Arizona's First Army Volunteers (1866)

Camp Lincoln C. 1868

 In 1866, Gov. Goodwin organized two companies of “native volunteers”, the first volunteers of Arizona, to be stationed at Camp Lincoln. Historian Donald W Lockhart wrote about them in 1936: They were “unique and almost comical in appearance. They were composed of Mexicans, renegade Tonto and Mohave Indians, Frenchmen, [and others], all poorly clad and practically all barefooted. Many [of the] Indians were in native dress, but all seemed disciplined and obedient to their superior officers. When these volunteers were on duty, the brutal Apaches knew they had met their match.”

Two Ghost Towns You Never Heard Of

Some Yavapai County townsites were as speculative as the mineral worth of the ground they stood on. Two towns had particularly short existences: the oil town of Heslet in Chino Valley, and what could be described as a suburb of Jerome named Oxford.

1897 Rail Trip to Jerome Vividly Described

It was autumn when a representative of the Arizona Miner made a railway trip from Jerome Junction (today a part of southern Chino Valley), along the narrow-gauge line to Jerome. His description of the journey, published in the October 20th edition of the Weekly Arizona Miner, was delightfully descriptive.

The Birth of Clarkdale, Arizona

The town of Clarkdale was a pet project for Senator William A Clark, owner of the United Verde mine in Jerome. It was the first planned community in Arizona and included all the makings of a modern town. It provided telephone, telegraph, electrical, sewer, and spring water services for its residents. Situated at the bottom of Cleopatra Mountain, it would be the smelter town for the mines of Jerome and the surrounding area. “To build a perfect town [was] to be the aim and ambition of former Sen. Clark,” the Mohave County Miner wrote, “and money will be lavishly spent to make it as near [perfect] as possible.”

A Grave Robber's Remarkable Find

Meet John Love. In his day, at the turn of the last century, he was known as a “relics prospector.” Today he would easily be considered a grave robber. “Those who come in contact with him dub him queer, eccentric, etc., explaining that he was struck on the head in early youth by an iron bar and has suffered more or less seriously since,” the Arizona Republican reported. Still, the same paper also described him as “John Love, the well-known searcher for prehistoric relics…”

What Yavapai County Has Sent to the Smithsonian

Yavapai County has sent hundreds of thousands of items to the Smithsonian Institution; most of these are insects and indigenous artifacts, but several other intriguing and occasionally mysterious items have been sent there as well. The most interesting of these are the items that the Institute had never seen before.

Amazing Discoveries of Yavapai Co. Ancients

Mummies, pygmies, and three separate accounts of giants are some of the amazing finds that were made in the early 20th century in the greater Yavapai County area. Back then, “Indian artifacts” were a commercial business where people would sweep up arrowheads and any other objects and sell them in stores or on the roadside.

Shamefully, much of this activity devolved into what could only be described as grave-robbing until the Antiquities Act made such behavior illegal. However, these relic hunters would occasionally come across some astonishing items…

Earthquakes Around Prescott

Some might be surprised at the frequency of earthquakes in the “Quad-City” area,* while those who were aware might be surprised at some of the odd ways they manifest here.

Yavapai Co's Astounding Agriculture: 1912

Those unfamiliar with the agricultural past of Yavapai County are sure to be astonished by the variety and success of the crops. Almost anything imaginable was planted, and most did well--for a time.

1912 was a healthy year for both rain and crops with several varieties reaching mammoth proportions...

Indian War Military Posts of Yavapai County: A Primer

Fort Whipple

One cannot fully understand the Indian Conflicts in Yavapai County without a general understanding of the military posts of the time.

Here then is a primer of the early military posts including locations, dates, the the reason behind their names. This is first presented in alphabetical order, followed by a chronological list.

23-Ton Blast Shakes Yavapai County

United Verde Mine, Jerome, Arizona

December 20th, 1925, seemed a day like any other. People were busy getting into the Christmas spirit, making final preparations.

A train, about an eighth of a mile outside of Jerome, AZ, was taking on water when one of the train's engineers noticed some smoke rising at the United Verde Mine. When he looked more closely, he noticed that the roof of the powder house was on fire!

Quickly, he climbed into the train's engine compartment and pulled on the whistle for all it was worth.

Shortly, people in the town of Jerome started coming onto the street, curious as to what the fuss was about. They, too, noticed the mine's powder house roof on fire.

Everyone realized that in a matter of a few short minutes, 23-tons of TNT would explode violently.