Spenazuma was a short-lived mining town, now a
ghost town, in
Graham County,
Arizona, United States. The townsite is now privately owned, and the site of a working ranch.
History
The town of Spenazuma was part of an elaborate swindle by an east coast con man,
Richard C. Flower, to sell shares in the Spenazuma Mining Company. In 1898, Flower bought some nearby mining claims, laid out the townsite of Spenazuma, and sold shares in eastern states on the pretense that the Spenazuma Mining Company owned gold mines of immense value. Several trainloads of eastern investors were brought to Spenazuma to sustain the illusion.
It is unclear how large the mining town was during its brief life, although friendly newspaper accounts credit it with several stores and businesses, and regular stagecoach service to the railroad station at
Geronimo, Arizona
Geronimo is a populated place located on Highway 70 between Bylas and Fort Thomas, west of Safford in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Geronimo lies at an elevation of .
History
Geronimo was named after the famous Apache chief GoyaalĂ ...
.
The swindle collapsed after an investigation by
''Arizona Republican'' reporter
George Smalley in 1899. The town was quickly deserted. Flower ostensibly dropped out of the company management, although the remaining management immediately started another mining swindle at
Aura, Arizona, now also a ghost town.
Geography
The townsite is at , at an elevation of 3840 feet above sea level.
References
External links
Richard Flower and the Spenazuma swindles
{{Graham County, Arizona
Ghost towns in Arizona
Former populated places in Graham County, Arizona
Safford, Arizona micropolitan area
1898 establishments in Arizona Territory
Populated places established in 1898