HOME | BOOSTER | CEMETERIES | EDUCATION | GHOST TOWNS | HEADSTONE
MINOTTO | PICTURES | ROADS | JACK SWILLING | TEN DAY TRAMPS
American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version 060310KB
CHLORIDE
Mohave County, Arizona
HISTORICALLY WORTH VISITING!
By Kathy Block
CHLORIDE, ARIZONA is not technically a
ghost town (currently a retirement and artist haven), but has a very colorful
past with many mines in the area and one large cemetery, and one small grave
site with four burials separate from the main cemetery. Even though the
cemetery has recent burials, there are many unknown and old graves!
Map by Neal Du
Shane
The settlement called Chloride had its
beginnings in the1840s, when prospectors began to search the mineral-rich Cerbat
Mountains for gold and silver. It is one of the oldest mining communities in
Arizona. In1863 prospectors stumbled across several rich silver veins on a site
they called “Silver Hill.” Chloride became a silver mining center. The town grew slowly due to incidents with
hostile Hualapai Indians.
The California and Arizona Stage
Company, run by James Stewart, serviced Chloride and the surrounding area
from1868 to1919. In 1884 stages made weekly runs from Prescott to Hardyville
via Mineral Park and Cerbat, to the south of Chloride. The route followed the
Fort Mohave and Prescott Toll Road, and also used the Mineral Park and Hualapai
Valley Toll Road as a direct route thru the Cerbat Mountains to Mineral Park,
then crossed Sacramento Valley, west to Union Pass and on to Hardyville. There
was a stage stop and repair station in a building still in use today in
Chloride as a restaurant!
The Stage line discontinued service
after the railroad came. The Arizona and Union Railroad began operation in
July, 1899. It used a single track that connected with the Acheson, Topeka &
Santa Fe RR at McConnico and ran approximately 21.6 miles up the Sacramento
Valley to Chloride. Service ended in1935. The post office began March 27, 1873
and is the oldest still - working post office in Arizona, though it closed, on
July 14, 1875, but reopened, in 1893. It's in a historic building on the main
street. The town at this time had a brewery, general store, blacksmith, and
several stores, some of which are still standing. The ghosttowns.com. site has
many photos of these buildings.
1916 Chloride Main
Street. Note post office.
Courtesy Mohave
Museum of History & Arts, Kingman, Arizona.
After the U.S. Army subdued the
Hualapai Indians and signed a treaty with them in the early 1870s, the
extensive mining began and the population grew. By 1917 the town had an
estimated population of 2,000 supported mainly by two major mines, the Tennessee
and the Schuylkill, and later the Golcanda Mine. There were about 75 other
productive mines, from 1900 to 1920. Large mines produced gold, silver, lead
and zinc on a major scale into the late 1940s.
The Santa Fe Railroad discontinued
passenger and cargo service in 1935. The
cost of materials and labor had become too expensive by 1944 and the mines
closed and the population decreased dramatically. There are still a few mines
in operation today, however. Now, there
are about 300 permanent residents, rising to 400 in the winter. Chloride
survives on tourism, art, and some famous sites. One attraction is the murals
painted on rocks by eccentric artist Roy Purcell, who supposedly lived in a
nearby cave with a group of “hippie” artists. These “psychedelic” art works are
periodically touched up by the artist.
There are an interesting graves site
(known as Chloride Grave) and a fascinating large cemetery off a main road west
of Chloride. Ed and I recently visited
these two burial grounds.
The first is a very large cemetery
with at least 819 known burials listed on Find a Grave. It spreads out over 40
acres of barren desert. I had found some very early Death Certificates for
Chloride, and since reference is made to “many unmarked graves”, decided to
check these Death Certificates against the 1900 Census lists for Chloride. Analysis of the Census lists showed some
interesting demographics. There were 260 males and 107 females recorded, for a
total of 367 people. This doesn't match the 2,000 estimated population in 1900,
but it's possible some were enumerated on census taken at nearby mines and
settlements, like Mineral Park or Cerbat. Ethnicity based on census information,
comprised 359 White,
6 Chinese, and 2 Black residents. Native Americans were not included in this
Chloride census. Some may have been listed in census of the nearby
Reservations.
Most of the people were listed
according to relationships with each other, such as Head of household, wife,
son, and boarder. A few listings gave occupations as cook and laborer, but none
were listed as miners, which is interesting as it was the main occupation! The
average age was about 40 years old, with a range from infants of 1 year to the
oldest at 81 years old. There were quite a few teenagers, but only three
“elderly” residents at ages 66, 75, and 81.
The residents came from many states and countries, predominately from
the East coast states like Pennsylvania, New York, and from England.
The very early death certificates had
apparently been copied, according to a note written on one, for 1898, “Writing
on records of 1898 to 1902 appeared to be the same.” Here's an example of a
very early DC, which used a standard form. Information had been transferred
from some type of early records, maybe funeral home or hospital records or
county records. Very frustrating to use! The Arizona Territory Board of Health
Death Certificates, with more complete information, began to be used in May
1909.
Example of early
standard Death Certificate. Note lack of information.
Comparing Death Certificates for
Chloride that I had found in the records, there were a few matches with the
1900 Census records, out of 13 names from the skimpy Death Certificates for
1899 thru April,1909. This strongly suggested burial at Chloride Cemetery.
Three persons appeared: James Marshall
Russell, Dora E. Flinn (wife), and J.P. Flinn (head), but there's also a
Mrs. John P. or F. Flynn. She and Dora Flinn died several days apart
in June, 1900. I'm fairly certain that a
John T. Flynn, who died in 1930 and who is listed on Find-A-Grave as
buried in the “old section” is the same person, birth dates matched.
Interestingly, he's listed as single, no mention of being a widower. WAS Dora
his wife? Note spelling variations. Of these, James M. Russell (who died in
1938) also appeared on official cemetery lists. The early census records were
often not very readable and transcriptions done much later contain many errors! Of the remainder, it's uncertain if they were
also buried at Chloride cemetery. Owing to transportation difficulties,
however, it's possible they are among the “unknown” graves as well as two
above. Another incomplete Death
Certificate was for “Infant son of H. and Mary McCourt, who died Dec.22, 1901,
and is listed as BORN at Chloride. Was he buried there, especially since it was
winter time, possibly poor travel conditions, and probably died at a very early
age? If the early records these Death
Certificates were copied from could be found, they might answer these
mysteries.
Ed Block stands at
a row of unknown graves in the Chloride Cemetery
Photo by Kathy
Block
Some of the marked graves have very
interesting headstones. One is this “presumed motorcycle enthusiast
grave”. It took some research to find
out about him! Kay Ellerman, librarian
at the Mohave Museum of History & Arts in Kingman, supplied a name. The
death certificate gave a date of death.
The Find-A-Grave site yielded an obituary for James (Mike) Jones, who
died June 14, 1994, age 48, after a long illness, from diabetes and kidney
failure. He had 2 sons, 2 daughters, 4 grandchildren, had been married 18
years. No mention of motorcycle interests, though he was a member of a
Gemstoners Rock Club and “worked to help out many local auctions.”
“Possibly a
motorcyclist Grave” of James (Mike) Jones.
Photo by Kathy
Block
Some families seemed to stake out their own
family burial plots within the larger cemetery. Here's an example of an
elaborate layout. Note the sayings on each marker and the way the stones form a
family tree.
|
|
|
The Cowell family plot, with photos Pair of gravestones. Note: arrows
Many of the graves seem to be
abandoned, derelict, and forgotten in this vast cemetery of known and unknown
burials. If you visit Chloride Cemetery,
you will be rewarded with varied gravestones and a sense of lost history at the
unknown graves, marked by stone outlines.
There is another site just past the
Chloride cemetery, known as the Chloride Grave.
Four people are buried within a fence with two separate markers, plus
there may be other unknown graves outside the enclosure.
The known graves are: Metcalf Baker
and Andrew Judson with one nice marker and Benjamin Uriah and Ira Woodworth
beneath a primitive stone marker. The most commonly accepted story about them
is told by Florence Jones, apparently, to the Mohave County Miner on July 4,
1891, and quoted on the Find-A-Grave Site. Six miners were working at a mine
near Chloride. Some Indians attacked the men. Two miners were working in a deep
shaft and the other four were nearby. The Indians rolled large boulders on top
of the men in the shaft. Four of the six men were killed and buried on the
spot. James Conover and Sam Knoodles survived the attack. There is, apparently,
a possibility that Benjamin might have been moved to the Hardyville Cemetery at
Bullhead City. (See APCRP write-up on Hardyville Cemetery.) Another writer
suggested they were killed by guns the Hualapai’s were using for the first
time! The elaborate marker was put over the graves of Baker and Judson in 2007
and reads: “Dedicated Sept.22, 2007, by the Ancient and Honorable Order of E.
Clampus Vitus. Lost Dutchman Chapter 5913-4.” Note the discrepancies. The
modern gravestone states, “Killed by Indians, Oct.13, 1866” the crude stone
says, “Killed by Indians, 1863.” Find-A-Grave
states death dates for all four as June 1, 1863.
|
|
|
Grave of Metcalf Baker and Andrew Judson Grave of Benjamin Uriah and Ira
Woodworth
Photos by Kathy
Block
|
|
|
Separate
Graves - mine tailings in background. Possible
unknown grave outside enclosure.
Photo by Ed Block
Photo by Kathy Block
A final story about deaths at Chloride
has two versions at least, illustrating the problems of obtaining accurate
historical information. One version, told on one site, tells about a “naval
officer” who had dreams of drowning, so he left the Navy and came to live in
dry, solid Chloride! He built a rock house, and began to mine. He supposedly
accidentally slipped and fell into his shaft and drowned! The house was bought
for taxes and may have re-opened up as a house of “soiled doves.”
The librarian, Kay Ellerman, gave a
slightly different version. The locals had heard that a fortune teller told him
he would die by drowning. He left a
savings and loan business and came to Chloride because it was a long ways from
water, and began working in the Tennessee Mine (approximately ¾ mile east, first
mine going east of Chloride, on right). One day on the way to work, a huge rain
storm caused a wash he was crossing to flood and he drowned. The house
originally had round windows like port holes, only the ruined foundation
remains today. It is known locally as the Rock House and is down on Silver Sage
Road from town. I never obtained a NAME for this person or WHEN the events
occurred! Could this be all just a folk tale or tales? If this man did in fact
die near Chloride, could he be buried in the large cemetery or in one of the
graves near the graves site?
Chloride and the cemetery and graves
site is very easy to locate. Turn east
off Highway 93 about 20 miles north of Kingman (highway goes on north to Hoover
Dam and Boulder City) between mileposts 52 and 53. There's a well-marked exit,
onto County Road 195 (also called Tennessee Avenue). Go 3.3 miles on pavement.
Look for a wooden sign on your right that says “Cemetery”. Turn right and go
about .3 mile. The large Chloride Cemetery is on your right, marked by an
elaborate entryway. The four graves of the soldiers and their enclosure are
easily visible several hundred yards further on the left.
The GPS of the main Chloride Cemetery
is: N35 24 37.73, W114 12 27.77. The GPS of separate Chloride Graves is:
N35 24 33.69, W114 21 22.64.
Ed Block stands at
entrance to Chloride Cemetery.
Visit, protect,
preserve, respect and enjoy!
Photo by Kathy
Block
The author wishes to thank Kay
Ellerman of Mohave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman, Arizona, for
supplying the historic photo of Chloride and also reviewing this write-up and
correcting information about Chloride's history.
American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version 060310KB
WebMaster:
Neal Du Shane
Copyright © 2010 Neal Du Shane
All rights reserved. Information contained within this
website may be used
for personal family history purposes, but not for financial profit or gain.
All contents of this website are willed to the American Pioneer & Cemetery
Research Project (APCRP).
HOME | BOOSTER | CEMETERIES | EDUCATION | GHOST TOWNS | HEADSTONE
MINOTTO | PICTURES | ROADS | JACK SWILLING | TEN DAY TRAMPS