Pearce is a mining ghost town named for a Cornishman named James Pearce, miner and cattleman, who discovered gold nearby at what became the Common-Wealth Mine in 1894, and made his claim in early 1895. This started the stampede into the Sulphur Springs Valley and so became the Common-Wealth Mine.

 

 

The Commonwealth Mine became one of

 

Arizona's major silver producers. Over

 

1,000,000 tons of ore were produced from

 

1895 to 1942. There were about 20 miles of

 

underground workings. The mine produced

 

about $8 million worth of silver and $2.5

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million in gold at a time when silver was

 

priced around 50 cents an ounce, and gold

 

was $20 an ounce.

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The Pearce Post Office was established on March 6, 1896.

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When word spread of the gold strike in Pearce, Joe Bignon pulled up stakes.  He disassembled his house, loaded it in a freight wagon, and moved it through the South Pass, reassembling the structure at the foot of Six Mile Hill. There he established the first Saloon in Pearce.  The lavish Pioneer opened it doors for business in March of 1896.

 

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The railroad station opened in 1903.

 

By 1919, Pearce had a population of 1,500. 

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