2
CA, on the west bank of the Colorado River that forms
Arizona’s western boundary.
Discovery of the Hardy, Gold Dust, and Leland veins
occurred soon after Moss’s strike, but they apparently were
unproductive and there was little activity in the area for at
least another 30 years.
An uprising of the Hualpai people in 1866 may
have been responsible for the decline in mining activity.1
Through 1896, there was little activity in the district.
1900–1912
In 1900, a prospector named José Jerez discovered rich
surface float several miles northeast of Oatman. Jerez had
often been grubstaked by Henry Lovin, a storekeeper in
Kingman, 27 road miles to the east, so Jerez went to Lovin
with samples. Jerez bought supplies and returned to his
discovery, soon tracing the float to an exposed vein. He
staked two claims and named them Gold Road and Line
Road after nearby wagon roads. (The former claim was later
renamed Goldroad.)2
Investors formed the Gold Road Mining and
Exploration Company and mining began in 1902. A small
mill sporadically treated approximately 290,000 tons of ore
valued at $3,667,000 up to 1911, when the entire property
1. Wilson, E. D., Cunningham, J. B., and Butler, G. M. (1934),
“Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining,” The Arizona
Bureau of Mines, Bulletin 137, pp. 80-
2. Malach, R., (1975), “Oatman,” Arizona Bicentennial
Commission, p. 11.
was acquired by the United States Smelting Refining &
Mining Company (“USSR&M”) for $1,600,000.3
In 1901, the Gold Road Company sank the Tom Reed
and Ben Harrison shafts to a depth of 100 feet on what
became known as the Tom Reed vein.4 This was the begin-
ning of a revival in the Oatman part of the district.
In 1902, Col. Thomas Ewing bought the Leland and
Mitchell properties, comprising eight patented claims, that
had been discovered in the 1860s5. The next year, Ewing
sold the Leland property to the Mohave Gold Mining Co.
for an alleged $550,000.
Mohave then invested another $400,000 in improve-
ments that included a mill, a pumping plant, and an
8-inch pipeline that delivered water about 5 miles from the
Colorado River to the mill. Another $278,000 was invested
in a 17-mile narrow-gauge railroad to supply ore to the
mill. It terminated at a 12-chute loading station located at
the mine.
Unfortunately, all this investment preceded any mining
and the property closed after two years of operation with a
total ore production of about 4,500 tons and gross revenues
of $40,000.
Fred J. Eddy lived with his wife and children on a claim
in a neighboring locale near Cottonwood Springs about 5
miles north of the Oatman settlement. Two of his “hired
men,” Ely Hilty and his brother, told Eddy about their
claim just south of the future Oatman business district.
The Hilty brothers had done a limited amount of work that
revealed a gold-bearing outcrop, but they had no money
and owed unpaid bills in Kingman.
Eddy visited the claims, liked the looks of the outcrop,
and collected some rock chips from several locations along
the outcrop. He pulverized the chips in a hand mortar and
panned them, finding visible free gold in each pan’s concen-
trate. He needed no more proof, paid off the Hiltys’ debts,
and obtained an option on their claim.6
Eddy hired a 10-man crew and began shaft sinking,
encountering higher grades with depth, but more capital
was soon needed. Returning to his former hometown of
Pasadena, CA, Eddy formed the Pasadena Consolidated
Company and sold stock to many local businessmen.
Eddy became President and Manager and the Hilty broth-
ers received stock in addition to a cash payment for their
option.
Continued development increased the ore reserves and
the share price increased from 10 cents to several dollars.
3. Ransome, Ibid, p. 5.
4. Ransome, Ibid, p. 4.
5. Malach, Ibid, p. 7.
6. Malach, Ibid, p. 13.
Phoenix
Oatman
District
Figure 1. Location of Oatman in Arizona
CA, on the west bank of the Colorado River that forms
Arizona’s western boundary.
Discovery of the Hardy, Gold Dust, and Leland veins
occurred soon after Moss’s strike, but they apparently were
unproductive and there was little activity in the area for at
least another 30 years.
An uprising of the Hualpai people in 1866 may
have been responsible for the decline in mining activity.1
Through 1896, there was little activity in the district.
1900–1912
In 1900, a prospector named José Jerez discovered rich
surface float several miles northeast of Oatman. Jerez had
often been grubstaked by Henry Lovin, a storekeeper in
Kingman, 27 road miles to the east, so Jerez went to Lovin
with samples. Jerez bought supplies and returned to his
discovery, soon tracing the float to an exposed vein. He
staked two claims and named them Gold Road and Line
Road after nearby wagon roads. (The former claim was later
renamed Goldroad.)2
Investors formed the Gold Road Mining and
Exploration Company and mining began in 1902. A small
mill sporadically treated approximately 290,000 tons of ore
valued at $3,667,000 up to 1911, when the entire property
1. Wilson, E. D., Cunningham, J. B., and Butler, G. M. (1934),
“Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining,” The Arizona
Bureau of Mines, Bulletin 137, pp. 80-
2. Malach, R., (1975), “Oatman,” Arizona Bicentennial
Commission, p. 11.
was acquired by the United States Smelting Refining &
Mining Company (“USSR&M”) for $1,600,000.3
In 1901, the Gold Road Company sank the Tom Reed
and Ben Harrison shafts to a depth of 100 feet on what
became known as the Tom Reed vein.4 This was the begin-
ning of a revival in the Oatman part of the district.
In 1902, Col. Thomas Ewing bought the Leland and
Mitchell properties, comprising eight patented claims, that
had been discovered in the 1860s5. The next year, Ewing
sold the Leland property to the Mohave Gold Mining Co.
for an alleged $550,000.
Mohave then invested another $400,000 in improve-
ments that included a mill, a pumping plant, and an
8-inch pipeline that delivered water about 5 miles from the
Colorado River to the mill. Another $278,000 was invested
in a 17-mile narrow-gauge railroad to supply ore to the
mill. It terminated at a 12-chute loading station located at
the mine.
Unfortunately, all this investment preceded any mining
and the property closed after two years of operation with a
total ore production of about 4,500 tons and gross revenues
of $40,000.
Fred J. Eddy lived with his wife and children on a claim
in a neighboring locale near Cottonwood Springs about 5
miles north of the Oatman settlement. Two of his “hired
men,” Ely Hilty and his brother, told Eddy about their
claim just south of the future Oatman business district.
The Hilty brothers had done a limited amount of work that
revealed a gold-bearing outcrop, but they had no money
and owed unpaid bills in Kingman.
Eddy visited the claims, liked the looks of the outcrop,
and collected some rock chips from several locations along
the outcrop. He pulverized the chips in a hand mortar and
panned them, finding visible free gold in each pan’s concen-
trate. He needed no more proof, paid off the Hiltys’ debts,
and obtained an option on their claim.6
Eddy hired a 10-man crew and began shaft sinking,
encountering higher grades with depth, but more capital
was soon needed. Returning to his former hometown of
Pasadena, CA, Eddy formed the Pasadena Consolidated
Company and sold stock to many local businessmen.
Eddy became President and Manager and the Hilty broth-
ers received stock in addition to a cash payment for their
option.
Continued development increased the ore reserves and
the share price increased from 10 cents to several dollars.
3. Ransome, Ibid, p. 5.
4. Ransome, Ibid, p. 4.
5. Malach, Ibid, p. 7.
6. Malach, Ibid, p. 13.
Phoenix
Oatman
District
Figure 1. Location of Oatman in Arizona