Castle Dome Mining District
1864 - 1979
In 1863 Jacob Snively, founder of Gila City, and right hand to Sam Houston, avenger of the Alamo, following blazes left on the saguaros by Mexican and Conquistador predecessors, came to Castle Dome, and within 15 years, Castle Dome City’s population rivaled that of nearby Yuma.
In 1871, the Floral Temple mine within the district had the distinction of being the second patented mine in Arizona. The Castle Dome Mine with 7 shafts was patented in 1876. In 1878, Castle Dome Mine built the world’s largest wagon, with a capacity of 20 tons. The wagon required a team of forty horses or mules to pull.
The mines in the district proved so rich they helped sustain centuries of off-and-on enterprise. The Government’s need for lead brought another boom to Castle Dome during WWI. After falling silent during the Great Depression, the town sprang to life again in the early 1940’s thanks again to the need for lead. During WW2 over 9,000,000 pounds of lead ore was mined out of the area, leading Castle Dome to be considered one of Japan’s top targets, if they had long range bombers.
In 1993 Allen and Stephanie Armstrong bought the property, and salvaged much of the buildings and artifacts located in and around the Museum.
Marker can be reached from Castle Dome Mine Road 10 miles east of U.S. 95.
Courtesy hmdb.org
