Alto is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Santa Cruz County, Arizona Santa Cruz is a County (United States), county in southern Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 47,669. The county seat is Nogales, Arizona, Nogales. The county was established in 1899. It b ...

, first settled in the early 1900s in what was then part of the Tyndall Mining District, east of

Tubac Tubac is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,191 at the 2010 census. The place name "Tubac" is an English borrowing from a Hispanicized form of the O'odham name ''Cuwak'', which tr ...

in the

Santa Rita Mountains The Santa Rita Mountains (O'odham language, O'odham: To:wa Kuswo Doʼag), located about 65 km (40 mi) southeast of Tucson, Arizona, extend 42 km (26 mi) from north to south, then trending southeast. They merge again southeastw ...

. The town was originally named El Plomo, which is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "lead", and was changed to Alto, meaning "high", many years later, probably because the mines were located high up on a steep mountainside.

History

The story of Alto begins sometime after the arrival of the Spanish

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

s in southern Arizona in the 1690s. Sometime later, missionaries from Tumacacori discovered the rich silver veins of Alto while out exploring the hills to the east of their village. Although historical research does not support this claim, the Spanish were known to have started work on the original Salero Mine just a few miles away. In 1875 Joseph Goldree opened the Gold Tree Mine in the Alto area, which led to the establishment of a mining camp at the foot of the mountain.

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

raids were a constant threat in the early years and as a result it wasn't until after the turn of the century that a town really began to take shape. A post office was first opened in 1907 in the home of a local pioneer named Josiah Bond, who was a former mining engineer, the local

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, school teacher, and poet. Josiah's wife, Minnie, became the Alto

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. She was also a schoolteacher, but was killed instantly by a freak bolt of lightning not far from her home in 1922. The horse she was riding on was also killed. Her 14-year-old son, Albert, and his baby sister, Catherine, were riding with their mother that day, but were unharmed. Albert ran home crying that his mother had been hurt, so his father grabbed his rifle and went for his wife, thinking she had been attacked by bandits. The

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

ruins of the Bond home and post office, which closed in 1933, are all that remains of Alto, apart from a small family cemetery and mine waste that was dumped over the mountainside. Salero, considered one of Arizona's best surviving ghost towns, is located just a few miles to the southeast of Alto on the Salero Ranch, but is not open to visitors. Kentucky Camp is on the other side of the mountains northwest of Sonoita, and has been carefully preserved by the Forest Service. Alto's population was 25 in 1940.

Gallery

Alto Arizona In 1909.jpg,

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

photo of Alto in 1909. Josiah Bond & Family Circa 1914.jpeg, Josiah Bond (1858-1938), his wife Minnie, and their children. Minnie Amerman Bond (1883-1922).jpg, Minnie Amerman Bond
(1883-1922)

References

{{Santa Cruz County, Arizona Ghost towns in Arizona Former populated places in Santa Cruz County, Arizona History of Santa Cruz County, Arizona

History

Gallery

See also

References