By Nancy Kirkpatrick Wright

Have you been to Chloride recently? If you are one of those folks who are drawn to unusual back-road adventures, you will find the road to Chloride by taking highway 93 north from Kingman about 15 miles. From there, the side road winds its way up the mountain three or four miles to a cluster of nineteenth century mining communities.

Chloride, one of the first mining towns in Arizona, was named for the heavy silver chloride ore exposed in the rocky ledges in the area. Prospectors found gold and silver in abundance there from 1860′s into the early 1900′s. Today, over a hundred years later, silver and gold are pretty much mined out, but the town still survives on the side of the Cerbet Mountains. Scores of buildings, mostly homes of retired people who appreciate the desert vegetation and the isolation, dot the arid landscape.

On the way to Chloride, you will see a colorful serpent-like Coprus (not "Corpus"), longer than a football field, stretched out not far from the road. "What is a Coprus?" you ask. You will not find that word in any of your unabridged dictionaries for it seems to have been coined in Chloride in the 1990′s. A nearby sign labeled "Turquoise Beast" informs us that a Coprus is a "mythical beast which eats the earth around large copper deposits just like an earthworm and it’s digestive processes form the turquoise which is left behind in the ground." So, that famous Kingman turquoise, long prized by Navajo and Zuni silversmiths, comes from the droppings of a serpent? According to the sign, even the scientific community could not understand why the serpent is there, but a little girl made "psychic contact" with a Coprus, who told her that a great comet had collided with the planet Jupiter in July of 1994, which caused the Copruses to come to the surface to anxiously look for Jupiter, their mother planet. This was really not long ago. The legend on the sign tells us that the Copruses "must remain on the surface until all effects of the collision are healed, which will take an unknown number of earth years. One day soon it may be gone." So it behooves you to get over there and see that huge serpent-Coprus before it returns to Jupiter or wherever.

Completely mystified, you travel on. Take time, now, to look around and develop an appreciation for "found" art as you drive up and down the paved and unpaved streets of Chloride. Local people have put together parts of old cars combined with mining tools and household discards to form animals, funny people, and figures from outer space. Over the years, Mother Nature has added color by applying a thick coating of rust, and time and wind have given many of these sculptures a jaunty list. There is a funky kind of charm, if you appreciate that sort of thing.

After trying out one of the mom and pop cafes, check out the "Mineshaft Market & Arizona Visitors Center" on Tennessee Avenue. Leanne and Skip, who have collected the beginnings of a Chloride museum, will welcome you and show you their collections. They have a good start, but there must be more historical information and artifacts somewhere waiting to be added to the collection. After I returned to Prescott, I checked the archives at Sharlot Hall Museum and found, not a rich lode, but several references to Chloride and other mines near there.

In early editions of "The Prescott Journal-Miner," I found correspondence from one "Chloride Jack," As a Cerbat area newspaper correspondent, "Chloride Jack," sent weekly columns to the "The Miner" during the 1870′s. He mentioned the great increase in prospectors and mining claims and the rich quality of the ore, along with sidelights on local miners. He told of working for the McCracken mine which had recently hired 30-40 men. More were expected despite the dreadful fate of the four prospectors who discovered the Silver Hill mine there in 1863. It seems a group of Hualapai crept into camp, found the miner’s guns and used them to shoot two miners who were hauling out ore. Out of ammunition, but still resourceful, the Hualapai then threw heavy rocks down on the other two miners who were digging in the shaft, killing them as well. Bloody business, mining in the early days.

A touching obituary in a 1909 issue of "The Miner," noted that "Chloride Jack" was really Hiram Alfred Owens, (no wonder he called himself "Jack"), a pioneer prospector and a Confederate veteran. His death was honored by veterans from both sides of the Civil War: Another Confederate veteran spoke "beautiful and tender sentiments," and a couple of Union officers paid all the expenses of the funeral and burial. "The past," the obituary concluded, "is a memory, the laurel leaf triumphs in the end."

Sharlot Hall met another early prospector, John Riggs, on her return from her memorable Arizona Strip journey in September 1911. As Arizona’s territorial historian, Sharlot had been collecting historical information and artifacts all along the way and hoped to discover more in this pioneer mining camp. Riggs showed Sharlot around the mines, pointed out the graves of those unfortunate miners who were killed by Hualapais, and plied her with stories of the early days of booming activity and mining heroes. Before she left, he promised to put some markers on the graves and to send her more stories.

True to his promise, Riggs sent Sharlot a chatty letter telling how impressed he was with her "spunk and energy" and assured her that he had personally put markers on the prospectors’ graves. In the letters which followed, mining adventures and hero tales were his specialty. Reading between the lines, we realize that often the hero of his stories was John Riggs, himself. He ended his August 1912 letter to Sharlot with a flourish and signed it: "Ta-ta, Yours truly, Jno. L. Riggs."

First called "Chloride City," the post office was finally established as Chloride in 1873, and by 1875, Chloride had two hundred and fifty inhabitants. Inflation had set in and house lots were selling for as high as $50 per lot. By 1900, Chloride boasted a population of two thousand.

Chloride had its fifteen minutes of notoriety in 1917 when, egged on by the Wobblies (International Workers of the World), some miners called for a strike, demanding higher wages. However, when a vote was held, they voted eight to one against a walkout. The Mohave County sheriff issued warrants and four of the strike leaders were jailed and subsequently ordered out of town. Most of the Wobblies left and the miners who stayed behind were granted a raise anyway. How about that!

Those first prospectors were seeking gold and they found it. Found it in abundance; also silver, and lead-zinc, cinnabar, mercury, and turquoise. In the 1930′s, Tiffany of New York was digging high quality turquoise from the largest mine in the area.

Although Chloride had shrunk to a population of 750 by 1938, the town refused to die and the Duval Corp. began copper production in 1964. This is where the Coprus stretches out its colorful serpentine body in the sun, waiting for its mother, Jupiter, to settle down.

By now, you know so much about Chloride that you might want to go there on New Year’s Day, instead of watching football on TV. Besides, if you want to see that Coprus before it goes away, or if you have a little time some day on your way back from Laughlin or Vegas, you might take a short detour to Chloride, only four miles east of highway 93. Check it out. Ta-ta.

(Nancy Kirkpatrick Wright, retired librarian from Yavapai College, is active in Prescott Art Docents and Sharlot Hall Museum. She enjoys investigating the historic confluences of the arts and sciences.)

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(author supplied, Chloride) Reuse only by permission.

The Coprus (not Corpus) weaves along the mountainside near Chloride, Arizona. Scientists cannot explain it, but a young psychic found it was the result of a comet hitting Jupiter. Come take a mini road trip this week and check out the Coprus and see the town of Chloride at the same time.A

By Mick Woodcock

Occasionally, one of the old newspaper articles is too good not to reprint. Just days before Christmas on December 22, 1876 the Arizona Weekly Miner published one of those. It describes the new brick building built for the local mercantile firm of C. P. Head & Co.. This store was located on the northeast corner of Gurley and Montezuma streets and stood there until destroyed by the fire of 1900, which burned much of Prescott’s business district.

"A Splendid Establishment.

"This is what residents and visitors from elsewhere have remarked, upon looking at and through the great mercantile establishment of C. P. Head & Co., (the company being W. S. Head, brother to C. P. Head) which is situate on the northeast corner of Montezuma and Gurley streets, Prescott. The establishment is now complete, in all its parts, so we will endeavor to give such of our readers as have not seen it and its contents, an idea of both.

"In the first place, we will state that the building is mainly constructed of stone, brick wood and iron. In dimensions it is 50×125 feet. The main salesroom, fronting on Montezuma and Gurley streets, is 25×100 feet; the front portion, east of the division wall is, as yet, unoccupied, back of it is a storeroom, for extras pertaining to the dry goods side of the house. In rear of this is the office, a large, fine room. The rear part of the building, or, in other words, a room 25×50 is used as a storeroom. Beneath the store is a stone cellar, 64×27. Back of all these, across the alley, is the company’s new warehouse, a fine looking wooden building, in dimensions 22×53. The massive brick, mortar and tin; a splendid front with the date of erection in its proper place. On the south and east [sic] sides are porches sufficiently wide to give shelter to about 100 tons of goods. The walls of the building are very thick. Every opening in the entire building is protected by heavy iron doors and shutter, all of which, including, of course, the inside doors, have the latest and best burglar proof fastenings. A hay scales conveniently situated, is on this side. Upon entering, one is struck with the beauty, symmetry ond [sic] convenience of the entire concern with its beautifully grained and painted counters, shelving, drawers, etc., its pure white walls and ceiling, the magnificent display of costly articles, grouped around the walls and on the centre counters. Nothing approaching the Company’s stock off dry goods, boots, shoes and ready made clothing, has ever before been exhibited in Arizona. Besides these, the establishment has full and complete lines of farming, agricultural and mining machinery, implements, etc., etc. In fact, the establishment has everything that can possibly be needed by our people; all ready and convenient for seller and purchaser. The cellar is filled from floor to ceiling, with liquors, cigars and other things too numerous to mention.

"In purchasing the stock, care was taken in the selection thereof and we can safely say that the quality of the goods now held by the firm are A 1. The salesroom is lighted by 7 chandeliers, each one of which has three large lamps. The counter, shelving, office desks, drawers, railing, in fact all of the wood-work, is of Arizona wood. The offices are all separate from the crowded rooms. Robinson & Hill did the brickwork; Compbell [sic] & Parker the carpenter work and Vallentine and Winder the painting and graining, and better, handsomer work cannot well be done here or elsewhere. The large, thick, French plate glass of the front doors gives to the place a city look. But what is the use of particularizing, when we can "cover the ground" by stating that it is the finest, costliest and most convenient mercantile establishment in Arizona. The head of the firm, Col. C. P. Head, is the presiding genius of the place. Mr. E. J. Cook is at the helm in the office, while Messrs. Dawes & Clark circulate around the counters. A more polite, gentlemanly and painstaking force need not be desired by their army of customers. Mr. Wm. S. Head puts in most of his time at Camp Verde, where the company have a fine store and stock of goods. We need scarcely inform our readers that this enterprising firm have entire faith in the speedy development of the latent resources of this part of Arizona, and the building up of a great town here. Furthermore, they will do everything in their power to assist all worthy citizens in efforts to accomplish these purposes. This they have done in the past, to the fullest extent of their ability."

This was not the first building, or site that the company occupied. Beginning with the June 8, 1872 issue of the Arizona Weekly Miner, C. P. Head & Co. had the following advertisement:

"C. P. Head & Co. This firm has now a fine stock of goods, of every description, which they are selling very cheap. Owing to the absence of Col. Head and the arrival of their new goods, Mr. Marks, the junior partner, has not had time to make up an advertisement, but he wishes us to say to the people that his firm motto is to sell cheap."

The November 30, 1872 Arizona Weekly Miner carried the following article:

"C. P. Head & Co. are now installed in the brick store erected by D. Henderson & Bro., corner of Montezuma and Gurley streets, which store, with its contents, they have just purchased from Henderson & Bro., who are now settling up their accounts, preparatory to taking leave of us and going to California. As business men, the Henderson Bros. have been very successful, and we hope that the new firm, which has unlimited resources in goods and hard cash, will succeed equally as well."

True to the article’s hope, C. P. Head & Co. must have prospered to be able to afford to tear down a brick store building and have another constructed. Times were good in Prescott, Arizona Territory.

(Mick Woodcock is the curator of history at the Sharlot Hall Museum)

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(bub8124p). Reuse only by permission.

In 1876, at the northeast corner of Gurley and Montezuma streets, the newly completed C.P. Head & Co. store had just opened. Along with the best selection of "boots, shoes and ready made clothing," one could find "farming, agricultural and mining machinery, implements" – all under a chandelier decorated ceiling.

By Carol Powell

In the early 1880s, the wagon trains provided the means for a whole family to move in exchange for the labor of the head of the house. The Louis and Clara Miller family were just such a family. Clara had been married before and had children already. In the course of her marriage to Louis, she produced eight more children. Four of the boys grew up to become railroad men. The oldest of the six boys, Louis Clair Miller, who eventually served as a constable in Prescott for a while, is the focus of this story.

The Millers left Texas in 1884 to settle in the Arizona territory. The father of the family, Louis Sr., never made it past Fort Huachuca, where he was killed by marauding Apaches. The rest of the family continued on to Prescott.

For Clara, raising her brood alone could not have been an easy task, but for the most part she did well. Otto, Baldwin (Tobe), William, and Charles all had successful careers with the railroads. The oldest daughter, Minnie, married Frederick J. Haas, who moved them to Douglas, Arizona where he became the proprietor of the German Beer Hall and the Windsor Hotel. Florence, the youngest girl, was still living with her mother in 1900 when the census was taken, but no additional information is available.

The younger Miller boys did not go down in Prescott history like their older brother, Louis. Their mother’s obituary from the May 30, 1906 Phoenix newspaper listed the next of kin as such: "sons Will and Charles, both of whom were engineers in the employment of the S.F.P.& P. Railroad: B.O ( Baldwin) of Douglas, an engineer on the E.P. & S.W. Railroad: Mrs. Haas of Douglas and Otto V. Miller of this city." There was no mention of the youngest son Tobe, who was a train engineer in the state of Washington or the oldest son, Louis C. Miller who was in prison at the time.

In 1897, Louis was out of work and out of money, so he forged a check for $50 and tried to head for Mexico. However, Sheriff George Ruffner of Yavapai County caught up with him and locked him up in the Prescott jail. It was in jail that fate linked him to one of the most sensational crimes remembered in Yavapai County.

Louis was placed in the same jail cell with James Fleming Parker. Parker had attempted to rob a train as it approached Peach Springs on February 8, 1897. The robbery was mostly a failure and a posse was formed to track down the participants. Coconino County Deputy Sheriff, John Fletcher Fairchild, who happened to be on another train arriving from Kingman, formed a posse and was soon on the hunt for Parker. Parker was caught and brought to the jail in Prescott.

While Louis and Parker were in jail, they planed and carried out a jailbreak. The jailer, R. W. Meador, was able to get three shots off at the prisoners during the escape and shouted for help. Attorney Lee Norris heard the noise and came down the stairs where he met Parker and Miller coming up where Parker shot and killed him. Both men escaped into Northern Arizona.

The account of what happened over the next five days can be followed in the Prescott newspapers. The headline in the Wednesday, May 12 Prescott newspaper read "Pursuit of the Outlaws". By Saturday, Deputy Fairchild had captured Miller in Jerome. It was through the efforts of Miller’s sister, Minnie Haas, that Miller was induced to give himself up (Frederick Haas tried, unsuccessfully, to collect the bounty). Louis was in pitiful condition. Weak from wounds received while on the lam, he could scarcely muster strength to reach the place where he has been cared for since his escape only a few days before.

Louis’ brother Otto was also arrested in connection with the case, but was released a few days later since there was no evidence to connect him. It is believed that the escape was planned entirely by Parker and Miller without the knowledge of anyone on the outside.

Miller had no wish to see Prescott after his re-arrest in Jerome. At the time, it was deemed advisable not to take him there for fear of lynching. A team of officers was secured right away and Fairchild took Miller in a private conveyance to Flagstaff. Meanwhile in Prescott, an angry mob waited 17 days for Jim Parker to return. The lawmen snuck him into town where he was eventually tried and hanged for the murder of assistant district attorney, Lee Norris.

Fairchild collected the reward for his work. The twist? He was Miller’s brother-in-law. He had married Louis’ older half-sister, Pearl Howard, in Texas before coming to Arizona with the Miller family. Pearl died only a few years after moving to Prescott and Fairchild eventually remarried, but he was still apparently very loyal to the Millers.

Fairchild got the reward for the capture of Miller. But both he and Minnie Haas took the witness stand in Miller’s defense. Although his life was spared, Miller did serve prison time. He later realized that the jailbreak was a piece of foolhardiness on his part since his sentence would not have been very severe for forging of such a small amount.

(Carol A. Powell finds each chapter of the lives of the Millers and Fairchilds to be just as exciting as the last. One of her stories, "Just a Railroadin’ Family " was published in the Genealogical Society’s Copper State Journal in July 2003.)

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(Fairchild and Miller – courtesy of author) Reuse only by permission.

John Fletcher Fairchild (left) was instrumental in the initial capture of train robber, James Fleming Parker, and he also captured Parker’s jailbreak accomplice in Jerome. The twist was how family relations played a role between Fairchild and the other escapee, Louis Clair Miller, his brother-in-law.

By Terry Munderloh

The USS ARIZONA was launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York on June 19, 1915. She would be the third ship to bear that name.

The first ARIZONA was an iron side-wheel steamer purchased by the Government in 1863 and used in service during the Civil War. The second ARIZONA was a first class screw frigate launched in 1865 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

The third ship was authorized by an act of congress on March 4, 1913 and her construction was assigned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. Work on the ship’s keel commenced in September of 1913 at a cost of seven million dollars. Upon being fitted with guns, armor and other equipment, the ship’s cost to the country was projected as 16 million dollars or more.

When news that the biggest super dreadnaught in the world would be built by the Navy reached Arizona, members of the state government petitioned Secretary Daniels to have the ship bear the name Arizona after the youngest state and it was officially announced that the vessel would bear the name the USS ARIZONA.

As work progressed on the hull, the people of Arizona began preparations for all the pomp and circumstances associated with the launching of a great ship. An original silver service set with the Arizona coat-of-arms etched on each piece was commissioned to grace the Captain’s cabin for state occasions. The 80 piece set contained such necessities as a punch bowl with a Neptune base with mermaid handles, candelabras representative of Saguaro Cacti, serving trays depicting Arizona scenes including one of the old log Governor’s mansion, and a humidor for cigars etched with a ranching scene. School children donated their pennies to the silver fund and individual citizens promised their dollars, but the bulk of the contributions to pay the $10,000 price tag for the 670 pound silver service came from the six major Arizona mining companies.

As Arizona was a dry state in both senses of the word, a great debate had ensued as to the propriety of using wine to christen the ship. Abstainers were in favor of using water. A compromise was finally reached in that two bottles, one of wine and one of water, would be used, an unprecedented and never again repeated change to the usual custom. The christening bottles, one wrapped in copper bands from Arizona mines and the other encased in silver, were custom ordered from Tiffany’s.

Then there was the matter of who would christen the ship. William W. Ross, a Prescott pharmacist, decided that his 17-year-old daughter, Esther, should be the ship’s sponsor and began petitioning his friends and political associates for support. Governor Hunt bestowed that distinguished honor on Esther.

Every night after Esther came home from school, her mother would make her practice christening filling syrup and barley bottles with water for Esther to throw against a fence post in the back yard. Originally water from the Hassayampa River had been selected for the christening but an Arizona citizen who had caught the first water that had come over the spillway at Roosevelt dam sent Esther the bottle of water and asked her to use it on the new ship.

As the launch date approached, Esther with her parents, Governor Hunt and an entourage of Arizona dignitaries traveled by rail to New York City where they were quartered at the Waldorf-Astoria and regally wined and dined.

On Saturday morning of June 19, 1915 Esther arrived at the shipyard for the launching accompanied by two maids of honor and a flower girl. Esther was dressed all in white from her kid shoes to an ostrich feather bedecked floppy hat. As the Arizona constituency entered the shipyard, rumor spread through the awaiting crowd that sailors long had considered christening a ship with water a bad omen.

Esther was handed a large bouquet of red roses. "Just before christening the ship" Esther recalls, "a white butterfly came fluttering along and landed right on top of the bouquet. I was thrilled. You know, in Japan at a ship launching they turn loose bags of butterflies as a good luck omen."

The christening bottles dangled at the end of two ropes hanging from the ship’s prow, wreathed with red, white and blue ribbons. Thousands of spectators held their breaths as the holding blocks were sawn off, waiting for the first movement of the ship. Suddenly and very slowly the Arizona began to move. Esther drew back the ribbon bound ropes, swung them with all her might and shouted, "I christen thee Arizona". The champagne bottle broke, the water bottle reportedly did not. A seafarer on deck at the end of the ropes quickly hauled up the cords. The USS Arizona stern struck the water and the blue jackets on deck of the ship shouted and waved. On shore thousands cheered, bands played the national anthem and every siren in the yard bellowed its loudest.

After the USS Arizona’s hull was launched it was fitted with its final armaments and placed in commission in October 1916 with the Atlantic fleet. In 1924 the ship joined the Battle Fleet on the West Cost where she remained active with the Pacific Fleet. Modernize in 1929, the ship was equipped with new guns and boilers specifically designed to attack land targets. The elderly USS Arizona was stationed at Pearl Harbor naval base until its iconic demise on December 7, 1941.

Esther returned home to her social life in Prescott where Fort Whipple’s strict social order and etiquette of army life in that day extended into the little town of Prescott and Esther had her own personalized calling cards even as a teenager.

After her marriage Esther spent most of her adult life in California. Years later Esther was quoted as saying about the christening, "I thought it would be all over when I got home, that it would be just an episode in my life and people would forget about my role. Instead it has followed me throughout my life and has come up again and again."

When the memorial to the USS Arizona was erected in Pearl Harbor in 1977, eighty year old Esther was again called on to christen the 27′ model of the ship. In December of that same year she was the honored dignitary at the dedication of the memorial to the ship’s servicemen featuring the ship’s 10-ton anchor located at the Arizona State Capital.

The famous christening bottles, originally donated to the Sharlot Hall Museum by Esther’s mother, are now on exhibit at the University of Arizona Student along with salvaged piece of the ship’s silver set.

At the Arizona Capitol Museum in Phoenix, another wine bottle and two crystal wine glasses are also on exhibit. Purchased by the survivors of the USS Arizona, the wine bottle will remain curated by that museum until only two survivors remain alive. When that day comes, the last survivors will pull the champagne’s cork and drink a last toast to their departed comrades in arms.

(Terry Munderloh is a volunteer at the Sharlot Hall Museum Archives on Saturdays)

Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(po2477p). Reuse only by permission.

Arizonans made sure that the navy’s newest ship would be named for the "Youngest State." When the USS Arizona was launch in 1915, Prescott’s own Esther Ross (shown here 6th from the right) was chosen to christen her with champagne and water. Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the Arizona and her crew.