Description

Gravestone of Thomas H. McCarty. The enscription reads, "Born Jan 20, 1844. Died Aug 29, 1910. Age 66 yrs. 7 months, 9 days. Gone but not Forgotten."

The ghost town of McCabe is located on the northeast slope of the Bradshaw Mountains, six miles southwest of Humboldt, Arizona on the Galena Gulch. Today (2018) very little is left of it except for the ruins of its cemetery.

Frank McCabe struck gold in Galena Gulch in 1883, and by the turn of the century, the mining town named for him had a population of around 600 people. The town of McCabe had a hospital, a school, stores, and saloons. The town survived several fires, including one in 1900 that began at Jerry’s Last Chance Saloon, which destroyed fourteen buildings. An outbreak of the smallpox epidemic occurred the following year causing a quarantine of the town’s residents. The town evaporated after the closure of the McCabe mine in 1913, but the post office remained through 1917. After the post office closed, the town of McCabe essentially became a ghost town.

The only evidence that is left of McCabe is the town cemetery, which is in derelict condition, most of it having been destroyed by flooding over the years. Only one family plot, the McCarty family, is visibly cared for today (2018), presumably by family descendants.