Mohave County miner., 1898-06-18
WoBAVE
 COUNTY
BRIEF SRETCB OF ITS BIsToRY
 aND RESOURCE.

Mohave county l, one of the four original political divisions into which Arizona wa. al. ed afte it's segregation from New Mexico In 1864 It is bounded on the west by the ol- orado river; on the south by Yuma couuty, Bill Williams Fork of the Colorado being the dividing line; on the east by Yavapli and Co cOnlnO cou aties and on the north by Utah and Nevada. It is traversed from north to south by high ranges of mountain. between which are broad and fertile valleys
 From the earliest discovery of the precious metals untIl the advent of the railroad In lss2 the county progress was handicapped by fs isolation. All machinery and supplies had to be hauled across the desert from Los Angeles or San Bernardiuo or shipped from San Fran cisco down through the Pacific and into the Gull of California At Port Isabell the cargo was transferred to flat bot med boats which nayis ated the Colorado to distance of i've hundred miles from its mouth. Owing to low water in the river boats would be compelled to await rise before they could start for the ca rps and mining villages on It's upper waters. olmany occasions six aud eight months elsps- ed between trips aud oD these occasions the inhabitants were sometimes reduced to 6 diet of beans, seasoned with tallow canlle or an ill-havored jack rabbit h these early years the Indians evinced e decided partiality to keep the white population from increasing too rapidly. aud many prospector met horrible death at their hands in the lonely mountain fastnesses, Harassed by the Iuaisns, with poor food and poorer shelter, and hundreds Of miles of waterlsss desert between them and civilization the lot of the Aohave county pio- neer was not an enviabe one. Now all Is changed. The Indian Is at peace with the white and his copper colored offspring is be ing educated at three government institutions of Iearainy with the county. while great transeontinental railway traverses the county from east to west.
 The area of Mohave county Is l6,ooo square miles.
 The population of the county at the present time Is estimated to be 25O0 and increasing al the rate of about 500 per year.
 Kingman. village situated on the line oi the Santa Fe Pacific railroai, is the county seat. Its population is about 7o0. The iowa nestles In a little valley between the low roll ing foothills of the Cerbat and the towering peaks of the wsllspsi mountain ranges. Al the present time Kin gman Is the supply point for the greater portion of the county. The town ha' many residences that would dc credit to villages io the eastern states. Flow CTS of every variety are grown in profusion Here we have handsome brick schoOlhouse capable of seating 300 pupils; one church (M E.); two newspapers: three wholesale and re tail mercantile houses; lodging houses, restau rants and hotels sufficient to accomm odste th' requirement. of the people; and the compile ment of saloons usually found in westerI mining village. Two meat markets suppl! the iDhabitants with the iuicie of s,all-feC beef one drugstore supplies all the drugs medicines and druggists suniries to the peo pie of the whole county Two physicians lool after the physical welfare Of the populaee There are tour practicing attorneys resident O the town. Prices of all staples are very req sonabIe. Two sampling works, operated b L. J. LasselI. sample aud purchase all ore from the nelghboring mining camps offere, for sale n Rfngman. Surrounding the tow in every direction are the mines ard miuin camps of the county which in the past twenty five years have produced fully forty millio dollars in gold and silver. Besides this pro duct of the precious metals ths baser metal such a. lead and copper have be ,n produces to the extent of thousands of tons. At oa, time the production Of lead sm)1nted to twt hu ldred aud fifty tons per m)lth bat owini to the low price of pig leat in later years 1t pr)1uction hts only beel 10 connection witi the richer ores of gold aud silver.
 M)haye co1nty is essentially mining coun try. From north to sJutn tn zee distin.t monn taiu ranges traverse the country and the rock! sides of all of them are riboei ali seam d with ledge, eirrying mlneral of every descrip tion Nowhere on earth can gre tier yadet of the worlds minerals be fou1d than here Twas here that II inSoldt expressed his belle tha, the grest t,el, ,urs vaIlt of the world ex isted aud to ob.ain this treasure, thousands c men sacrificed their lives m those early day of Americas civilization No savage Ildiant no burning desert sands could keep the hard prosp ,ct ,r away from the lan1 of treasure. H blazetf the way for new clvilizstioa-he gay to the world untold wellGh We are toda reaping the fruits of his lab)fs, and will con tinue to reap until the end of time.
 The ca Hest settlers Of Mohave claim tha the first mineral found in the county was | the San Francisco mining district east ot cam NJ have. great deal of gold was taken fror these fest locations ali toisy they are a' couated valuable property. The confines C the district were too limited and the prospet tor soon found his way across the valley Int the Cerbat and wsIlapai mount,In ranges. I these ranges the production of the preciou metals was chiefly confined to that of silve The surface ores was wonderfully rich. Thou sands of tons Of ore was shipped by the rive route to San Francisco, thence to Swanses England, for re1Iction. It took good ore stand the great expense Of shipment. but tn ores were rich enough Co return to the pr' xf A f.E ar