Wild Women in Old West Mining Town, Mayer, AZ

A different kind of hanging happens in Mayer, AZ these days. Characters that make history or know history hang out sipping their complimentary coffee at Big Bug Station or heat up a danish in the microwave while listening to a bit of local history unfold. Take for instance, the story about some women all dressed in black who were around nearby Cleator, AZ. I failed to get the exact years they raised a bit of hell but I think it was twenty or thirty year ago. I will be looking into this story a bit more in future. Anyway, The leader of the group wore guns on each hip and a big hat. Nobody to mess with I was told. Rumor has it that one should be careful raking up ground near where she lived in Cleator as locals reckoned she was buried somewhere near by her friends. Boy wouldn't I love to have a photograph of any of the women who called themselves "The Black Widows!" Does anyone reading this have a photo or some stories to tell about this group. I figure some more mornings of "hanging" at the Big Bug Station I will hear more. These old mining towns of Arizona have some great human interest stories to be gleaned from some of the old timers and it is great fun to rub elbows with a few that made history or had kinfolk that did. The old dance hall on Central in Old Town Mayer is not a campfire but tale telling time over coffee sure has the feel of jawing over a campfire. I like it.