BRADSHAW MOUNTAINS, ARIZONA. Rumors of the ride to Crown King had been heard. “It’s a tough trail in a 4x4,” one person told me. “It’s going to take longer than you think,” said another. Aside from these murmurs, my only knowledge of the secluded old mining town had come from friends in the pine-riddled town of Prescott, Arizona. They suggested that I not only take a trip to Crown King, but that I should be sure to visit the Crown King Saloon, which opened its doors in 1916 and continues to be recognized as one of the oldest continuously operated saloons in Arizona.
Located high in the Bradshaw Mountains of Arizona, Crown King boasts just 100 full-time residents presently. In the late 1800's, however, Crown King was home to thousands of people, mainly employees of the nearby Crowned King Mine, which was once the largest mine in the Bradshaw Mountains. There were over 500 structures during the mining era, including boardinghouses, saloons, several general stores and restaurants.
A narrow-gauge railroad was constructed in 1904 to help mining operations, but due to a lack of water and the high costs of transporting and processing material from the mine, the railroad was abandoned in 1926. The old railroad bed is still used today as the main access road to Crown King.
