Cochise College Student Papers in Geology
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Roger Weller, geology instructor
wellerr@cochise.edu
Ghost Towns-Arizona
Joel Hocker
Physical Geology
Fall 2005
Ghost Towns of the Sierra
Vista, Arizona Area
Arizona has always been well known for its mining towns such as Bisbee and Tombstone. But what about the mining towns that are no longer in use? These types of towns are called ghost towns; a ghost town is any place where people once lived, or are still living, that is a shadow of its past glory. The following is a brief description and some photos of a few ghost towns in the Sierra Vista, Arizona area.
Charleston – Located 1 Mile past Charleston Bridge on left
Charleston in 1885 Charleston Today
Credit photos to Arizona Historical Society
In 1800, Charleston was a mill town with reduction works for the Tombstone Milling and Mining Company. Charleston was built because there was no water to work the reduction facilities in nearby Tombstone. It was built on the banks of the San Pedro River and in present day, all that remains are small adobe foundations hidden below the tree line. The town itself was pretty much destroyed by war games that were played there by the soldiers form the nearby Ft. Huachuca.
Gleeson - Located many miles down Middlemarch Road
Gleeson Today, Credit photos to Kurt Wenner and Theresa and Cian Cochran
Originally named Turquoise, Gleeson was a town of about 500 people that mined copper. As the mines played out in 1940, Gleeson became the semi-ghost it is today with a few residents still living there. The Gleeson (Turquoise) area and the hills on the Southside of Dragoon Mountains were used by the Indians for mining decorative turquoise. When the white man came to the area, they found copper, lead and silver, but they kept the name of the camp - Turquoise. The town got a post office in 1890. In 1900 one Irish mine-worker from Pearce by name John Gleeson searched the Turquoise area and registered the lot by the name copper belle and renamed the town Gleeson. In 1912, a fire destroyed 28 houses, but the town was rebuilt. When the mines became empty of copper in 1940, Gleeson became ghost town. Today, the area is actually still used by Tiffany And Company of New York when the situation warrants.
Sunnyside - Located on the west side of the Huachuca Mountains
Sunnyside Today, Credit Photos to Tom McCurnin
Sunnyside was a very religious mining town that was formed by the followers of
a man by the name of Sam Donnelly. Donnelly was a drunk from San Francisco who
became a preacher for the Salvation Army. His path took him to tombstone where
he met the founder of the Copper Glance Mine in the Huachuca Mountains. From
there the town of Sunnyside was formed as a 100% religious mining community that
was fed off of the income from the Copper Glance. The town slowly died when Sam
Donnelly did in the 1890’s. Today, only a few buildings remain.
Corrections to student's information provided by a relative (3/22/07):
My grandfather, Lawrence Donnelly, told me differently. He was
born in Sunnyside in 1896, one of three sons to Samuel. Samuel Donnelly died of
Bright's Disease in approximately 1900. He wasn't exactly a drunk from San
Francisco. He was an immigrant from Barrhead, Scotland who signed on with a ship
that came to San Francisco. According to family history, he was something of a
drinker before (and maybe after) his religious conversion in San Francisco. He
became affiliated with the Methodist church, not the Salvation Army. He had some
connection with the Methodists in Los Angeles. He broke that off and wound up in
Tombstone. He co-founded the Copper Glance mine and the camp sprung up around
it. I never heard the term "Donnellites" until visiting
http://www.ghosttowns.com . I don't think anyone in the mining camp that
became Sunnyside ever used that term. Our family history does say that Samuel
Donnelly was the charismatic leader of the community. I don't think anybody
referred to him as "Sam" in public.
Paul Sprawl
Duquesne and Washington Camp – Located in Santa Cruz County 10 miles North of Lochiel
Duquesne Today Duquesne 5 years ago
Credit photo to Joel Hocker Credit photo to Tom McCurnin
These two mining camps were so closely allied in location and history that they are almost never treated separately. Apache raids at the time kept the area from becoming very populous and thriving. However a few pioneers kept pushing and eventually created the two towns. The location of the Bonanza mine by a man by the name of N. H. Capen in the early 1880’s sparked the beginning for the town of Duquesne when the mine was sold to Duquesne Company in 1889. Washington camp was formed around Washington Mine in 1887. The two camps were located less than a mile from each other and there were mining claims in the entire area. The area is rich in copper; it also had many deposits of azurite, quartz crystals, and turquoise.
These towns are slowly succumbing to the threats of vandalism and weathering. Some of these towns are no longer accessible due to vandalism and having been sold. Duquesne has been sold and now has a barb wire fence around the entire area and has signs that say “do not stop for any reason”. Southeastern Arizona is rich in history and these ghost towns are just a very small example of its history.
Works Cited
11/21/2005 http://www.ghosttowns.com
Arizona Place Names, Byrd H. Granger, University of Arizona Press, Tucson Arizona, 1960