The
area of Cochise County is 6,972 miles, being about the size of the
combined areas of Rhode Island and Connecticut. This county is bounded
on the east by New Mexico, on the south by the northern line of the
Mexican State of Sonora, on the west by Pima County, from which it was
taken entire, and on the north by the county of Graham. By census of
1900 the population of this county was 9,251. Tombstone, the
county-seat, by same census had a population of 646, though, in its
palmy days, it boasted of a population of over 7,000; in the last few
months it has revived somewhat and a railroad is in process of
construction, which will go through the place striking the Arizona and
Sonora road at Fairbanks, upon the San Pedro River.
This county has three great valleys almost entirely within its limits,
which include a vast body of fine agricultural land. Two of these
valleys run directly across the whole of the county from southeast to
about northwest, viz., that of the San Pedro and Sulphur Springs, while
the valley of the Rio de Sauz, or, as better known, San Simon, crosses
the northeastern corner. These valleys with their laterals, embrace a
large amount of fine agricultural land. What is needed in all these
valleys to render them great producers of agricultural products is the
development of water for irrigation. Upon the San Pedro, some seven
miles south of where the Southern Pacific Railroad crosses that stream,
the colony of industrious and energetic Mormons at St. Davids commenced
boring an artesian well and have succeeded in fully fifty places in
bringing a good flow to the surface; others seeing what these
enterprising men hav« accomplished set to work and now for more
than sixty miles along this stream there are flowing wells at different
points.
There are two distinct mountain ranges that run the entire distance
across the county with the trend of the valleys, that is, from
southeast to about northwest, the great Chiricahua Range is the most
easterly; and there is mineral at many points and on both sides of this
great upheaval. From the vicinity of what is known as Railroad Pass,
where the Southern Pacific passes through the range from the Sulphur
Springs Valley into that of the San Simon, to, and a little beyond,
what is known as Apache Pass, may be called a gold formation, as that
is the predominating mineral. This portion of the range is frequently
called the Dos Cabezas Range, though it is part of Chiricahua Range. In
this section are many valuable gold claims, both in ledges and in
surface washings. The great drawback to the full development of surface
diggings is the scarcity of water most of the year, but if the boring
now in process is a success that difficulty is obviated. In proceeding
along the range southeasterly from the Apache Pass, silver, copper and
lead are encountered in many places, and there are some valuable
deposits of copper; about fifteen miles nearly east from Apache Pass,
over quite an extent of country on the San Simon slope of the mountain
range, is quite a showing of coal, but sufficient work has not been
done to really show it up.
In detached hills about seven miles south from Sulphur Springs is the
great Pearse Mine, which has produced within about eight years a net
profit to the fortunate owners in gold and silver, and is still in
successful operation, running a mill of eighty-stamps' capacity after
having yielded in dividends something over $15,000,000. Some thirty
miles west of the Chiricahuas is the Dragoon Range of mountains in
which are many mines of great value and in the continuation southerly,
sometimes called Mule Mountains.
'The great copper camp of Bisbee is in the southern portion of this
county some eight miles from the boundary line of Sonora, Mexico, and a
railroad from the camp enters Sonora at the town of Naco and is already
in operation. There has been taken from the mines of this company, in
about twenty years' operations, a vast amount of treasure; over
$20,000,000 have been paid in dividends, and all improvements,
amounting to many millions more, have been paid for. One item of
improvement is a railroad of sixty miles, built by the company to
connect with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Benson at the crossing of
the San Pedro.
Tombstone is a great mining producer of silver and has yielded in the
various mines fully $15,000,000. The miners' great strike of 1884
caused a suspension of work for a time, and before they were ready to
resume, silver had so depreciated in value in the world's markets that
it was deemed resumption would be bad policy, and they have practically
remained idle ever since; though within the last few months much work
is being done, and new machinery going in looking to a full resumption.
East of Tombstone, some sixteen miles, is a flourishing camp called
Turquoise, which must eventually be a great producer. There is the
thriving town of Douglas, established upon Blackwater, at the boundary
line that has only been in existence for a few months, and bids fair to
become a place of large commercial importance in a very short time.
From present indications it would appear that Cochise County must stand
well to the front as a producer for many years to come, though Arizona
throughout her hills and mountains is so ribbed with mineral lodes that
it is hard to tell what portion will eventually prove of the most
value, but Cochise County for years to come will astonish the world.
Besides the great mines there are many others being worked in a quiet
way making the mine pay all expenses, and the owners are, without
ostentation, saving up comfortable fortunes.
The school census shows there are 2,122 children of school age and an
average attendance at public schools of 1,826, and forty-two teachers
who would compare favorably with any corps of teachers in any of the
old States. The average school term is a little over six months in each
year.
Almost every town has its different denominational church, and all are
fairly supported. Tombstone has Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal and
Baptist. Bisbee, Episcopal (at the expense of the mining company),
Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Baptist. St.
Davids, one church of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) ; Benson, Catholic,
Methodist and Episcopal. Willcox, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,—so it
may be said, no man need suffer for lack of spiritual food, though not
always easy of digestion.
At Tombstone is published the Prospector; and at Bisbee there are two
papers, also, the rising town of Douglass, though only a few months
old, has two papers striving for patronage. Willcox has one paper, the
Range News; so Cochise may be said to be well supplied with newspapers.
Source: The history of Arizona: from the earliest times known to the
people of ...By Sidney Randolph De Long, Arizona Pioneers' Historical
Society
Cochise County
By Joseph H. Gray, Secretary of Warren District Commercial Club.
With an extent of 6147 square miles, equal to the area of Connecticut
and Rhode Island combined ; with rugged mountain ranges that are the
storehouses of inestimable mineral wealth ; with broad and extending
valleys wherein are ranges o'er which roam thousands of cattle, and
which are dotted with an ever-increasing number of ranches, in the
southeastern corner of Arizona, lies Cochise County which leads the
state in wealth and disputes with Maricopa County the premiership in
population. In assessed valuation it contains onefifth of the wealth of
the whole state, while its population, which in 1910 was 35,591, is now
conservatively estimated to be in excess of 40,000. Its assessed
valuation of $38,000,000, gives a per capita wealth of $950 for each
man, woman and child within its confines.
As Arizona leads the nation in production of copper, Cochise County
leads Arizona, producing one-half of the total output of that metal,
while the Warren District alone produces more than one-third of the
state's output. While mining is the chief and largest industry, cattle
raising is of great importance and agriculture is making such vast
strides that it promises in the near future to rank second only to
mining. Settlers are rapidly taking up all of the available government
land and by the development of underground wrater supplies and the
practice of intensive farming are developing the rich fertile lands of
the county into garden spots, building up substantial homes, and
gathering into agricultural communities wrhile the industry is still in
its infancy. Where formerly all was cow country now are hundreds of
ranch homes ranging from the most modest to substantial dwellings with
large outbuildings and modern farming equipment so that the lower lands
of Cochise county are in a transition period. As the hills have been
only scratched over in the search for minerals so also have the valleys
been little more than touched in proving their possibilities for
agriculture and yet the results promise as much for the one as the
other when equal development has been achieved.
Topographically Cochise County is divided from south to north by three
mountain systems which separate three great valleys. The westerly
mountain system is composed of three ranges, the Whetstone, Huachucas
and Mules, the great Warren District being situated in the latter
range, surrounding Bisbee the metropolis of the county. Farther east
are the Dragoons and still farther east the Swisshelms and the
Chiricahuas. In the mountains of the county in the early days were the
strongholds of the fierce and bloodthirsty Apaches and from these
Geronimo and his braves waged relentless warfare upon the pioneers
until themselves hunted down by government regulars and volunteers from
among the early day settlers.
The three valleys are the San Pedro on the west, Sulphur Springs in the
center and San Simon on the east. In the San Simon, at San Simon, and
in the San Pedro at Land, artesian flows of water have already been
developed, while experiments in that direction are now in progress in
the Sulphur Springs Valley, which is settling more rapidly than any
other section. In all of these valleys the climate is unsurpassed, the
land is most fertile and the magic touch of water is all that is
required to make them blossom and produce. The putting down of wells,
the erection of windmills and pumping plants in all directions is
bringing this about.
On the foothills are luxurious growths of nutritious grasses during
most of the months of the year and here and in the valleys roam the
herds of cattle owned by individuals, firms and corporations, bringing
in revenues mounting to millions each year. These foothills are also
susceptible of cultivation into vineyards and orchards, producing fine
grapes and peaches that excel any others grown in the west.
It is in the Mule Mountains that the greatest mineral resources of
Cochise County have been developed. From the Warren Mining District
there are being shipped daily for reduction 6,000 tons of ore by three
companies, the Copper Queen, the Calumet and Arizona, and the Shattuck
Arizona Companies, the former having been an active producer since the
early eighties of the last century. In this district there are hundreds
of miles of underground workings and yet the extent of the ore deposits
remain undetermined beyond the fact that they still contain vastly more
metal than has been extracted within the past thirty years and that
even then the end is not in sight.
For many years copper was the only metal to receive attention in the
Warren District but recently important deposits of rich leadsilver ore
have been developed and are now being mined and shipped for reduction.
The importance of these mines as well as the porphyry deposits is now
manifest and these wr ill from now on receive deserved attention. In
addition to this there is a large placer area at the southerly end of
the district which contains 60 cents in gold to the cubic yard and this
requires only the solution of a cheap method of extraction to become an
added source of available wrealth.
Although there are but three actively producing mining companies in the
district there are many mining claims on which development work has
progressed sufficiently to indicate valuable deposits and to warrant
assertion that further development is all that is necessary to bring
them to production.
The Johnson-Dragoon District is another important mineralized section
of Cochise County situated in the same general mountain system but in
the northwesterly corner of the county. Here there are now half a dozen
producing properties with more than a dozen others in well advanced
stages of development and scores of claims that have undergone only
preliminary exploration and work.
Pearce, Courtland and Gleeson are located in the central mountain
system, and are all producers. At the first mentioned is located the
Commonwealth, which has given up $38,000,000 in silver and is being
further developed with every indication that millions remain to be
extracted. Courtland and Gleeson both have their producing mines,
making large shipments to the smelters. Courtland is a copper camp and
Gleeson produces silver as well.
In the Chiricahuas and the Swisshelms, the easterly system of
mountains, are producing and partially developed mining properties as
well. There are numbers of these in the vicinity of Paradise
especially. Dos Cabezas promises to become prominent in copper
production in the near future.
Bisbee, the largest and most important city of Cochise County, has a
population of 13,000 and with its suburbs, all connected with it by
electric street railroads, the population is more than 18,000. This
city with its unincorporated suburbs forms the Warren District and pays
one-third of the taxes of the county. It is essentially a mining
community but at the same time affords the facilities, improvements and
advantages of the modern city. It is the most populous area of the same
size in Arizona as well as the most wealthy. Its monthly payroll
amounts to $750,000 and its business and trade importance is
commensurate. Here the underground worker's lowest wage is $3.75 per
day and other labor, as well as clerical work, is proportionately
rewarded. No Mexican labor is employed underground and American labor
predominates throughout the district. The chief foreign element to be
found in the district is Slavonian and this labor is as well paid as is
the American for the same class of work.
In its early days Bisbee was known as Mule Gulch and first attained
notice about thirty years ago when it was merely a prospectors' camp of
a few shacks and tents. Here, up among the rugged mountains the Copper
Queen company developed a mine, and others followed until there grew up
a great mining center. On the only level streets business houses were
built, warehouses constructed, office buildings erected, while the
residential districts spread up the hills and climbed to points along
the mountain sides, reached sometimes by roads, more often by trails
and at other times by flights of steps. The result is a city that in
appearance is unique. Shacks gave place to handsome buildings of brick
and stone, charming homes replaced the miners' cabins, dives and
rookeries made way for churches, libraries, lodge buildings, Y. M. C.
A. buildings, a Y. W. C. A., school houses and other public
improvements. Water was piped and pumped from Naco, nine miles away,
instead of being packed in skins on burro back. The railroad entered
and supplanted the pack train. The smelter was moved to Douglas, 35
miles away, and smoke and sulphur fumes were thus eliminated. Electric
lights and gas supplanted candles and smoky oil lamps, paved streets
appeared, a subway system carried off the flood waters of the rainy
season and devastation which had before been not infrequent was made
impossible. After several destructive fires one of the best fire
departments in Arizona resulted from improvements and a city water
supply for fire purposes was created. For these municipal improvements
hundreds of thousands of dollars were expended and permanent benefits
therefrom were obtained.
At an altitude of 5300 feet at the railroad station Bisbee enjoys a
cooler climate in summer than do the cities of the valleys, while the
surrounding mountains in close proximity effectually shelter it from
the cold blasts of winter as well as from dust storms. The average mean
temperature for the past twenty years has been 60.1 degrees, the
average coldest month, January, is 45.3, and the average month of July,
the warmest of the year, is 75.3, while the precipitation in the same
period has been 17.96 annually. The result is a climate of singular
health giving properties and despite the fact that accidents in mines
are at times unavoidable the death rate in the Warren District is lower
than in any other section of the state. Despite this fact Bisbee has
been too busy with mining and with business affairs to enter the ranks
of health resorts and today it takes pride in the fact that its
pre-eminence is as a copper producing center.
In culture, education and socially the city is at the forefront. There
is a larger proportion of college bred men in its limit than can be
found outside of college cities of the same population. All churches
are represented, all lodges also, and the Elks, Masons, Moose and
Knights of Columbus all own their homes, as do the Woman's Club and the
Country Club. A fine library and reading rooms, open to all of the
public, is supported by the Copper Queen company. Both the Copper Queen
and the Calumet and Arizona companies have their medical corps, their
dispensaries and their hospitals, where the most modern equipment is to
be found. Of the lodges it is a notable fact that the Elks built a new
home on the site of the one that had been destroyed by fire and paid
off $34,000 of indebtedness in two and one half years.
Lowell is the nearest and the largest suburb of Bisbee, ten minutes
distant by street railway, situated to the south, and in a more open
location. Here are the two hospitals, handsome business houses, and it
has its own bank and theater. Lowell is closer to more mine shafts than
Bisbee, and through its independence avoids the payment of municipal
taxes.
Warren is the residential suburb of Bisbee. Here, on a gradually
sloping plateau, commanding a view of mountains on the one side and
valley on the other, are handsome homes, surrounded by lawns,
shrubben", trees and flowers and in reach of Bisbee in twenty minutes
byelectric railway wr ith half hour service. Here are the offices of
the Calumet and Arizona company, charming Vista Park, and close by the
Country Club with its spacious home, its nine hole golf course, tennis
courts, rifle range and traps for the shotgun experts. At Warren water
and electric light are both furnished by the mining company. It has, as
has Lowell also, its own school building, all of the district being in
the Bisbee School District for which there is now being erected an
$80,000 high school building.
Tombstone, replete with historic interest, picturesquely located with a
magnificent outlook, is the county seat of Cochise County. It was
discovered in 1878, before there was a Cochise County, by Edward
Scheffelin, and was long known as one of the most famous mining camps
of the country. Millions of dollars of wealth it produced until the
problem of unwatering the workings caused a shut down by the operating
company which must continue until that problem has been solved.
Willcox is the largest town in the north of the county on the Southern
Pacific Railroad, and is the center of a growing agricultural district
as well as an important cattle shipping point. Other towns of the north
are Dos Cabezas, Cochise and Bowie; of the south Naco, important as
being the gateway to the Cananea District in Mexico and railroad
junction for the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad and the Cananea
Railroad; Benson on the Southern Pacific and Southwestern Railroads and
important as an agricultural and possible oil center; and Fort
Huachuca, the government military post. Up the Sulphur Springs Valley
is Courtland, important for its mines and surrounding ranches, while
numerous smaller settlements are rapidly growing up in its eighty miles
of length and twenty miles of breadth with the spread of agriculture.
In addition to its natural wrealth and possibilities, Cochise boasts of
its good roads and its school system. There are more miles of good
roads than can be traversed at all seasons of the year than in any
other county of the state, and these systems are being each year
extended. It is traversed by the state highway and by two of the
proposed National Highways, these passing through Douglas, Bisbee and
Tombstone, and being connected up with other points.
The public schools of Cochise County, in the 65 school districts, are
supported by an annual expenditure of over $200,000, and rank with the
best in the land. There are in attendance 4500 scholars who are
instructed by 200 teachers, the average salary for men being $111.75,
and for women $83.81. As fast as occasion requires new school districts
are created, new buildings erected and more teachers engaged so that
the progress of education keeps pace with the growth of population in
all parts of the county.
Source: Who's Who In Arizona
