other goodies. The manager of the mill received “a fine Stetson hat.” The camp’s school children saved up money to buy the camp’s school teacher a fountain pen. The Sunday school teacher got one as well. The organist of the church was given “a beautiful gold ring.”
“Some of the men who spent their Christmas holiday away from camp were rather disappointed,” the paper revealed. “They went to town for a change and a rest, but the Prescott merchants got nearly all the change, and the railroad company the rest—to bring the boys back to camp.”
”And so even in this mining camp perched upon the barren crest of one of Yavapai’s ancient hills, inevitably isolated in many ways from the ordinary culture and refinements of life,” the paper reflected, “[everyone] felt, and many so expressed themselves, that the Christmas season at Iron King was enjoyed fully as much as others spent under the more familiar and comfortable surroundings of the old homestead far away.”
Regardless of the time or place, the spirit of Christmas is unsinkable, indeed.
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SOURCES:
Weekly Journal-Miner:
12/23/1903, Pg. 1 Col. 4.
12/30/1903, Pg. 1 Cols. 5-6.
1/6/1904, Pg. 1 Col. 2; Pg.3 Col. 6;
1/13/1904, Pg. 1 Col. 9.
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