Pearce, Arizona, and Sunsites, Arizona, are adjacent unincorporated communities in the Sulphur Springs Valley of

Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The count ...

, United States. The two communities are often referred to as Pearce–Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites. Pearce is located between the Cochise Stronghold,

Chiricahua National Monument Chiricahua National Monument is a unit of the List of areas in the United States National Park System, National Park System located in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The monument was established on April 18, 1924, to protect ...

, and the winter Sandhill Crane refuge of Whitewater Draw making it popular for birders, history buffs, hikers, and climbers alike. At 4,400 feet of elevation, the area is also known for its milder summers which make it ideal for quality grapes and vineyards (recognized as an American Viticultural Area). Pearce is best known as a historic

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

. Sunsites, founded in 1961, adjoins Pearce, and the Sunizona and Richland developments are nearby. All of these communities share the Pearce, Arizona post office and ZIP code, 85625. The 85625

ZIP Code Tabulation Area ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics. These were introduced with the Census 2000 and continued with the 2010 Census and 5 year American Community ...

, which includes the four communities named plus a large surrounding rural area, had a population of 2104 at the 2000 census. and 1983 in the 2010 census. The Pearce–Sunsites economy is based on retirees and tourism.Pearce/Sunsites community profile
at Arizona Department of Commerce Fittsburg was the site of the Commonwealth Mine and is located about one mile east of Pearce.Pearce and Fittsburg ghost towns
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History

Pearce is a mining

named for

Cornishman Cornish people or the Cornish (, ) are an ethnic group native to, or associated with Cornwall: and a recognised national minority in the United Kingdom, which (like the Welsh and Bretons) can trace its roots to the ancient Britons who inh ...

James Pearce, miner and cattleman, who discovered gold nearby at what became the Commonwealth Mine in 1894. The Pearce Post Office was established on March 6, 1896. The railroad station opened in 1903. By 1919, Pearce had a population of 1,500. The town declined in the 1930s and became almost a ghost town in the late 1940s when the mine closed for the last time. The Commonwealth Mine became one of Arizona's major silver producers. Over 1,000,000 tons of ore were produced from 1895 to 1942. There are about 20 miles of underground workings. The mine produced about $8 million worth of silver and $2.5 million in gold at a time when silver was priced around 50 cents an ounce, and gold was $20 an ounce. Sunsites was established in the 1950s and 1960s by New York lawyer Joseph Timan and his Horizon Land Company.

Historic sites

Pearce is the home of two properties on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The Pearce General Store opened in 1896. The store remained open as a tourist attraction until 1990. Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. There are a number of other historic structures still extant in and around Pearce, some still in use, others in ruins.

Climate

Pearce has a cold

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''BSk'') with cool winters and hot summers.

Notable people

* Burt Alvord, late 19th-century lawman in Pearce *

Daniel Barringer (geologist) Daniel Barringer (May 25, 1860 – November 30, 1929) was a geologist best known as the first person to prove the existence of an impact crater on the Earth, Meteor Crater in Arizona. The site has been renamed the Barringer Crater in his honor, ...

, part owner of Commonwealth Mine * Bill Downing, a notorious late 19th-century outlaw *

Edward Landers Drew Ed Drew (August 22, 1865 – May 15, 1911) was an Arizona rancher, miner, and lawman in the final years of the Old West. He is most remembered for his family of pioneers and his death during a shootout near Ray.Pinal County Pinal County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was est ...

deputy sheriff buried in the Pearce Cemetery * R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., part owner of Commonwealth Mine * Effie Anderson Smith, Arizona Impressionist painter of landscapes, and wife of mine manager A.Y. Smith File:Historic Pearce Townsite.jpg, Historic Pearce Townsite Sign File:Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, Pearce, AZ.jpg, Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, Pearce, AZ File:Fittsburg AZ.jpg, The mill at Fittsburg, 1900. File:Historic Pearce Jail.jpg, Historic Pearce Jail File:Historic Pearce Jail Sign.jpg, Historic Pearce Jail Sign File:EA Smith behind the wheel circa 1900.jpg, Effie Anderson Smith in her Rambler Touring Car, circa 1907, near her home in Pearce.

References

Sources and external links

Pearce Sunsites Chamber of Commerce

Google map of Pearce–Sunsites

Old Pearce Mercantile

includes photo gallery

{{authority control 1896 establishments in Arizona Territory Former populated places in Cochise County, Arizona Ghost towns in Arizona Mining communities in Arizona Populated places established in 1896