Mollie Monroe

Az Historical Archives

Mollie Monroe (Mary E. Sawyer) was born in Missippii, 
about 1846 and is listed with George Monroe in the 1870 census 
at Wickenburg, age 24, occupation--cook and his common-law 
wife.

The following references appeared in the Prescott Arizona Miner

March 23, 1872--The Wickenburg "boys" were out last week 
prospecting.  George Monroe, Joe Fuggit, William Gellaspie, 
Tom Graves and Molly struck a galena lode and styled it 
the "Knock Down."

May 11, 1877--Mary Sawyer, better known as Mollie, who has 
been a prominent character in this Territory for the last 
12 years, generally dressing in male attire, was yesterday
 brought in from Peeples Valley by Frank Powers and a charge 
of lunacy entered against her.  She was confined in the county 
jail and after a medical examination was pronounced 
insane. Our Board of Supervisors held a special meeting last 
evening for the purpose of inquiring into the matter and 
decided to send her to Stockton California to the Insane 
Asylum.

May 18, 1877--the stage which left this place on Saturday 
morning, carrying mails, treasure box and several passengers, 
arrived at Wickenburg in due time and after 
leaving that place and about two miles out, was stopped by 
four masked robbers, well armed, who demanded the treasure 
box, mail bags and the loose change on the persons of
the passengers.  Our Sheriff Ed. F. Bowers who was aboard 
taking Mary E. Sawyer, an insane woman, to Stockton, was 
robbed of a fine gold watch and chain and $450 in gold coin.

November 16, 1877--Mollie Monroe--This unfortunate woman 
now bereft of reason, once a kind-hearted generous but wayward 
being, is confined at San Quentin California.  She 
was sent to the Asylum for the Insane, at Stockton but became 
so violent and intent on burning the Asylum that it was found 
necessary as a means of safety to have her confined 
in the State's Prison. Molly, although she had her faults will 
be pitied and remembered by scores of persons for the kind 
offices she performed for them.

November 27, 1902--Mollie Monroe, a well known pioneer 
character of Prescott, died in the insane asylum at Phoneix 
November 20.  Mollie was the first woman in Arizona who became 
sufficiently demented to be confined in an insane asylum.  
In May 1877 she was examined in this city and found to be 
insane and was sent to the asylum at Stockton, Arizona having 
no asylum for such unfortunates at that time.  She died at 
the age of about 80 years.  She and one of her husbands are 
credited with the discovery of Castle Hot Springs as they 
were riding the range together.

Geroge Monroe died late in December 1898 at Wickenburg and the following is taken from 
a newspaper clipping:

The recent death of George Monroe near the city, while carrying a universal feeling of 
regret over the loss of another generous old-timer--one of the very earliest, in short, 
of the pioneers of Northern Arizona--has associated to it a chapter in the epoch of one's 
life on the border that reads almost fanciful, if not romantic, combining as it does the 
lives of two humans, a man and a woman, that time has earnestly and zealously shielded 
under the curtin of today is drawn aside.  So if we digress for a time and leave the 
dead to repose, in silence and confine our thoughts to the living of today, the reader 
will pardon the omission of anything further of this man, save this brief eulogy of the 
dead--that he as loyal and true to friends and withal an energetic and good friend.