1873 Kingman/Canyon Station Stagecoach Robbery Questions

[cudadan]

Hi again I also have something for Brandon. This stage came down from round valley where if it were going to kingman would have taken the kingman trail not the mineral park trail. Round Valley is were it split depending on where it was headed. Also these stage stops were only like 25 miles apart. Thats about all the distance you could run hourses pulling a heavy wagon. So always remember there are many stage stops out there. I have been to five between ft. Mohave and Prescot

 

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[Arizona Bob]

If you all like these stories there is a book that was wrote by one of the cofer's its called the lunch tree. she tells of a lot of things that happened back in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Cofer's book was first published in 1969. Like a lot of my research, it appears many years after-the-fact. I will check it out. Thanks for the reference, cudadan.

 

[Arizona Bob]

If you are planning to visit Yuma Territorial Prison (for research/whatever), you better do it quick. It will be shut down on March 29.

 

[maipenrai]

Hi, I dont have anything to add to this discussion, but its nice to see that there are serious people here, and good reading. Good luck!

 

[Arizona Bob]

Below is an article (Kingman Miner) detailing artist Fred Lucas' painting: Canyon Station Stage -1873.

 

[Vegas2831]

Ok, its been a while but this doesn't add up to me. The first post has the story stating they were moving from Prescott to Ft Mohave. I have attached 2 maps. Prescott is in about the geographic center of present day Yavapai County. Fort Mohave is about half way between present day route 68 and I-40 on the AZ-CA border.

Mineral Park is marked on the map, this is just West and over the Cerbet Mts from Canyon Station. Why would they go that far North to get from Prescott to Ft. Mohave? I know the area, they are plenty of more direct routes.

 

[Arizona Bob]

I wondered that myself. I had to look at several Arizona maps from 1870 to 1880 to understand why. If you check the map section of Tnet, you should be able to get a better idea of Arizona travel routes in the 1870's.

 

[allen_idaho]

Have you also considered that there is no paper trail attached to this robbery?
That is to say, there aren't any newspaper articles, official reports or communications on the subject, nothing. Just an unverifiable legend it would seem.

However, if the robbery DID take place and McCallum really were caught, he could have died before the Yuma Territorial Prison was built. The inmates had to build the prison themselves. So obviously they were being kept elsewhere before 1876 when the prison officially opened. Which means McCallum could appear on a completely different inmate list kept somewhere else. And he could have possibly died of Tuberculosis or some other disease by 1875.

Or he could have never existed in the first place and the robbery could have been a work of fiction.

 

[Olsoljer]

Was raised in Kingman, arrived in early 1950s. Nellie was a real person, and lived close to where the interstate cuts thru Kingman. The old canyon station and remains of the old stage roads still exist in places. What you think about the stage routes is probably not exactly true as Kingman was on a spur line. I know of 2 stage stations that have (still) old swimming pools in the area. I now live about 100 miles north of Kingman and am interested in SERIOUS treasure hunters/prospectors in this part of Arizona. I was not a "town boy" and have been all over that part of Mohave County in 4WD and on foot, since early 50s. LOL I am 63 now and not in wonderful shape, but I can still get around.

 

[Arizona Bob]

Or he could have never existed in the first place and the robbery could have been a work of fiction.

That's the conclusion I have reached. I am keeping an open mind because I think legend/tradition has a basis in truth sometimes. I would love to find a paper-trail, however!

 

[Old Dog]

Would love to be able to send you a paper trail old friend.
haven't found one. !!
Sorry.

 

[Arizona Bob]

Would love to be able to send you a paper trail old friend. haven't found one. !! Sorry.

No problem Old Dog, my friend!

 

[lastleg]

Good thread Bob. When I read $70,000 in gold coin shipped by ordinary stage the flags went up.

Does anyone have info on Cptbil & Bugs. I miss his posts.

Bob, do you have any dope on Buckeye, AZ up north of Kingman? Supposed to be a ghost town there.

 

[Arizona Bob]

Good thread Bob. When I read $70,000 in gold coin shipped by ordinary stage the flags went up. Does anyone have info on Cptbil & Bugs. I miss his posts. Bob, do you have any dope on Buckeye, AZ up north of Kingman? Supposed to be a ghost town there.

Howdy lastleg! I haven't heard from Cptbil in a while. Buckeye? Perhaps you meant a different town? Only Buckeye I know about is down by Phoenix (near intersection of I-8 exit and I-10).

 

[lastleg]

My boo-boo Bob, the ghost was called Hackberry, not Buckeye.

 

[lastleg]

Bob, I just ran across another reference to the stage holdup. It's on page 3 of Marc's topic: Looking for treasure legends.
MesaBuddy's version has Yavapai Apaches robbing the calvary payroll and hiding it near Granite Dells.

 

[sphillips]

Good thread Bob. When I read $70,000 in gold coin shipped by ordinary stage the flags went up.

Does anyone have info on Cptbil & Bugs. I miss his posts.

Bob, do you have any dope on Buckeye, AZ up north of Kingman? Supposed to be a ghost town there.

How much would $70,000 worth of gold coin weigh? Could a single stage coach carry it?

 

[Arizona Bob]

How much would $70,000 worth of gold coin weigh? Could a single stage coach carry it?

I think that the amount ($70,000) has actually been questioned. First, there is no proof of any amount of gold on the stage. Second, there is no proof that a stagecoach (with Army Paymaster & gold) was even in the area. Finally, some have stated that gold "amounts" tend to "grow" over the passage of time. Bottom line for the gold weight? Your guess is as good as anyone's.

 

[cactusjumper]

SP,

I believe around 230 pounds.

Joe Ribaudo

 

[Clayton's]

I have family history records of my great great grandfather traveling a toll road in 1877 between mineral park and canyon station. He was a Mormon settler with a group traveling from St George to Mesa. Seems it was a common route at that time to get over the Cerbat mountians.