Samuel Hughes
History of Arizona, Vol II, Thomas E. Farish, 1915, pg 210

Samuel Hughes, probably the oldest pioneer Arizonan now 
living, was born in Wales, British Isles, August 28, 1829.  
In 1837 he father settled in Pennsylvania, where Mr. Hughes 
lived up to 1848, when he became a cabin boy on the 
Mississippi River which vocation he followed until 1850 
at which time he came to California overland from St. 
Louis. His first mining was done in Hangtown, California.    
In 1851 he went to Yreka California.  In 1852 he crossed 
the mountains to Rogue River Valley in Oregon where he was 
one of the first to discover Rich Gulch at Jacksonville.  
In 1853 he kept Cole Station at the foot of the Siskiyou 
Mountains and remained there until 1856 when he returned 
to the Shasta Valley and soon afterwards became interested 
in the stock business.

In 1857 he was compelled to leave California for the 
milder climate of Arizona being at that time in the 
last stages of tuberculosis.  He started with a party 
from Yreka in that year.  At Yuma it seemed that his 
lease of life had expired but after a few days rest, 
the sick man determined to make one more effort to reach 
his destination, and started again with the party.  At 
Maricopa Wells, about four miles east of the present 
station at Maricopa, he was seized with a hemorrhage 
and so greatly weakened that he was left behind with 
a few men of the party to care for him but really to 
bury him.  By force of will power he rallied again 
and by slow stages was enabled to reach Tucson March 
12, 1858.  At that time Tucson was not a very inviting 
place for invalids.  It was a collection of adobe 
houses, without wood floors or glass windows, enclosed 
by high adobe walls with lookout parapets on the 
corners for protection against the Indians.  Mr. 
Hughes had another hemorrhage which so weakened him 
that for many months he was in danger of death, after 
which came the final rally and he began to recover 
rapidly.  As soon as his strength permitted he opened 
a butcher shop and thereafter engaged in the mercantile 
business.  He organized the first bank of Tucson and is 
now known as one of its wealthiest citizens.  He was 
married in Tucson to Atanacia Santa Cruz and they had 
ten children, all of whom are married and well settled 
in life.

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