Bradshaw City, Arizona: Difference between revisions

Bradshaw City was a mining camp in Yavapai County, Arizona, it is now a ghost town. Origionally established in the 1860s, Bradshaw City was a haven for many of the early pioneers of Arizona. The town died out in the mid to late 1880s.

When gold was discovered in the Bradshaw Mountains, dozens of ghost town sprung up around and on top of the mountains over time. Bradshaw City was founded on the northwest side of Mount Wasson. At first the settlement was litterally a camp but due to the vast pine forrests all over the Bradshaw Mountains, stone and lumber was quickly used to build permanent structures. Saloons, stores, restaurants, and two hotels accomidated the large population of arounf 5,000. Bradshaw Bity's nearest major settlement was Prescott, thirty miles away. Settlers could travel for free on the only wagon accessable road. A man named Simpson operated a wagon train and apparently did not mind the company for over two days, which is how long it took to travel between Prescott and Bradshaw City during the forntier era.

The only other route known to have been that leads to Bradshaw City was through Minnehaha Flat and then through a five mile steep mountain trail, rendering a wagon or anything on wheel too large to make the trip. In 1871 the city was flourishing and a few years later continued to boom. A post office was constructed in 1874. The town officials suspected 10,000 to 20,000 people would eventually settle there but unfortunately the 1880s were just ahead, a time when many towns became ghosts, just as Bradshaw City did. The post office was closed in 1884. Little of the city can be found today.

• Sherman, James E (1969). Ghost Towns of Arizona. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-0843-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)