Riches in Them Thar Hills

The search for gold and silver transformed Arizona.

Geographically located in the wild, untamed country between New Mexico and California, Arizona was a desolate, sunbaked land of jagged mountains and barren deserts. Travelers passing through claimed the wind was hot as dragon’s breath, so dry the lizards carried canteens and so hot cowboys could heat their branding irons just by aiming ’em at the sun. 

But those mountains held a king’s ransom in gold and silver. No sooner than a prospector’s pick turned over some rich pay dirt, a legion of boisterous, devil-may-care reprobates stampeded to the area hoping to get rich one way or another.