Gideon Brooke (c. 1814 – November 1881) was an American politician and businessman who was a member of the

8th Arizona Territorial Legislature The 8th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened from January 4, 1875, till February 12, 1875, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. Background The Indian Wars continued throughout the ...

in 1875. He was a local businessman in Yavapai County,

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

and served on the Yavapai County

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

from 1870 to 1873 and again in 1877–1878. In between, he represented Prescott in the legislature at the territory capital Tucson and was chairman of the Committee on Roads and Ferries.

Background

Brooke was born in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

in 1814 or 1819. He resided for some time in neighboring

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. He operated a periodical store on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington called The Literary Depot. It sold a variety of publications including books of literature and other topics including science, medicine, and religion.

California Gold Rush

In 1849, Brooke left for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in pursuit of riches during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...

. He was listed as

vice-president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of the Washington City and California Mining Association (WCCMA), a formal association of 63 individuals who joined together to make the journey to California as a group. The association, or company, had fourteen wagons built and outfitted with provisions for the trip which left on April 2, 1849 from Lafayette Square, adjacent to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. They proceeded to the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

of the White House, where Brooke, as one of the company officers, "exchanged courtesies" with President

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

. The company then proceeded to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad depot to travel by train to Cumberland, Maryland, overland to Brownsville, Pennsylvania and then by

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

where they stayed for several days until sailing on to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and then via the

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

rivers to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

where they arrived on April 15. Leaving there on the 20th, passing through

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, they reached

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

one week later from where they began the overland trip by mule and wagon. The company crossed the Missouri at

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

and the

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

, consisting of 13 wagons pulled by 72

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two pos ...

s and four

oxen An ox ( : oxen, ), also known as a bullock (in BrE British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, "English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer spec ...

set off across the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

, reaching California seven months later. In 1851, Brooke was reported to be in Marysville, California and neither he or any of the others from the WCCMA had yet "made fortunes".

Arizona

It is believed that Brooke arrived in the Arizona territory in 1862 or 1863, crossing into the territory over the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

from California. He engaged in

placer mining Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed (Alluvium, alluvial) deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit mining, open-pit (also called open-cast mining) or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer minin ...

Lynx Creek Lynx Lake, Arizona, is a reservoir located within Prescott National Forest, approximately east of Prescott, Arizona, in the Bradshaw Mountains. The lake is located at elevation and is stocked for fishing. It is one of the most popular recreat ...

for five years. In 1868, Brooke, along with partner Jacob Linn, purchased the Plaza Feed and Livery Stable from

James D. Monihon James D. Monihon (November 6, 1837September 2, 1904) was an American businessman and politician. He was a signatory to the formation of the Salt River Valley Town Association, the first government of the area that became Phoenix, and later serv ...

, located on Goodwin Street, opposite the courthouse plaza. They operated under the name Plaza Feed and Sale Stable. Brooke became sole proprietor of the business in 1876. Brooke first served as county supervisor from July 15, 1870 through December, 1873. He then was elected to the legislature in the November, 1874 election and served in that position in 1875. He ran again for county supervisor in 1876 and won, having received 416 of the 593 votes cast and was made chairman. He ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. He was forced to resign from his term as county supervisor in 1878 due to ill health, after which he traveled to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

to seek medical treatment for what he believed was

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

. His health also forced him to sell his business for $8,000 which was reported to be a "bargain" price. He died in November 1881 in San Francisco. His body was shipped to Prescott and was buried in an unmarked grave in Citizens Cemetery.

Gravestone placement

In 2017, the Yavapai Cemetery Association procured a grave marker under its three-year old "Marker Placement Program". The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors provided funding for the gravestone. A ceremony was held on November 8, 2017 to dedicate the gravestone and commemorate Brooke. The current Yavapai County Supervisors attended, as did the Prescott Corral of Westerners International, who provided funding for a grave marker for Jacob Linn. Linn was Brooke's business partner. Linn, a member of the Walker Party was one of the first to arrive in central Arizona in the spring of 1863. Linn died in 1876 in Brooke's home. Brooke and Linn's graves were adjacent.

Family

A brother, Henry H. Brooke, was a prosperous

real estate broker A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. A nephew, Robert W. Brooke was a farmer and member of the Maryland Legislature in 1894.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Gideon 1810s births 1881 deaths American booksellers Arizona pioneers Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature Politicians from Prescott, Arizona Arizona Democrats 19th-century American politicians People of the California Gold Rush Politicians from Washington, D.C. Businesspeople from Washington, D.C. 19th-century American businesspeople