Gila City, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gila City, Arizona
|
|
|---|---|
 Gila City, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Gila City, Arizona
Location in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yuma |
| Founded | 1858 |
| Abandoned | 1863 |
| Elevation | 233 ft (71 m) |
| Population
(2011)
|
|
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| Post Office opened | December 24, 1858 |
| Post Office closed | July 14, 1863 |
Gila City is a ghost town in Yuma County, Arizona. It was once a busy gold mining town. The town started in 1858 in what was then the New Mexico Territory. Like many gold rush towns, it grew very quickly but didn't last long.
Contents
Gila City: A Gold Rush Ghost Town
Gila City was built on the south bank of the Gila River. This spot was about 19 miles east of where the Gila River meets the Colorado River. The town was sometimes called Ligurta. It became famous because of Arizona's first big gold rush.
The Gold Rush Begins
In 1858, Colonel Jacob Snively led a group of gold seekers. They found gold in a "placer deposit" along the Gila River. A placer deposit is a place where gold has been washed down by water and collected in sand or gravel. This area was near Monitor Gulch, which comes from the Gila Mountains.
News of the gold spread fast. Thousands of prospectors rushed to the area. Gila City quickly became a booming gold camp. The Butterfield Overland Mail route, a famous stagecoach path, even passed through the town. A post office opened there on December 24, 1858.
Mining for Gold
Miners worked the Gila gold fields for about eight years. They searched for gold in the nearby plateaus and canyons. Using pans, they could find $20 to $125 worth of gold dust each day. Some large gold nuggets, weighing up to 22 ounces, were even found. These valuable finds were sent to the Wells Fargo office in Los Angeles.
In March 1859, a company tried to bring a steam engine to Gila City. This engine would pump water to help wash the gold. They also tried to bring a steamboat to transport goods. However, the ship carrying these items sank, and everything was lost. Without the steam engine, American miners, who were used to lots of water for gold washing, found it hard to make a profit. Many of them left. Only miners from Sonora, who knew how to "dry wash" for gold, stayed. Dry washing means separating gold from dirt without water.
In 1859, Lieutenant Sylvester Mowry visited Gila City. He reported that about 100 men and several families were still working there. He saw more than $20 worth of gold washed from just eight shovelfuls of dirt. Most of the gold was first dry-washed. Then, the concentrated dirt was taken to the Gila River to be wet-washed.
Why Gila City Disappeared
The town of Gila City faced a big challenge. In 1862, a massive flood hit the Gila River. This flood, known as the Great Flood of 1862, destroyed what was left of the town. Most of the people had already moved away to a new gold rush area called La Paz.
The post office in Gila City closed on July 14, 1863. Even after the flood, some miners continued to work the best gold spots until 1865. Over the years, people tried large-scale mining operations, but they were not successful.
Gila City Today
Today, there are no signs left of the original town. However, some small-scale gold mining still happens in the area. The gold-bearing gravel stretches for miles, but most of the mining was focused around Monitor Gulch. Much of the gold was found deep in the gulches or in bench gravels (gravels on higher ground).
