b'RR Late for BoomThe mill crushed ore steadily. Some 500 businesses were built, including stores, hotels, sawmills, a burro express to Prescott, schools, churches, saloons, gambling houses, reading rooms, a club, and amenities. A post office with the shortened name Crown King instead of Crowned TO THE BRADSHAW MINES King of the company name was opened. The Crowned King Company produced $1.5 million in precious metals and paid nearly a quarter of a million dollars in dividends that first decade.In 1899, a new eight-inch vein was discovered at the 500-foot level that assayed at $186,000 per ton. Unfortunately, the three partners were at odds by then. A lot of high grading was going on along the new vein. Bradshaw Mountain Railroad Tunnel Place became so suspicious he tried to shoot Harrington, who, also suspicious, had sued Place, costing the original discoverer his fortune. Only $100,000 was recovered While production of ore could be tracked from thefrom the new bonanza vein. Harrington sold out, Humboldt area from the 1860s when King Woolsey hadShekels went to Los Angeles and became a real estate a water-powered quartz mill on the Agua Fria belowmagnate, and Place went bankrupt, dying broke. New what was to become Humboldt, the big boom for thelife and new investors, including the Murphy group, town came with the opening of the Iron King Mine bycame into the mine when the Bradshaw Mountain Prescott mining engineer Fred Gibbs. At a time whenline arrived at the old camp nestled in the pines at the lead was worthless, Gibbs convinced investors in 1934 tosummit. At least another half-million dollars worth of back his scheme to build a 100-ton mill to process low- bullion was removed the following years, the rail line grade lead ores. The mill was enlarged to 1000 tons permaking operations feasible. 169 E Wickenburg Wayday and Humboldt, which had never had a populationWickenburg, AZ 85390of more than 1000, boomed to a town of 2000. The IronBetween Poland Junction & Crown KingKing ore did not run out until 1968. Going north from Crown King, Horse Thief and928-684-6123Saddle depots marked the way down from the summit.Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. DAILYOn to Crown King Alexandra where the Peck silver mine stood was the best-You board the train the next day for the return to Polandknown stop on the route. Alexandra, discovered by Ed Junction and south to Crown King. After the trainPeck and three friends in 1875, grew into the territorys takes the fork in the track south at Poland Junction, thepremier silver mine. One of the partners, T.M. Alexander, first stop is Arizona City, then on to Mayer where thelaid out the town of Alexandra, which had some 100 Bradshaw Mountain Railroad rails technically begin. Justbuildings, including two hotels, a butcher, cobbler, south of Mayer is Gray Eagle and Blue Belle, two morewhiskey distillery, brewery, and more than 500 citizens.mining camps made possible by the rail line. Just southIt was slightly larger than Prescott in its early years.of Blue Belle is Cordes.From Cordes, its a long and winding stretch of track toOn your train ride toTurkey Creek and then a short distance to Middleton. But the real zig-zag ride is yet to come. The train leavesPoland in the early 1900s,Middleton for Peck or Alexandria, Saddle and Horse Thief, zig-zagging radically between canyons, cuts,you found a mining camp of ledges, and steep grades between these depots. From Horse Thief its a short but steep grade to Crown King,some 800 people. The camp which the Bradshaw line had reached in 1904. By the time the Bradshaw line arrived, Crown King had passedhad a telephone, electricthrough much of its glory days. lights, hot baths, and every The southernmost mine on the line; it was 45 miles north of Phoenix as the crow flies. About 1870, the Tigerbusiness necessary forand Del Pasco mines were founded in the area, near the summit of the Bradshaws. Miners flocked in froma mining camp. everywhere. A camp called Bradshaw was founded only to die a short time later. Davis Poland built a log cabin and arrastra where Crown King was to be and may beBy 1880 the ore body, rich as it was, was worked out. considered Crown Kings first resident. By 1877, a smallA fraudulent revival of the Peck Mine was promoted log cabin town called Bradshaw Basin had been built onin 1900 but low-grade ore bodies at the Black Warrior, the banks of Poland Creek. A sawmill and quartz millSwastika, and Silver Prince mines nearby were all that were built by Prescott saloon keeper C. A. Luke. remained by the time the Bradshaw Mountain line went through in 1903. Orren Place bought the quartz mill grubstaked by Noah C. Shekels, a merchant from Bradshaw City. Place, developerMiddleton, above the Peck depot on the line, was the of the Buckeye claim, struck rich ore. Shekels and Georgemajor stop between Mayer and Crown King. George P. Harrington, an Illinois banker, formed the Crown KingMiddleton had promoted the mines above Crazy Basin, Mining Company in 1888. By late that year, they shipped aincluding the De Soto. Operated by the Copper Cobre 146-pound bar worth $46,720. A stage line was started andMining Company, the De Soto was a major shipper on Crown King could be reached from Prescott by stage inthe Bradshaw line after it arrived at Middleton in 1903. ten hours, or two days, depending on weather conditionsA 4000-foot tramway fed up to 300 tons daily from on the old Senator Highway through the mountains.the mine down to the siding at Middleton. Owners Freight wagons took much longer. The next ten years sawof the Humboldt smelter acquired the mine in 1905. Crown King boom into a center for several other miningProduction continued and boomed during WWI. Before companies, such as the Gladiator, Oro Belle, Del Pasco,the Great Depression in 1929, the Desoto had produced and Boaz. The camp became a supply center for thesemore than three million dollars in copper.mining outfits and several small companies in the region.continued on page 45ArizonaRealCountry.com June 2021 43'