The Ghost Towns Milleville and Charleston on Arizona's San Pedro River

It was 1877 when Ed Schieffelin looked longingly to the east from Camp Huachuca and innocently remarked that the color in the hills looked promising for a prospector like him. One of the soldiers stationed at the garrison, in the heart of southern Arizona's Apache country, told him to give up the dream because he'd only find a tombstone out there, not the mother lode.

The next year Schieffelin discovered a pair of silver veins in those hills and, remembering the soldier's comment, filed claims called Tombstone and Graveyard. In six years, from 1880 and 1886, $40 million in silver was taken from a variety of claims in the Tombstone area. That's $40 million 1880 dollars, worth much more today.

For obvious reasons, Tombstone is one of Arizona's most popular tourist destinations. It's home to the real Boot Hill and the gunfight at O.K. Corral is legend. Miners and ranchers back then were a raucus bunch. Soldiers stationed nearby weren't much better and with banditos, rustlers, stagecoach robbers and indians constantly lurking, it was made for Hollywood.

While miners near Tombstone were removing ore at a furious pace from several rich veins, it had to be milled. That takes water, and lots of it-not exactly a plentiful commodity in that location.

The nearest source of reliable water with any volume was nine miles away on the San Pedro River. Richard Gird located a site along the east bank of the waterway and established a mill there. It wasn't long until the city of Millville grew up around it and as more workers arrived it spilled across the river, and Charleston was born. As many as 400 people called the later city home at one time, but its distance from the lawful town of Tombstone meant justice was usually dispensed by a gun.

Little remains of either city. Most tourists who drive by would never even spot their crumbling remains. A short hike is required, but the history you'll discover it well worth the visit.

From Tombstone take Charleston Road west until you reach the San Pedro River Riparian Area. At the river there's plenty of parking and a monument in memory of the Mormon Battalion that fought there on December 12, 1848. Stay to the east side of the river and hike north. There's a well maintained trail to follow. In about a mile you'll be at the ruins of Millville. Along the way you'll also pass the foundation of an old stage stop.

The trail along the west of the river to Charleston isn't nearly as well marked. Because the buildings were homes and small shops, very little remains when compared to Millsville's mill that processed the ore. It's definitely worth the trip though, on both sides of the river.

Continue west on Charleston Road and you'll wind up in Sierra Vista, the city that grew up around Camp Huachuca-Fort Huachuca today. It too is well worth a visit.

Summertime temperatures can be hot, so plan on taking this hike to a genuine piece of Southwestern history in early spring or late fall. The last time I visited I braved the summertime heat, but planned my trip for when the monsoons were in full swing. Eating lunch on the ruins of Millville, I watched the clouds build near the border and work their way north. The solitude, river below, rolling thunder and smell of rain makes it one of my favorite Arizona ghost town memories.