Skip to main content

Gold King Mansion of the Hualapai Mountains: "Quite a Place."

The once ornate Gold King Mansion lies all but forgotten in the Hualapai Mountains south of Kingman. The concrete structure, with its unusual poured concrete ceiling, fireplace and elegant molding, dates back to 1929, having outlasted less permanent mining structures. Now remote, the Mansion was once connected to a county highway by a "splendid road," frequented by Cadillac. The mining corp owner's secretary rode shotgun (literally) as they carried the miners' payroll from LA. Today, the Mansion is accessible by the rugged Moss Wash OHV Trail or by hiking 1.5 mi. in from Blake Ranch Road (an "easy dirt road", partially unpaved, a high-clearance vehicle is recommended; four-wheel drive not necessary in good weather, per Arizona Highways "Arizona Ghost Towns"). In its day, the Mansion boasted copper screens on the windows and a fishing pond.


When the mining corp struck a 3-foot-wide by 11-foot-long lead and gold vein in 1929, the Mansion was constructed as a bunkhouse in anticipation of needed labor and riches. When the mine was not as profitable as anticipated and additional housing was not constructed, the Mansion was expanded to better serve that purpose.

By 1933, following the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the Mansion was repurposed for wining, dining and housing prospective investors. A local rancher described it at that time as "quite a place."

The mining corp and Mansion owner, Paul M. "Paddy" Woods, was an honorably discharged (1920) Navy Veteran (Chief Petty Officer) of the first World War and native of Greece. Not much is known about him. His middle name was Machukos.

For more information, checkout Arizona Highways, "Arizona Ghost Towns," N. Austin, 2020, and "2005 Mining History Journal," "The Gold King Mine and Mansion; Relics of Mining History in Mohave County, Arizona," D. Kupel, 2005.

Plan Your Trip

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Make-A-Wish Founder, Frank Shankwitz, Learned About Heroism Growing Up in Seligman, Arizona on Route 66

Sometimes, or perhaps, always, great and far reaching human kindness starts on a smaller yet no less significant scale. In the case of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, it arguably might not exist but for it's Founder, Frank Shankwitz's experience growing up on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona. By age 10, Shankwitz had spent years on the road, homeless, with his mother who had kidnapped him. The kindness and mentorship he received working as a dishwasher at Juan Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In set him on a path of philanthropy and success in the air force, as an Arizona Highway Patrol motorcycle officer and homicide detective. Shankwitz has described Delgadillo, who passed in 2004, as a stand in father figure. In several interviews he has shared how Delgadillo taught him the then novel idea of "turning negatives into positives." When Shankwitz's mother abandoned him in Seligman at age 12, Delgadillo arranged for him to live with a local woman (whom he descri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kingman, AZ Route 66 & Nearby Lake Havasu Desert Oasis

Route 66 is kicking in Kingman with historic motor courts, eateries and museums, including the Arizona Route 66 Museum. The route winds through Kingman's high desert with a rustic authenticity, past bustling trains, desert buttes and vistas of the the Hualapai Mountains. Eye-catching landmarks on the route include the El Trovatore Motel, a tourist court pre-dating World War II boasting a 100' tower like a desert oil rig, and the Kingman Visitor Center with its 30' mid-century modern sign. Nearby, you'll find Loco Motive Park (home to Santa Fe passenger stream engine #3759) and Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner. The variety of the Kingman area is extraordinary, with the forested Hualapai Mountains, historic Route 66 adventures in Oatman, the clear aquamarine waters of Lake Havasu and historic mining town of Chloride, all within an hour's drive. Also nearby is the scenic Joshua Tree forest en route to Meadview and Pearce Ferry.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more