Bradshaw Mountains

Geobox | Range
name=Bradshaw Mountains
other_name=
country=United States
state= Arizona
geology=granite
geology1=schist
period=Precambrian
length_imperial=40
length_round=0
length_orientation=north-south
highest=Mount Union
highest_elevation_imperial=7979
highest_lat_d=34|highest_lat_m=24|highest_lat_s=53|highest_lat_NS=N
highest_long_d=112|highest_long_m=24|highest_long_s=14|highest_long_EW=W


image_size=280
image_caption=The Bradshaw Mountains seen from the peak of Mount Union


map_size=
map_caption=Known in Yavapai as "Wikanyacha" "rough, black range of rocks", [cite book
last = Corbusier
first = William T.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1969
title = Verde to San Carlos
publisher = Dale Stuart King
location =
pages = 55
id = ] and to European explorers as the Silver Mountain Range, the Bradshaw Mountains are a mountain range in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA, later named for brothers Isaac and William Bradshaw. [ [http://www.sharlot.org/archives/history/dayspast/text/2000_07_23.shtml Isaac Bradshaw picked up legacy after brother's death ] ]

History

The first known settlements in the Bradshaws were a group of Yavapai Indians, called the Kwevkapaya who built forts and mined copper from around AD 1100 to 1600. [cite book
last =Annerino
first =John
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Adventuring in Arizona: The Sierra Club Travel Guide to the Grand Canyon State
publisher =Sierra Club Books
date =1991
location =San Francisco, California
pages =134-143
url =
doi =
id = ] Apaches occupied the area around 1800 as a means of keeping White settlers out. But by 1863, a party led by William Bradshaw was in the area, followed by the Walker party. In 1864, a group of five white settlers was attacked by Apaches at what is now called Battle Flat. One of the settlers went for help, but upon his return found the Apaches had left. [Citation
last=Simpson
first=Claudette
author-link=
title=RUGGED BRADSHAWS ONCE BUSTLED WITH MINERS
newspaper=The Courier
volume=
issue=
date=September 18, 1984
year=1984
month=September
page=
url=http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.yancey/405/mb.ashx?pnt=1 ] The Walker party found gold, and within a few years, the Bradshaws were filling up with settlers mining for gold, silver, and copper. In the early part of the 1900s, most of the towns that had sprung up were little more than ghost towns.

Geography

Located approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Prescott, Arizona, between the Agua Fria River on the east, and the Hassayampa River on the west, the range is 40 miles (64 km) long, and almost 25 miles (40 km) wide.

Peaks

*Mount Union, named during the Civil War, is the highest, at convert|7979|ft|m|0.
*Mount Davis, named for Jefferson Davis.
*Spruce Mountain – convert|7696|ft|m|0, misnamed for Douglas firs mistaken for Spruces.
*Mount Tritle – convert|7793|ft|m|0
*Towers Mountain – convert|7628|ft|m|0
*Maverick Mountain – convert|7443|ft|m|0
*Mount Wasson

Geology

The Bradshaw Mountains consist primarily of precambrian granite, gneiss and schist.

Ecology

The biotic community of the Bradshaws ranges from interior chaparral and montane conifer forest, to plains and desert grassland, and Sonoran desert scrub. Many species of trees are found in the Bradshaws, including Piñon, Alligator Juniper, Ponderosa pine, White fir, and Douglas fir. As well, much wildlife is present, including javelinas and Short-horned Lizards.

Several creeks have been dammed to form reservoirs, including Lynx Lake, Hassayampa Lake, Horsethief Lake, and Cedar Tank.

Human use

Gold was first discovered in the Bradshaws in the 1863, over $2,000,000 worth being taken from just the Crowned King Mine. [ [http://thenaturalamerican.com/ghost_towns_&_mining_history.htm Ghost Towns & Mining History ] ] Copper and silver were also mined in the early part of the 20th century.

Ghost towns and other settlements

There are over 40 ghost towns in the Bradshaw Mountains, [ [http://thenaturalamerican.com/ghost_towns_&_mining_history.htm Ghost Towns & Mining History ] ] including Crown King, Bumble Bee, Bradshaw City, and Cleator.

Protected areas

Much of the Bradshaw Mountains are on Prescott National Forest land. Other parks include Horsethief Basin Recreational Area, Lynx Lake Recreational Area, and the Castle Creek Wilderness.

References