Cave Creek Museum


Useful Information

Location: 6140 East Skyline Drive, Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Open: OCT to MAY Wed, Thu 13-16:30, Fri 10-16:30, Sat, Sun 13-16:30.
Closed Holidays.
[2011]
Fee: Adults USD 5, Children (12-16) USD 2, Children (0-11) free, Students USD 2, Seniors (55+) USD 3.
Groups (+): Adults USD , Children (6-16) USD .
[2011]
Classification: MineCopper Mine
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: Cave Creek Museum Inc, 6140 East Skyline Drive, P.O. Box 1, Cave Creek, AZ 85331, Tel: +1-480-488-2764 E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1968 Historical Society founded.
APR-1970 museum opened to the public.
2009 Stamp Mill removed from the Golden Reef Mine.

Geology


Description

The Cave Creek Museum is named after the town Cave Creek, and so despite the name it is listed under as a mining site. Cave Creek village was named after Cave Creek, a small stream which rises in the hills to the northeast. While running through Cave Creeek Wash, there is a high, overhanging bluff along its west bank, which forms the a wide, open cavern which gave stream, town and museum its name. The cave was the location of a bloody skirmish between Apache Indians and U.S. Troops in 1873 which ended the the time of the Tonto Apaches along Cave Creek. In the following years settlers arrived lured by reports of mild climate, plentiful water, tall timbers and lush grass, and an era of mining came to Cave Creek. However, there is another story, that it was named after a miner called Old Rackensack, whose real name was Edward G. Cave.

The Cave Creek Museum is dedicated to the history of the area and has a big exhibition on the local copper mining distric. The Cave Creek Mining District stretches between the town and the I17 in the west. The minign took place around the towns Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale.

The exhibits include a historic Stamp Mill from 1880, which is restored at the moment [2011]. It was originaly located at the Golden Reef Mine, where it was removed in 2009. The iron pieces of the stamp mill weigh some 40 tons, and are cleaned and reassembled by volunteers.

Beneath the mining heritage the museum is also dedicted to the history of the Hohocam, an indegneous tribe which dug 3,500 km of irrigation canals to water their crops. There are exhibitions of tools, pottery, jewelry, and other artifacts. The next sections shows remains of the ranching pioneers, items and photographs donated by families living in the area. Another exhibit shows the last original Tubercular Cabin in Arizona. Tuberculosis patients came to Cave Creek after World War I as a last resort for relief from the disease.