Gila City, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Gila City is a ghost town
in Yuma County
in the U.S. state
of Arizona
. The town was settled in 1858 in what was then the Arizona Territory
.
, 19 miles east of the confluence of the Gila and Colorado river
s. Also known as Ligurta, the town was established as a result of Arizona's first major gold rush, when Colonel Jacob Snively led a party of prospectors to a placer deposit along the Gila River in and around Monitor Gulch, which emerges from the Gila Mountains
to the south. A booming gold camp, Gila City developed nearly overnight as prospectors rushed to the site. The Butterfield Overland Mail
route passed through the boom town and one of its stations, Swivelers
lay a mile to the east at the eastern edge of the placer deposits where a post office was established for Gila City in December 24, 1858.
The Gila placers were worked for eight years by thousands of miners. They worked the plateaus and canyons nearby, panning out $20 to $125 a day in gold dust, and nuggets weighing up to 22 ounces each were deposited at the Wells Fargo office in Los Angeles
.
In 1859 Lieutenant Sylvester Mowry
, reported about 100 men and several families working the gravels at Gila City and saw more than $20 washed from 8 shovelfuls of dirt. Some miners were paid $3 a day plus board to work lower grade deposits. Most of the gold was recovered by first drywashing, then by wetwashing the dry-panned concentrates at the Gila River.
Flooding of the Gila River in early 1862 destroyed the town, and the post office was discontinued on July 14, 1863, and most of the population moved on to the new goldrush at La Paz
. The best of the placers continued to be worked on a reduced scale until 1865, all the known productive ground was worked over at least once since then. A few large-scale operations were later attempted over the years, but these were unsuccessful. Small-scale mining continues today.
The area of gold-bearing gravel extends from 1/4 mile east of Dome to 3 miles west of Dome
, but most placer mining was centered around Monitor Gulch, 1 1/2 miles west of Dome. Most of the gold in the gravels was found at or near bedrock in gulches, but much gold was recovered from bench gravels in the area.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Yuma County
Yuma County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*70.4% White*2.0% Black*1.6% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*20.8% Other races*59.7% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The town was settled in 1858 in what was then the Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
.
History
Gila City was founded on the south bank of the Gila RiverGila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
, 19 miles east of the confluence of the Gila and Colorado river
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
s. Also known as Ligurta, the town was established as a result of Arizona's first major gold rush, when Colonel Jacob Snively led a party of prospectors to a placer deposit along the Gila River in and around Monitor Gulch, which emerges from the Gila Mountains
Gila Mountains (Yuma County)
The Gila Mountains is a mountain range in southwestern Arizona in the northwestern Sonoran Desert.The Gila Mountains of Yuma County are a northwest-southeast trending mountain system, about 26 miles long; the fault-blocked mountain range is attached on the south to the Tinajas Altas Mountains...
to the south. A booming gold camp, Gila City developed nearly overnight as prospectors rushed to the site. The Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
route passed through the boom town and one of its stations, Swivelers
Dome, Arizona
Dome is a ghost town located in Yuma County, in southwestern Arizona, United States. Originally Swiveler's Station, 20 miles east of Fort Yuma, on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, a post office was established here in 1858...
lay a mile to the east at the eastern edge of the placer deposits where a post office was established for Gila City in December 24, 1858.
The Gila placers were worked for eight years by thousands of miners. They worked the plateaus and canyons nearby, panning out $20 to $125 a day in gold dust, and nuggets weighing up to 22 ounces each were deposited at the Wells Fargo office in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
In 1859 Lieutenant Sylvester Mowry
Sylvester Mowry
Sylvester Mowry was an American best known as a pioneer of Arizona and the founder of Mowry, Arizona. He also served as an officer in the United States Army and was arrested as a traitor during the American Civil War....
, reported about 100 men and several families working the gravels at Gila City and saw more than $20 washed from 8 shovelfuls of dirt. Some miners were paid $3 a day plus board to work lower grade deposits. Most of the gold was recovered by first drywashing, then by wetwashing the dry-panned concentrates at the Gila River.
Flooding of the Gila River in early 1862 destroyed the town, and the post office was discontinued on July 14, 1863, and most of the population moved on to the new goldrush at La Paz
La Paz, Arizona
La Paz was a short-lived, early gold mining town along the Colorado River in La Paz County on the western border of the U.S. state of Arizona. It was the location of the La Paz Incident in 1863, the westernmost confrontation of the American Civil War. The town was settled in 1862 in what was then...
. The best of the placers continued to be worked on a reduced scale until 1865, all the known productive ground was worked over at least once since then. A few large-scale operations were later attempted over the years, but these were unsuccessful. Small-scale mining continues today.
The area of gold-bearing gravel extends from 1/4 mile east of Dome to 3 miles west of Dome
Dome, Arizona
Dome is a ghost town located in Yuma County, in southwestern Arizona, United States. Originally Swiveler's Station, 20 miles east of Fort Yuma, on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, a post office was established here in 1858...
, but most placer mining was centered around Monitor Gulch, 1 1/2 miles west of Dome. Most of the gold in the gravels was found at or near bedrock in gulches, but much gold was recovered from bench gravels in the area.
External links
- Ghosttowns.com, Yuma County, Gila City
- Dome District (Gila City District), Gila Mts, Yuma Co., Arizona, USA
- A Look At Historic Gila City Arizona And Its Sad Fate - The Arizona Prospector
- Arizona Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project, Internet Presentation, Version 050710, DOME CEMETERY AND GILA CITY - DOME, Yuma County, Arizona, By Kathy and Ed Block, APCRP Historians