Total Wreck, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Total Wreck, Arizona
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Total Wreck, c.1885.
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 Total Wreck, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Total Wreck, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Pima |
| Founded | 1879 |
| Abandoned | 1890 |
| Elevation | 4,629 ft (1,411 m) |
| Population
(2009)
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| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| Post Office opened | August 12, 1881 |
| Post Office closed | November 1, 1890 |
Total Wreck is a ghost town in Pima County, Arizona. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, often because a mine closed or a railroad moved. Total Wreck was once a busy silver mining town. It was built about 7 miles (11 km) from Pantano, Arizona. A good road connected it to the main Southern Pacific Railroad line.
Contents
The Silver Rush in Total Wreck
Discovering Silver
In 1879, a lot of silver was found in the Empire mining area. This area was in the eastern Empire Mountains. The discovery led to the start of the town of Total Wreck.
Mining Success
By 1884, the mines in this area had produced a huge amount of silver. They made about $5,000,000 worth of silver bullion. This was a lot of money back then! However, mining slowly stopped being as successful. It declined through the 1890s and early 1900s.
How Total Wreck Got Its Name
There are two interesting stories about how this town got its unusual name.
Story One: The Mine's Look
The first story comes from John L. Dillon. He owned the land where the silver was found. He named the town "Total Wreck" because the mine itself looked like a "total wreck." It was located below a quartzite rock formation. This area had many large boulders scattered everywhere.
Story Two: A Miner's Reply
The second story was reported in the Los Angeles Times in 1882. It says that Mr. Dillon was searching for minerals one day. He had no luck finding anything. When a friend asked him, "What luck?" Dillon replied, "Oh, it's a total wreck!" This funny answer supposedly gave the town its name.
Life in Total Wreck
Town Services and People
Total Wreck had its own post office. It opened on August 12, 1881, but closed on November 1, 1890. In 1883, the town had between 200 and 300 people living there.
The town had many businesses. There were five saloons, three general stores, and a butcher shop. You could also find a shoemaker and several Chinese laundries.
A Reporter's View
In 1882, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times visited Total Wreck. They wrote that the town did not look like a "wreck" at all. Instead, it was a "thrifty, neat-looking village." The streets were laid out in straight lines. The main street was named Dillon Street, after the person who discovered the mine.
The reporter also mentioned that the town had two stores, two hotels, and a restaurant. There were also five saloons, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a shoe shop. It even had a dressmaker's store and a brewery. The town had a local judge and a deputy sheriff. People said that if there was trouble, 90 men could be ready to help in less than an hour.
A Famous Legend
Total Wreck has a popular legend about a man named E. B. Salsig. He was in a shootout, which is a gunfight. He was shot in the chest by a bullet. But he didn't die! The legend says he was saved by a thick stack of love letters. He had these letters in his vest pocket. The letters supposedly stopped the bullet, saving his life. The story ends with him marrying the woman who wrote those special letters.
Images for kids
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Total Wreck in 1909.
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Another view of Total Wreck in 1909.
