Henry Wickenburg was born in Holsterhausen, Essen, Germany on November 21, 1819.  His family was involved in both farming and mining.  He made his way to Arizona in 1862 after arriving in California for the Gold Rush via travel around Cape Horn, working on a freighter out of New York.  With his mining background, it was not surprising that Henry Wickenburg was drawn to the Arizona Territory.  Although he founded the Vulture Mine in 1863, he did not have the resources to continue to extract the gold, so he sold the mine (or was swindled out of it, as some reports say) four years later.  He then became a farmer.  He grew apples, peaches, barley, wheat and grapes.  He also kept a large herd of goats and supplied milk to the town.  In 1879, he applied for a land patent and received a 160-acre plot of land, which became a fair size portion of downtown Wickenburg near the Hassayampa Bridge.

His farm on the Hassayampa River was destroyed by floodwaters when the Walnut Grove dam broke in 1890.  He had a general store, then sold it and built an adobe home on his ranch land (at 411 South Tegner St, which is still standing.)  Later he finally built the Wickenburg-Boetto House on South Washington Street in 1903.  He befriended Mr. & Mrs. W.S. Holland in his later years and his property was deeded to Mrs. Holland, although he reserved exclusive right to sell town lots during his lifetime and execute his own affairs.  Henry Wickenburg lived in Wickenburg from the time of the discovery of the Vulture Mine until his death (believed to be by his own hand from a gun shot) on May 14, 1905.  Unfortunately he would not live to see the organization of the town’s first government when it was incorporated in 1909.  He remained a life long bachelor and was known as a gruff, but friendly and generous man who enjoyed his role as old-timer.