Sylvester Mowry

Sylvester Mowry (January 17, 1833 – October 17, 1871) was an American politician, miner, and land speculator. He is best remembered as an early advocate for establishing the Arizona Territory. He was also a West Point graduate and officer of the United States Army who was later arrested as a traitor during the American Civil War.

Early years Mowry was born January 17, 1833, in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Charles C. Mowry and Celia E. (Aldrich) Mowry. As a child Mowry was described as big for his age and "inclined to be wild." He entered West Point in 1848 at 16 and graduated in 1852, finishing 16th out of 43 classmates.

Arizona In August 1855 he was stationed at Fort Yuma, a remote outpost on the California side of the Colorado River. While at Fort Yuma, Mowry became interested in the potential mining opportunities in the land acquired from Mexico as part of the Gadsden Purchase. In 1856 a convention was held in Tucson to draft a petition asking Congress to separate Arizona from New Mexico to create a new territory. At that time, Arizona was defined as all the land stretching along the Mexican border between California and Texas below the 34th parallel. Mowry became an enthusiastic proponent of this initiative.

After leaving the Army Mowry traveled regularly between the East Coast and Arizona, involving himself in politics and mining deals. While in Tubac on July 8, 1859, he fought a duel with Edward E. Cross, an editor for the Weekly Arizonian who had questioned the viability of an Arizona state and called the territory worthless. The men were armed with rifles and allowed four shots each. Cross fired his four shots to no effect and Mowry spent three shots but declined to use his final shot. So the duel ended without bloodshed and the two apologized to each other. Mowry subsequently purchased the Arizonian newspaper and relocated it to Tucson where it became a voice for the Democrats in the region.

In 1860 Mowry resigned his position as delegate and accepted an appointment to serve as a Commissioner for the United States to establish an eastern boundary for California. A year later he was removed from the position. During his time as commissioner, Mowry began looking for an opportunity to purchase a silver mine. With the backing of wealthy investors from Rhode Island, Mowry pursued various opportunities until April 1860 when he successfully acquired the Patagonia silver and lead mine just southeast of the Santa Rita Mountains in southern Arizona. After renaming it the Mowry Mines, he and his brother Charles Mowry began constructing a mill and a smelter for extracting metal from the ore.

Civil War In early 1861 Mowry was crisscrossing the Territory, holding meetings to promote the Confederate cause. In July 1861, soon after the start of the Civil War, American forts in southern Arizona were evacuated as Union troops redeployed to fight the Confederates. Without protection from hostile Indians in the region, many miners abandoned their mines and fled for their safety. Mowry remained however, erecting a stockade in hopes of protecting his mine. He also wrote to government officials pleading for protection from the Apaches and when no help was forthcoming he wrote to Confederate officers with no better results. In desperation he wrote:

Legacy Mowry was a controversial figure. During his lifetime he was most recognized for his work as a territorial delegate, bringing national attention to the promise and challenges in the Arizona region. However, public opinion had soured on him by 1870 when one Arizona newspaper commented, "He quit the Territory having sustained his reputation as an egotist, braggart and shameless liar." Obituaries written shortly after his death noted his contributions to Arizona but also criticized him for his failure to support the Union during the Civil War. His most enduring legacy is the village that grew up around his silver mine after his death. It was abandoned in the 1930s but the ghost town still bears his name.