Spenazuma was a short-lived mining town, now a ghost town, in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The townsite is now privately owned, and the site of a working ranch.
The town of Spenazuma was part of an elaborate swindle by an east coast con man, Richard C. Flower, to sell shares in the Spenazuma Mining Company. In 1898, Flower bought some nearby mining claims, laid out the townsite of Spenazuma, and sold shares in eastern states on the pretense that the Spenazuma Mining Company owned gold mines of immense value. Several trainloads of eastern investors were brought to Spenazuma to sustain the illusion.
It is unclear how large the mining town was during its brief life, although friendly newspaper accounts credit it with several stores and businesses, and regular stagecoach service to the railroad station at Geronimo, Arizona.
The swindle collapsed after an investigation by Arizona Republican reporter George Smalley in 1899. The town was quickly deserted. Flower ostensibly dropped out of the company management, although the remaining management immediately started another mining swindle at Aura, Arizona, now also a ghost town.[1][2]
^Plazak, Dan (February 1, 2006). A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top. Salt Lake: University of Utah Press. pp. 159–165. ISBN0-87480-840-5.
^Donaldson, W. Scott (December 2002). Arizona Mining Scams and Unassayable Ore Projects of the Late 20th Century(PDF). Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources. p. 3.
External linksedit
Richard Flower and the Spenazuma swindles
April 12, 2024
spenazuma, arizona, spenazuma, short, lived, mining, town, ghost, town, graham, county, arizona, united, states, townsite, privately, owned, site, working, ranch, ghost, townspenazumalocation, state, arizonashow, arizonaspenazumaspenazuma, united, states, show. Spenazuma was a short lived mining town now a ghost town in Graham County Arizona United States The townsite is now privately owned and the site of a working ranch Spenazuma ArizonaGhost townSpenazumaLocation in the state of ArizonaShow map of ArizonaSpenazumaSpenazuma the United States Show map of the United StatesCoordinates 32 57 17 N 110 11 44 W 32 95472 N 110 19556 W 32 95472 110 19556CountryUnited StatesStateArizonaCountyGrahamFounded 1898Abandoned 1899Time zoneUTC 7 MST no DST Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 References 4 External linksHistory editThe town of Spenazuma was part of an elaborate swindle by an east coast con man Richard C Flower to sell shares in the Spenazuma Mining Company In 1898 Flower bought some nearby mining claims laid out the townsite of Spenazuma and sold shares in eastern states on the pretense that the Spenazuma Mining Company owned gold mines of immense value Several trainloads of eastern investors were brought to Spenazuma to sustain the illusion It is unclear how large the mining town was during its brief life although friendly newspaper accounts credit it with several stores and businesses and regular stagecoach service to the railroad station at Geronimo Arizona The swindle collapsed after an investigation by Arizona Republican reporter George Smalley in 1899 The town was quickly deserted Flower ostensibly dropped out of the company management although the remaining management immediately started another mining swindle at Aura Arizona now also a ghost town 1 2 Geography editThe townsite is at 32 57 17 N 110 11 44 W 32 95472 N 110 19556 W 32 95472 110 19556 at an elevation of 3840 feet above sea level References edit Plazak Dan February 1 2006 A Hole in the Ground with a Liar at the Top Salt Lake University of Utah Press pp 159 165 ISBN 0 87480 840 5 Donaldson W Scott December 2002 Arizona Mining Scams and Unassayable Ore Projects of the Late 20th Century PDF Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources p 3 External links editRichard Flower and the Spenazuma swindles Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Spenazuma Arizona amp oldid 1167675489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
