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Arizona Pioneer
& Cemetery Research
Project
Internet Presentation
Version 120908-2
By: Kathy Block
Harshaw
is essentially a family cemetery maintained by descendents of Angel and Josefa
T. Soto, who settled in the area in the 1880s.
Graves at the Harshaw
Cemetery
The
Hermosa Mine, a silver mine; opened in 1877
was the foundation for the town's economy. At its peak the town reached
about 2,000 people, 150 of which worked at the mine and another 20 at the stamp
mill.
The
Post Office was established on April 29, 1880 and operated until March 4, 1903.
Like
most mining communities work in the mines of the area had peaks and valleys. In
1887 Harshaw saw a rebirth by a Tucson man named James Finley who purchased the
Hermosa claim for $600. The rebirth was minor compared to Harshaw’s peak production.
The revival hosted approximately 100 people for a six year span but once again,
new mining activity was doomed by the death of Finley and the market price of
silver dropped once again.
In
1937 another revival of the area happened, via the Arizona Smelting and
Refining Company (ASARCO) reopening nearby Flux and Trench Mines, continuing
operations until 1956. Only wistful memories trickle on the breezes today, through
the one mile main street of Harshaw.
Harshaw
boasted a one-mile long main street, seven saloons, a boarding house, hotel,
miscellaneous retail businesses and a newspaper called the Arizona Bullion occupied structures along Main Street.
In
1882 the town suffered a fire, as was as a dramatic drop in quality of the ore,
subsequently the population moved on to more opportunities. Two hundred
buildings stood empty with open doors awaiting the next boom.
The
house the Soto family lived in still stands near the cemetery, and is used
for a family retreat. The remaining buildings in town are derelict. A
story in Arizona Daily Star, Dec.31, 2006 details the efforts of Miguel
Soto, age 85, to record the history of those buried in this well-maintained
cemetery.
Summaries
of life stories were printed and posted under laminated covers atop the
graves. When Ed and I visited the area in 1999, we did not see these
covers, maybe they are more recent? The newspaper account infers at least 12
graves (" ...he produced written histories of six of his dozen
family members in the cemetery.")
Headstones in the
Harshaw Cemetery
Another
web site lists, by name, 9 burials. The oldest internment was Freddie Lee
Sorells, Feb.14, 1880 - June 5, 1885; (child died at age 5) the most
recent was Ramon S. Tapia, ? to Dec.20, 2007. Using the unscientific
formula of APCRP, if the population was 2,000 residents in its peak, it is
possible there could be 200 graves in and about Harshaw.
Within
a two mile radius of Harshaw there were some 25 mines, making Harshaw a very active
business community, plus having a stamp mill to process ore produced at the
surrounding mines if they didn’t have their own mills.
The
cemetery is on land managed by the Forest Service and no new burials are
permitted. The access is via dirt roads, which can get impassible in snow
or rain, and there is a confusing maze of rutted 4x4 roads in the area.
Map by: Neal Du Shane
Concerns
over illegal immigrant/drug traffic through the area have cautioned against
camping overnight in area as Harshaw is fairly close to the border.
Those
interested in history of this town and the cemetery can access good web sites
via Alta Vista, then type in "Harshaw Cemetery, Arizona”.
Using
“Google Earth”,
type Harshaw, Arizona and it will take you to the community. Imagery is good
for this remote area. You can still see the cemetery, with approximately 9
white markers from a distance of one mile using satellite imaging.
Arizona Pioneer
& Cemetery Research
Project
Internet Presentation
Version 120908-2
Webmaster: Neal Du Shane
Copyright © 2008 Neal Du Shane
All rights reserved. Information contained
within this website may be used
for personal family history purposes, but not for financial profit.
All contents of this website are willed to the Arizona Pioneer &
Cemetery Research Project (APCRP).
HOME |
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TEN DAY TRAMPS