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Gold was discovered in 1848 and the rush was on to get to California. A
wagon road was established in 1865 through this section to help those traveling
to the west. The road passed this way because of the natural water supply
in the area. The army also used it to travel between Fort McDowell and
Fort Whipple.
In 1874, William Rowe located gold on Gold Hill
northeast of Cave Creek. The Cave Creek Mistress Mine came into being and
the town became more popular.
Then in 1877, Jeriah Wood chose
Cave Creek to establish a cattle ranch. Wood's home along the wagon road
became known as the Cave Creek Station. He also opened a post office and
called it Overton. Later on, the first stamp mill opened nearby at the
Golden Star Mine.
By the 1880's, Andrew Jackson Hoskin took
over Cave Creek Station. Hoskin cleared the land and began growing crops.
He used the plentiful water supply to irrigate his crops. Others decided
to come and try their hand at both mining and ranching. In 1886, the town
needed a one-room schoolhouse. It was also during this time, that the Phoenix
Mine became a big mine and included the largest 100-stamp mill in Arizona| Arizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. |
. However,
this was short lived and the mine eventually closed.
James
D. Houck showed up in 1900 to become a successful sheep-shearing rancher.
He bought Cave Creek Station and built a store. There was regular stage
service to Phoenix. Things began to change. In 1908, the Tonto National
Forest was established and new water regulations were set in place. These
regulations made it difficult for ranchers and their livestock. Soon ranchers
began to leave and eventually the school closed.
It wasn't
until 1928, when the land south of Black Mountain near Cave Creek opened
for homesteading that the area received an influx of people. The school
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. He used it as his winter home. Many others also decided
to live in the area. 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, visitors will see wonderful desert views; discover
the town's rich history and experience the relaxed atmosphere Cave Creek
has to offer.
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