| Total Wreck, Arizona | |
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| — Ghost town — | |
| Total Wreck, circa 1885. | |
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Total Wreck, Arizona
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Pima |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Abandoned | 1890 |
| Elevation[1] | 4,629 ft (1,411 m) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 0 |
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) |
| Post Office opened | August 12, 1881 |
| Post Office closed | November 1, 1890 |
Total Wreck is a ghost town in Pima County in the southeast part of the U.S. state of Arizona. The town was populated throughout the 1880s, in what was then the Arizona Territory.
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Silver was discovered in the Richmond lode of the Empire mining district in the eastern Empire Mountains in 1879. John L. Dillon, the owner of the claims, named the townsite Total Wreck, because he thought that the mine was on a ledge that looked like "a Total Wreck" because it was below a quartzite ledge with large boulders of quartzite strewn all over.[2][3]
A post office was established on August 12, 1881, and was discontinued on November 1, 1890.[3] The population was around 200 residents in 1883, at which time its structures included five saloons, three general stores, a butcher shop, a shoemaker shop and a half dozen Chinese laundries.[2] By 1884 mines of the area had produced some $500,000 in silver bullion. Mining declined through the 1890s and early 1900s.[2]
A popular legend of Total Wreck was the story E. B. Salsig who was involved in a shootout. He was struck in the chest by a bullet from the other assailant, but he didn't die because he was saved by a large pack of love letters he had in his vest pocket. The letters supposedly absorbed the bullet, saving the man's life. Legend says he married the woman who had written the letters.[3]
Media related to Total Wreck, Arizona at Wikimedia Commons
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