Harshaw, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harshaw, Arizona
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A sign marking the location of the Harshaw townsite.
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 Harshaw, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Harshaw, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Santa Cruz |
| Settled | 1873 |
| Founded | April 29, 1880 |
| Abandoned | 1960s |
| Founded by | David Harshaw |
| Named for | David Harshaw |
| Elevation | 4,872 ft (1,485 m) |
| Population
(2009)
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| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| Post Office opened | April 29, 1880 |
| Post Office closed | March 4, 1903 |
| GNIS ID | 29768 |
Harshaw is a ghost town in Santa Cruz County, in the southeastern part of Arizona. It was settled in the 1870s, when this area was known as Arizona Territory. Harshaw was founded as a mining town. It is named after David Tecumseh Harshaw, who was a cattleman and prospector. He was the first to find silver in this area.
When the town was at its busiest, near the end of the 1800s, Harshaw's mines produced a lot of ore. One mine, called the Hermosa, produced about $365,455 worth of bullion (pure metal) in just four months in 1880. Over the years, the town's population changed with the price of silver. Mines and mills would open, close, and change owners. By the 1960s, the mines closed for good. The town, which became part of the Coronado National Forest in 1953, then became a ghost town.
Today, only a few old houses, some building foundations, two small cemeteries, and old mine shafts remain. Most buildings were taken down by local people or the Forest Service in the 1970s.
Contents
History of Harshaw
Early Days and Settlements
The first people known to live in what is now Santa Cruz County were Native American tribes. These included the Apache, Yaqui, and Hohokam Indians. They settled near rivers and creeks, like Harshaw Creek, to farm. Spanish explorers and missionaries first visited the area in the 1500s. A Spanish friar named Marcos de Niza was the first European to visit this land. Later, in the late 1600s, Eusebio Kino came to set up Jesuit missions and map the land for Spain.
In 1752, Spain built its first military base in Arizona at Tubac. This was to respond to conflicts with the Pima Indians. Old Spanish records say that the place where Harshaw would later be built was once a Spanish ranch called Durazno. Durazno means "peach" or "peach orchard." This was probably because peach trees had been planted there. In 1764, a missionary wrote that Apache Indians attacked Durazno on February 19, 1743. Many people died in this attack.
In 1853, the United States gained all of present-day Arizona through the Gadsden Purchase. Many Mexican mining towns and ranches became part of the U.S. Soon, American settlers began to move into the area.
How Harshaw Started and Grew
David Harshaw was a soldier in Tucson in the 1860s. After leaving the army, he went back to ranching. In 1873, he settled in the area that became Harshaw. This place was still known as Durazno. He was looking for new places for his cattle.
After a few years, Harshaw found several silver ore deposits. He sold one of them to the Hermosa Mining Company around 1879. The company started digging the Hermosa mine. They also began building a stamp mill nearby. This mill would crush the silver ore into a fine powder for processing. Because of the need for miners and mill workers, the town grew quickly. The post office opened on April 29, 1880, and was named Harshaw to honor its founder.
The Hermosa Mill started working on August 5, 1880. The company soon hired about 150 people for the mine and mill. At its busiest, Harshaw was known for mining and processing silver more cheaply than other towns in Arizona Territory. Its mines were even thought to be as good as the famous Tombstone mines.
Harshaw soon had about 200 buildings. Thirty of these were businesses, like general stores, hotels, blacksmith shops, and many saloons. The town also traded with Sonora in Mexico and smaller mining camps. Harshaw received mail three times a week. It even had its own newspaper, the Arizona Bullion, which started in April 1880.
However, Harshaw faced a big problem in late 1881. The Hermosa mine and mill closed because the silver ore was not as good. Also, severe thunderstorms caused a large fire that year. This almost destroyed the town. In 1882, a newspaper called The Tombstone Epitaph noted Harshaw's decline. It said that over 80% of the town's 200 buildings were empty.
Harshaw's Comeback and Final Decline
In 1887, Harshaw got a new boost. A man from Tucson named James Finley bought the Hermosa mine for $600. This year also marked the end of Native American raids in the area. The last recorded raid happened when 20 Native Americans attacked Harshaw. One man died in a mine during this event.
By 1891, Harshaw was connected to railroad lines. It still had mail service three days a week. There were seven businesses, a school, and a hotel. The land was also great for grazing cattle. This made ranching the second most important industry after mining. The Hardshell Mine, discovered by David Harshaw in 1879, started producing silver in 1896. This helped the town grow again.
This smaller version of the town lasted until the early 1900s. Then, the price of silver dropped. Also, mine owner James Finley died in 1903, closing the Hermosa mine again. Most people left the town, and the post office closed on March 4, 1903.
Later Activity and Abandonment
Even with fewer people, Harshaw got some attention in 1906. News reports said that Ben Daniels, one of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders, was arrested. He was accused of trying to sell a Harshaw mine he didn't own.
In May 1929, a forest fire swept through the Patagonia Mountains. Harshaw reportedly had only 50 residents left. Everyone had to leave, along with people from other nearby mining camps. After four days, the fire burned about 15,000 acres (61 km²). It was put out just in time, saving Harshaw from being destroyed.
The town saw activity again between 1937 and 1956. The Arizona Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) worked the Flux and Trench mines nearby. They mined non-silver ores. After ASARCO left in 1956, Harshaw became a ghost town once more.
In 1963, Harshaw had problems with the U.S. Forest Service. By then, the town had about 70 people. Most buildings were falling apart. The only well-kept buildings were the Roman Catholic Church and a small school. Harshaw was inside the Coronado National Forest, which was created in 1953. Most residents never officially owned their land. This meant the government owned the town. The Forest Service saw the rundown town as a problem. They tried to move the remaining families and clean up the area. However, these efforts didn't fully work. A few residents stayed in Harshaw until at least the 1970s.
What Remains of Harshaw Today
Several old buildings are still standing in Harshaw. Most of them are on private land belonging to the Hale Ranch. The most famous building is the James Finley House. It is now protected and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This house was built around 1877 for the manager of the Hermosa Mine. It was very close to the Hermosa Mill. When James Finley bought the mine, he lived in this house.
The Finley House is important because it's one of the few buildings left from Harshaw's busy mining days. It also shows the building styles of that time in Arizona Territory. What's special is that it's made of red brick, not the adobe brick used for most other buildings back then.
Other things you can still see at the site include:
- The foundations of the Hermosa Mill.
- An assay office (where ores were tested).
- A small church.
- A two-room schoolhouse.
- The remains of an adobe house that was also a pool hall.
- Two small cemeteries.
You can also find other broken wooden and adobe structures. There are also scattered mining leftovers throughout the area. The cemeteries and the adobe ruin are easiest to reach. They are right next to Harshaw Road, which is now called Forest Route (FR) 49.
As of 2009, people from the Center for Desert Archaeology were working to have the Santa Cruz Valley, including Harshaw, named a National Heritage Area.
Mining in Harshaw
The Hermosa Mine was the biggest producer of ore in the area in the late 1800s. It processed 75 short tons (68 metric tons) of ore each day. In a four-month period in 1880, it produced about $365,455 worth of ore. The Hermosa Mine had many tunnels. By 1915, the tunnels stretched for 7,000 feet (2,134 meters) and went down 500 feet (152 meters). A survey in 1972 found that the tunnels were collapsing. This meant they could not be used for mining anymore.
There was a lot of ore in the area. Other mines started around Harshaw in the 1880s and 1890s. Some of these mines were the Bender, Alta, Salvador, Black Eagle, and American mines. Today, the Hardshell property includes many of the original mines from the 1800s. It covers about 3,154 acres (12.76 km²). From 1896 to 1964, the Hardshell mines produced about 280,000 troy ounces (8,709 kg) of silver.
The area around Harshaw, called the Harshaw District, has about 50 mine sites. Some date back to the 1850s. Others were mined in the early to mid-1900s. Besides silver, the area has many other minerals. These include zinc, copper, manganese, rhyolite, quartz, and lead. By the mid-1960s, the Harshaw District mines had produced a lot of minerals. This included 86,000 short tons (78,000 metric tons) of zinc and 72,000 short tons (65,000 metric tons) of lead. They also produced 9.2 million troy ounces (286,150 kg) of silver, 3,100 short tons (2,812 metric tons) of copper, and 4,300 troy ounces (134 kg) of gold.
In 2006, a Canadian company called Wildcat Silver Corporation became interested in mining the area again. They bought a large share in the Hardshell property. They started studying if it would be possible to mine there. Early reports in 2007 were good. Plans suggested producing 2.75 million troy ounces (85,530 kg) of silver each year. They also planned to produce millions of pounds of zinc, copper, and manganese. This mining could last for about 13.5 years. A 2009 study also included lead as a possible product. Wildcat is thinking about building a mill on site. This mill could process 1,500 short tons (1,361 metric tons) of ore every day.
Similar studies are happening in other parts of Santa Cruz County. Historically, this county produced a lot of the state's lead and zinc. Some local people are against restarting mining. They worry about the environment, property values, tourism, and traffic. The studies are still ongoing.
Geography of Harshaw
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Harshaw is located on the northern edge of the Patagonia Mountains. It is northeast of Nogales, Arizona. The town is inside the Coronado National Forest, on U.S. government land. It is about 15 miles (24 km) north of the Mexican border. It is also about 70 miles (113 km) south-southeast of Tucson.
In the 1880s and 1890s, Harshaw's location was considered beautiful. It was surrounded by oak forests, green pastures, and clean mountain water. This water was enough to run the mill and process the ore. Today, Harshaw Creek has sycamores, cottonwoods, and willows along its banks. These are common trees in dry riparian zones (areas next to water). There is also enough grass for some cattle grazing.
The water in Harshaw Creek still flows, but it is not as clean as it used to be. Recent studies have found high levels of copper and zinc. The water is also very acidic. Mining and milling waste from old dumps are the biggest cause of this pollution. The waste dump from the abandoned Endless Chain Mine, near the start of Harshaw Creek, is a major source of the problem.
Climate in Harshaw
The Harshaw Creek area has cold winters. Temperatures can drop below zero, and freezing rain and snow can occur. Snow at higher elevations sometimes stays for several weeks. In summer, there are often strong thunderstorms. Since Harshaw is a ghost town, there is no local weather station. The closest stations are not good for showing Harshaw's weather. This is because they are at different elevations and locations.
Population Changes in Harshaw
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 640 | — | |
| 1890 | 260 | −59.4% | |
| 1910 | 150 | — | |
| 1920 | 377 | 151.3% | |
| 1930 | 259 | −31.3% | |
| 1940 | 150 | −42.1% | |
| 1950 | 100 | −33.3% | |
| 1960 | 0 | −100.0% | |
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Some stories say the town grew to 2,000 people by 1881. This was when mining was at its peak. However, it's hard to prove this with official records. The town was already shrinking a few years later.
According to US Census data, Harshaw's population reached its highest recorded number of 640 residents in 1880. This was soon after it was founded. But the closing of the Hermosa mine and mill, along with damage from storms and fires, caused the population to drop. By 1884, it was estimated to be only 150 people. A small comeback in the late 1880s brought the population back up to 260 by 1890. After that, the town slowly declined until it was abandoned in the 1960s. From 1960 on, the census no longer recorded any population for Harshaw. However, about 70 residents were still there in 1963. A few reportedly stayed until the 1970s.
Images for kids
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USGS topographical map of the Harshaw region of Arizona including the town of Harshaw, 1958.
