By Mary Leavitt
(This is the second part of a two part article on the history of Humboldt, Arizona.)
A company owned mining town, Humboldt experienced rapid growth and prosperity in earlier years when the ore producing mines in the area were shipping ore to the smelter. All too soon, unforeseen factors came into play rendering Humboldt vulnerable to economic fluctuation.
Like many other communities, Humboldt did not escape the worldwide influenza epidemic in 1918 that took its toll on the mining community. The hospital was staffed by four doctors and seven nurses who cared for the stricken, many of whom died from their affliction.
By the time World War I was coming to a close in 1918, the population of Humboldt was beginning a decline. Between 1922 and 1927, there was only intermittent operation at the smelter. The town's survival depended almost entirely on the mining business and it suffered dramatically. In 1927, the smelter closed, eliminating jobs for 700 men. In October 1929, the smelter was resurrected and operation resumed on a small scale. The Humboldt smelter closed for the final time in 1937; the equipment was dismantled and sold to the mine at Jerome.
Between 1927 and 1937, the great depression hit Humboldt's economy hard and many businesses closed or moved away. The hospital closed as well as other town businesses. Miners were moving away to find work elsewhere and the few who chose to stay sought work on nearby ranches or whatever work they could find. By 1930 there were only about three hundred die-hard residents left to maintain the town business.
The school enrollment dwindled, but a large mortgage remained on the elaborate, domed school building. In 1932, the school mysteriously burned down about 2:00 a.m. following the graduation ceremony. Arson was strongly suspected.
With the exodus of the company executives and miners, many of the lavish homes on Nob Hill were moved away: three were moved to Prescott, one was moved to Chino Valley and some were bought by families who stayed in Humboldt, while some remained vacant.
The 1930s were turbulent years for the flailing, struggling community. When President Roosevelt began the Public Works Administration, several of Humboldt's men worked on that project. Although the majority of the work was in and around Prescott, some of the work crews from Humboldt were bussed to the job-site in Prescott, taking bed rolls and staying on the job.
Al Cogianno, owner of the Arctic Ice House on Main Street, deeded the now unused building to the Humboldt School district in 1932. It was converted into Humboldt's only school. The three-room school housed grades one through ten.
Old Black Canyon Highway, a dirt road, went through town. Cowboys on horseback drove horses up from Phoenix to the riding stables in Copper Basin. The cowboys always stopped at the old Chemas Bar to wet their whistle and wash away the dust.
The Basque sheepherders were regular visitors when they drove their sheep from lower southern areas north, to the cooler climate during the spring. In the fall, they made a return trip south, driving the herd through the foothills east of Humboldt. Many times the sheepherders would camp up on the hillside. A sociable lot, they would come into town and mingle with the town folk, occasionally inviting them to their camp and cooking some of their food in their Dutch ovens over campfires.
Cattle roamed the dusty streets and large, clumsy burros came down from the foothills and were gentle enough for the kids to ride.
Humboldt regained its second wind in 1934 and new life breathed into the community when a vein of ore was discovered and the Iron King Mine began operation. Mining officials, recognizing the need for family oriented environment, began working toward being involved in family activities. The mine constructed a community swimming pool for their employees and families, as well as organizing Arizona's first Little League Baseball team.
There were happy times in family oriented Humboldt. The children of the miners, growing up in the 1930s, enjoyed participating in ball games along with their parents, competing with teams from the surrounding towns Mayer and Dewey.
Humboldt was an active community. While the men worked at the mine, the women were homemakers. You knew it was payday when sounds of steaks being pounded echoed throughout town.
Humboldt continued to experience a depressed economy and shrinking population during the 1940s and 1950s. Construction of Highway 69 was completed in 1953. The paved, two-lane highway between Phoenix and Prescott replaced a narrow, winding, gravel road.
The closing of the Iron King Mine in the late 1960s did not affect the population of Humboldt since few miners actually lived in town. Most of the miners lived in Prescott and were transported to the mine in the company-owned bus.
The townsfolk watched helplessly while the town continued to shrink. The last of the original smelter smoke stack was demolished in 1955. The railroad tracks were removed in 1971.
The 1970s exhibited painfully slow but steady growth for the community. Residents held on tenaciously, grasping for survival of their little town in the foothills of the Bradshaw Mountains.
Humboldt is now showing signs of growth and prosperity. The streets are now paved and thriving businesses line both sides of Main Street.
It is a close-knit community, striving to keep the small-town, rural atmosphere alive. Remnants of the mining days are still a part of the town. It has been almost a hundred years since smoke billowed from the smelter, standing tall and still overlooking the town. The miners are gone, but Humboldt is a tough town that is keeping step with progress.
(Mary Leavitt is an aspiring author in Prescott Valley.)
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(bus5034p)
Reuse only by permission.
The domed (and doomed) Humboldt High School, c 1930. The school burned in 1932 after graduation festivities. Arson was suspected.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number:(pb148f10i6). Reuse only by permission.
This photograph is allegedly Humboldt in the 1940s. By this time, the town was on the decline and may have bottomed out, population wise, in the 1950s and 1960s. Today it is growing once again due to the influx of residents escaping the larger towns of the Phoenix and Prescott areas.