Mansel Carter

{{Short description|American businessman and prospector (1902–1987)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mansel Carter

| image = Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(C) Gold Mountain-Mansel Carter Grave Marker.jpg

|imagesize = 200px

| caption = Mansel Carter gravesite marker in San Tan Mountain Regional Park.

| birth_date = May 12, 1902

| birth_place = Quaker City, Ohio

| death_date = {{death date and age|1987|6|5|1902|5|12}}

| death_place = Queen Creek, Arizona

| nationality = American

| occupation = Prospector, Mountain Man

}}

Mansel Carter (May 12, 1902 – June 5, 1987), also known as "Man of the Mountain", was an American businessman and prospector. In 1987, The Phoenix named him one of "Arizona Legends". The San Tan Historical Society of Queen Creek recognized his gravesite at Gold Mountain in the San Tan Mountain Regional Park in Queen Creek, Arizona as a tourist attraction. In 2017, the town of Queen Creek named a new community park the "Mansel Carter Oasis Park" in his honor.

Early years

Carter was born in Quaker City, Ohio. When he was young, he studied photography and worked as a mechanic in his hometown. He moved to Indiana and purchased an airplane with which he provided a shuttle service. During the Great Depression, he worked as a lumberjack on the Zuni Indian Reservation.{{Cite web |url=http://www.queencreek.org/about-us/town-history/historical-stories/mansel-carter |title=Historical Stories |access-date=2017-12-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052905/http://www.queencreek.org/about-us/town-history/historical-stories/mansel-carter |archive-date=2017-12-22 |url-status=dead }}[http://bushducks.com/tripreps/santan.htm Exploring Carter and Kennedy’s San Tan Mountains][https://queencreekindependent.com/history/queen-creek-community-park-named-iconic-resident/ Queen Creek community park to be named after iconic resident.][https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/118389443/Arizona Republic; September 22, 2001.]

Marion E. Kennedy

In 1941, Carter moved to the town of Gilbert, Arizona, and opened a photography shop. He was drafted by the United States Army during World War II and served a short tour of duty. He was eventually discharged on account of his age. He met and befriended Marion E. Kennedy (1874–1960), a Cherokee Indian from Oklahoma whose job was delivering ice. Kennedy had at one time attended the Indian School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he studied geology.

Gold prospecting

{{multiple images

| align = right

| width = 225

| direction = vertical

| image1 =Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(A) Gold Mountain-1.jpg|

| caption1 =Gold Mountain

| image2 = Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(A) Gold Mountain-2.jpg

| caption2 = Gravesite of Mansel Carter and Marion E. Kennedy with the Gold Mountain in the background.

}}

Carter received a monthly pension from the military. Both Carter and Kennedy decided to try their hands as gold prospectors and moved to the San Tan Mountains in the town of Queen Creek. The mountain men, as they became known, established various claims, and their campsite became their home. Kennedy taught Carter how to drill for gold, and they became life-long friends. When Kennedy died in 1960, Carter buried him near their campsite.

Carter discontinued prospecting for gold after the death of his friend. He handcarved and sold "cactus curios" to the many visitors from different parts of the country. Carter was featured in "Arizona Road" with Bill Leverton. He kept a guest book, which along with some of his cactus curios and many of his personal belongings, were donated to the San Tan Historical Society's Museum after he died in 1987 of cancer. That same year The Phoenix named him an "Arizona Legend".

Both Carter and Kennedy are buried where their campsite was located near the Goldmine Trail. Their gravesite is considered a historical tourist attraction by the San Tan Historical Society of Queen Creek. The mountain in which they prospected is known as the Gold Mountain and the area is now part of the San Tan Mountain Regional Park system. In 2017, the town of Queen Creek named a new community park the "Mansel Carter Oasis Park".

Gallery

{{Gallery

|title=San Tan Mountain Regional Park
File:Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(B) Gold Mountain-Carter and Kennedy Graves.jpg

|width=180px

|height=200px

|align=center

|File: Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-Gold Mountain-Goldmine Trail-1.jpg |Goldmine Trail sign.

|File: Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-Gold Mountain-Goldmine Trail-2.jpg|The Goldmine Trail.

|File: Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(D) Gold Mountain-Mansel Carter Grave-1.jpg |Tombstone of Mansel Carter (1902–1987).

|File: Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-(F) Gold Mountain-Marion Kennedy Grave.jpg |Tombstone of Marion E. Kennedy (1874–1960)

|File: Queen Creek-SanTan Regional Park-Gold Mountain-Goldmine Gulch.jpg |Goldmine Gulch. The gulch is a narrow and steep-sided ravine marking the course of a fast stream.

}}