Pantano, Arizona | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Pima |
| Elevation | 3,553 ft (1,083 m) |
| Population (1922) | |
| • Total | ~500 |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) |
Pantano (English: "Marsh") is a ghost town located in eastern Pima County, Arizona, near the town of Vail. It was originally a stagecoach stop named Cienega Station, after the nearby Cienega Creek, and later grew into a small railroad town with the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880.[1][2][3]
History
Cienega Station was established by the Butterfield Overland Mail in 1858. Built over the site of a Hohokam village, the station and later town went by many names over the years, including Pantano Station, Marsh Station, Tulleyville, and Empire. In the early days, hostile Apaches were a constant problem. The wife of Granville Henderson Oury described her journey through the area in 1861: "We are traveling through country which has always been infested by Indians, and very recently they have committed depredations and horrible atrocities on this very road. Our party is very small and there would be no escape for us if a party of Apaches were to attack us. We all realize this and are trusting to some good fortune or fate to get us through safely."[2][3][4]
One morning in 1867, a pioneer named W. A. "Shotgun" Smith and three of his companions were attacked by Apaches at the station. All three of his friends were killed, but with his shotgun Smith managed to shoot down several of the hostiles and force the rest to withdraw at noon. According to Edward Vail, who owned the nearby Vail Ranch, the Pantano Cemetery is "filled with graves of pioneers who were killed by Apaches."[3]
The Pantano railroad station and the town of Pantano were not established until 1880, when the Southern Pacific entered Pima County and began building along the south side of Cienega Creek. The original townsite was chosen for its favorable location to build a depot and other railroad facilities. The location also attracted private businesses and settlers, who built several warehouses, a small store with a blacksmith, a carpenter's shop, and several dwellings. Seventy-five people were living in pantano in 1880, and in 1887 severe flooding for them to relocate the town to the northern side of the creek.[2]
Flooding in 1887 forced the town to relocate to the northern side of the Cienega Creek. By 1905, the town's population had increased to 100, including a deputy sheriff, a justice of the peace, and six small businesses, including a general store and livery. Pantano reached its zenith in 1922, with a bank, a schoolhouse, a telegraph office, and a post office, all serving the town's 500 residents. Soon after, however, the Great Depression began and the town went into decline. By 1941, only forty people still lived there. The post office closed in 1952 and the railroad operations ceased by 1956, leaving the town abandoned.[2]
The Pantano Townsite Conservation Area, which is located almost entirely within the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve, was established in 2004 to protect the townsite and its cultural resources. As of today, all that remains in the ghost town are a few foundations, a water tower that was built by the railroad, and the cemetery, which is still regularly visited and maintained by family members of the town's former residents.[2][4]
See also
References
- ^ "TopoQuest: Pantano, AZ". Retrieved 2014-03-31.
- ^ a b c d e "Pantano Townsite Conservation Area" (PDF). Retrieved 2014-03-31.
- ^ a b c Federal Writers' Project (1940). Arizona, the Grand Canyon State: A State Guide. Best Books. ISBN 1623760038.
- ^ a b "RFCD Cienega Creek Natural Preserve Cultural Resources Page". Retrieved 2014-03-31.
