THE ARIZONA MINING DISTRICTS; MINING LAW AND A WHOLE LOT MORE

摘要

We've all heard of the early formation of mining districts and the formulation of laws for the establishment of mining rights. The example most people talk about is the mining district regulations of the gold rush in California, but I'd like to talk about what happened in Arizona to provide a semblance of "law" apart from the establishment of rules for staking claims. As the "adventurers" drifted back from California, they looked at the potential of placer gold in the Gila River and along the Colorado River and the possible mother lode in the Bradshaws. The elephant in the room at the time was the Civil War, both in the United States and in Sonora, and as such it was a tricky proposition for prospectors in New Mexico Territory. The northern part of what became Arizona Territory in 1864 was solidly in the Union camp, while the area around Tucson was a hotbed of Confederate sympathizers. As a result, the California Volunteer Cavalry was formed in 1862 to turn back a Confederate incursion into Tucson that culminated with the battle at Picacho Peak and Confederate retreat into New Mexico. The Union soldiers stopped in Arizona and established Fort Bowie at Apache Pass. From this point, many of the solders, who had been recruited from the California gold fields, spent their off-duty hours prospecting in the Chiricahua Mountains and also knew of mineral values in the Dragoons in the vicinity of Dragoon Spring.