It was the Vulture mine that first attracted people to the Town of Wickenburg.  By 1866, Wickenburg was one of the largest settlements in the Territory and was a rival for the location of the territorial capitol of Arizona, losing by only two votes to Prescott.  By 1865, the early mining camp tents were replaced with adobe dwellings and a post office was established.  By 1867 there were approximately 200 people living and working in a number of adobe structures associated with the Vulture Mine.  The original townsite was surveyed …

Henry Wickenburg and his companions were apparently attracted to the area around Wickenburg by ore that Territorial Colonel, King Woolsey, had shown to Mr. Wickenburg.  It was thought to have come from a mine in the Harquahala Mountains, southeast of the Wickenburg area.  Henry Wickenburg discovered gold in October 1863, which initiated the development of the Vulture Mine and ultimately the establishment of the Town of Wickenburg.  The mine was located fourteen miles west of what would become the town of Wickenburg and was well known for its size and …

John Boetto and his family are acknowledged as one of the early pioneer families of Wickenburg.  John Boetto was born in northern Italy on February 29, 1874.  His wife, Mary, was born in Italy in 1878.  The location and the date of their marriage are unknown.  He came to the United States in 1892 and spent time in Colorado and Mexico before coming to Arizona, arriving in Wickenburg in 1907.  In his early years in Wickenburg, Mr. Boetto worked in mining, hauling water from the town to the Belmont Mine, …

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 Wickenburg-Boetto House was built in 1903 by Henry Wickenburg, namesake of the Town of Wickenburg.  Located at 225 South Washington Street, the original construction was a 3-room adobe house heated by wood stoves.  Later additions of porches, a kitchen and a bathroom were completed (specific dates of additions are unknown, but the 1931 Sanborn Fire Map shows all additions in place).  The house is named after Henry Wickenburg, and for John Boetto, who purchased the property in 1913.  Mr. Boetto, and his family owned the property the longest, over …

We have just purchased the gravesite of Henry Wickenburg and other Pioneers of Wickenburg… Stay tuned for more information on this important site.