Wickenburg Mines

The mining town of Wickenburg has a fascinating history of difficult times, trials and tribulations. Stories of adventurous men, Native American attacks, gold thefts and lost gold treasures. And of course the rich Vulture Mine in the nearby desert that started it all. Wickenburg has weathered countless Indian raids, the boom-and-bust of mining, harsh droughts and flash flooding. Despite all the hardships it continued growing and prospering. Northwest of Phoenix, the city has some of the richest gold mines in Arizona history including the Vulture Mine properties, some of which are part of our overall portfolio.

As the fifth largest gold producing county in Arizona, Maricopa County produced 428,000 ounces of gold, primarily from the Vulture Mine, with 3,000 ounces attributed to small placer deposits. In the Wickenburg area the entire region shows scores of old mine dumps, which occasionally yield large gold nuggets due to carelessness of early miners. Seven miles southeast from Wickenburg, in the sands and gravels of entire length of the Hassayampa River there are notably abundant placers for several mile below mouth of San Domingo Wash. The Hassayampa placers were very productive 1934-49.

Of course just a bit southwest west of the Hassayampa River, at south margin of the Vulture mountains, you will find the Vulture Mine, which was the largest producer of gold in the county (366,000 ounces of gold). If you travel west approximately 18 miles and 2.5 miles south of U.S. 60, you will find the Sunrise Mine lode gold mine. Northeast a large mining area extending into Yavapai county produced some lode gold.