HikeLemmon

On the Landscape of the Santa Catalina Mountains

Campo Bonito, High Jinks - 9/19/2016

Created by Charles Miles on 12/13/2016.

2016 September Water Tank in Campo Bonito
2016 September Water Tank in Campo Bonito. Charles Miles. 9/19/2016.

Campo Bonito

Background - Islands in the Desert: A History of the Uplands of Southeastern Arizona (p. 131):

Any history of mining has several inherent problems. For one thing the usual practice of relying upon relying upon contemporary or primary sources turns topsy-turvy. Such sources are often suspect, since mine owners and other interested parties deliberately sought to enhance the value of their properties, promoting them to raise capital for their development or to attract a purchaser.

Origin of the name - Look to the Mountains, An in-depth look into the lives and times of the people who shaped the history of the Catalina Mountains (p.28):

[Doctor Scudder] had dreams of a chicken ranch. By looking in a Spanish dictionary, he came up with a name for the beautiful area. "Listen! Campo Bonito. Did you ever hear anything equal to that?"

Origin of the fame - Look to the Mountains, An in-depth look into the lives and times of the people who shaped the history of the Catalina Mountains (p.28):

Later Captain Burgess sold mining claims to the well known scout, William F. Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill. Cody's fame was well earned, but not for his sound investiments. Perhaps Burgess knew this and took advantage of his old friend.

Camp Bonito never produced the fortune that Cody hoped for - not a unique, or even uncommon, story - this concise summary from (p.132) seems relevant:

another fact of frontier life, which was that profits were most commonly sought through buying and selling mining properties, rather than by developing them.

2016 September Freshly Maintained Trail and Arizona Trail Sign
2016 September Freshly Maintained Trail and Arizona Trail Sign. Charles Miles. 9/19/2016.

The High Jinks was another Cody mine that never produced the riches he had hoped for - the property, a National Historic Site, is located above Camp Bonito just off the Cody Trail, the route of the Arizona Trail - see the High Jinks Ranch for more information.

2016 September Hijinks Ranch from the Cody Trail
2016 September Hijinks Ranch from the Cody Trail. Charles Miles. 9/19/2016.

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