Brunckow’s Cabin

Rumored to be the bloodiest cabin in Arizona history, this structure played host to a fair share of conflict

The real fame and lore for this cabin however comes from its checkered past. By 1860, Frederick and his San Pedro Mine were operating in the hills surrounding the cabin. John Moss – a chemist, David Brontrager – a German cook, and two miners named James and William Williams oversaw the property alongside Brunckow. Mexican labor was used in the mining operations. In July 1860, William Williams left for Fort Buchanan to resupply, and when he returned three days later, found a grisly scene. He found his cousin James dead and immediately ran back to the Fort. 

William and the soldiers returned the following day to find Moss dead outside the cabin and Brunckow brutally murdered with a rock drill. The store had been ransacked and the company’s horses and $3,000 worth of goods were stolen. Brontrager was missing, but was later found near the Mexican border, released by the attackers for “being a good Catholic”.  The three men were buried on-site. 

Over a decade later, a property dispute claimed another life at the cabin. Milton Duffield, the first US Marshall appointed to the Arizona territory had purchased the cabin and mining claims. Duffield was known to be erratic, and carry up to 11 guns at a time. When going to evict a man living in the cabin, who had heard about Duffield’s reputation, he came out the front door with a shotgun and killed Milton only to find out he was apparently unarmed.

It is unclear what happened to the property following Schieffelin’s departure to bigger and better things, but a Prescott newspaper later reported an additional 17 others were killed at the cabin in the decades since. Gang shootouts, Apache attacks, and a variety of other reasons were cited for the deaths, however it remains unclear just how many actually happened and how many were simply local legends.

Although there isn’t much to look at, there is a ton of history and local legends to be explored here at Brunckow’s cabin. Getting to the cabin today requires about a four-tenths of a mile hike. There is no official trail, but parking on Brunckow’s Road just off the paved Charleston Road seems to be the best option. The road is quickly marked closed to motor vehicles, but there is enough room to park underneath the overhead powerlines. From here, aim generally southwest, where you should be able to follow a fairly well defined footpath. The unofficial trail will pass some mining remnants, cross a wash, and climb to the site of Brunckow’s Cabin.