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Retail Locations > Arizona Retail Locations > Cave Creek Retail Locations
CAVE CREEK RETAIL LOCATIONS
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Just Little About Cave Creek Arizona
Cave Creek was named for the small stream that rises in the hills to the northeast and flows southwesterly for 25 miles. While not a large or impressive stream by non-desert standards, it remains a perennial flow which makes it unique in the area as one of the last remaining spring-fed year-round streams in Maricopa County. The stream itself was purportedly named from a high, overhanging bluff along its west bank that forms a wide, open cavern about two miles north of the present day Cave Creek. People have taken shelter within this 'cave' for centuries. A bloody skirmish occurred within the cave between Apache Indians and U.S. Troops in 1873. The cave and the surrounding acreage is now protected and under the watchful eye of the Desert Foothills Land Trust.
Cave Creek and the surrounding area is rich in archaeological finds. Many petroglyphs and pictographs are to be found by the knowledgeable observer moving carefully through the desert. Dozens of prehistoric sites have been discovered, and many have been mercilessly plundered. However, many more remain undisturbed. One unique site that has been lovingly preserved and even revered remains at the Boulder House, actually in Carefree.
During the 1400's, bands of Apache Indians began drifting into the area. Soon, the Apaches spread throughout the State. They brought with them different lifestyles than the Hohokams. Instead of farming, the Apaches lived by hunting, gathering, and raiding.
The Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500's in search of gold and silver. They found the area not to their liking, perhaps encouraged to dislike it by the Apaches, and their impact on the Cave Creek vicinity was minimal. Mining began to become a focal point in central Arizona history in 1863. The call "Gold in the Bradshaws" (just northwest of Cave Creek) rang out. Because of the year-round supply of water from Cave Creek, a wagon road was established in 1865, clearing the way for easier access for the expected rush of gold miners. Rich gold outcroppings were found in nearby high peaks such as Antelope Hill.
In 1863, Henry Wickenburg uncovered the richest strike, the Vulture Mine. He sold the mine shortly after, but the mine went on to produce more than 200 million dollars worth of gold. It's rumored that nearly half of the Vulture's gold was actually stolen, attested to by the fact that at least 18 men were hanged on the Vulture City hanging tree. The city was rumored to have grown to a population of almost five thousand people, yet the 1880 census cites only 89 residents. The boom continued until President Franklin Roosevelt closed the mine in 1942 as part of a declaration that precious metals mining was not necessary for the war effort. It never reopened and Vulture City became a ghost town almost overnight.
Of all the tribes in the area, the Tonto Apaches were perhaps the most feared. They showed little mercy to the interloping people, They were highly mobile, unpredictable, and difficult to capture. Further south, their cousin Geronimo eluded capture for years using similar tactics in similar terrain.
Newcomers to the territory appealed to the Federal Government for assistance. Even though the Civil War was occupying the minds and resources of Washington, federal officials felt that the potential for gold production was too great to ignore. So, in 1863, Arizona was declared a new and separate territory, splitting off from the territory of New Mexico. A Governor and a small force of troops was sent to the area, stationed at Fort Whipple (nowadays called Prescott) further northwest. The force turned out to be too small to satisfactorily protect potential settlers from the Apaches, and little progress was made opening up the territory.
In 1870, Colonel George Stoneman, Commander of the army troops in Arizona, using an old Indian trail, built a military road from Ft. McDowell to Ft. Whipple. The road leading out of Cave Creek was later shifted to where the old New River Road is now, as it was easier going with wagons than the original road a bit farther north.
There was a Cavalry remount station (not a fort) at Ocotillo Road and the Creek. This was where the soldiers going between Ft. McDowell and Ft. Whipple could get fresh mounts, meals, stay overnight, etc.
The original date palms at Rancho Manana are not native to the area. The cavalry would take a rest stop there by the creek and the little pond nearby. The palm trees grew from the date pits from the soldiers lunches.
In 1865, the army gathered up a group of 300 volunteers from California to establish Fort McDowell. Fort McDowell was about 15 miles east of Cave Creek and is, ironically, the current site of a successful casino owned and operated by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. The volunteers occupied the fort for only a year before being replaced by a more serious regular army infantry unit. This force engaged in many bloody confrontations with the Tonto Apaches for the next 15 years, with inconclusive results. The tide was soon to turn against the Indians, however.
In December of 1873, Lieutenant Walter S. Schuyler of the 5th Cavalry led a scouting expedition north out of Fort McDowe ll. After weeks of searching for the Apaches, Schuyler and his troops found a band of Tontos held up on the West bank of Cave Creek. On Christmas morning the troops attacked the Tontos, killing 9, including Nanotz, one of their most fearless leaders. While this wasn't the decisive battle in the conflict, it turned out to be the beginning of the end for the combative Tonto Apaches.
Just North of Cave Creek, the Bloody Basin area was the site of a bitter skirmish on March 27, 1873. Army scouts trailed a group of Apaches to the top of Turret Peak. The scouts crept up the peak during the night. At dawn they captured or killed nearly all of the Apaches. The Battle of Turret Peak proved to be a major turning point. The site of this battle can be reached today by traveling north from Cave Creek past the Seven Springs recreation area. While the road is passable in clear weather via normal passenger car, CaveCreek.info recommends a high clearance vehicle or, at minimum, a rental car WITH the supplementary insurance.
The relentless pressure on the Tonto Apaches began to have the desired effect. Besides losing their warriors, the army destroyed any of their food they discovered. It was hunger that finally drove the Apaches to surrender. By 1877 about 5,000 Indians from various tribes shared the San Carlos Reservation and Cave Creek and the surrounding areas were safe for settlement in earnest. The Tonto Apaches now have the smallest reservation (85 acres near Payson) in Arizona. The time of the Tonto Apaches along Cave Creek was over and a new era of mining, farming, ranching and settlement was coming to Cave Creek.
The demise of the Apache control of the Cave Creek area opened up the land for settlement by miners, farmers, and cattlemen. As we've told you, William Rowe located gold in 1874 on Gold Hill northeast of Cave Creek. He started the Mistress Mine and the the town became more popular.
In 1873 a wagon road, which ultimately became Cave Creek Road, was built from Phoenix to Cave Creek by William Hellings with fifty men and several teams of horses. They pushed the road through to ultimately intersect with the military road.
Jeriah Wood established a cattle ranch in 1877. He built his house at the intersection of the wagon road and the military road, and it soon became a familiar landmark known as Cave Creek Station. As the area grew, Wood opened a post office and named it Overton. Shortly thereafter, a stamp mill in support of mining operations opened nearby at the Golden Star Mine.
This whole area was known (officially) as the Cave Creek Mining District. This covered the entire foothills area. The earliest mine of record was the Continental Mine 1873, followed by the Yellow Jacket and Lion 1874, Antelope, Uncle Sam Ledge and the Rackensack 1875. 24 mines were recorded in 1876, some of which were the above Golden Star, Silver Star, Success, Independent, Golden King, Gila Monster, Volcano, Phoenix, Philadelphia and the Wild Cat. Six more were recorded in 1877 - another Wild Cat, The Emerald Lode, The Winfried, Catherine Ledge, Dead Deer and the Hard Cash. Few were recorded after that - one of them being the Mormon Girl in 1888.
By the 1880's, Andrew Jackson Hoskin took over Cave Creek Station. Hoskin cleared the land and began growing crops. He used the rare plentiful water supply of Cave Creek to irrigate his crops. Others decided to come and try their hand at both mining and ranching.
By 1886, the town needed a one-room schoolhouse. Mining was still the main draw to Cave Creek, and during this time the Phoenix Mine opened and grew to become a big mine with the largest 100-stamp mill in Arizona.
In early 1900, a sheep rancher (James Houck) settled nearby and became successful. He bought Cave Creek Station and expanded by building a store. By now, there was regular stage service to Phoenix and north to Prescott along the now well-traveled wagon road.
In 1908, the Tonto National Forest was established during the great rush to protect the natural wonders of the United States. Part of the national forest regulations included new, more restrictive water regulations. While the establishment of the National Forest opened up public land for grazing and production via leases, the water regulations in the arid climate made it difficult for ranchers and their livestock. Soon they began to leave and eventually the school closed.
Finally, in 1928 the land south of Black Mountain (the heart of modern Cave Creek) was opened for homesteading. This spurred a tremendous influx of people, enough so that the school was reopened in 1930. Then in 1935 when the construction of Bartlett Dam began, the town experienced another growth spurt and again in 1940, with the building of the Horseshoe Dam.
In 1943, Andrew Dahlstream bought Cave Creek Station to use as his winter home. In 1952, Scottsdale Road was extended to Cave Creek Road and more people chose Cave Creek as their home. In 1986 Cave Creek was incorporated.
Today, residents and visitors alike can still enjoy the casual feel of Cave Creek and relish the rough edges of the town. While nearby Scottsdale touts itself as "The West's Most Western Town".
Source for Cave Creek History: Beverly Brooks
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Last Update: Sunday July 1, 2007 8:12 A.M.
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