Courtland, Arizona facts for kids

Courtland is a ghost town located in Cochise County, Arizona. It was founded in 1909 because of a big discovery of copper. The town is nestled at the base of the Dragoon Mountains. It's about fifteen miles northeast of Tombstone. The town got its name from Courtland Young, who was one of the owners of the Great Western Mining Company.

How Courtland Started and Grew

The Crescent Cafe in Courtland in July 1909.

Between 1908 and 1909, four large mining companies started digging for copper in the Dragoon Mountains. These companies were the Great Western, Calumet & Arizona, Copper Queen, and Leadville. Because of this, many people moved to the area very quickly. They set up a tent city almost overnight.

Soon after, two railroad companies built lines to the town. This helped bring in more settlers and supplies. A post office opened on March 13, 1909. The town even started its own newspaper, the Courtland Arizonian, that same year.

At its busiest, Courtland had about 2,000 people. It had many businesses and services. There was a car dealership, an ice cream parlor, and a movie theater. The town also had a baseball field and a horse racing track. Of course, there were also houses, hotels, and a local jail. In 1911, the town's Chamber of Commerce was formed. Their first big project was to get water for everyone. Within months, they installed five miles of water mains.

Why Courtland Became a Ghost Town

The good times in Courtland didn't last very long. Within ten years, the mines started making less money. By 1921, many people began to leave the town. At first, the Dragoon Mountains seemed full of copper. But around 1917, miners found a layer of limestone about 300 feet down. This meant there wasn't much copper left to dig.

Because of this, the mines were eventually closed. Even though most people left, the post office stayed open for a while. It finally closed on September 30, 1942.

The Courtland Jail

Today, the old Courtland Jail is the only building still standing at the town site. After most people left, many buildings were sold and moved. Others simply fell apart over time. The Courtland Jail was built in June 1909. This happened after an event involving a prisoner in the old "jail." The old "jail" was just a small, broken-down mine shaft with a wooden door.

One morning, a prisoner tried to escape by setting his mattress on fire. The next morning, Deputy John Henry Bright found the prisoner unconscious. He had to pull him out of the smoky shaft. This incident showed that a better jail was needed.

The new jail was built with strong materials like concrete and steel. Some of the materials used were even recycled, like old railroad ties and rails. The building cost the county about $1,000. It had two cells, each fourteen by fourteen feet. There was also a small office in the middle. Each cell had a sink and a toilet.

Interestingly, some miners found the jail appealing. Many people in Courtland lived in small cabins, shacks, or tents. So, spending a night in the jail was sometimes more comfortable! This led to the jail often being crowded. The town even had a system where prisoners could work on the roads to reduce their sentence. But many preferred to stay in jail instead of working. This meant the town had trouble finding workers for its streets. The county also had to spend a lot of money feeding the prisoners. They even called the jail "The Bright Hotel."

After 1916, the jail was not used much. It stayed in good condition until April 1938. That's when the county removed its metal gates and barred windows. These parts were used to build a new jail in Benson. Since then, weather and visitors have caused more damage. Still, the main building remains standing. The Gleeson Jail, in the nearby ghost town of Gleeson, was built in 1910. It looks very similar to the Courtland Jail. In 2008, the Gleeson Jail was fixed up and turned into a museum.

Deputy Sheriff John Henry Bright

John Henry Bright was the only person to serve as the deputy sheriff of Courtland. He was also the constable, or jailer. Bright became deputy in 1908, right when Courtland was founded. He stayed in town until 1916, when his job was no longer needed. During his time as a lawman, Bright faced many challenges.

The Sulphur Springs Valley, where Courtland is located, was a wild place in the early 1900s. There were often conflicts and smuggling. Bright's first major event as deputy happened in 1912, not in Courtland, but in nearby Gleeson. Bright was visiting his brother-in-law, Wesley Wooten Cates, who was Gleeson's deputy. They tried to arrest a man who had caused trouble. The man resisted, and a tense situation followed. After many shots were fired, no one was hurt. The situation ended when another armed citizen helped.

Only one major incident happened within Courtland's town limits. In 1913, a young waitress named Jennie Canady Parker was involved in a serious event with her former boyfriend, Dan Danielson. Deputy Bright arrested Parker. She was later tried in Tombstone.

Bright's final major event in Courtland happened on August 12, 1916. Two people broke into a local man's house and stole some items. Deputy Bright was told about it. He searched the town, then rode to a nearby hill to get a better view. From there, he saw the two suspects walking away. Bright managed to get ahead of them. A confrontation began, and Bright was injured in his leg. He fired back and then found cover. Later, a group of citizens investigated the scene. They found that Bright's shots had hit both suspects.

A panorama of Courtland in 1909, facing east.