2. In August 1880, the first train arrived carrying General Orlando B. Willcox,
Commander of the Military Department of Arizona from 1878 to 1882.
The town was named Willcox in his honor.
Mary Powers owned the first hotel in town named the Arizona house.
She had the first white child born in Willcox.
General Willcox told her if she named her son Willcox,
he would give the baby a silver cup engraved with the general’s initials.
So the boy was named Willcox Powers.

3. John H. Norton had the post trader’s store at Fort Grant.
In November 1880, he and Madison Stewart set up business
on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Stewart St.
with a general merchandise store, warehouse, corral and feed store.
Their stageline carried passengers and mail every other day
to Fort Grant, Camp Thomas, and Globe.

4. Madison Stewart married Ida, the daughter of Col. Henry Hooker,
whose huge cattle ranch, the Sierra Bonita, started in 1872.
Mr. Stewart built the house we know as the Hooker House.

5. Col. Hooker wore a suit even while riding.
Many famous people visited the Sierra Bonita Ranch such as Frederick Remington.
Hooker followed tradition of everyone dressing for dinner.
The Earps stopped at Hooker’s house on their famous vendetta ride.

6. The Hooker House with Forestine Hooker and her son Harry in the buggy.
The house is still standing across the RR track on Stewart Street.

7. The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was built in December 1880,
and the Willcox Hotel, across the street, was built right after that.
This is the hotel where Edgar Rice Burroughs stayed in 1896,
when he arrived in Willcox with only $1 in his pocket.
He caught the stage to Fort Grant the next day.
Willcox became the shipping point for goods to the military forts,
the surrounding mining towns and the cattle ranches,
and our merchants became very wealthy.

8. Teamsters hauled coke to the mines in Globe
and returned with copper to be shipped on the train.
They also carried barley and other supplies to the Forts.
At any one time there would be about 100 teamsters
either coming or going on the road to Globe.

9. This is Mr. Busenbark and his team of oxen.
It would take about 30 days for the round trip.

10. J. Liberman had the monopoly on the freighting business.
Freighters had to sign up with him and even buy their supplies from him.
Tokens have been found that could be turned in good for hauling one load.

11. It was a dangerous job as a freighter,
as Geronimo and Naiche and their band of Apaches had broken out of San Carlos
and there were many deaths until the surrender of Geronimo in September 1886.
Geronimo and Naiche are seen here at Fort Bowie just before being shipped to Florida on the train.

Courtesy AHS - G4334 W4 1881 W5
12. In 1881 Pima County was divided and we became part of Cochise County.
That November, application was made for a townsite.
Lots were set aside for the cemetery, churches, and school.
The streets were named after military men associated with General Willcox,
after the first governor, the first surveyor  general, and our town founders.
In 1883, townsite lots were sold by the probate judge.
The price was between $5 and $30 depending on the extent of improvements.
Norton and Stewart bought up all the lots not claimed out of the 72 blocks in the original townsite.
Only 9 blocks were occupied at the beginning with almost all businesses
on the west side of Railroad Avenue and residences on the east side of the tracks.

13. An early photo of Willcox shows the streets flooded as has happened many times
due to the fact that we are in the bottom of an ancient lake bed
and all the rain water flows from the surrounding mountains right through town.

 

14.  On the south corner is
the first Masonic Lodge building/ post office, saloon, and rooming house.

15. Down the street on Maley Street was the Chinese Store.
The Chinese had helped build the railroad
and many stayed to run restaurants, stores, and laundries.
On Chinese New Year, a whole boxcar load of firecrackers were set off.

16. Across from the Chinese store, where the Chiricahua Regional Museum is today,
was Otto Moore’s Cowboy Corral and stage line.
He was in a gunfight with another man in Naco, Arizona in 1904
and both he and his opponent were killed.

17. Back to Railroad Avenue
- heading North on the corner was the Headquarter Saloon.

18. Next to that was the Arizona House hotel,
then The Eureka House owned by the Davis’s.
This token “good for one drink” was online for sale
and thought by the owner to be from California.
But using our research we were able to prove it was from Willcox
and our story was put in the coin catalog.
It is the only one known to exist and was listed for sale for $3,750.00.

19. After those hotels were torn down, Dr. Nicholson moved to town.
 His house is still standing.
He opened a drug store next to the Headquarters saloon,
a Chinese restaurant was next door.

20. J. A. Bright was the town’s first photographer
and had his drug store two doors down.

21. E. A. Nichols was Wells Fargo Agent and railroad telegraph operator
from 1882 to 1894, he bought J. A. Bright’s store.
So we had Nichols Drug Store and Nicholsons Drug Store just two doors apart.

22. Dr. Aiton worked out of Nichols Drug Store
as he and Dr. Nicholson did not get along.
 Dr. Aiton’s office was on Maley street across the tracks.
He was quite the ladies man and was married several times - usually to his new nurse.

23. Gilman’s Meat Market was where the Palace Saloon building is.
He was also the county assessor.
Jasper Page, Justice of the Peace, tore down this building in 1909
and built a new meat market.

 

BILL HILLMAN
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