Wickenburg

History

The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part of the United States by the 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican–American War. An expedition into the area took place on January 7, 1860, when the Gila Rangers led by Jack Swilling, entered an unexplored part of central Arizona while pursuing Tonto Apache raiders who had stolen stock from miners and the Overland Mail Company. In 1862, a gold strike on the Colorado River near present-day Yuma brought American prospectors, who searched for minerals throughout central Arizona. Many of the geographic landmarks now bear the names of these pioneers, including the Weaver Mountains, named after mountain man Pauline Weaver, and Peeples Valley, named after a settler. A German named Henry Wickenburg was one of the first prospectors. His efforts were rewarded with the discovery of the Vulture Mine, from which more than $30 million worth of gold has been dug. Ranchers and farmers soon built homes along the fertile plain of the Hassayampa River. Together with the miners, they founded the town of Wickenburg in 1863. Wickenburg was also the home of Jack Swilling, who prospected in the Salt River Valley in 1867. Swilling conducted irrigation efforts in that area and helped found the city of Phoenix. Wickenburg was supplied from the Colorado River, by steamboat, then over the La Paz–Wikenburg Road by wagons and pack mules. Wickenburg in turn became a supply point for the mines and army posts in the interior of Arizona Territory. In those years, the rapidly growing town had even once been viewed as a possible candidate for territorial capital and lost the opportunity in 1866 by just two votes in the newly-established legislature. As the town grew, conflicts developed with the Yavapai people, who rejected a treaty signed…

Geography

Wickenburg is located in northwestern Maricopa County. The town limits extend north into the southwestern part of Yavapai County. Via U.S. Route 60, Phoenix is to the southeast, and Blythe, California, on the Colorado River, is to the west-southwest. U.S. Route 93 has its southern terminus in Wickenburg and leads northwest to Kingman. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, are land and , or 0.02%, is water. |date=June 2013 }}

Largest nearby schools

• Wickenburg High School
  High · WICKENBURG · 460 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Hassayampa Elementary School
  Elementary · WICKENBURG · 284 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• Vulture Peak Middle School
  Middle · Wickenburg · 162 students · 18:1 ratio
• Wickenburg Virtual Academy
  Other · Wickenburg · 78 students · 26:1 ratio
• West-MEC - Wickenburg High School
  High · WICKENBURG · 3 students