Known in Yavapai as Wikanyacha "rough, black range of rocks",^[1] and to European explorers as the Silver Mountain Range, the Bradshaw Mountains are a mountain range in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA, later named for brothers Isaac and William Bradshaw.^[2]

History

The first known settlements in the Bradshaws were a group of Yavapai Indians, called the Kwevkapaya who built forts and mined copper from around AD 1100 to 1600.^[3] Apaches occupied the area around 1800 as a means of keeping White settlers out. But by 1863, a party led by William Bradshaw was in the area, followed by the Walker party. In 1864, a group of five white settlers was attacked by Apaches at what is now called Battle Flat. One of the settlers went for help, but upon his return found the Apaches had left.^[4] The Walker party found gold, and within a few years, the Bradshaws were filling up with settlers mining for gold, silver, and copper. In the early part of the 1900s, most of the towns that had sprung up were little more than ghost towns.

Geography

Spruce Mountain seen behind Mount Davis, from the peak of Mount Union

Peaks

• Mount Union, named during the Civil War, is the highest, at .
• Mount Davis, named for Jefferson Davis.
• Spruce Mountain ? , misnamed for Douglas firs mistaken for Spruces.
• Mount Tritle ?
• Towers Mountain ?
• Maverick Mountain ?
• Mount Wasson

Geology

The Bradshaw Mountains consist primarily of precambrian granite, gneiss and schist.

Ecology

The biotic community of the Bradshaws ranges from interior chaparral and montane conifer forest, to plains and desert grassland, and Sonoran desert scrub. Many species of trees are found in the Bradshaws, including Piņon, Alligator Juniper, Ponderosa pine, White fir, and Douglas fir. As well, much wildlife is present, including javelinas and Short-horned Lizards.

Several creeks have been dammed to form reservoirs, including Lynx Lake, Hassayampa Lake, Horsethief Lake, and Cedar Tank.

Human use

An abandoned charcoal kiln, near Walker, Arizona

Ghost towns and other settlements

There are over 40 ghost towns in the Bradshaw Mountains,^[6] including Crown King, Bumble Bee, Bradshaw City, and Cleator.

Protected areas

Much of the Bradshaw Mountains are on Prescott National Forest land. Other parks include Horsethief Basin Recreational Area, Lynx Lake Recreational Area, and the Castle Creek Wilderness.

References