Monday was a cool day so we decided to head for
Wickenburg about 90 miles away, specifically to visit
one of AZ's premier ghost towns Vulture City.
It was a beautiful but windy day as we headed down the curvy
Vulture Mine Rd. Today's forecast a high of only 80 degrees!!!
Along the way, Don went in search of a geocache.
You can find him checking out the coordinates in the
big tree...
where he discovered a Vulture, and a cache
with several travel bugs (for all you geocachers!!)
FYI... A Vulture is NOT a Buzzard
In the United States, when someone refers to a
buzzard, they are, in reality, usually talking about a
turkey vulture, a member of the New World vultures.
Arizona has very few buzzards, and lots of turkey vultures.
Vultures are universally understood to be the bald-headed,
long-necked scavenging birds that eat the decaying flesh
of dead animals.
Buzzards are a type of medium to large-sized hawk.
Most buzzards prefer relatively open country where
they can soar easily and search for prey. Unlike vultures,
buzzards hunt for their meals and prefer to capture
living prey, though they will occasionally
snack on a carcass!!! Now that you have that straight,
let's continue with our tour.
Henry Wickenburg, a prospector from California's gold rush,
discovered a quartz outcropping containing gold.
Shortly after the mine was established a small mining
town was developed. It was called Vulture City.
The town once had a population of several thousand citizens
The Vulture Mine began in 1863 and became the most
productive gold mine in Arizona history.
From 1863 to 1942, the mine produced
340,000 ounces of gold and 260,000 ounces of silver.
Don checks us in at the "tour" headquarters & museum store.
Nancy stands in the shadow of the headstand.
The walking tour was very enjoyable and here
are a few of our favorite shots.
Double click on any photo to enlarge.
In this picture you'll see a Vulture flying overhead
checking out the mine tailings.
Don checking out the Wells Fargo "Post".
The Computing Scale Company of Dayton Ohio
used to weigh the gold & silver.
The hanging tree was close to
Henry Wickenburg's home, complete with outdoor facilities.
No seat covers provided.
Many buildings have been restored and decorated
with objects found on site or period pieces collected.
Many contained unique & unusual items like this steam iron.
My grandmother use to bake delicious cakes in
her wood burning stove similar to this one. No
thermostat required, just a "feel" for the right temperature.
I really liked this the door lock as well as
the lace curtains...
and chandelier.
Something for everyone - the softer side.
And Don had time to find one more geocache outside
the Verde Flat Cemetery, just outside the Vulture Mine area.
That's it for the Vulture City tour, however our tour continued and
you can check it out in part 2, which will be the next post.
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