Total Wreck 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 ...

Pima County, Arizona Pima County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona, one of 15 List of counties in Arizona, counties in the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1 ...

. The town was built from

Pantano, Arizona Pantano is a ghost town located in eastern Pima County, Arizona, between Benson and Vail. Access is via the Marsh Station Road interchange on I-10. It was established as a small railroad town with the arrival of the Southern Pacific in 1880, su ...

, whence "an excellent road" led from the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

line and on to the

Empire Ranch Empire Ranch is a working cattle ranch in southeastern Pima County, Arizona, that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In its heyday, Empire Ranch was one of the largest in Arizona, with a range spanning over , and it ...

. It lay on the mail route to and from Harshaw.

Mining

Silver was discovered in the Richmond lode of the Empire mining district in the eastern Empire Mountains in 1879. By 1884 mines of the area had produced some $5,000,000 in

silver bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...

. Mining declined through the 1890s and early 1900s.

Naming

There are two stories about the naming of the town. * John L. Dillon, the owner of the

claim Claim may refer to: * Claim (legal) * Claim of Right Act 1689 * Claims-based identity * Claim (philosophy) * Land claim * A ''main contention'', see conclusion of law * Patent claim * The assertion of a proposition; see Douglas N. Walton * A ri ...

s, named the townsite Total Wreck because he thought that the mine was on a ledge that looked like "a Total Wreck" because it was below a

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

ledge with large boulders of quartzite strewn all over.Houser, B. B., et al., ''Historic Mining Camps of Southeastern Arizona: a Road Log with Geologic and Historic Highlights,'' in ''USGS Researches on Mineral Resources – 1994 Part B Guidebook for Field Trips, U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1103–B'' p. 26 (map) and p. 27 * The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' reported in 1882 that the "strange appellation" of ''Total Wreck'' came about when "After a laborious search for minerals in the vicinity of the mine, one day previous to its discovery, Mr. Dillon replied to a friend's inquiry of 'What luck?' by saying: 'Oh, it's a ''total wreck!' "

Business and population

A post office was established on August 12, 1881, and was discontinued on November 1, 1890. The population was 200 or 300 residents in 1883, at which time its structures included five

saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francis ...

, three general stores, a butcher shop, a shoemaker shop and a half dozen Chinese laundries. A ''

'' reporter wrote in 1882:

The town of Total Wreck has no appearance of a wreck. It is a thrifty, neat-looking village, the streets laid out at right angles. The main street is named Dillon street in honor of the discoverer of the mine, and the first to discover minerals in this district.... The town has two stores, two hotels, a restaurant, five saloons, a carpenter, blacksmith, butcher and shoe-shop; also a dressmaker's store, a brewery and about thirty-five houses.... It has a residential
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
and a
deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is commonly ...
, and I was informed that in case of trouble with the
Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...
or roughs ninety men could be mustered within sixty minutes." 'It's a Total Wreck,': An Arizona Mine That Completely Belies Its Name," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 3, 1882, p. 1
/ref>

Business owners in that year were "N.R. Vail, Salsig & Ballou, Chas. Altschul, A.J.Bobo, Snyder & Co., Nelson & George, P.J. Delahanty, John Vaughn, Alex. Chisholm, S.S. Danner, McClellan & Williams and Mr. Ballou."

Legends

A popular legend of Total Wreck was the story of E. B. Salsig who was involved in a shootout. He was struck in the chest by a bullet from the other assailant, but he didn't die because he was saved by a large pack of

love letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

s he had in his vest pocket. The letters supposedly absorbed the bullet, saving the man's life. Legend says he married the woman who had written the letters.

Gallery

File:Total_Wreck_Arizona_USGS_1909_Number_1.jpg, Total Wreck in 1909. File:Total_Wreck_Arizona_USGS_1909_Number_2.jpg, Another view of Total Wreck in 1909.

References

External links

The History of Total Wreck, Arizona.

* ttp://www.azghosttowns.com/towns/twreck.html Total Wreck– Ghost Town of the Month at azghosttowns.com {{authority control Ghost towns in Arizona Former populated places in Pima County, Arizona Mining communities in Arizona 1879 establishments in Arizona Territory