A Dynamite Tale: Scouting on Two Continents

Excerpted by “Scouting on Two Continents” by Maj. Frederick Burnham @1927

This excerpt takes place during Burnham’s early years in Globe – sometime late 1800’s

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Captain of Scouts

Globe had many ups and downs and colorful events in  those days and only needed a Mark Twain or a Kipling to make its happenings treasures of literature. Like the neighboring camp of Tombstone, it had in its history all the elements of comedy melodrama and too often the grimmest tragedy. Life was lived intensely, and the lure of silver, gold, and copper, drew the strong and adventurous youth of a lusty young nation. As I remember it, we were all perennially on the crest of some little mining boom or else all dead broke and waiting for capital and a railroad to come along and develop the vast copper mines we knew existed but where were of no profit to us so long as we had only oxen and mules for transportation and our pics and shovels as tools. Whenever the Indians became active, all the miners and prospectors for miles around were made society, such as it was. Globe was the only place where youth could find any social amusement, and when a few hundred miners arrived in camp after months of ceaseless toil, they felt it was up to the town dwellers to assist them in celebrating the holiday. … Continue Reading