By Ember Foxx
Once there was a prosperous town that hundreds of people called home, now lost and forgotten.
In 1875 a prospector named Edmund Peck was walking through the Bradshaw Mountains when he bent down to drink from a spring. As he drank, he noticed a shining rock near the water. Suspicions led him to get it tested; it was silver ore. He later returned to the spring and founded The Great Peck Mine. He began a partnership with C.C Bean, William Cole and his father-in-law, Thomas Alexander. The mine was extremely successful, producing over $1.2 million in silver in its time.
The success of the mine attracted prospectors from all over the territory. and a thriving community formed around the mine. Peck named the town “Alexandra,” after his mother-in-law, who was the first woman to visit the town. Within a few months, the town had a blacksmith, a school, a church, a barber shop, a billiard hall, two mercantiles, three hotels, three boarding houses, two stables, two restaurants, four saloons and at least 50 homes. In 1874 the Spence family built the Palace Station to serve as a stage stop between Prescott and Alexandra. By 1876 more than 60 men worked at the mine. In 1878 the town opened a post office, officially putting Alexandra on the map.
As the Peck mine expanded, so did Alexandra; the mine was eventually sunk to 400 feet. Many of the town's residents figured that, while working at the Peck, they would also start their own mines. As of 1903, the “Peck Mining District” had over 65 mines. More hotels and homes started springing up to accommodate the rapidly growing population. Over the course of four years, every few months, a “Letter From Alexandra” was posted in the Weekly Journal-Miner newspaper. This gave the residents of Prescott an idea of what was going on in Alexandra both with mining news and local gossip. It was reported that the people of Alexandra loved talking politics, and they often held political conventions “...and came to the conclusion that the boys of Alexandra can talk as much politics to the square inch as they did in the days of old Tammany.” (Weekly Journal-Miner, July 26, 1878.)
In 1881 a lawsuit between the owners put a halt on all work at the Peck mine. This caused most of the residents of Alexandra to pack up and move on to other nearby mining towns, such as Turkey Creek or Crown King. Once the lawsuit settled, work picked up again, but the mine was left unattended long enough that it was in disrepair. In 1903 a mining investor and engineer named Henry B. Clifford purchased the mine. On September 3, 1903, he brought major investors, attorneys, engineers, journalists and even congressmen together at the Peck to show off the mine and give speeches on his plans. These plans included investing $150,000 for new hoist buildings, water pumps, a new mill, a sky tram to the nearby railroad and to eventually sink the mine to 1000 feet. The remaining residents of Alexandra saw this as a good sign that the town might be popular again. Unfortunately, many of Clifford's promises fell through. In 1905 investors who visited the mine stated that it was in complete disarray and was unworkable. Investors pulled out, and the mine was leased to many different owners but was never prosperous again.
Alexandra was officially taken off the map around 1905, and the last official residents moved out in 1911. Today, nothing remains of Alexandra other than a few stone foundations and a dirt road that was once bustling with life and optimism.
“Days Past” is a collaborative project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Prescott Corral of Westerners International (www.prescottcorral.org). This and other Days Past articles are also available at www.archives.sharlothallmuseum.org/articles/days-past-articles/1 The public is encouraged to submit proposed articles and inquiries to dayspast@sharlothallmuseum.org Please contact SHM Research Center reference desk at 928-277-2003, or via email at archivesrequest@sharlothallmuseum.org for information or assistance with photo requests.