Pinal City, Arizona
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Pinal or Pinal City is a
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 ...
in
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 ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
. The town was populated from the 1870s into the 1890s, in what was then the
Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the 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 ...
. The
Boyce Thompson Arboretum Boyce Thompson Arboretum is the oldest and largest botanical garden in the state of Arizona. It is one of the oldest botanical institutions west of the Mississippi River. Founded in 1924 as a desert plant research facility and “living museum†...
is said to be on the site of Pinal City. History of the Superior Region
/ref> Only a few foundations remain at the old townsite. The LOST Trail system crosses from the Arizona Trail to the Town of Superior, crossing through the old Pinal town site. From the USFS "This Legends of Superior Trail connects the historic mining town of Superior with the Arizona Trail, 6 miles to the west. Along the way it passes through the high Sonoran Desert, the remains of the abandoned town of Pinal, and the riparian forest along Queen Creek, all while under the gaze of the majestic Picketpost Mountain to the south and Apache Leap to the east. Along the way you will find numbered stations on posts where you can use this brochure to learn more about the history and environment of this uniquely beautiful area."


History

After an abortive settlement by troops under General George Stoneman from November 1870 to August 1871 the area was developed by prospectors and ranchers. Silver was discovered resulting in a boom town of about two thousand residents at the foot of Picket Post Mountain by 1878. The post office was established on April 10, 1878, as Picket Post, and the name was formally changed to Pinal on June 27, 1879. When the Silver King Mine played out, Pinal City went into steep decline. The post office closed on November 28, 1891, and the town was deserted shortly thereafter. The nearby Silver Queen mine continued and gradually became a better producer of copper, forming the basis of the town site of
Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...
by 1900. Celia Ann "Mattie" Blaylock, once
Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...
's common law wife lived in Pinal City. She died from an alcohol and laudanum overdose and is buried in the Pinal Pioneer Cemetery.


Pinal City Images

The Wagon Wheel Tracks pictured were made by the wagon trains which hauled the heavy ore from the Silver King Mine to Pinal City.


See also

*
Historic Pinal Cemetery The Historic Pinal Cemetery, first known simply as "Pinal Cemetery", is a cemetery located on a hill in what once within the jurisdiction of the now ghost town of Pinal City, Arizona. The Pioneers' Cemetery Association (PCA) defines a "historic c ...


References


External links

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Pinal
– Ghost Town of the Month at azghosttowns.com {{authority control Former populated places in Pinal County, Arizona Ghost towns in Arizona Mining communities in Arizona