1878: Blood Flows in the New Town of Gillett

Ad for the saloon where the trouble started. 

It all started with a good old-fashioned bar fight. It was midday, June 12, 1878. Deputy Sheriff James C Burnett heard a commotion inside Frank Smith’s saloon. He entered and found that a man only known as Setwright was arguing with another named Tom Farrell. As Burnett entered, Setwright twice struck Farrell over the head with a bottle, shattering it in the process. Burnett quickly broke up the fight and arrested Setwright.

However, the incident would grow into two murders and a lynching, and, at one point, 75 Gillette citizens were blamed for the killing of a peace officer.

The Forgotten Mother-Load at Richenbar, AZ

Many are familiar with the mining riches that came out of Tip Top and Crown King, but there was another mother-load of gold in that area known as Richenbar.

It was 1867 when three miners decided to explore what appeared to be an ancient, worked-out mine. They descended a 45-degree angled shaft into what appeared to be a cave. There were no timber reinforcements to be seen, and the only thing connecting the ceiling to the floor was a single 4-foot pillar in the middle of the expanse. Upon closer inspection, they noticed a pure vein of gold within the pillar measuring 2 inches thick. Two of the miners wanted to extract it, while the third thought it was too dangerous. The two carefully worked the pillar and were successful in extracting a “coffee sack” full of ore, which eventually was found to contain a whopping 937 ounces of gold.

This mine would come to be known as the Aztec Mine when ancient Native American tools were discovered inside. Eventually, the entire surrounding area would have claims, and the town of Richenbar was born. Soon, the gold deposit there became famous, and the famous would invest in an area so rich that one miner thought it would bring "death to gold."

Old Black Canyon Rd was a Stagecoach Robber's Paradise

When it comes to stage robberies in Yavapai County, the road from Prescott to Wickenburg may have had the most infamous heists, but the Old Black Canyon road was the route that was pinched with alarming regularity.

Gillette, AZ: Boom To Bust in 35 Years

Daniel B Gillette needed a mill for his Tip-Top mines, and the mill needed water. He found a spot 6 miles away on the Aqua Fria River. In a matter of months, not only was the mill in full operation, but a whole town, complete with stores, saloons, and hotels, had sprung up out of the wilderness. 

Just nine years later, the town, which some thought would rival Prescott, would be dealt a mortal wound.