959

Gold Ore from Vulture Mine, Vulture City, Arizona AZ - Vulture City,Maricopa County - c1940 - 2012au

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:500.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 2,000.00 USD
Gold Ore from Vulture Mine, Vulture City, Arizona AZ - Vulture City,Maricopa County - c1940 - 2012au
Invoicing and lot pick up will NOT be available at the live auction.
Very rich gold ore from Vulture Mine "cache", Vulture Mine District, AZ. Triangular-shaped ore approx. 1.75" x 1" x 1 1/8" inch at widest end. Collected in 1940s or earlier. Vulture City's post office was established Oct. 4, 1880 and was discontinued April 24, 1897. The Vulture Gold Mine was discovered in 1863 by Henry Wickenburg, who sold the mine after a few years. The mine went on to become one of the most productive gold mines in the history of Arizona, yielding $15 per ton and producing over 200 million dollars. By 1870 there were 200 inhabitants, andVulture City grew to a population of almost 5,000 people. The mine sparked the development of Arizona and the city of Phoenix. Some say that nearly half of the Vulture’s gold was stolen. "Highgrading" or theft of the high grade ore was common at the Vulture. At least 18 men were hanged on Vulture City’s hanging tree, nearly all for highgrading. When President Franklin Roosevelt closed the mine in 1942 (WWII) people left believing they would return in six months. The mine never reopened. Almost overnight, a once thriving community became a ghost town. Oddly enough, some of the original buildings were made from discarded ore from the mine and after the mill was in operation, these buildings were torn down and run through the mill resulting in about $2,000 in gold from the assay office alone. [Refs: http://www.jpc-training.com/vulture.htm, http://www. ghosttowns.com/states/az/vulturecity.html] - Woodward Collection -59040