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Coordinates: 33°40′45″N 114°25′35″W / 33.67917°N 114.42639°W / 33.67917; -114.42639
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'''La Paz''' ([[Yavapai language|Yavapai]]: '''Wi:hela''') was a short-lived early gold mining town along on the western boarder of current-day [[La Paz County|La Paz County]], [[Arizona]]. The town grew quickly after Powel Weaver discovered gold in January, 1862, in the nearby Arroyo De La Tenaja on the eastern bank of the Colorado River.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gunther |first1=Jane Davies |title=Riverside County California Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories |date=1984 |publisher=Roubidoux Printnig Company |location=Riverside, California |isbn=84-729-20 |page=431}}</ref> ''La Paz'', Spanish for ''peace'', was chosen as the name in recognition of the [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] for [[Our Lady of Peace]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Granger |first1=Byrd H |title=Will C. Barnes' Arizona Place Names |date=1979 |publisher=Arizona Press |location=Tuscon, Arizona}}</ref> Originally the town was formed in the [[New Mexico Territory]], but became part of the [[Arizona Territory]] when it was declared a separate United States territory by President Abraham Lincoln.<ref>Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona 1863-1912: A Political History. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. {{ISBN|0-8165-0176-9}}</ref> In 1983 the newly-formed County of La Paz adopted the name, long after the town became a deserted [[ghost town]].
'''La Paz''' ([[Yavapai language|Yavapai]]: '''Wi:hela''') was a short-lived early gold mining town along on the western boarder of current-day [[La Paz County|La Paz County]], [[Arizona]]. The town grew quickly after gold was discovered nearby 1862. ''La Paz'', Spanish for ''peace'', was chosen as the name in recognition of the [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] for [[Our Lady of Peace]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Granger |first1=Byrd H |title=Will C. Barnes' Arizona Place Names |date=1979 |publisher=Arizona Press |location=Tuscon, Arizona}}</ref> Originally located in the [[New Mexico Territory]], the town became part of the [[Arizona Territory]] when President [[Abraham Lincoln]] established the new territory in 1863.<ref>Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona 1863-1912: A Political History. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. {{ISBN|0-8165-0176-9}}</ref> In 1983 the newly-formed County of La Paz adopted the name, long after the town had become a deserted [[ghost town]].


La Paz was the location of the [[La Paz Incident]] in 1863, noted for being the westernmost confrontation of the [[American Civil War]].
La Paz was the location of the [[La Paz Incident]] in 1863, noted for being the westernmost confrontation of the [[American Civil War]].
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==History==
==History==
[[File:La Paz, Arizona.jpg|312px|left|thumb|''La Paz, circa 1890, already a ghost town.'']]
[[File:La Paz, Arizona.jpg|312px|left|thumb|''La Paz, circa 1890, already a ghost town.'']]
Mountain man [[Pauline Weaver]] discovered gold in the vicinity in January 1862, starting the Colorado River gold rush. La Paz grew up in the spring of 1862 along the Colorado River to serve the miners washing placer gold in the La Paz Mining District. This district produced about 50,000 troy ounces of gold per year in 1863 and 1864.<ref>Maureen G. Johnson, 1972, ''Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona'', Geological Survey Bulletin 1355, p.77.</ref> La Paz had a population of 1,500 and was a stage stop between [[Fort Whipple, Arizona]] and [[San Bernardino, California]].<ref>Eldred D. Wilson, (1961) [http://www.azgs.az.gov/Mineral%20Scans/gold_bull168_ocr.pdf ''Gold Placers and Placering in Arizona''], Arizona Geological Survey, Bulletin 168, PDF File, p.25.</ref> The town was the county seat of [[Yuma County, Arizona|Yuma County]] from 1864 to 1870, and as the largest town in the territory in 1863 was considered for the Arizona territorial capital.
Mountain man [[Pauline Weaver]] discovered gold in in the Arroyo De La Teneja, on the eastern bank of the Colorado River, on January 12, 1862.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gunther |first1=Jane Davies |title=Riverside County California Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories |date=1984 |publisher=Rubidoux Printing Company |location=Riverside, California |isbn=84-729-20 |page=431}}</ref> His discovery triggered the [[Steamboats of the Colorado River#Colorado River gold rush|Colorado River gold rush]]. La Paz grew up in the spring of 1862 along the Colorado River to serve the miners washing placer gold in the La Paz Mining District. This district produced about 50,000 troy ounces of gold per year in 1863 and 1864.<ref>Maureen G. Johnson, 1972, ''Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona'', Geological Survey Bulletin 1355, p.77.</ref> La Paz had a population of 1,500 and was a stage stop between [[Fort Whipple, Arizona]] and [[San Bernardino, California]].<ref>Eldred D. Wilson, (1961) [http://www.azgs.az.gov/Mineral%20Scans/gold_bull168_ocr.pdf ''Gold Placers and Placering in Arizona''], Arizona Geological Survey, Bulletin 168, PDF File, p.25.</ref> The town was the county seat of [[Yuma County, Arizona|Yuma County]] from 1864 to 1870, and as the largest town in the territory in 1863 was considered for the Arizona territorial capital.


The placers were largely exhausted by 1863, but the community hung on as a shipping port for [[steamboats of the Colorado River]] and supply base until the [[Colorado River]] shifted its course westward in 1866, leaving La Paz landlocked. The shipping business was taken over by a new river town, [[Ehrenberg, Arizona|Ehrenberg]], six miles south. In 1870 the population of La Paz had declined to 254.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ewINAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s Richard Josiah Hinton, The Handbook to Arizona: Its Resources, History, Towns, Mines, Ruins, and Scenery, Payot, Upham & Company, San Francisco, 1878]</ref>{{rp|43}} In 1871 the county seat was moved to [[Arizona City (Yuma, Arizona)|Arizona City]], later renamed Yuma in 1873. The county records were shipped to Yuma by Captain Polhamus in the [[Nina Tilden (sternwheeler)|''Nina Tilden'']].<ref>Walker, Henry (1986). "Historical Atlas of Arizona", p.32. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. {{ISBN|978-0806120249}}</ref><ref>Will Croft Barnes, Arizona Place Names, University of Arizona Press, 1988</ref>{{rp|238}} Soon La Paz became deserted and as peaceful as its name.<ref>Gerald Thompson (1985) ''"Is there a gold field east of the Colorado?" the La Paz gold rush of 1862'', Historical Society of Southern California, v.67, n.4, p.345-363.</ref><ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/prospector/sited1.htm |title=National Park Service - Prospector, Cowhand, and Sodbuster (Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings) |publisher=Nps.gov |date=2005-05-22 |accessdate=2010-07-31}}</ref>
The placers were largely exhausted by 1863, but the community hung on as a shipping port for [[steamboats of the Colorado River]] and supply base until the [[Colorado River]] shifted its course westward in 1866, leaving La Paz landlocked. The shipping business was taken over by a new river town, [[Ehrenberg, Arizona|Ehrenberg]], six miles south. In 1870 the population of La Paz had declined to 254.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ewINAAAAIAAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s Richard Josiah Hinton, The Handbook to Arizona: Its Resources, History, Towns, Mines, Ruins, and Scenery, Payot, Upham & Company, San Francisco, 1878]</ref>{{rp|43}} In 1871 the county seat was moved to [[Arizona City (Yuma, Arizona)|Arizona City]], later renamed Yuma in 1873. The county records were shipped to Yuma by Captain Polhamus in the [[Nina Tilden (sternwheeler)|''Nina Tilden'']].<ref>Walker, Henry (1986). "Historical Atlas of Arizona", p.32. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. {{ISBN|978-0806120249}}</ref><ref>Will Croft Barnes, Arizona Place Names, University of Arizona Press, 1988</ref>{{rp|238}} Soon La Paz became deserted and as peaceful as its name.<ref>Gerald Thompson (1985) ''"Is there a gold field east of the Colorado?" the La Paz gold rush of 1862'', Historical Society of Southern California, v.67, n.4, p.345-363.</ref><ref name="nps">{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/prospector/sited1.htm |title=National Park Service - Prospector, Cowhand, and Sodbuster (Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings) |publisher=Nps.gov |date=2005-05-22 |accessdate=2010-07-31}}</ref>

Revision as of 17:30, 31 March 2020

La Paz, Arizona
Ghost town
La Paz is located in Arizona
La Paz
La Paz
Location in the state of Arizona
La Paz is located in the United States
La Paz
La Paz
La Paz (the United States)
Coordinates: 33°40′45″N 114°25′35″W / 33.67917°N 114.42639°W / 33.67917; -114.42639
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyLa Paz
Founded1862, before Arizona was officially declared a territory by President Abraham Lincoln
Abandoned1875
Elevation
[1]
584 ft (178 m)
Population
 (2009)
 • Total
0
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST (no DST))
Post Office openedJanuary 17, 1865
Post Office closedMarch 25, 1875

La Paz (Yavapai: Wi:hela) was a short-lived early gold mining town along on the western boarder of current-day La Paz County, Arizona. The town grew quickly after gold was discovered nearby 1862. La Paz, Spanish for peace, was chosen as the name in recognition of the feast day for Our Lady of Peace.[2] Originally located in the New Mexico Territory, the town became part of the Arizona Territory when President Abraham Lincoln established the new territory in 1863.[3] In 1983 the newly-formed County of La Paz adopted the name, long after the town had become a deserted ghost town.

La Paz was the location of the La Paz Incident in 1863, noted for being the westernmost confrontation of the American Civil War.

History

La Paz, circa 1890, already a ghost town.

Mountain man Pauline Weaver discovered gold in in the Arroyo De La Teneja, on the eastern bank of the Colorado River, on January 12, 1862.[4] His discovery triggered the Colorado River gold rush. La Paz grew up in the spring of 1862 along the Colorado River to serve the miners washing placer gold in the La Paz Mining District. This district produced about 50,000 troy ounces of gold per year in 1863 and 1864.[5] La Paz had a population of 1,500 and was a stage stop between Fort Whipple, Arizona and San Bernardino, California.[6] The town was the county seat of Yuma County from 1864 to 1870, and as the largest town in the territory in 1863 was considered for the Arizona territorial capital.

The placers were largely exhausted by 1863, but the community hung on as a shipping port for steamboats of the Colorado River and supply base until the Colorado River shifted its course westward in 1866, leaving La Paz landlocked. The shipping business was taken over by a new river town, Ehrenberg, six miles south. In 1870 the population of La Paz had declined to 254.[7]: 43  In 1871 the county seat was moved to Arizona City, later renamed Yuma in 1873. The county records were shipped to Yuma by Captain Polhamus in the Nina Tilden.[8][9]: 238  Soon La Paz became deserted and as peaceful as its name.[10][11]

Today nothing remains of La Paz except a couple of crumbling stone foundations and a historical marker.[11]

See also

Geography

La Paz is located at 33°40′45″N 114°25′35″W / 33.67917°N 114.42639°W / 33.67917; -114.42639, at an elevation of 584 feet (178 m) above sea level.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: La Paz (historical)
  2. ^ Granger, Byrd H (1979). Will C. Barnes' Arizona Place Names. Tuscon, Arizona: Arizona Press.
  3. ^ Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona 1863-1912: A Political History. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-0176-9
  4. ^ Gunther, Jane Davies (1984). Riverside County California Place Names; Their Origins and Their Stories. Riverside, California: Rubidoux Printing Company. p. 431. ISBN 84-729-20. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  5. ^ Maureen G. Johnson, 1972, Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona, Geological Survey Bulletin 1355, p.77.
  6. ^ Eldred D. Wilson, (1961) Gold Placers and Placering in Arizona, Arizona Geological Survey, Bulletin 168, PDF File, p.25.
  7. ^ Richard Josiah Hinton, The Handbook to Arizona: Its Resources, History, Towns, Mines, Ruins, and Scenery, Payot, Upham & Company, San Francisco, 1878
  8. ^ Walker, Henry (1986). "Historical Atlas of Arizona", p.32. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. ISBN 978-0806120249
  9. ^ Will Croft Barnes, Arizona Place Names, University of Arizona Press, 1988
  10. ^ Gerald Thompson (1985) "Is there a gold field east of the Colorado?" the La Paz gold rush of 1862, Historical Society of Southern California, v.67, n.4, p.345-363.
  11. ^ a b "National Park Service - Prospector, Cowhand, and Sodbuster (Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings)". Nps.gov. 2005-05-22. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
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