SWILLLING'S CABIN

NAME: Swillling's Cabin COUNTY: Yavapai ROADS: 2WD LEGAL INFO: 1 CLIMATE: Cool winter; warm summer BEST TIME TO VISIT: Accesible all year

COMMENTS: Located on private property within Black Canyon City. REMAINS: Most of the four walls of the cabin are intact.

Jack Swilling was one of the more unusual characters in 19th century Arizona history: he was an Indian fighter, miner, rancher, farmer, developer, entrepreneur, and a hell-raiser. He came to Arizona from South Carolina during the Civil War (eventually working for both sides). During his trips as a courier, he encountered the abandoned canals and irrigation ditches left behind by the Hohokam along the Salt River, and eventually founded the Swilling Irrigation Canal Company--to re-open and use them to water the fertile soil in the area. In 1867, his company began to clear the ditches: this is, in effect, the founding of Phoenix. He eventually sold his interest, and began a mining career in the Bradshaws (in 1873/74). The ranch which he established in what is today Black Canyon City had this cabin as his residence. Later, Swilling moved to Gillett (q.v.), but he kept the cabin until his death in 1878. Submitted by: Kurt Wenner

Swillings Cabin Courtesy Kurt Wenner

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