Spook Cities Whisper of History

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Spook Cities Whisper

The Southwest is haunted by pinches of gold dust, as in the days of ing quantities. The largest weighed ghosts of a bygone civilization. '49. three and one-half pounds. The supply of They hover over ruins of dead gold was apparently inexhaustible. cities, one time centers of teeming life abandoned to solitude, disintegration, mysterious memories. Arizona has her share of such ancient ghosts, crumbling and buried relics of people who florished here about the time of Christ, and then inexplicably vanished.

It would be an unimaginative and unLa Paz was established at the foot of adventurous vacationer in these parts a high mesa about two miles back from who would not be impelled to take his the Colorado River; the fact that in a fry-pan and try his luck at panning dust previous flood the river had risen and from a region rich in history and who inundated the land for quite a distance knows-perhaps still hoarding a bonback from its regular course made it imanza or two. possible to build a town on the shore of the river proper.

But aside from these ruins of the HoLA PAZ Most of the gold was shipped down hokam, the Vanished Ones, Arizona has the Colorado River and the Gulf of Caliother "ghosts," mouldering remains of La Paz, once the seat of Yuma county fornia into Mexico to be refined and cities that within the memory of man government and the most important city minted, since Indian depredations made yet living sprang into existence, lived of Arizona, has vanished. One can pass it almost impossible to ship the metal briefly and intensely, and died. These over and around it without suspecting east. At that time the United States are among America's youngest ruins that he is in a ghost city that once was involved in the Civil War and could built, used, and fallen into decay within housed 6,000 people. It sprang into expay scant attention to Indian troubles the past century. istance in the midst of hot desert counin the Southwest. try, provided the stage for the most deadly Indian fighting in the history Most of them were mining towns that of Arizona, produced enougň goid to reThe government was buying munimushroomed into turbulent being upon plenish a sadly depleted United States tions abroad, chiefly on credit, with the discovery of rich gold placers, ledges treasury during the Civil War, was (acwhich to equip Union armies; the Ameriof silver, or deposits of copper ore. cording to some authorities) the direct can paper dollar was worth only about There are grizzled pioneers who will tell cause of the creation of the Territory of 35 cents in foreign countries. The govyou plenty of tales of these "devil's Arizona, and was seriously considered ernment awoke to the fact that sorely playgrounds" where poor men became as the capital city of Arizona. needed gold was being shipped out of rich in a single day and rich men lost the country in large quantities; wherefortunes in a single night. They will tell Gold was discovered here in large upon congress created the Territory of you with gusto of bonanzas and booms; quantities by Pauline Weaver and a Arizona, establishing fixed boundaries, of miners, gamblers, and "bad men"; of party of trappers, early in the sumand sent cavalry and infantry to La hair-raising fights with the Indians; mer of 1862. As the report of the disPaz and other gold centers to protect and their stories will end on a tremolo covery became circulated, people of all shipments to the east. The name Ariznote; "But thar ain't nothing there now, nationalities flocked to the new El Dorona became nationally significant. excepting a few heaps of 'dobe. And ado. The placers were worked actively gila mosters and rattlesnakes and over a period of about seven years, and a coyote or two in that time $8,00,0000 in gold was reLa Paz florished. It became the chief ported to have been taken out. Mining source of supply and pleasure resort Some of them will maintain that methods were of the crudest. There for new settlements of Prescott, Wicken"thar's still gold in them hills." They were no dry-wash machines; the miners burg, Congress Junction, and Signal. will say that every big rain brings new used Mexican bateas, large wooden Miners, business men, gamblers and gold-bearing sand into the washes and bowls, as ordinary gold pans. Water, confidence men comprised its heterogegulches, and will show you persons who away from the settlement, was scarce, ous population. Few men had their fammake a decent living panning it out. and commanded a price of two dollars ilies with them. Mohave squaws, comely At Quartzsite, Yuma County, the stores a gallon for personal uses and for washand vigorous women, did the housework, still have gold scales, and prospectors ing gold in the placers. and as one writer put it "met the dopay for their beans and bacon with mestic needs of the camp." Money

of History Remains of Cities That Lived and Died

flowed lavishly-the entire populace was possessed by a fever of reckless extravagance.

Then railroads entered the Territory, opening up new sources of supply. The placers began to play out. People moved to new placers at Ehrenberg, six miles further up the river. So ended the glory of La Paz.

CAMP McMILLEN

In 1870 Dory Harris, a tenderfoot, and Charlie McMillen, a dyed-in-the-wool prospector, left Globe to prospect in the White Mountains. In the early stages of the trip McMillen succumbed to the effects of too much imbibing, tumbled off his mount into the shade of a group of trees, and went to sleep. His tenderfoot companion, fuming impotently at the delay, picked idly into a moss-covered ridge and uncovered a ledge of native silver. So the famous Stonewall Jackson Mine came into being. Drawn by the tale of discovery, peoole forsook Globe and thronged the rails to the new bonanza. Life at amp McMillen was fast and furious. Drinking, gambling, and shooting were nere pauses in a day's work. Disputes etween individuals were likely to end in violent bloodshed-affairs of honor beween men backing their opinions with orty-five Colts-and when the duel was ver, regardless of who won, the verdict was always self-defense.

The camp reached its peak in 1880; half a dozen saloons flourished, poor men grew suddenly rich at mining and rich men as suddenly grew poor at gambling. But in 1885 the pay streak played out, and a funeral exodus was began. McMillen was abandoned to its destiny as a ghost town.

There were a few old timers who clung tenaciously to the dream that Camp McMillen would some day come back. "Uncle Charlie" Newton was one of these. He sat on his porch, smoking his meerschaum, and waited 46 years for the old town to come alive again. It is said that the bowl of his pipe bears an imprint hollowed there by the constant application of Uncle Charlie's thumb as he smoked and dreamed and waited. Death relieved his vigil in 1929. McMillenville sleeps on.

QUIJOTOA

The ghosts of Quijotoa, sometimes called Logan City, high upon the slope of Ben Nevis Mountains in Pima County. Here in the remains of a city on a "mountain shaped like a basket" are said to be heard weird whispers; bells ring without a hand; doors open of themselves on creaky hinges. So much remains of a thriving mush-room mining town that lived intensely, dramatically for a few years, and then died. It is claimed that an old Spanish manuscript, found in a mission in Lower California, told of ore being carried out of this region as early as 1774. The ore was probably carried to Lower Califor(Continued on Page 19)