Arizona Placer Gold

    Joe Walker and Paulino Weaver

    The Walker Party - 1863

    Joseph Rutherford Walker, famous mountain man, led a party of 30 prospectors from California over the Old Spanish Trail into New Mexico and then back west to Arizona in 1863. Heading up the Hassayampa River (which they are reputed to have named) they eventually arrived in the Bradshaw Mountains near present day Prescott.

    They found gold while prospecting on several area creeks, including Lynx, Big Bug and Groom. They built corrals, set up a mining district, established claims, and had a drawing, with each man receiving two claims of 100 yards each on either side of the creek. If it was a lode claim, the person could go as deep as he wished.

    The Famous Rich Hill Strike

    That same year, 1863, Paulino Weaver, A.H. Peebles, and Jack Swilling led a group of prospectors up the Hassayampa River where they discovered a rich placer deposit on top of Antelope Hill. The strike was so rich and unusual that the site was renamed Rich Hill.

    The story of the Rich Hill strike is a typical mining story in which one of the party went looking for a strayed burro and found gold. Some have said it is proof that "any stupid ass" can find gold.

    What is really unusual about the Rich Hill strike is that it was on top of a hill, and the gold was in cracks and crevices. Prospectors actually dug it out with spoons and knives. Before it played out, the Rich Hill deposit produced more than one-half million dollars in gold.

    Key Locations

    • • Hassayampa River
    • • Bradshaw Mountains
    • • Lynx Creek
    • • Big Bug Creek
    • • Groom Creek
    • • Rich Hill (Antelope Hill)

    Notable Figures

    • • Joseph Rutherford Walker
    • • Paulino Weaver
    • • A.H. Peebles
    • • Jack Swilling

    Historical Note: The Rich Hill area near Prescott, Arizona remains a popular destination for gold prospectors today. The Hassayampa River and surrounding creeks still produce placer gold for recreational prospectors.