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The signage at the
Hackberry General store is sure to please any
Route 66 enthusiast, Kathy Weiser, December,
2004.
This image available for
photographic prints and downloads
HERE!
The oldest town along
this old stretch of the road,
Hackberry's
origin dates back to 1874 when prospectors set up a mining camp on the
east side of the Peacock Mountains. After having discovered rich deposits
of silver, the
Hackberry
Silver Mine was soon established and named for a large
Hackberry
tree growing near a spring adjacent to the mine. Before long, the valuable
ore warranted a 5 stamp mill, which quickly doubled its capacity.
Reportedly, this rich vein was about 40 feet in width, amounting in large
amounts of silver being taken from the mine.
Though not entirely played out, the
Hackberry
Silver Mine closed in 1919, due to litigation among the owners, but not
before it earned almost 3 million dollars in silver production. After the
mine closed down,
Hackberry
came to a slow crawl, but was revived by
Route 66,
when it came through. Becoming a bit of a tourist town, it hung tight
until I-40 bypassed the entire northern loop from the Crookston exit to
Kingman.
A must stop in
Hackberry is the Hackberry General Store. As much a museum as a store,
old
Route 66
memorabilia can be seen inside and out, and the establishment is filled
with Mother Road souvenirs.
Read about the
Arizona Mother Road
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Route 66 Galleries
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