Pictured above: Arizona Silver Belt Publisher Sherri Davis holds a copy of the third edition of the newspaper, purchased from an antique shop in Bisbee by owner John Tompkins (pictured, left). The paper celebrated its 140th anniversary on May 4, 2018.

Arizona Silver Belt history

by Sara “Sally” Hall Coughanour

The Early Years 1878-1889

Two men, Judge Aaron H. Hackney and his nephew, Joseph H. Hamill, brought their hand operated press and equipment to Globe, Arizona, from Silver City, New Mexico, on burro back. For years the supplies to keep the newspaper alive were brought on the old stage route over the Pinal Mountains, into Globe. The first issue was printed on May 2, 1878, just two years after Globe was settled in 1876. During the newspaper’s first few weeks, Hackney fashioned the heading for the Silver Belt by carving a chunk of hickory that had been sawed from a broken ox yoke.

At this time, there were comparatively few people living in the area. Globe was then just a small silver mining camp. The paper was founded to provide news and publicity not only for the community but to the outlying silver mining camps surrounding the town “like a belt.” Hence, the paper received its name “Silver Belt.”

For a short time, Hackney published his newspaper in a tent while the first office was being built of sand block with glass windows on each side of the front door. One issue was printed on a roll of butcher paper while another was printed on nearly white grade wallpaper. Although the Silver Belt contained national news, Hackney was dismayed that it took months of waiting to receive letters from other newspapers and interested persons.

National news could be obtained from the governmental telegraph at San Carlos, but the 30-mile trip through Indian country was very long and hazardous. He [Hackney] organized a telegraph company for the town [in 1879] and applied for a governmental line from San Carlos. When this was achieved, he connected a line from the telegraph office to his own office in the old Ryan-Evans building on Broad Street. Not only was he able to get the news he wanted faster and more accurately, but he was also able to supply other western newspapers with the news.

Transportation of silver was a costly, lengthy, and hazardous job. Hackney dreamed of and fought for a railroad to be built from Flagstaff to Globe. In 1885, he started his campaign. The Arizona Mineral Belt Railroad was started, but financial conditions halted completion. A route through Prescott was favored by Territorial officials. Eventually the project was resumed, and the first train arrived in Globe on December 3, 1889.

Sadly, Hackney was not able to meet the train. Earlier that year he had suffered a stroke and was left paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair. His body had been treated with packs of clay, but he died two days after the arrival of the train, at the age of 84.

“Judge Hackney was the most illustrious of all Silver Belt publisher-editors. He was named to the Arizona Newspaper Hall of Fame in 1959, the 11th Arizona newspaperman to be so honored. His bronze likeness now reposes in the Hall of Fame at the University of Arizona.”

Gila County formed after editorial

Arizona Silver Belt led charge for new county

by Ted Lake

teddlake@yahoo.com

The following report ran in the May 4, 2011 edition of the Arizona Silver Belt

The Arizona Silver Belt. Newspaper lead the charge for the formation of Gila County when it published an editorial on January 31, 1879 entitled “Separate County Sought.”

The paper’s historic editorial was given to members of the Legislature of the Territory of Arizona suggesting the separation of our communities from the counties of Pinal and Maricopa and placed in an entirely new county government for ourselves.

Although the newspaper suggested this new county should be named “Apache,” the lawmakers of the territory of Arizona approved formation of our new county a short time after the editorial was published, but they decided to call it Gila County and not Apache as suggested by the newspaper.

Aaron Harrison Hackney, while writing his famous county forming editorial in the Globe newspaper he founded said in part:

“The question of a new county to be erected from the counties of Pinal and Maricopa is to be brought before the Legislature now in session at Prescott, by petitions numerously signed.

“The boundaries of this new county, we understand, are to be the lines running from about the precinct called the Summit, on the northwest of Globe, taking in the population known as the Wheatfields, Tonto Basin and McMillen and San Carlos on the south, thus including Globe, in about the center constituting of a county of about 40 miles square which from its central position and its business importance would of necessity be the county seat.”

“The great distance of these populations are from the county seats (Phoenix and Florence) of the counties to which they are attached (Pinal and Maricopa). The extremes being considerably over one hundred miles is good and sufficient reason for the erection of another county. The expense in criminal cases in which the Territory is interested and charges incident there to, and in other county matters, are a burden upon the counties to which they belong, and one which they would willingly resign.”

“The individual hardships of having to travel one hundred and fifty miles to inaugurate a suit in the district court, or to defend one, and the expense of serving of official papers and commanding the presence of witnesses and jurors in the extreme portions of the counties is imply fabulous and not within the means of the people to justify their indulging in the luxury of obtaining justice or of defending themselves from oppression or injustice.

“The inhabitants within the boundaries mentioned are believed to be unanimous in their wish for this separation and the establishment of a new county.”