Cave Creek Museum will open the crowd-favorite Arizona Gold Mining Experience (AZGME) to the public on Saturday, October 26, 2024. The massive working mining exhibit will come to life from 10-11:15 AM and be followed by its Gold Fever gold mine tour at 1 PM.
The outdoor experience begins in the museum’s lobby with a lively retelling of the Cave Creek mining district’s history. Guests then move outside for numerous demonstrations that showcase the hard rock ore extraction process for which Cave Creek is renowned.
The excitement builds with the arrastre, a primitive mill for grinding and pulverizing gold or silver ore. Visitors then witness the amazing Golden Reef Stamp Mill and Tramway, Arizona’s only fully operational ten-stamp ore crushing mill at work. The 10, 1,000-lb. stamps slam down in synchronized motion to pound ore removed from the mine into fine gravel. The stamp mill was brought from its former location at the Golden Reef Mine on Continental Mountain to Cave Creek Museum, which has the only fully operational mining stamp mill in its original mining district in Arizona; it is located just five miles from its site on the mountain. The giant stamp mill also is connected to a working tramway and ore carts that carry the ore to be pulverized to the stamp mill.
The experience continues as guests peer into a mineshaft to show the blasting techniques used by hard rock miners. Next, onto the blacksmith shop for a demonstration of the many skills used when parts and tools had to be fabricated onsite. Guests also will witness a hard rock Arizona gold mine come to life as lights flash and the earth shakes to replicate sequential dynamite explosions. Visitors will learn how the introduction of dynamite and compressed air rock drills increased a mine’s output making it far more dangerous for Arizona miners at the time.
Guests then are encouraged to try their luck at the gold panning station, where museum volunteers show visitors how to pan for ore and minerals just like the prospectors did. Admission is $15 for adults and children under 12 are free. Reservations are required.
About the Gold Fever Mine Tour
The first Gold Fever mine tour event will take place the same day, October 26.
According to Evelyn Johnson, executive director for the museum, Gold Fever participants will head out for the three-hour gold mine tour in a unique 10-passenger 4WD Jeep, which will travel takes them into the Tonto National Forest and the patented Ft. Worth Gold Mine. The tour ascends them to the Mountain Chaparral vegetation zone with absolutely breathtaking views up to a 4,500-foot elevation.
“The short ride to the summit can be a bit dusty and bouncy but is exhilarating fun with entertaining narration and educational photo stops along the trail,” says Johnson. “Before heading to the gold mine, guests can relax in the off-grid small studio/gift shop and enjoy complimentary refreshments with free time to relax on the patio while taking in the jaw-dropping vistas.”
Gold Fever is part of the Cave Creek Museum’s one-of-a-kind Arizona Gold Mining Experience, which takes place monthly.
Guests then proceed to the gold mine where they are rewarded with a historic tableau of 1800s artifacts excavated from the Ft. Worth Gold Mine site. This mine was part of the Historic Rackensack Mines, which were instrumental in the founding of Cave Creek, Ariz. People will be able to interact with the knowledgeable guide and follow the same vein of gold that prospector Old Rackensack (Edward G. Cave) chased in 1880.
Reserve tickets online at cavecreekmuseum.org as there is a limit. Visitors, who should plan on coming early, can check in at 9 AM. Culture passes are not accepted for this event. Groups and home school groups are requested to contact the museum office to schedule for special arrangements on another date. Following the Arizona Gold Mining Experience, guests interested in the gold mine tour pay an additional $145 per person for the three-hour tour (no special senior or child pricing), which starts at 1 PM and departs from the museum; participants must be onsite by 12:45 PM. The Gold Fever mine tour helps cover costs for the museum’s Arizona Gold Mining Experience (which is held the second Saturday of each month). Reservations are required.
The next AZGME experiences and Rackensack gold mine tours are November 9 and 23 and December 14 and 28, 2024.
Museum to host popular “Dinner with a side of history” spaghetti western event
The Cave Creek Museum has added new entertainment to its popular spaghetti western fundraiser on November 12, 2024 from 4-7 PM at Harold’s Corral, which is located at 6895 E. Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek, Ariz.
Arizona’s own Six Gun Entertainment, LLC (SGE) will entertain attendees throughout the evening, adding to the fun western flair. SGE is a 14-year-old western entertainment and production company located in Cave Creek, Ariz. The entrepreneurial company produced the first full feature western – Copper Wind – featuring all Arizona talent in front of and behind the camera, making Arizona film history.
“This fun, traditional event, which is now in its tenth year, features a great auction and a spaghetti dinner with sides,” says Dave Griffiths, event co-chair. “The theme of the western event focuses on the diverse and fascinating history of the foothills region.”
Guests will enjoy musical tributes by local Kevin Causey, a chance to win a fistful of dollars and special appearances and surprises. Proceeds from the event will provide funding to support Cave Creek Museum’s multigenerational educational offerings, exhibits and preservation. Dinner includes spaghetti and meatballs, fresh garden salad, garlic bread and iced tea. A silent auction will add to the evening excitement.
The cost is $38 for adults and $15 for children ages 5-11. Children under five eat free. Tickets are limited and no tickets will be available the day of the event. The event is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased at cavecreekmuseum.org. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 480.488.2764.
Sponsorships are available on the museum’s website at cavecreekmuseum.org. They are: The Blondie ($1,000), The Tuco ($500), The Angel Eyes ($250) and The Man With No Name ($100).
The 54-year-old museum’s mission is to preserve the artifacts of the prehistory, history, culture and legacy of the Cave Creek Mining District and the Cave Creek/Carefree foothills area through education, research, and interpretive exhibits. The Cave Creek Museum is located at 6140 E. Skyline Drive in Cave Creek, Ariz., 480.488.2764. Open October through May.
Photo courtesy Fran Booth, ABC
