Mineral Park, Arizona

Mineral Park, Arizona
Ghost Town
Mineral Park, Arizona
Mineral Park, Arizona

Location in the state of Arizona

Coordinates: 35°22′15″N 114°09′11″W / 35.37083°N 114.15306°W / 35.37083; -114.15306Coordinates: 35°22′15″N 114°09′11″W / 35.37083°N 114.15306°W / 35.37083; -114.15306
Country United States
State Arizona
County Mohave
Founded 1871
Elevation[1] 4,252 ft (1,296 m)
Time zone MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
Post Office Opened: December 23, 1872
Post Office Closed: June 15, 1912

Mineral Park was a mining town, now a ghost town in the Mineral Park valley of the Cerbat Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. Its ruins and cemetery are located within the property of an open-pit copper/molybdenum mine, operated by a subsidiary of Mercator Minerals LTD.

History

Mining in the area began in 1871 and a camp was established soon after. The mines produced primarily silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc. The post office was opened December 23, 1872. It grew to be the largest town in the county and became the county seat in 1873. It had the county courthouse and jail, stores, hotels, saloons, shops, doctors, lawyers, assay offices and two stagecoach stations.[2] The town published a newspaper, the Mohave County Miner.

In 1887 it lost the county seat to the railroad town of Kingman in an election. Some of the population and the newspaper moved and mining began to slacken with the price of silver. The post office closed in April 30, 1893. It reopened in September 1894, but closed for the last time in 1912.[3]:113 Mining revived in the area since the 1960s, but the town never did.

Today

As of 2015, a cemetery, a few ruins and foundations remain within the property of the new mine. The company that owns the mine property is in bankruptcy.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mineral Park
  2. ↑ Mineral Park - Mohave County Bicentennial Commission - 1976, historical marker, located 14 miles northwest of Kingman on US 93 in Mohave County, Arizona
  3. ↑ John and Lillian Theobald, Arizona Territory Post Offices & Postmasters, The Arizona Historical Foundation, Phoenix, 1961.


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