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Gillett, Arizona
Location where the town of Gillett once stood.
Location where the town of Gillett once stood.
Gillett, Arizona is located in Arizona
Gillett, Arizona
Gillett, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Gillett, Arizona is located in the United States
Gillett, Arizona
Gillett, Arizona
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Arizona
County Yavapai
Founded 1878
Abandoned 1880
Elevation
1,834 ft (559 m)
Population
 (2009)
 • Total 0
Time zone UTC-7 (MST (no DST))
FIPS code 04-27505
GNIS feature ID 24431
Post Office opened October 15, 1878
Post Office closed August 11, 1887


Gillett, Arizona, (the name is frequently misspelled as "Gillette" on maps and documents) is a ghost town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. It has an estimated elevation of 1,362 feet (415 m) above sea level. Historically, it was a stagecoach station, and then a settlement formed around an ore mill serving the Tip Top Mine, on the Agua Fria River in Yavapai County in what was then Arizona Territory. It was named for the mining developer of the Tip Top Mine, Dan B. Gillett and is spelled incorrectly as Gillette on U. S. Topographic Maps and elsewhere.

History

Gillett was founded by the superintendent of the Tip Top Mine, where he located the mill to process the ore from Tip Top, nine miles away. Its post office opened October 15, 1878. At its height in 1878 Gillett, had six streets and aside from its mill and post office, a bank, assay office, hotel, real estate office, livery stable, lumberyard, meat market, truck farm, dairy, warehouse, two blacksmiths, two stagecoach stations, four stores and nine saloons/gambling houses.

Jack Swilling

Jack Swilling, the founder of Phoenix, and his wife Trinidad had various business interests in Gillett. The Swillings owned "Gillett Real Estate", where they sold lots ranging from $100 to $250 depending on the location, a cattle and horse ranch and a vegetable farm in partnership with L.A. Stephens.

In the spring of 1878, word reached the Swillings that Colonel Jacob Snively, a family friend, had been killed by the Apaches in the Wickenburg Mountains near the peak called White Picacho. Mrs. Swilling suggested that Mr. Swilling and two companions, which included Andrew Kirby and George Monroe, founder of Castle Hot Springs, go on a trip to recover and rebury the remains of their old friend.

On April 23, Mr. Swilling and his two companions returned to Gillett after exhuming Col. Snively's remains at White Picacho Mountains. Mr. Swilling buried the bones of Col. Snively on his property next to his house.

Jack Swilling
Jack Swilling

In an incident known as the Wickenburg Massacre three hooded men robbed a stagecoach near Wickenburg. On one occasion Mr. Swilling and his friends were in a saloon in Gillett discussing the robbery and the description of the robbers when Mr. Swilling jokingly mentioned that he and his friends matched the description. Thus, Mr. Swilling and his companions became suspects in the robbery.

Pima County Sheriff Wiley W. Standefer arrested Mr. Swilling and Andrew Kirby. They were eventually turned over to Deputy U.S. Marshal Joseph W. Evans so that the state could charge them in the federal courts. Evans escorted them to the federal jail in Yuma. The sanitary conditions inside the prison at Yuma were terrible and combined with the August heat, aggravated Mr. Swilling's chronic ill health. He died in his cell on August 12 while awaiting a hearing. The real culprits of the massacre were caught, proving his innocence too late. Mr. Swilling was buried in an unmarked grave on the grounds of the federal prison cemetery before his family could be notified.

Gillett treasure

Garfias-2
Sheriff Henry Garfias

Among the tales of lawlessness in Gillett is that of Henry Seymour. Seymour was the town's blacksmith who engaged in robbing the Wells Fargo stage coach before it reached the town. In 1882, alone he held up three coaches and no one suspected Seymour because he would already be in his shop before the arrival of the stage coach. The robber, whose total amount in the three robberies added up to $68,000, became known as the "Ghost Bandit".

Seymour, the "Ghost Bandit", was finally caught when he attempted to rob his fourth stage coach that year. He was tried in Maricopa County and sent to prison. Seymour never told anyone where he hid his treasure and when he was released from prison he never returned to Gillett.

The decline of Gillett

After the mill was closed in 1880, and moved to Tip Top in 1884, the town was soon abandoned. Its post office had postmasters appointed up to October 1883, but it was discontinued in August 1887. What remained was a store and a stagecoach station and a population of two.

The stagecoach station was within the Black Canyon wagon road and stage route. The portion of the trail around Gillett and south of Prescott was surrounded by boulders and scrub. This portion made it easy for stagecoach robbers to hide and ambush stagecoaches, making the trail a dangerous one to travel on. This resulted in the Wells Fargo Express Company halt of shipments over the route. The stagecoach station remained opened until 1912 when it also was abandoned. The Burfind Hotel was the largest structure in Gillett and ruins of it and a neglected cemetery remain.

Currently, it is still designated as a populated place as per the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau. Tourist and locals in Arizona can visit Gillett by taking Interstate 17 (I-17) North and exiting at Table Mesa Road. Take West Table Mesa Road, cross the shadow Agua Fria River and continue to drive for approximately 0.3 miles to Gillett. The exact coordinates are: N 34* 01' 07.5" W 112* 09' 49.3". Permission of the owner of the now private property is required.

Burfind Hotel

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