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Congress

Location:
Congress is in Northern Arizona . It is in Yavapai County. The town is located where State Highway 89 and State Highway 71 meet, at the base of the Date Creek Mountains. It is approximately 19 miles north of Wickenburg.

Overview:
Congress is an unincorporated town that has its roots in mining. The town sits at an elevation of 3,028 feet. The climate is mild all year round with a winter low Temperature of 23 degrees and summer high Temperature of 90 degrees.

Community Features:
If you leave Congress and head north up State Highway 89, you will want to stop at the top of Table Top Mountain and marvel at the sight below. The lookout point is just before you get to the town of Yarnell. In one section of Highway 89, the road crosses four miles and travels 2,500 feet up the side of Table Top Mountain. The lookout point provides a panoramic view of the desert regions below, including a bird's eye look at Congress. It is a view you won't soon forget.

History:
In 1884, Dennis May discovered gold near where the town of Congress is today. Diamond Joe Reynolds purchased the mine from May in 1887 and enjoyed his riches until he died in 1894.
Then a group of entrepreneurs went together to make the mine more profitable. Congress became a growing mining town with a school, telegraph and hospital. There were two sections of town. The "Mill Town" and the "Lower Town." The "Mill Town" was were the mining operations took place and "Lower Town" was the business and new home section. The town did have trouble getting water. Both in 1898 and in 1900, fire broke out and destroyed many of the buildings. During the town's boom, it was estimeated that there were 500 people living in Congress.

Congress Junction was established three miles from Congress. It was a rail stop for the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad. Then, in 1938 the mine closed and so did the post office. Soon Congress shut down and the town of Congress Junction dropped Junction from its name and became just Congress.

Today Congress is a sheep and cattle shipping center. If you travel a couple miles to the north you can see the ruins of the gold mining town.