The Weekly Journal-Miner and the residents of Yavapai County were absolutely enchanted. The President of the United States, William McKinley, would be visiting the Arizona Territory, and his first step upon the young territory’s soil would be in Yavapai County!
On his way to Los Angeles, the President would take a side trip to the massive Congress mine from Phoenix and planned to spend an hour or so there. “He had never seen a big gold mine, and will avail himself of an opportunity to inspect the Yavapai Bonanza from the croppings to the 3000-foot station,” the newspaper proudly crowed.
Notice of the President’s visit came from Frank Murphy, a major stakeholder in the mine, when he was informed by his brother, Territorial Governor Nathan Oakes Murphy. “This will be the first time that a president of the United States will have been in Yavapai County,” the paper noted.
“Congress is getting on its gala attire for the occasion of the president’s visit there. The party will be treated to an experience at the big gold camp, which cannot be duplicated, probably in the United States in a mining camp,” the paper stated. “An engine and car can be run up over the switch back to the very mouth of the big working shaft, where the party, by transferring from the car to the mining car, can be dropped down 3000 feet below the earth’s surface…”
Prescott was making preparations, too. A special train consisting of an engine, three coaches, a combination coach, a baggage car, and Governor Murphy’s private car were made ready. “The engine was beautifully decorated with bunting and flags, special pains being taken with the decorations, as the engine…will also pull the presidential train out of Phoenix to Congress and return [the next day],” the Journal-Miner delineated. “The rear coach had a streamer in red, white, and blue stretched along its side, containing a ‘Welcome to the President’ [banner] in large letters.” In addition to over 100 passengers from Prescott, around 70 were added from Jerome and “another carload…from the P&E railroad,” the paper continued. They expected to arrive in Phoenix around 7 PM the evening before the President’s arrival.
The President’s train was an hour late in arriving at Phoenix, and the Southern Pacific Railroad, at first, refused to turn over the cars to the Santa Fe Prescott & Phoenix engine “going in advance as pilot.” Soon they did, however, and the SFP&P engine piloted the party to the massive mine.
They reached Congress Junction, “and [were] immediately transferred to the Congress road,” the Journal-Miner described. “After a three-mile trip to the mine property. A special train took the executive party over the switchback to the mouth of the incline shaft leading down to the mine.
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| McKinley (circled) is shown waiting to descend into the Congress mine. |
1500 feet down, the President and his party were met by a group of miners waving American flags, “the tunnel being illuminated by electrical lights,” the Journal-Miner explained. “The scene made a decided impression on the mind of the President, as he remarked that he had seen the American flag floating from public buildings and from battleships, had seen it waved by school children, and had seen it in almost every conceivable shape and form, but that was the first time he had ever seen it waved beneath the earth’s surface and in the hands of the sturdy American miner.”
The President, Secretary Wilson, and the First Lady stayed at that level while the rest of the party went down to the 3000-foot level to see where the current mining was taking place. (Mrs. McKinley’s health was too fragile to continue.) Those who did continue were treated to the sight of 1400 ounces of gold being melted into an eight-and-a-half-pound bar of gold, especially for the executive party to see.
During this process, one miner burned his hand severely, but tried to hide it. However, the President noticed, “and taking him by the [other] hand, he sympathized with him on account of the accident, and remarked: ‘You are certainly a true and worthy American citizen, possessed of the true American grit.’”
Despite scheduling only an hour at the mine, the party spent three hours, mesmerized by the workings and the gold.
The only disappointment Arizona suffered was that McKinley made no definite assurances regarding Arizona's statehood. “President McKinley hopes that the sturdy Arizonans will soon be able to convince Congress that Arizona is ready for statehood. Arizonans had hoped to receive some more definite assurances of the assistance in the matter,” the paper opined.
Those assurances came two presidents later when William Taft visited Arizona, including an extended visit in Prescott.
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Here's the Story: POTUS Visits Prescott, Statehood at Stake
The charming story of William Howard Taft's visit to Prescott, Arizona, in October 1909.
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SOURCES:
Weekly Journal-Miner:
4/24/1901; Pg. 1, Col. 6.
5/1/1901; Pg. 2, Col. 6.
5/8/1901; Pg. 1, Cols.7-8 & Pg. 2, Col. 6.
5/22/190; Pg. 2, Col. 2.
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