Vekol: silver town with library but no drinking allowed

In the southwestern corner of Pinal County and surrounded by the Papago Reservation was one of the biggest silver producers in the Arizona Territory for 10 years.  In the late 1800s, this rich silver mine averaged an output of $16,000 per month for 31 straight months and produced millions of dollars in ore during its heyday.

Vekol’s history dates back to the 1860s with the arrival of John D. Walker. Walker was a unique character who was half Wyandotte Indian, born in Illinois circa 1840. He moved to Arizona, lived with a Pima Native American named Churga for a while and had a daughter named Juana. He spoke the Pima language fluently, lived in Sacaton and later in Florence for a short time.

Possessing a keen mind, he compiled the first written grammar of the Pima language, studied medicine and was somewhat of a scientist.  He was respected and accepted as a leader at the Pima council meetings and fought battles with them when necessary. Later, he worked for Pinal County as a county engineer and was a Pinal County probate judge for a while.

After serving in the military during the Civil War and recruiting Pimas for the first Arizona National Guard, Walker became somewhat of an entrepreneur and invested in several enterprises that included ranching and mining.  In 1879 rumors of a lost silver mine peaked Walker’s interest, and it was a Papago, Juan Jose Gradello, who led him to the site of this mine. Walker examined the mine, recognized its prospects and formed a mining partnership with Juan Jose and a friend, Colonel Peter R. Brady (1825 – 1902). Not much is known of his partner, Juan Jose Gradello, but his other partner, Brady, was born in Washington D.C. and was a friend of many politically powerful people in that area, including Andrew Jackson. During his time in Arizona, he was a farmer and rancher in the Tucson and Florence areas.  He introduced Egyptian wheat (in 1867) to Arizona and raised the first Louisiana sugar cane in the state (in 1871). He began a corn and barley mill at his ranch in Florence in 1888. Besides his numerous businesses of mining and ranching, he took on several civic duties in Florence that included serving on many boards, as well as being sheriff and treasurer for Pima and Pinal Counties and later a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature for many years. He left Florence and returned to Tucson in 1899 where he died on May 2, 1902.  

The three men filed a claim on the Vekol Silver Mine (also known as the Lost Pima Mine) on February 5, 1880. Before the end of the year Juan Jose sold his interest in the mine to Walker and Brady, and by the fall of 1881, Walker’s brother, Lucien, had joined the partnership with one-third interest in the mine. It was during this time that the mine acquired the name “Vekol,” a Papago word meaning “grandmother.”

Before the end of the first year, Vekol proved to be a “gold mine.” The three partners were mining and shipping tons of silver to San Francisco and Denver and later to Kansas City. Newspapers constantly reported enormous amounts of ore shipped out of the mine on a regular basis. Walker built roads into the area and soon a town took shape. He built a large boarding house for single workers and sturdily constructed homes for married workers. A store opened with competitive-priced merchandise where workers were encouraged to be wise and thrifty consumers. By September of 1888 a post office was in operation and served the community of an estimated 150 people. Walker hired a teacher for the 50 plus students, and a library opened for the many workers. Vekol had most of the conveniences needed in a town, but allowed no saloons. Drinking was forbidden, and Walker let it be known he would not tolerate intoxicating liquors on the town site. He continued to be a close and loyal friend to the Papagos and frequently advised them with their problems. 

In March of 1884 the Walker brothers bought out Brady’s partnership for $65,000.  Soon after Brady left, a third brother, William, appeared at Vekol and joined the partnership. Up until this time John Walker was head of the business and made all of the decisions with Brother Lucien appearing to be content to take a back seat. However, in 1890 a stroke limited John’s actions for a time, which gave Lucien and William the opportunity to have him committed to a hospital in California and appoint themselves as his guardians.  Very quickly the sanitarium recognized there was nothing mentally wrong and released Walker. However, the brothers did not want him around and had him arrested and committed again…and again. 

Thus began one of the biggest publicized civil cases in Arizona. After several months of litigation and persecution, John Walker died in Napa, California. The Arizona Daily Star called this tragedy of Walker’s incarceration and death as “one of the saddest of the many sad experiences of the pioneers in this Territory.” The value of his estate turned out to be more than $1,500,000.  

Over the years, there were many lawsuits and feuds among the owners of Vekol and their families.  Walker’s daughter, Juana, filed suit but finally lost with a Supreme Court ruling that no white person and Indian could marry. The feuding did not cease until the mine played out and closed in 1909. 

From time to time miners, explorers and prowlers, searching for words of wisdom from the past, visited the old town of Vekol and pondered stories the walls would reveal if only they could talk. According to one visitor in the 1950s, there were several buildings standing that included a bank, an icehouse, and another building that might have been the mining office. This office contained a table with several layers of glass maps that depicted the different mine levels. The Assay Office was closer to the mine and contained a safe used for a cupboard by two brothers who lived in the office and worked the mines.

In 1962 when Harry Brock and his prospecting friend explored Vekol, no one lived in the area. There were only two buildings left, and they were roofless. They were located on the left side of the trail leading up to the mine. One building had no furniture or any other type of adornment, but it did have a decrepit floor that appeared to have no air under it. Brock recalls, “As we sat on the floor to eat our lunch, I heard an angry buzzing sound. I suddenly realized we were not alone! The town had at least one active resident! It turned out to be a huge rattlesnake that appeared to have crawled up through the wood and was ready for battle. To accommodate him, we left the table…and all the food… immediately.”

Submitted photo

Editor’s note:  Maricopa factoids are a regular feature on InMaricopa.com. They are provided by the Maricopa Historical Society, a branch of the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library. Most of the photos and information come from “Reflections of a Desert Town” by author and historical society chairperson Patricia Brock.