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American
Pioneer & Cemetery
Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version 012409
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By: Allan Hall – APCRP Coordinator & Historian
Neal Du Shane
and I made a research outing to the Arrastre Cemetery near Black Rock Mine on
January 21st, 2009, with plans to visit the George Washington Mine
if time permitted. My first objective of
the day was for Neal to assess progress on the two grave terraces at the
Arrastre, and to get his views on prospects for a full restoration of the
cemetery. Although no real work was done
at the site that day, Neal was enthusiastic about the condition of the lower
terrace, where nine graves have been located, plus the progress in clearing the
growth away from graves 10 and 11 on the upper terrace. Only a few more hours of work need be done to
remove sediment; then we can restore the grave outlines with large rocks to
prevent disturbance by cattle. Thanks
again to those who have contributed their time and energy at this site! A follow up article will be posted in the
near future.
After the
assessment was complete we packed up our gear and proceeded to the George
Washington Mine via
The map in
Figure 1 shows the route to the George Washington Mine. For those who are already familiar with this
area, you will recognize the 4WD trail that traverses the mountain northeast of
the Black Rock Mine. This trail is
easily visible from the Monte Cristo mine location, as well as from the trail
that leads past the Texas Group mines before it descends into
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Figure 1, Route to George Washington
Mine and
I should
emphasize, as a matter of safety, that the trail to the George Washington Mine
is suitable for 4WD and ATVs only. If
there has been recent rainfall in the area it may be necessary to stop
occasionally to remove rocks from the trail!
Otherwise, the route is in reasonably good condition if you have the
appropriate vehicle. Drive slowly and
you will be fine.
The ‘Lonesome Cowboy’
Grave
Approximately ½
miles after turning onto the George Washington Mine trail you will come to the
first grave in the area. Neal and I have
given it the name of ‘Lonesome Cowboy’. Figure
2 shows one angle of the grave. There is
a significant earthen mound that runs from right to left, with a rock covering
that begins under the Palo Verde tree and continues to the left edge of the
photo. Grave dimensions indicate this is
an adult male. To the right (out of
view) of the photo there is a rock cairn that appears to have supported a wood
cross at one time. Although the cross is
no longer standing, there are faded and worn pieces of lumber lying next to the
cairn. The view from this spot (left is
west) is magnificent, and I imagine this grave site was specifically chosen for
that reason. It is situated on a point
that overlooks the basin where the Black Rock Mine is located, as well as a
clear view of the Monte Cristo and Texas Group Mines. To the south you can see Morgan Butte and
upper
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Figure 2, Lonesome Cowboy Grave
This grave
requires only a modest amount of work to bring it back to its original
state. The Palo Verde tree can be
trimmed and a few grave stones need to be reset. The wood cross should also be replaced in the
cairn, but a bit of evaluation is needed to determine the size of the original
one. The dirt mound and covering stones
suggest this is not a deep grave. The
loose brown rocks you see in the center and right of the photo were probably excavated
when the grave was dug. The GPS
coordinates for the Lonesome Cowboy grave are:
N 34o 04’ 49.1” by W 112o
34’ 40.0” (WGS84).
Three Graves at the George
Washington Mine
We proceeded another
mile on the trail to the ‘housing area’ at the George Washington Mine. This is a relatively flat saddle in the
mountain with a view to the north and northwest. This location provides an exceptional view of
The saddle area
still contains the remnants of a miner’s house or cabin. There is an exceedingly thin cement slab (not
more than one inch in thickness) that supported a structure that would have
been about 150 square feet. There is
also a modest volume of metal debris, including nails, and a few old cans. Otherwise, this site gives no reason to
suspect a mining operation that may have lasted from 1880 until early
1942. More on that subject later…
In recent years
this site has become an occasional camping spot for hunters, hikers and other
outdoor enthusiasts. It is on the
southern edge of the Hassayampa River Wilderness Area, and that probably adds
to its attraction. Every camper likes to
have a good fire at night, so you can expect to find rings of rocks that
outline old campfires in many remote areas.
Such is the case here but, unfortunately, the campfires were constructed
using grave stones. See Figures 3 and 4,
below.
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Figure 3, Campfire Grave at George
Washington Mine
Figure 3 shows a
structure that has been formed into a ring of campfire stones. Regardless of what the surface features may
suggest to you, this is a grave. Notice
the line that we marked in the center foreground. This represents the western end of the grave. The east end terminates at the upper edge of
the collection of stones.
Figure 4 shows a
second grave with characteristics identical to those seen above. The mound of stones has been used for a
campfire, but it is a grave with an east-west orientation. For reference purposes, I placed two small
brown stones in the foreground to identify the western edge of this grave.
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Figure 4, Second Campfire Grave
A third male
grave is located approximately midway between the two campfire graves and is
visible where Neal is standing in the upper left of the photo. The GPS coordinates for this site are: N 34o 05’
05.1” by W 112o 35’ 20.7” (WGS84). This coordinate is actually for the grave
shown in Figure 3, but the separation between all three graves is only about
one-tenth of a second in GPS coordinates.
If you reach this location you will find all three graves.
A Miner’s Shrine?
I am generally
amazed at the things I miss seeing on the first or even the sixth opportunity
when I pass through an area. Cemetery #7
at the Black Rock Mine is a perfect (if not embarrassing) example, where I
passed it more than two dozen times before I realized it was there. Fortunately, Figure 5 shows an item that I
have missed only a few times on previous visits to the George Washington Mine.
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Figure 5, Miner's Shrine?
About twenty
yards north of the three graves there is what appears to be a primitive shrine
constructed from slabs of granite stone.
This object measures about 16 inches in height (ground to inside roof) and
roughly the same width at the ground level.
The photo was taken from the trail that leads down to the ore dump and
one of the shafts. The graves and
building slab are left (south) of this photo.
Whether this
shrine dates to the 1924 era or to the 1880’s is not known, but I imagine it
was a place where the workers might have offered a prayer for their safety
before entering the mine for the day’s work.
A modern analog might be the term ‘descanso’, which is the Spanish term
for a roadside memorial.
George Washington Mine
Graves Assessment
Each grave is an
adult male and they were very likely workers at the mine between 1924 and
1940. While the origin of the mine can
be traced to 1880 or earlier, it apparently became abandoned and then forgotten
for a period of time. The only known
owner was a man named Steve Loncar, who rediscovered the vein and maintained
operations from 1924 through 1940-41.
Like many other ‘non-essential’ mines, the George Washington would have
been shut down by the government at the beginning of World War II.
Little is known
about the mine’s history before 1924, including the extent of tunnels and
shafts or the people who may have worked there.
It is possible there may be other graves that date to the 1880 era, but additional
survey work will be needed to determine this.
The three graves identified here are within 100 feet of the cement slab
and there is no compelling reason to believe that the earliest miners would
have established their camp in the same location.
Although the mountain
saddle is now used as an occasional camping spot, the area is remarkably
clean. It would be a simple matter to
reestablish the original grave outlines and protect them with rock
coverings. Once people recognize them
for what they are, I believe they will not be disturbed. APCRP signage should be about all that is needed.
The ‘Campfire
Graves’ provide a useful lesson in survey work:
Don’t let your eyes overrule your brain!
Surface features can change dramatically over the decades; whether the
terrain has been altered by nature or man.
Just because your eyes ‘see’ a campfire doesn’t mean you should ignore
it. If there is a grave, the rods will
let you know.
Mine Owner’s Report –
1940
The George
Washington Mine is one of those tales of what might have been; but not because
of corruption, malfeasance or scandal. It is, rather, a tale of lost
opportunity. It is, possibly, a story of
being one stick of dynamite or one swing of the pick away from discovering the
mother lode.
The Mine Owner’s
Report that was filed by Steve Loncar on April 2, 1940, provides a fascinating
historical insight to the George Washington Mine and the tenacity of this miner. In the document, Mr. Loncar provides
directions to the mine by saying it is “1
¾ miles northwest of Post Office at Constellation, AZ.” His road directions state that it can be
reached via a “graded dirt road from
That Mr. Loncar
had mine workers between 1924 and 1940 is evidenced by the three graves at the
site. However, according to the last
known owner’s report, he no longer had any employees. The report also states that he had no mill,
no equipment, no power and all work was ‘hand dug’. So, by (or before) 1940, the George
Washington Mine was a solo operation by a man who was 71 years old at the time.
In his report,
certified by ‘government supervising engineers’, he had 150 tons of shipping
ore sitting on his dump plus 3,000 tons of ore blocked out in the mine. I have no record of how much ore he might
have shipped in previous years. The
government engineer estimated the probable ore content of the mine at 500,000
tons. The average width of the George
Washington vein was eight to ten feet and up to seventeen and a half feet in
some places. There was a three foot high
‘stringer’ in the center of the vein that averaged more than 6 ounces of gold
per ton, according to the assay reports.
In modern terms, that would equate to about $6,000 per ton, excluding
the value of silver and lead. The mine
was comprised of four shafts and four tunnels, but there is no record of how
extensive the tunnels and drifts were.
The report also states that he had an 18 foot deep hand-dug well on the
site, but I have not located it as of this date.
Steve Loncar
died at the age of 76 on July 25, 1945, barely one month before the war that
shut down his mine ended. He came to
If you would
like to help conduct detailed surveys for other graves in the George Washington
Mine area and/or restore the four graves, drop Neal or me a note via the www.apcrp.org web site. You can also give me a call at (928)
231-2528. If you are interested in the
survey effort, I must caution you that there is some steep ground in the
vicinity. Grave restoration activities would
be pretty straightforward, since the sites do not require clearing of trees or
undergrowth and hiking is not necessary.
American
Pioneer & Cemetery
Research Project
Internet Presentation
Version 012409
WebMaster: Neal Du Shane
Copyright
©2009 Neal Du Shane
All rights reserved. Information contained
within this website may be used
for personal family history purposes, but not for financial profit.
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