Henry Wickenburg

Henry Wickenburg
Henry Wickenburg c. 1900
Born	Johannes Henricus Wickenburg November 21, 1819 Essen–Holsterhausen,Prussia (now Germany)
Died	May 14, 1905(1905-05-14) (aged 85) Wickenburg, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Prospector and farmer
Notes
Founded the town of Wickenburg, Arizona.

Henry Wickenburg (November 21, 1819 - May 14, 1905) was a Prussian prospector who discovered the Vulture Mine and founded the town of Wickenburg in the U.S. state of Arizona. Wickenburg later in life became a farmer and died penniless despite the fact that the mine that he discovered produced as much as 70 million dollars' worth of gold during its course of operation, making it the most important gold mine in Arizona.

Wickenburg (birth name: Johannes Henricus Wickenburg) was born in Essen, Prussia, a coal mining region in what is now Germany. Together with his brother he mined coal on the land which belonged to his family. However, the mineral rights were claimed by the government and Wickenburg immigrated to the United States in 1847, after the local authorities raided the family farm.

Wickenburg arrived at the Port of New York in 1847. Upon learning of the discovery of Gold in California, in what is known as the California gold rush, he decided to go to San Francisco. He arrived in San Francisco in 1853 and learned how to prospect and pan for gold. In accordance to his Declaration of Intention in 1877, he became a naturalized American citizen that same year. In 1862, he joined the Pauline Weaver party, who had struck gold in the Antelope Peak, and traveled into the interior of what was then the Arizona Territory. The group settled in what became known as "Peeples Valley" by the Hassayampa Creek.

On one occasion Wickenburg had noticed a quartz ledge about fourteen miles from group's camp. His observation was ignored by the others. Wickenburg went by himself to investigate the quartz ledge and believed that the ledge had potential. He returned to the camp and told his associates. A claim was staked by Wickenburg and his associates; A. Van Bibber, J.B. Green, W. Smith and N.K. Estil. His associates continued to seek other ventures and Wickenburg worked the mine by himself and began to sell the gold ore to other prospectors. He established an encampment which he named Wickenburg's Ranch. Wickenburg helped to finance Jack Swilling's Ditch Project, which later became the Salt River Project. By 1866, Wickenburg had had enough of gold mining and sold the 80% interest of the Vulture mine which he owned, for eighty-five thousand US dollars ($85,000). He received twenty thousand in cash and a promissory note for the rest of the sixty-five thousand dollars. The new owners refused to pay him because they claimed that Wickenburg did not have a clear title to the property. The Vulture was the most important gold mine in Arizona.