Bradshaw Mountains | |
---|---|
The Bradshaw Mountains seen from the peak of Mount Union | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Mount Union (Arizona) |
Elevation | 7,979 ft (2,432 m) |
Coordinates | 34°24′53″N112°24′14″W / 34.41472°N 112.40389°W |
Dimensions | |
Length | 40 mi (64 km)north-south |
Geography | |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
County | Yavapai |
Borders on | Weaver Mountains, Sierra Prieta, Black Hills and New River Mountains |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Precambrian |
Type of rock | granite and schist |
The Bradshaw Mountains are a mountain range in central Arizona, United States, named for brothers Isaac and William D. Bradshaw after their deaths, having been formerly known in English as the Silver Mountain Range. [1]
The first known settlements in the Bradshaws were a group of Yavapai people, called the Kwevkapaya who built forts and mined copper from around AD 1100 to 1600. [2] They called the mountains Wi:kañacha, meaning "rough, black range of rocks" [3]
The Walker Party found gold, and within a few years, the Bradshaws were filling up with settlers mining for gold, silver, and copper. By the early part of the 20th century, most of the towns that had sprung up were little more than ghost towns.
Located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Prescott, Arizona, between the Agua Fria River on the east, and the Hassayampa River on the west, the range is 40 miles (64 km) long, and almost 25 miles (40 km) wide.[ citation needed ]
The Bradshaw Mountains consist primarily of Precambrian granite, gneiss and schist.[ citation needed ]
The biotic community of the Bradshaws ranges from interior chaparral and montane conifer forest, to plains and desert grassland, and Sonoran desert scrub. Many species of trees are found in the Bradshaws, including Piñon, Alligator Juniper, Ponderosa pine, Blue Spruce, Quaking Aspen, White fir, and Douglas fir. As well, much wildlife is present, including javelina, mountain lion, bobcat, black bear, mule deer, porcupine, fox, skunk, abert's squirrel, rock squirrel, wild turkey, many species of reptiles and amphibians, and many species of birds.
Several creeks have been dammed to form reservoirs, including Lynx Lake, Goldwater Lake, Lake Marapai, Hassayampa Lake, Horsethief Lake, and Cedar Tank.
Gold was first discovered in the Bradshaws in 1863, over $2,000,000 worth being taken from just the Crown King Mine. [4] Copper and silver were also mined in the early part of the 20th century. Within Mount Union lies the Poland Junction silver mine. [5] Its adit, now sealed, may be accessed from Poland Junction, near Walker.
There are over 40 ghost towns in the Bradshaw Mountains, [4] including Crown King, Bumble Bee, Goodwin, Bradshaw City, Alexandra and Cleator.
Much of the Bradshaw Mountains are on Prescott National Forest land. Other parks include Horsethief Basin Recreational Area, Lynx Lake Recreational Area, and the Castle Creek Wilderness.
Dewey–Humboldt is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population of the town was 3,894 according to the 2010 census. The Dewey–Humboldt area was a census-designated place (CDP) at the 2000 census, at which time its population was 6,295.
Prescott is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827.
Prescott Valley is a town located in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Prescott. According to the 2020 United States Census, Prescott Valley has a population of 46,785 residents.
The Mule Mountains are a north/south running mountain range located in the south-central area of Cochise County, Arizona. The highest peak, Mount Ballard, rises to 7,500 ft (2,300 m). Prior to mining operations commencing there, the mountains were heavily forested with large Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and other conifers, but these were all cut down for housing needs and to feed the ore smelting furnaces in Douglas, Arizona, approximately 20 miles due east. Now, the primary vegetation of the Mules consists of manzanita brush, juniper, lowland oaks and pines, and various grasses. To the east of the mountain range lies Sulphur Springs Valley, and the San Pedro River and Valley to the west.
Kittatinny Mountain is a long ridge traversing primarily across Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, running in a northeast-southwest axis, a continuation across the Delaware Water Gap of Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain. It is the first major ridge in the far northeastern extension of the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains, and reaches its highest elevation, 1,803 feet, at High Point in Montague Township. Kittatinny Mountain forms the eastern side of Wallpack Valley; the western side comprises the Wallpack Ridge (highest elevation: 928 feet above sea level.
The Hualapai Mountains are a mountain range located in Mohave County, east of Kingman, Arizona. Rising up to 8,417 feet at its highest peak, the higher elevations of the Hualapai Mountains support Madrean Sky Island habitats, and are host to a plethora of unique flora and fauna in a wide range of microclimates, high above the surrounding Mojave Desert.
Baldy Mountain, Baldy Peak, Mount Baldy, or Old Baldy is the highest peak in the Cimarron Range, a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. It is located in Colfax County, about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Eagle Nest. It rises abruptly, with 3,640 feet (1,110 m) of vertical relief, from the Moreno Valley to the west and has a total elevation of 12,441 feet (3,792 m).
Lynx Lake, Arizona, is a 55-acre (220,000 m2) reservoir located within Prescott National Forest, approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Prescott, Arizona, in the Bradshaw Mountains. The lake is located at 5,530 feet (1,690 m) elevation and is stocked for fishing. It is one of the most popular recreation areas in central Arizona. Mild weather, the cool ponderosa pine forest, trout fishing, boating, mountain hiking, horseback riding, archaeological sites, and bird watching attract visitors from throughout Arizona. The lake was formed in 1952, when a dam was put in Lynx Creek, 6 miles (9.7 km) below Walker, Arizona.
The Pinaleño Mountains, are a remote mountain range in southeastern Arizona, near Safford, Arizona. The mountains have over 7,000 feet (2,100 m) of vertical relief, more than any other range in the state. The mountains are surrounded by the Sonoran-Chihuahuan Desert. Subalpine forests cover the higher elevations. According to The Nature Conservancy, they traverse five ecological communities and contain "the highest diversity of habitats of any mountain range in North America." The highest point is Mount Graham at 10,720 feet (3,267 m). Locals often refer to the whole mountain range as "Mount Graham", in which case the peak is referred to as "High Peak". The mountains cover 300 square miles (780 km2) and are part of the Coronado National Forest, Safford ranger district.
Crown King is an unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, located at an elevation of 5,771 feet (1,759 m). Crown King has a ZIP Code of 86343; in 2000, the population of the 86343 ZCTA was 133. The site of a former gold mining town, Crown King is 28 miles west of Interstate 17 on Senator Highway, high in the Bradshaw Mountains. The community is named after the Crowned King mine, but the name was shortened to Crown King in 1888. Horsethief Basin Lake resides 6.5 miles southeast of Crown King on Crown King Rd/Forest 259 Rd.
Cleator, formerly Turkey Creek or Turkey, is a near ghost town and small community in Yavapai County, Arizona, in the Southwestern United States.
Frederick Augustus Tritle was an American politician, businessman, and attorney. He served as the sixth Governor of Arizona Territory and held a number of lesser government positions there and in Nevada. He presented the silver spike used at the Promontory Point was held ceremony in May 1869. Tritle was the first governor to have visited Arizona before his appointment and also the first governor to make the territory his lifelong home.
The Hieroglyphic Mountains are a mountain range located in central Arizona. The Hieroglyphics roughly straddle the border between Maricopa and Yavapai counties and form an effective physical barrier northwest of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Due to their proximity to Phoenix and its environs, the mountains offer a number of outdoor recreational activities.
The Cascades ecoregion is a Level III ecoregion designated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and California. Somewhat smaller than the Cascade mountain range for which it is named, the ecoregion extends north to Snoqualmie Pass, near Seattle, and south to Hayden Pass, near the Oregon-California border, including the peaks and western slopes of most of the High Cascades. A discontiguous section is located on Mount Shasta in California.
Catoctin in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, was a small gold mining camp. The camp was established circa 1902 and received a post office on December 29 of the same year. It is located on upper Hassayampa River, sixteen miles southeast of Prescott. Only a handful of mining buildings and homes were constructed and on average the town was home to about twenty people. The Catoctin and Climax mines were nearby. On July 15, 1920, the post office was closed.
The Weaver Mountains are a smaller mountain range to the southwest of the Bradshaw Mountains in central-west Yavapai County, Arizona. Yarnell, at the summit of the Yarnell Hill, Arizona State Route 89, is at the center of the range.
The Sierra Prieta is a 14 miles (23 km) long mountain range in central-northwest Arizona. The range is the mountainous region west of Prescott, with prominent Thumb Butte, 6,514 feet (1,985 m), a volcanic plug, on the city's west perimeter.
The Vulture Mountains is a 29-mile (47 km) long, arid, low-elevation mountain range located in northwest Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is in the north perimeter region of the Sonoran Desert. The Arizona transition zone mountain ranges lie north and northeast, just north of Wickenburg, Arizona. The Yarnell Hill, about 14 miles (23 km) north of Wickenburg, rising into the Weaver Mountains to Yarnell, marks the dramatic elevation rise from the desert. It is also a viewpoint southwest and southeast of the desert regions, including the Vulture Mountains.
Granite Creek is a 38-mile (61 km) tributary of the Verde River in the U.S. state of Arizona. It flows generally north-northeast from the Bradshaw Mountains of west-central Arizona through the city of Prescott and the Granite Dells to meet the river at the north end of the Little Chino Valley east of Sullivan Lake.
The Pinal Mountains are a mountain range located in Gila County, Arizona. They have a maximum elevation of 7,848 ft (2,392 m) at Pinal Peak and a prominence of over 4,000 ft (1,200 m). The closest city is the Globe, Arizona/Miami, Arizona area, which is just a few miles north of the mountain range. The mountains are located within the Tonto National Forest, and their recreational facilities are maintained by the USDA's United States Forest Service. The San Carlos Indian Reservation is very close to the mountain range, with its boundaries being just a few miles east/northeast of the range. The mountains are covered with Ponderosa Pine and white fir and experience cooler weather than the Globe/Miami area, so that they are a popular recreation area in the summer. The maintained facilities include a maintained dirt road that goes all the way to the summit of Pinal Peak, a campsite and recreational area, many hiking trails, as well as some radio towers near both Pinal and Signal peaks. The mountain range covers an area of 45,760 acres.