The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1902-02-06
OLD-TIME SKETCHES
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GALEYNILLE Z.

The Tom mbstone excitement in 1850,
attracted widespread attention. Tho
influx OF miners and prospectors from
! all sections of the western slope, finding
the country in and around the camp
pretty we'll located. they necessarily
| branched out which fact led TO the
opening up OF other localities where
mineral was found in greater or less
quantities. The Turquoise camp in
the DragOon mountains, east OF Tom B.
stone, was among tho earliest 10 at
trac: attention. Some marvelously
rich ore was found, and considerable
development work was done. Some
few sales were made, but as Tomb
declined, these workings were aban-
doned, and the owners OF the property
scattered. The present camp of Glea-
500 was built upon the wreck OF Tur-
Quoise. Pursuing their way to the
eastwork, the nomadic prospectors in
vaded the Chiricahua mountains, and
camp fires dotted the hillsides through
out their entire length. Some few
crossed the range still to the east
ward, and finding mineral, they estab-
lished the camp OF Galeyville. The
camp was Immediately reinforced by
others in search OF easy money, and the
town OF Galeyyille, from a few tents.
became a mining village of some i'm
portance.
Stores, lodging houses, hash found
ries, blacksmith shops and all the
para pharnalia of well regulated min
ing community we're soon in full blast,
aud doing q land office business. Not
the last, nor yet the least OF the in
dustries established were, as a matter
of necessity, the inevitable saloons
where all the boys and some OF the
girls congregated to exchange their ex-
periences and cash for their equivalent
In coffin yarnish, at % cts. gur9le,
where as they imbided, the prospective
millionaires became immensely rich
at small outlay, and the smiling and
painfully polite barkeeps raled in all
the loose change in sight.
10 CiCC'Ch, AcodS
built, stage lines established, and that
necessary adjunct to all American
settlements, postoffice was soou
running in full swing, and all the
big dailies as also the territorial papers
were eagerly scanned for news by the
hungry multitude. The pioneers Of
the camp had frequent fights with the
Apaches, then on The war path, and
many of the boys were killed or wound
ed by the government wards. Nota bly,
was this the case in the fight at
Major Downing's sawmill over the
range directly west of Galeyville.
Here handful of miners and prospect
ors, reinforced by some of the San
Simon rustlers, held at bay some sixty
redskins for nearly an entire day.
How many good Indians were made in
this fight will never be known, as the
crafty redmen made way with their
dead and wounded, but is it known to
a certainty that several braves went
to the happy hunting grounds carrying
some OF the white mems lead in their
carcasses.
San Simon station on the Southern |
Pacific railroad, some twenty-eight
miles up the valley, was the supply !
point for the Gahyvillains, and the |
dusty road between the two points was
lined with teams.
Strange to relate, the only man who !
ever realized anything in Galeyville |
mining properties, was rawhide Tex
rs cowpuncher, who would not recog-
nize a mine if he met one on the trail. |
He sold out for Sl3, 600 and rolled his
tail for Texas The old timers sneer-
ingly referred to him as a damphool,
but subsequent development proved
that he was the smartest
man in camp.
Sam Vessels. an old time Nevada
who had invested all his
loose change in big smelter, stayed
with the camp until stern necessity
him to pull up stakes and
migrate. He got hungry. It was at
that Curly Bill for the first
Time was crossed in argument by a
husky miner, who levelled and pulled
triggers before Bill fully realized the
fellow was in earnest. Bill literally
got it in the neck, Is the miners bullet
barely missed severing his jugular
vein, and Bill would have been finished
there and then, had not some OF the
miners friends interfered and dissuaded
him from repeating. Bill smilingly
that he was in the
wrong. and the trouble was patched up
by all hands taking drink at Curls's
expense. Galeyville is now part OF ap
extensive COW range, and its glory has
departed.