Staking a Claim
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 36° 51.803 W 112° 44.360
12S E 344957 N 4081129
This Historical Marker is mounted on a steel post near Windsor Castle on the grounds of Pipe Spring National Monument about 15 miles west of Fredonia, Arizona.
Waymark Code: WMFT71
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2012
Views: 3
Staking a Claim
Pipe Spring, 1863 - Whenever businessman James Whitmore rode out from St. George to see how his 11,000 sheep, 500 cattle, and 1,000 grapevines were faring, he often slept here in his dugout-a rough shelter hand-dug in the ground. Imagine a rock-walled bedroom six feet deep in the hillside directly before you.
Whitmore had emigrated from Texas to Salt Lake City in 1857, moving south to St. George in 1861. He secured the title to 160 acres around this spring. With his herdsman Robert McIntyre, Whitmore staked out corrals, built a dugout, fenced off 10 acres, and started planting apples and grapes.
[photo caption]No photographs exist of Whitmore's dugout. An archeological excavation in 1957 revealed that sandstone slabs lined the walls and covered the floor. The dugout was roofed with a frame of juniper poles topped with brush and clay.