The Florence tribune., 1901-10-26
THE GREAT SILVER KING.
The Story of it's Romantic Discovery.
 Great Wealth of Native Silver.
By Harry Ellington Brooke in Los Angeles Mining Review.

place, and called it the Silver Queen; also oue known as the G.obe niue, in [ the district nov cal ed by thai name.
 In 1875, Mr Mason snd one of his neighoors, Benjamin W Rrgnn form d I party of five to go with a train of 1 animai lo lhe Glpue mine to take out l some ore On their way back, March l Fl, 1875, they were attacked by the | Apaches, end one of the party was | killed. His body was buried at the Stoneman grade Copeland went to fetch mule which had strayed, and found it standing on some creppings at one sideof the trail, some of which he broke off The party at once realized that they had struck lhe long-looked- for "pure stuff {" Hurrying pack to the river, they returned onthe follow Ing day with supplies, aud, on Marcn 2, 1875, located the celebrated Silver King mine, which pruduced millions of dollars and for several years paid rcgu- Tar monthly dividends. the stock sell- ing at go per share or more. Y- Is after the discovery an old man walked into the Silver King mill et Pinal and announced himself as Sullivan. He proved his iaentity and was given work in the mlll.
 The discovery of this rich mine naturally led to great rush os pros pectors in that direction. The hills for several miles around the Silver King were thoroughly explored hun dreds of shafts were suak and tunnels run into the mountains, some of them to depth of several hnnirei fat Quite ali.tle city sprang up at Silver King, and & town of some importance at Pinal City, where there was another mill in addition to that of the King Yet, so faras l can remember, not one other really profitable mine was dis covered within b radias of five miles of the Silver King. Some old miners have the theory that you will never ind any very rish deposits of ore within few
 miles of another, unless itis part of a continuous.ledge After years offrni
 less effort, that theory became quit
 popular around Pinal.
 few nles southeast of Pinn City ! II,n D,-.1 N--o1fs.i.+.l Company, under Aaron Mason, built
 shelter to work a large deposit Of sil- ver-lead ore, and a small town called
 Bntte sprang up Silver declined in value transportation was very expen- sive, and the en erprise did not last long. see that this property has
 since oeen acquired by C4Iif,rnisas.
 A little fartner of is .liner Il Creek,
 picturesque region, where for miles rocks are brilliantly stained vita the
 peacock hues of copper. The Ray mine, which has since become so cele- brated i'd the hands of aa English com
 pany, was known in those day asa To- cation upen which some work had been done, but little was thought of copper , at that time. The mine belo nged tc Charles Horn, who named il after Ray Tolies, the son of friend of his, a car penter at Pinal Horn sold the mine fo, . a sma sum, and 1t lay Idle for .nlny : years. Copper indications are aound-
 ant in that section.
 Pioal county was an important ant fiourisaing division of Arizona twent, E years ago, but since then it has beer t playing in nard luck" Before mao,
 years this will come to the front as al
 agrieultural section Vita the con
 -truction of the Sln Carlos dam. on tn If upper Gila river by the Federal gov IT ernment, an appropriation for wnic :. was, unfortunately, q feated at tn
 last session, there i> no reason vhyt '' lower Gila country should not becom T. rival of the Salt River valley, espe .s cially If the loug-looke and muc ,r talked-of railroad is constructed.
 As long agoas 1882 there was orgar ized eompAny to ouild railroad fro IT Casa Grande to Globe, by way of Pm ,e City. It has not yet materializtd, bl .d then, Los Angeles has been waitin
 longer than that for a railroad to Sa Lake, and San Diego for railroad le Yuma.