Greenlee County was named after Mason Greenlee, an early-day mining man. He was born in Virginia and came to Denver, Colorado after the close of the Civil War when that city was only a mining camp. He soon became interested in mining and organized a company, which prospected the Big Horn country. He located several gold claims in Colorado, one of these was the "Wheel of Fortune", which made him quite wealthy.

Greenlee was described as a tall man, quite thin and tireless. He was fearless, living by himself when the Indians were on the warpath. Although his hearing was impaired, he loved to talk and joke. He seemed to have been one of those fortunate people who was well like by all who knew him.

In 1871 J.H. Holbrook organized a party in Pueblo, Colorado to prospect the Gila River Valley. Greenlee joined the party, which consisted of twenty-one men, many of whom were old soldiers. Soon they were near Clifton and Morenci. (Neither of those towns existed then.) They stayed in the vicinity most of the winter but returned to Colorado when the Indians became troublesome. Greenlee was very impressed with the gold prospects which he saw and was determined to go back. He sold his valuable mine, "The Wheel of Fortune" and returned to Clifton in 1878. With him came Lloyd Tevis who was Greenlee's partner until his death. With several other miners they established the Greenlee Gold Mountain Mining District, which was located on the San Francisco River several miles above Clifton.

The remainder of Greenlee's life follows a tragic pattern common among the early day prospectors. His efforts to locate a rich strike slowly ate up the sizable fortune which Greenlee had brought with him from Colorado. During the nineties Greenlee and Tevis consolidated their holdings with Hank Dorsey and Albert Williams. They believed they had a rich strike but the gold was never found.

In 1898 Greenlee's health began to fail due to the hard work he had done. During the winter of 1902 and 1903 he spent in Clifton, in the home of an old friend Ike Stevens. Greenlee died April 10, 1903 after being ill for three weeks following a collapse. He was buried in an unmarked grave at public expense. The citizens honored the memory of Greenlee by erecting a large monument at his grave.

It is very unlikely that the name of Greenlee would have been adopted as the name of the county. The Arizona Copper Company wished to name the county after Mr. Colquhoun, who was head of that company. Detroit Copper Company wished to name it to honor Dr. Douglas who was in charge of that company. The proposal caused the leaders to give up their own proposed name of Colquhoun and substitute Lincoln instead. A bill was passed in the house with an amendment to change the name from Lincoln to Greenlee to delay final passage of this bill. Greenlee had died a few years previously and was well remembered at that time.
Source : http://www.co.greenlee.az.us/historymason.aspx

Fred Fritz, Jr., a Fast President of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, was born in Clifton July 8, 1895. He has spent his entire life in the cattle business, operating the XXX Ranch started by his father, on the Blue River in 1886.
The father, Fred Fritz, Sr., was one of the truly pioneering type, who drove stage for a time, spent some years in Old Mexico, and was in on the early days of Tombstone, Bisbee and other mining camps. It was while trapping beaver on the Blue that he selected that remote region for a ranch site.
Bringing his bride from Texas to Clifton in 1894. he maintained a part-time home in Clifton where young Fred had his schooling.
The father died on the ranch in 1916 and was buried there. Fred Jr. then took over the outfit, gradually buying the interests of the other heirs until he now owns it alone.
Fred Jr. served in World War I and. back on the ranch, soon became well known and respected for his intelligence and business ability.
This resulted in his serving in the State Legislature for 14 years. He has the rare distinction of having been both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.
With cattle as his first and greatest love, Fred helped organize the Greenlee County Cattle Growers and served as its Secretary and three times as President.
Likewise prominent in state and national livestock affairs, he served on many committees and was President of the State Association in 1946 and 1947. Also, since his range is adjacent to the New Mexico boundary, he attends most of the meetings of the cattlemen of that state.
In 1924 Fred Fritz, Jr., married Kathleen Anderson. They maintain a home in Clifton as does his mother, who is still active at 81.


The territory of Arizona does not contain a more expert gas engine manipulator than is found in John A. McDougall, of Morenci. He was born in Canada, May 3, 1866, and is a son of Roderick and Mary McDougall, both natives of Canada. He received his early education in his northern home, and in addition to a substantial home training and a considerable mercantile experience, served his apprenticeship as a master machinist. Thus equipped for the future responsibilities of life, he came, at the age of seventeen, to the United States, in the hope that the opportunities here afforded would meet the requirements of youthful enthusiasm and ambition.

Upon arriving in New York Mr. McDougall engaged in the gas engine business, and was employed by the Korting Gas Engine Company until i8yo. Next he started an independent venture along the same lines, and was successful in the same until 1899. He was then fortunate in securing recognition for his ability from no less a firm than the Phelps-Dodge Company, of New York City, who appointed him gas engineer of their works in Morenci, known as the Detroit Copper Company, and at Nacosari, Mexico. This large responsibility Mr. McDougall has discharged with great credit to himself and to all concerned, and his services are valued and appreciated by the company to a gratifying extent. In the Detroit mine alone there are eleven gas engines, and in the Mexican mine ten.

In 1888 Mr. McDougall married Eva Kitchin, who was born in Nova Scotia. To Mr. and Mrs. McDougall have been born two children, James, who is ten years of age, and Elva, who is three years old. Mr. McDougall is fraternally associated with the Masons in Nova Scotia, and himself and wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Arizona