In 1863 Jacob Snively, founder of Gila City and right hand to Sam Houston, avenger of the Alamo, came to Castle Dome by following blazes left on the saguaros by Mexican and Conquistador predecessors, and within 15 years Castle Dome City’s population rivaled that of nearby Yuma. In 1871 the Floral Temple mine within the district was the second patented mine in Arizona. The Castle Dome Mine, with 7 shafts, was patented in 1876. In 1878 Castle Dome Mine built the world’s largest wagon, with a capacity of 20 tons, requiring a team of forty horses or mules to pull. The mines in the district proved so rich they helped sustain centuries of off-and-on enterprise. The Government’s need for lead brought another boom to Castle Dome during WWI. After falling silent during the Great Depression, the town sprang to life again in the early 1940’s thanks again to the need for lead. During WW2 over 9,000,000 pounds of lead ore was mined out of the area, leading Castle Dome to be considered one of Japan’s top targets, if they had long range bombers. In 1993 Allen and Stephanie Armstrong bought the property and salvaged much of the buildings and artifacts located in and around the Museum.