Joe Mayer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joe Mayer
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Joe Mayer c. 1900
Founder of Mayer, Arizona |
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| Born |
Joseph Hoffmayer
1846 |
| Died | November 27, 1909 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Prospector, businessman |
Joseph Mayer (born in 1846 – died November 27, 1909) was an American businessman and gold prospector. He was a pioneer who founded the town of Mayer, Arizona.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
Joseph Hoffmayer was born in Olean, New York. His parents were immigrants from France. As a teenager, Joseph didn't get along well with his father. He felt that his family liked his brother "Gus" more than him. Because of this, he decided to leave home when he was still young.
After leaving home, Joseph worked in different places. He worked in a cigar shop and a factory that made crackers. After living on his own for several months, he became very interested in a wild west circus. This circus was performing in his town, and he decided to join their group.
Joseph had many chores to do in the circus. He traveled with them and visited many towns across the western United States. Eventually, like many other people from the eastern U.S. at that time, he moved to the west coast. He was looking for gold, hoping to strike it rich. He changed his last name to "Mayer" because he didn't want his family in New York to find him. He then moved to Silver City, New Mexico. There, he met a woman named Sarah Belle Wilbur.
Building a Life in Arizona
Joseph and Sarah moved to Globe, Arizona, where they got married. They had four children together: Mary Bell (born 1878), Martha Gertrude (born 1881), Wilbur Joseph (born 1882), and Winifred Lucille (born 1892). Joseph spent about a year working in the mines in Globe.
By 1881, Mayer moved again and started mining at the Tip Top Mine. This mine was located near Cottonwood Creek in Central Arizona. While there, he also opened a restaurant and a store. Even though he was good at business, his shops were affected when the mine started to decline. The mining camp that depended on the mine also began to shrink.
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One day, Joseph had to go to the city of Prescott. He decided to take a shortcut through the Black Canyon Trail. During his journey, he stopped at a place called the "Big Bug Stage Station." This was a stop for stagecoaches on the Black Canyon Stage Line. The station was located near Big Bug Creek. Joseph was very impressed with the area. He decided to buy the "Big Bug Stage Station" for $1,200 in gold. After buying it, he moved there with his wife Sarah and their children.
Founding Mayer, Arizona
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The Big Bug Stage Station was in an area surrounded by the Bradshaw Mountains. This land was once home to the Hohokam people, an ancient Native American tribe. Later, their descendants, the Yavapai tribe, lived there. This was long before people of European descent from the eastern United States settled in the area.
The Black Canyon trail, which went from Prescott to Phoenix, was quite dangerous. Many travelers were robbed of their belongings. Miners often stopped at the Mayers' place to rest and buy things from the store Joseph had built. In 1882, Joseph Mayer officially founded the town that was named after him.
In 1884, his wife Sarah became the first postmistress of the new town. This meant she was in charge of the town's post office. In 1889, a very large and beautiful deposit of onyx was found in Mayer. Onyx is a valuable type of stone.
A sad event happened in Mayer in 1890. Heavy rain caused a nearby dam, called the "Walnut Dam," to break. This led to a big flood that washed away all the buildings in the town. Joseph Mayer immediately began to rebuild the town. In 1897, he built a large, two-story hotel with 23 rooms. He named it the "Mayer Hotel."
Joseph also raised cattle and sheep. He understood that having a railroad line in the town would help his ranch and the nearby mines. He offered the Southern Pacific Railroad the "right of way." This meant he would let them build their tracks across his land. His condition was that they had to build a rail line that went through the town. The railroad company agreed, and trains began serving the town of Mayer in 1898.
Mayer also started a brickyard. In 1902, he used the bricks from his own yard to build a business block. This block is now known as the "Mayer Business Block." It was built across the street from the Mayer Hotel. The block included a saloon with a dance floor, a barber and bath shop, a mercantile shop, and a general store.
Later Life and Legacy
Joseph Mayer also helped finance the building of two schools. One school was built inside the town of Mayer. The second school was built two miles outside of town, specifically for the children of miners.
Not all of Joseph's business ideas were successful. One project that didn't work out was his "Indian Souvenir Toothpick Company." He planned to make toothpicks from cacti using a new chemical process. However, it was too expensive to remove the sharp, barbed skin from the cactus needles. This made it impossible to compete with companies that made regular wooden toothpicks. So, the toothpick company eventually closed down.
Later in his life, Joseph learned from a family friend that his mother was very ill and dying. The friend told him that his mother wanted to see him one last time. He also found out that his father and his older brother Gus had passed away. Joseph was able to visit his mother and his brother Anthony in New York shortly before his mother died.
On November 28, 1909, Joseph Mayer heard a noise outside his house. Thinking it might be an animal or a thief, he took his rifle and went outside. He passed away soon after due to an accident. His funeral was held at the Sacred Heart Church in Prescott. Joseph Mayer was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Prescott.
See also
- List of historic properties in Mayer, Arizona
- Paul W. Litchfield
Arizona pioneers
- Mansel Carter
- Bill Downing
- Henry Garfias
- Winston C. Hackett
- John C. Lincoln
- William John Murphy
- Wing F. Ong
- Levi Ruggles
- Sedona Schnebly
- Michael Sullivan
- Trinidad Swilling
- Ora Rush Weed
- Henry Wickenburg
