Two Gold Bars Lost in Tucson Wash near Oracle and Mammoth AZ

[Ed144]

George Wilson (1887-1957) was a pioneer rancher in the Oracle Arizona area. In 1955 Mr. Wilson's memoirs were recorded and later printed in 1964-65, by the Arizona Cattlegrowers Association (ACGA) magazine “Arizona Cattlelog.”

William Neal of Oracle, Az was a pioneer wagon-master and freighter in the area. This story is about how two gold bars being transported by Mr. Neal from Mammoth to Tucson was lost in a flash flood in Tucson wash between Oracle and Mammoth. The story begins at paragraph three of the attachment.

If George Wilson's account of the size of the gold bars is correct, they would total about 405 Troy ounces of gold with a current value of about $972,000.

 

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[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

This is a fine example of the problem with the world today. No one is losing giant gold bars all over the place anymore. So sad. What has happened to society?

 

[Crow]

William Curly Neal was a real person teamsters indeed transporting gold for local mine. And appeared quite successful and wealthy. did he steal the gold bars? With alleged flooding accident? Afterwards he built and hotel and had a ranch.

The guy had an amazing history.

Crow

 

[Ed144]

The copy of the memoirs came from a reprint. The Oracle Historical Society received permission from the ACGA to reprint or publish the memoirs in 2023.
Interestingly I could find no mention of this event using a smart search of the Arizona newspapers. If the story is true then Mammoth Mines must have told the newspapers to not print anything. Searches do show both the Mammoth Mine and Tucson Consolidated Bank were in operation at the same time (see attached).
Copies of this reprint "Arizona Cattlelog, Saga of Oracle - Mountain Cowtown" by George S. Wilson can be found at the Acadia Ranch house museum in Oracle. The museum is located in Oracle on the Mt. Lemon Rd. Look for the green and white sign. Anyone have a deep-seeking metal detector that can ignore small targets?

 

[Ed144]

William Neal operated many stage and freight runs in the Tucson, Oracle and Mammoth areas....see attached.