SAMUEL HUGHES
History of Arizona, 1896

Samuel Hughes is of foreign nativity, his birth occurring at 
Pembrookshire, Wales in April 1829, and his ancestry is traced 
to the ancient Britons.  His father, whose name was also Samuel, 
brought his family to America in the year 1837, and shortly 
after his advent settled on the banks of the upper Schuylkill
River, in Pennsylvania, where he engaged in dairying. In 1839, 
however, the family removed to Western Pennsylvania, locating 
on a farm about one and one half miles from Allegheny City.  
Here the mother died in 1843 and the family received another 
severe blow by the serious injury of the father, which left 
him a cripple for the remainder of his life. In 1844 they 
removed into Allegheny City, the children being under the 
guardianship of General William Robinson.  The oldest son 
dying soon after their removal, Samuel devoted his entire 
time to help support the rest of the family, his first 
employment being as driver of a canal boat mounted on trucks, 
over the Allegheny Mountains, for the wage of six dollars per 
month.  This was the first money earned by young Hughes, and 
while it was no great amount, he was justly proud of it 
because it was honestly earned by the sweat of his brow.  
On his return from a trip, General Robinson expressed a 
desire to have him go to school, but this he would not 
accede to unless proper provision was made for the support 
of the remainder of the children, then eight in number, he 
agreeing to take care of himself if such arrangements could 
be made.  This being impracticable, he and his brother 
William secured employment in the spinning department of 
Blackstock's cotton factory, he receiving $1.25 and William 
seventy five cents per week for labor thus rendered, their 
combined expenditures amounting to $1.75 for board and ten 
cents for washing per week. It was in such a severe school 
of experience that Samuel Hughes embarked on life's 
commercial sea.  The diligence with which young Hughes 
performed the duties devolving upon him attracted the 
notice and favor of the proprietor, Mr. Blackstock, who 
induced him to enter that part of the factory devoted to 
blacksmithing and he there familiarized himself with all 
the details pertaining to that trade.

In 1846, owing to a strike of the workingmen of the factory, he 
was thrown out of employment but with his characteristic energy 
and a desire to do whatever his hands found to do in the way of 
honorable toil, he secured employment in a confectionery and 
bakery establishment and there remained until the end of the 
strike, when he resumed his old position in the machine shop 
of Mr. Blackstock's factory.

For some time he was engaged in mechanical work, but eventually 
became a cabin boy (in 1848) on board a steamboat at $15.00 per 
month. In 1849 he made his first trip to New Orleans, and while 
returning from his second trip there to Cincinnati cholera 
carried off 47 of the deck passengers attached to his vessel. 
He continued steam boating until 1850 when his youthful 
ambition was fired by glowing reports from the gold fields 
of the Pacific slope and while at St. Joseph, Missouri, he 
started for California.

It was in the month of April that the start was made and sixty 
six wagons comprised the train. In payment for his trip across 
the plains and mountains Mr. Hughes contributed his services as 
a cook, an art he had acquired during his career on steamboats.  
After the start a division in three equal parts was made in the 
train, and the one to which Mr. Hughes was attached required that 
he should walk instead of ride--a far different experience than 
riding in a palatial steamer.  The Carson was the route selected 
and when sixty miles from Hangtown, now Placerville, he met a 
man who offered him a half ounce of gold per day for his labor.  
Accepting this proposition, he remained at Hangtown until the 
following October and the went to Sacramento, where he remained 
until the next spring.  For the purpose of opening a restaurant 
he then went to what is now Yreka, Siskiyou County, remained 
there until the spring of 1852, crossed the Siskiyou Mountains 
to Oregon and was one of the first to discover Rich Gulch at 
Jacksonville.  While more or less trouble was experienced by 
the miners from Indian depredations, Mr. Hughes experienced
none, his treatment of them being kind and fair and for these 
reasons he was held in high esteem by them.  A local war 
between the whites and savages was finally terminated, Mr. 
Hughes, as interpreter, acting as mediator. Returning to 
Yreka, he opened a hotel but later was called upon to 
participate in another raid upon the Indians at Evans Creek.

In 1852 he purchased the Mountain House at the foot of the 
Siskiyou Mountains, on the California side and kept the stage 
station for the California and Oregon stage line. He there 
remained until May 1856, when he returned to the Shasta Valley 
and soon thereafter became interested in the stock business. 
Owing to ill health he was compelled to seek a more congenial 
climate, finally coming to Arizona and finding a home at 
Tucson.  The admirable climate soon built up his shattered 
health, while the kindness and liberality of the citizens 
soon persuaded him to make this his permanent place of 
resident.  Specimen ores brought in by prospectors soon 
led him to believe that valuable deposits of the precious 
metals existed within the territory, and with this idea in 
mind he embarked in prospecting and kindred pursuits and has 
continued such work to the present time with marked success. 
Incidentally, he has also been connected with other 
enterprises, and for years was known as the "Tucson Butcher" 
the name being acquired from his extensive meat market which 
he operated with his usual success.  Merchandising also 
occupied his time and attention to a considerable extent 
as did also fulfilling contracts secured from the government 
and other sources.

Of late years, he has been much interested in the development 
of the resources of Arizona and methods that bring his beloved 
land to the attention of those seeking homes find in him a warm 
advocate.  Besides being one of the organizers and president of 
the Santa Cruz Bank, he is also interested in various other 
financial institutions.

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