Weekly Phoenix herald., 1883-10-04
HISTORY OF MARICOPA
 COUNTY.
wICKENBURG.


 consequen ly necessary in the hiss tory of Maricopa county, as this se'- clement was one of the first cradles of American civilization in this dee sert land and furnished from among it's citizens most of the pioneers of this hen uninhabited cou try.
 When Nickrnhrrg received its name the town of Prescott and the city of PhoenIx were as yet unhearu of, ard even the Territory of Arizona was not in existence. The organic act fixing the boundaries of Arizona. and providing for a temporary gov- ernment for the same, was approved d by the National Congress on the 24th day of February, 1863. Previ- ous to the act all the land lying be- tween the present wes ern line of New Mexico and the present eastern line Of California was included in New Mexico, which also stretched eastward to the Rio GIande. This immense stretch of territory with the addition of California was ac> quired from Mexico by the treaty # Guadalupe Hidalgo at the conclu> sion of the Mexican war, July 4thr 184S. It will be remem bcred that the United States by the provisions of this treaty were to pay Mexico S15, 900, assuming also all debts due by that republic to American citizens. These debts amounted to $3.500, 000, making in all total of SIS, 100000 as the the price paid for California, Arizona and New Mex ico, exclusive of "blood and trea- sure" wasted during the two years war, which lasted from April 1946 to July 1S4S. Five years later the Gadsden purchase secured to the United States the country lying south of the Cila between the Colo rado and the extreme western line of Texas.
 Henry Wickenburg who is still a citizen of this Territory first reached here from California in 1862. He travelled t. Yuma and from thence via the Colorado river to La Paz.
 From La Paz he struck across the country with companions who wish- ei 10 explore. and reaching the villages of the friendly PimI India s on the Gila push, on into Califor- nia via inc Gila river to it's cor flu ence with the Colorado at Yuma. After ieac citing San Fanci co ii safe ' he still felt the spi it of ad ven ure S;rQng in him a::d t rte :: again for AriZ pni, via una and La Paz. From this later place he irl- weed asi ard through 5h- then un- discover d c"un'ry, and near Antel- ope Hill he met a party if Americ n prusprctors, among whom We're G H. I'et plrs, G. R. Roberts and others still Twin in his country. Gold in paying quantities had ju-f been dis cover ed in thai locality, now k oD n d. the Weaver dis ricr, and Wi ken burg went into partnership win t. H. Peoples in a placer claim. Soon after, however, he settled with his partner aud struck out for ''pasiur'.s new" Accompanied by T. c Ru>k (Verde Green) and Major Won Bib Ser. he moved furtl CT down the HaSsavampa on a s, arch or the Pinihaichipe' gold miue, which N as supposed to lie sorewn"re OF ihe wet side of the Haquirala moun> iains. an unexplored rargr lying forty mil~s west of he creek.
 This PIniha'chi get 4ol mine has been eagerly searched after by many Ariz nA prospe' tor, but is still un~ found. It seems that some Indians had guided King Woolsey. Gri nell and Jack Hinton Gall well known ana reliable men) to a place on the extreme western slope of the Haqui halas where, as they stated on their return, there were several pies of rich gol ore which had the appear> ance of having been dumped from a train of mules. On finding these pilrs the party who were suffering for water, were compelled to return to the Hassayampa; when they had reached the river, and supplied themselves with water for the return trip they started out again to go to t!iese piles of rich gold ore, but could not find them, nor has any ore sue ceeded in the same enterprise.
 It was while returning from a fruitless search for the Pi"ihatchipet gold mine that Henry Wickenburg and his two comnanions discovered 1 the celebrated Vulture go,d d"posil Being out.of water and sixteen miles from the Hassayampa, they were forced to hurry on, but Wick burg took care to secure samplrs of the ore which on reaching water he .e- ted and found to be rich in gold. tfusk aud Bibber, his two cnmpa- lions soon lief for other part, ard or six months he lived ther on l.e ,ank> of the H ss yampa, lodging -ndIans by gay and rawl;nG into he bru at night for safe'y His lorses would come in to water rly very mo niug, and catch ng th,m c tied them up all day until the vening, when under cover of the arkness he led them out into the pod a-tu' age on he for'hills, ard turned them lo@>e," He was so m evading or outwitfing , I0dian~ thatcitizens of lhe s.nail -ttlement of whites ut Aptel pc .1 l, b.,1 4, s.,o,