American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project
VULTURE CITY PIONEER CEMETERY
A.K.A. Verde Flat Cemetery
Ghost Town of Vulture City, Maricopa County, AZ
From Wickenburg, Vulture Mine Road, S approx. 12 miles to the entrance of the Vulture Mine. Proceed S. on the blacktop 1/4 mile to the first road to the right. Proceed approx 1/10 mile looking on your left (S.) fenced enclosure with white crosses.
Latitude N33 48.726, Longitude W112 50.364 - (Elevation 2,020)
Burials = 200 + 10/26/2008
Marker SURNAME FIRST NAME MIDDLE NAME BIRTH DATE DEATH DATE COMMENTS
N CULLING Albert   Feb. 5, 1879 1882 COD. Deptheria Epedemic. Par: Charles & Maria Culling
N DOE Jane Children   1882 White cross marked internments
10 DOE Jane Children   1882 Unmarked internments
90 DOE John     1882 White cross marked interments
N DOE John     1882 Unmarked interments
N DREW   Child    1882 Daughter. Par: Joseph & Maria Drew (Maria was the widow of Charles Culling). Source: Tom Hernandez
N DREW   Child   1882 Son. Par. Joseph & Maria Drew. Source: Tom Hernandez
N McDONALD John       Not buried in main cemery rather the cemetery NE across the black top road. Killed by Apaches on route from Smiths Mill to Family Station. Mrs. B. Sexton committed the body by reading a portion of the solemn service of the Episcopal Church. "Catch the Stage to Phoenix" Leland L. Hanchett Jr.
N DOE John        
N SWAIN George       Not buried in main cemery rather the cemetery NE across the black top road. Killed by Apaches on route from Smiths Mill to Family Station. Mrs. B. Sexton committed the body by reading a portion of the solemn service of the Episcopal Church. "Catch the Stage to Phoenix" Leland L. Hanchett Jr.
N TAYLOR George     Mar. 11 1873 Son of Sam Peter Taylor. Killed by Apaches on route from Smiths Mill to Family Station. Mrs. B. Sexton committed the body by reading a portion of the solemn service of the Episcopal Church. "Catch the Stage to Phoenix" Leland L. Hanchett Jr.
Y VALENCIA Francisca Galindre Sep. 19, 1875 Dec. 12, 1881 Daughter of Ramon Cevero and Andrea Galindre de Valencia - who are buried in the Garcia Cemetery in Wickenburg, AZ. Francisca's is the only known headstone in the Vulture City Cemetery. The marble was shipped in from San Francisco. In 2006 the headstone no longer marks this grave. The base and enclosure are still there. C.O.D. Diphtheria.
N VALENZUELA Inocante     1881 Source: Catch the Stage to Phoenix, L.J. Hanchett Jr. Page, 120
N VALENZUELA Ramona     1882 Half sister to Maria Culling
 
100 200 +
Research by: Joyce Du Shane, Neal Du Shane
Contributor: Neal Du Shane, Alicia Quesada, Carlos Hernandez book "Lighthouse in the Desert", Bonnie Helten, Lee Hanchett Jr.. Tom Hernandez
NOTE: Feb 22, 2006 this site was visited by the researchers. The cemetery is enclosed by a fence with a main gate at the north end. The cemetery is fairly well visited as the main paths were well worn. A boy scout troop has placed white crosses on the obvious burials which number approximately 100. There is another 100 internments that are unmarked scattered throughout the enclosure. The vast majority of the burials are male - probably miners from the Vulture Mine. About 10% of the burials are female and are children. Research continues to determine the names and dates of those buried here.
RESEARCH NOTE: An additional 25 to 30 internments are in individual graves on the actual mine property. These are the "High graders" and various criminals that were not allowed to be buried in the Respectable Cemetery. In 1996 ashes of one individual are scattered about the mine property by their request. It's believed that most of the burials in the cemetery are of children who died of diseases of the era. Typhoid, diphtheria, chicken pox etc.
RESEARCH NOTE: There was a town by the name of VULTURE which was located approximately one mile north of Wickenburg on the Hassayampa, all trace of the Ghost Town of Vulture is gone. Often these two names are confused when referring to Vulture City.
RESEARCH NOTE: In 1923, some "Personal Miners" (as they were referred to, paid the Mine Company to extract ore) were working in one of the large underground chambers. The Vulture Mine, a hard rock mine, had no need of support timbers. The mining company found it necessary to leave about forty percent of the ore in place as supporting columns. One large chamber had ore columns that were very rich in gold. The Personal Miners were chipping away at these columns when they suddenly gave way. One hundred feet of rock over their heads collapsed on them. The cave in killed seven miners and twelve burros. There was no hope of rescue.
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n.j.dushane@apcrp.org