Greaterville - Pima County
Where: Pima County in the Santa Rita Mountains
Operation Dates: Discovered in 1874 with the Greaterville Mining District organized on March 17, 1875. The post office at Greaterville was established Jan, 1879. After placer gold panned out the community dwindled with the post office closing in 1946.
Noted Aspects of Town: Greaterville is located near another mining town called Kentucky Camp.
From Arizona Place Names "Ed Vail says that about 1880 a group of his cowboys went over here to a dance. They were drunk and the local people refused to admit them. They withdrew to discuss the situation. House in which the dance was held was a adobe with dirt roof. It was winter and cold. A man climbed to the roof and dropped a handful of six- shooter cartridges down the chimney into the blazing fire. This ended the dance."
History: The Greaterville gold placers was discovered by A. Smith, in the Santa Rita mountains, in 1874. The small town consisted of stores, saloons and dance halls to serve the mining community. The Post office was established on January 3, 1879 and discontinued on June 30, 1946. After the discovery the town of Greaterville grew to about 500 people
Rockers, sluices and long toms were used by the miners to separate out the gold until it got more difficult to work the hard caliche ground. Water was brought from Gardner canyon about 4 miles away in canvas or goat skin bags prior to the Santa Rita Water and Mining Co invested in the area.
In 1902 the Santa Rita Water and Mining Co. along with investors such as millionaire George B. McAneny and mining engineer James B. Stetson brought hydraulic mining to the area. This was a costly endeavor due to the proximity of water to the area. Waterways had to be created to transport water over 8 miles which included ditches, 15 to 24 inch diameter pipelines and tunnels. This method was also limited to operation to the rainy season due to the dry climate of the Sonoran Desert. The lack of water and limited by seasonal work eventually lead to the demise of Greaterville.
Law and order in the area was maintained by Deputy Sheriff Bob Kerker and Justice of the Peace Patrick J. Coyne. The jail consisted of a hole in the ground in which prisoners were lowered in by rope. Patrick Coyne also taught school in the evenings until 1882 when the third public school in Pima County was created in Greaterville. The town of Greaterville also was prone to Indian attacks like other western towns during this time.
The Greaterville Cemetery is located near the old town area of Greaterville. The old town area is on private property but the graveyard is accessible on a hill
People: A. Smith, James B. Stetson, George B. McAneny, Deputy Sheriff Bob Kerke, Justice of the Peace Patrick J. Coyne.
What you will see today: Today Greaterville is on private property and not open to the public. The Cemetery is accessible to the public.
Acknowledgement: Ghost Towns of Arizona by James and Barber H. Sherman, Arizona Place Names by Will C. Barnes
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