Castle Dome Landing, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Castle Dome Landing, Arizona
|
|
|---|---|
Castle Dome Landing, 1877
|
|
 Castle Dome Landing, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Castle Dome Landing, Arizona
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yuma |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Abandoned | 1978 |
| Named for | Castle Dome Mountains |
| Elevation | 203 ft (62 m) |
| Population
(2009)
|
|
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| - Opened | December 17, 1875 |
| - Closed | December 4, 1876 |
| - Opened | August 6, 1878 |
| - Closed | June 16, 1884 |
| GNIS feature ID | 24347 |
Castle Dome Landing, Arizona (also known as Castle Dome City) is a ghost town in Yuma County, Arizona. A ghost town is a place where everyone has left. It started as a transport and mining camp around 1863. This was when Arizona was still a territory.
Contents
History of Castle Dome Landing
When the first Americans arrived in the Castle Dome Mountains in the early 1860s, they found signs of older mining. It was believed that Native Americans had mined there years before. They would carry the ore about 18 miles (29 km) south. There, they processed it by the Gila River.
As people found more minerals along the Colorado River, many mining camps and steamboat ports grew. Prospectors looked for gold and silver. The Castle Dome Mining Company bought many claims in 1863. They planned Castle Dome Landing as a shipping point for ore. This ore was sent to California to be smelted. Smelting is a process that gets metal from ore.
Early Mining Camp Life
Serious mining began in 1869. Before that, there were problems with Native Americans. The mining camp was first called Pitoti. This name came from a special plant thought to grow only there. As the area grew, the town was renamed Castle Dome. A post office opened on December 17, 1875. But it closed less than a year later, on December 4, 1876.
Castle Dome Landing Thrives
While the mining camp slowed down, the nearby landing by the river became busy. This landing was for steamboats of the Colorado River. It was used to transport ore and bring supplies to the mines. The mines were about 17 miles (27 km) east of the river. This new town was named Castle Dome Landing.
The post office reopened on August 6, 1878, under this new name. The small port became a very active place. It was the first stop for steamboats coming up the Colorado River from Yuma. The town was a popular spot for travelers. They came from Yuma for celebrations. Mexican Independence Day on September 16 was a big event there.
Some people say the town's population reached over 3,000. It was almost as big as Yuma in 1880. At its busiest, it had a post office, a hotel, a saloon, and a general store. It also had places for smelting.
Why Castle Dome Landing Declined
Like many mining boomtowns, Castle Dome Landing began to shrink. Mining activity went down. The post office closed on June 16, 1884. However, the mines reopened in 1890. They became an important source of lead during World War I and World War II. For example, the Arizona Lead Company produced a lot of lead in 1943 for the war.
After World War II, the need for lead decreased. The town declined again. Mining continued for some years. The school closed in 1950. The mines opened and closed as the price of silver changed. By 1978, all the mines were shut down. The last residents had left.
What's Left of Castle Dome Landing
The original site of Castle Dome Landing is now underwater. It is beneath the Imperial Dam reservoir in Martinez Lake.
The land where the Castle Dome town and mining camp once stood was bought in 1994. Allen and Stephanie Armstrong turned it into the Castle Dome Museum. The museum has over 50 restored and rebuilt buildings. Seven of these buildings are original to the town. The others are period buildings made from local materials. Each building, like the saloon, hotel, and blacksmith shop, looks like it did 100 years ago.
Mining in Castle Dome
.jpg)
At first, people looked for silver in the area. But many silver finds turned out to be galena, which is a lead ore. The area had much more lead than silver.
The Castle Dome mining district is one of the oldest and most productive mining areas in Yuma County. Being close to the Colorado River made it easier to ship ore. This meant even lower quality ores could be mined for profit. Besides silver and lead, the area has many other minerals. These include zinc, copper, and gold.
Over time, the Castle Dome mines produced a lot of minerals. This included 10,697 short tons (9,704 tonnes) of lead. They also produced 498,000 troy ounces (15,500 kg) of silver. Other minerals found were zinc, copper, and gold.
The Castle Dome mining district is popular with mineral collectors. The region is known for unique combinations of minerals. These include cerussite, fluorite, vanadinite, and wulfenite. The Hull Mine and Puzzler Mine are famous for unusual green vanadinite and yellow wulfenite.
Where Castle Dome Was Located
Castle Dome Landing, which is now underwater, was located at 32°57′54″N 114°27′49″W / 32.96500°N 114.46361°W. This is about 30 miles (48 km) north of Yuma.
The original Castle Dome town and mining camp, now the museum, is located at 33°02′28″N 114°10′50″W / 33.04111°N 114.18056°W. It is very close to the Castle Dome Mine.
