Mohave County miner., 1891-07-04
Past and Present.
Mohave County's Prosperous
Stride.

In response to your invitation TO furnish
for publication, on the anniversary Of the
birth os our Repabiic, i brief review Of
the settlement, the material and intellect
ual progress Of our CD ir,ty, would sly
That according TO our Information this
portion OF the Territory was first enttre,i
by miners in 1866 an was called the
Sacramento district; .lt,aou<h perhaps
more than century ago the Jesuit
Fathers explored this region, as there are
traditions among the IIdisns that long
ago pale faces used to pass through the
country with long lines Of donkeys loaded
with sacks OF gold and silver ores.
Tools of an ancient pattern, and evil
dences OF ore and material for ornamen-
taiion, having been extracted, have been
found especially in the vicinity OF Mineral
Park
The miners referred To as having been
the first to open up the mines OF Mohaye
county having kept the secret Of their
discovery mostly TO themselves and not
being in sufficient force to Withstand an
attack Of the warlke Wallapai Indian
tribes, were In the fall Of the next year
driven from the district, portion OF
their number falling victims to the mer-
ciless saYages The Indians have always
maintained that they were justified in
this attack by the fact that their chiei
E-na-tha and an Indian named Pan-the-
pia we're murdered near the Willows by
the whiteS, and that some thirteen other
Indians were murdered by the whites
without just cause near Thorn Spring,
bnt OF the truth OF these statements your
correspondent knoweth not.
Ii il perhaps safe 10 say that white
men are not all saints, and that reckless
bravado and crude instinct for revenge
for real or fancied wrongs, common TO all
uncivIlized natives, has been the cause
Of much bloodshed in these new coun-
tries These Wallapia Indians have
given no serious trouble for many years,
10 fact they are quite seryiceable to the
whites in hunting stock, as house SER
wants and many other ways.
In 1871 company OF resolute pros
pectors residing in Nevada, hearing from
afar the existence OF these mines re-
entered the district narning it the Wal
lapLi MiniGg District. They discovered
the Keystone, Lone Star aud many other
veins containing almost every variety Of
base metals, and OF gold and silver ores.
No secret was made OF their discoveries.
FrienAis joined them from Nevada and
California, other mines were discovered,
many new districts were formed in the
various mountiin ranges, and Mohaye
county rose iron the otscuri,y OF barba-
rism and took name and place ia the
country.
The range OF mountains which form
the axis Of this early mining region was
called Cerbat, an Indian word signifying
mountain sheep, they teing plentiful at
that time in the country. A town site
was surveyed and the city of Mineral
Park, as it was called, was rapidly built.
This was the mining center from which
much prospecting was done along the
western side OF the Cerbat range.
Another mining camp was soon estab-
lised almost six miles s,uth on the same
range, and called Cerbat, one almost the
same distance north called Chloride.
Stockton and other mining centers were
established on the east side Of the noun
tains, and the mines were worked in a
crude way, and without capital OF suita'
bic machinery for number OF years.
Among the men whom the writer remem-
bers ~ being here prior to the advent
Of the miners ia II and taking an active
part in the development OF the country,
were Samuel Todd, A. T.. Davis, Benz.
II. Spear, James Bull, Captain w. III.
Hardy, Daniel Smith, Henry Lambert,
tvJohn hughes, d. l.. Holister and many
others whom We could mention by q few
moments reflection. Some Of these po-
neers have moved to other countries,
some are still with us, and not few
have passed to the other shore, where
they await our coming.
Among the first suitable machinery
Tor treating the ores OF the Wal
lapai district WIS the Mineral Park Mill,
( IL