Pearce, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Sulphur Springs Valley
The Sulphur Springs Valley is a major valley in the eastern half of Cochise County, Arizona. The valley covers an approximated vertical rectangle west of the Chiricahua Mountains–Dos Cabezas Mountains complex; the Chiricahua's have a valley to the northeast, San Simon Valley, and to the southeast,...
of Cochise County, Arizona
Cochise County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*78.5% White*4.2% Black*1.2% Native American*1.9% Asian*0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*9.6% Other races*32.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The two communities are referred to as Pearce-Sunsites, Pearce/Sunsites, or Pearce Sunsites. Pearce is best known as a historic ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. Sunsites, founded in 1961, adjoins Pearce, and the Sunizona and Richland developments are nearby. All of these communities share the Pearce, Arizona post office and ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 85625. The 85625 ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Area
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics from Census 2000. This new entity was developed to overcome the difficulties in precisely defining the land area covered by each ZIP code...
, which includes the four communities named plus a large surrounding rural area, had a population of 2104 at the 2000 census. The Pearce-Sunsites economy is based on retirees and tourism.
History
Pearce is a mining ghost townGhost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
named for Cornishman James Pearce, miner and cattleman, who discovered gold nearby at what became the Commonwealth Mine in 1894. The Pearce Post Office was established on March 6, 1896. The railroad station opened in 1903. By 1919, Pearce had a population of 1,500. The town declined in the 1930s, and became almost a ghost in the late 1940s, when the mine closed for the last time.
The Commonwealth Mine became one of Arizona's major silver producers. Over 1,000,000 tons of ore were produced from 1895 to 1942. There are about 20 miles of underground workings. The mine produced about $8 million worth of silver and $2.5 million in gold at a time when silver was priced around 50 cents an ounce, and gold was $20 an ounce.
Fittsburg was the site of the Commonwealth mill. The site is about a mile east of Pearce.
Historic sites
Pearce is the home of two properties on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places listings in Cochise County, Arizona
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cochise County, Arizona. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Cochise County, Arizona, United States...
. The old Pearce General Store opened in 1896. The store remained open as a tourist attraction after Pearce (almost) died, and remains open in 2009. Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. There are a number of other historic structures still extant in and around Pearce, some still in use, others in ruins.
Notable people associated with Pearce
- Daniel Barringer (geologist)Daniel Barringer (geologist)Daniel Moreau Barringer was a geologist best known as the first person to prove the existence of a meteorite crater on the Earth, the Meteor Crater in Arizona...
, part owner of Commonwealth Mine - R. A. F. Penrose, Jr.R. A. F. Penrose, Jr.Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr., better known throughout his career as R. A. F. Penrose, Jr., was an American mining geologist and entrepreneur....
, part owner of Commonwealth Mine - Burt AlvordBurt AlvordBurt Alvord , or Burton Alvord, was a little known lawman and later outlaw of the Old West, who witnessed the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral at age 15...
, late 19th century lawman in Pearce - Andrew Young Smith, President and General Manager of Commonwealth Mine
- Effie Anderson SmithEffie Anderson SmithEffie Anderson Smith , also known as Mrs. A.Y. Smith, was an early Arizona impressionist painter of desert landscapes, many of Cochise County , and the Grand Canyon. She was born in Nashville, Arkansas and died in Prescott, Arizona...
, Arizona Impressionist painter of landscapes, and wife of mine manager A.Y. Smith.