Ruby, Arizona

The first recorded claim for the Montana mine was in 1877. A small mining camp, initially named Montana Camp, was founded. From 1877 to 1912, the Montana mine produced mostly gold and silver, and the population during that period never exceeded 50 people.^[2] On 11 April 1912, the mining camp's general store owner Julius Andrews established the post office. Andrews named the post office "Ruby", after his wife, Lille B. Ruby Andrews, and the mining camp soon became known as Ruby.^[3]

Between 1920 and 1922, the town of Ruby and the surroundings were the scene of three double homicides known as the Ruby Murders, which led to the largest manhunt in the history of the Southwestern United States, which included the first airplane ever used in an Arizona manhunt.^[4][5]

The most prosperous period for Ruby was in the late 1920s and 1930s, when the Eagle-Picher Lead Company operated the mine and upgraded the camp. From 1934 to 1937, the Montana mine was the leading lead and zinc producer in Arizona. In 1936, it was third in silver production.^{[citation needed]}

At its peak in the mid-1930s, Ruby had a population of about 1,200. The mine closed in 1940, the post office closed on 31 May 1941,^[3] and the town was abandoned by the end of 1941.^[6]

Ruby is one of the two best-preserved ghost towns in Arizona, along with the Vulture City, near Wickenburg. Ruby's attractions today include approximately 25 buildings, including some homes, the jail, the school, the playground, mining machinery, and mine workings.^[6] Public tours were offered for 30 years until being closed to the public on 3 June 2024.^[7] The town is on private property, and there is currently no public access to the site.^[6]

• 
  Schoolhouse in 2009
• 
  Ruby with view of Montana Peak
• 
  Section of USGS Ruby, Arizona topographic map

• Bear Valley Raid
• Battle of Bear Valley
• List of ghost towns in Arizona