"The Spanish Bullet is not molded that will kill me."
William Owen O'Neill was born February 2, 1860, probably in St. Louis, Missouri, to Irish immigrant parents. In 1879 Buckey came to Arizona, responding to recruiting efforts by Governor John Charles Frémont. After stays in Tombstone and Phoenix he arrived in Prescott in 1882. He was nicknamed "Buckey" for bucking the tiger in the game of faro-faro cards had tigers on their backs.
During sixteen years in Prescott, O'Neill worked as a court reporter, editor of the Miner, and editor and publisher of Hoof and Horn. He was elected Yavapai County Probate Judge and School Superintendent, Yavapai County Sheriff and Tax Assessor, and Mayor of Prescott. Buckey also ran unsuccessfully for territorial delegate to Congress.
Onyx mine, Mayer, Arizona. Buckey O'Neill is said to have bought a one-third interest for $150. In 1893 the mine sold for $200,000.
With prosperity gained from onyx mines near Mayer, Arizona, Buckey promoted a railroad to the Grand Canyon and copper mines under its rim. In 1894 he led a Smithsonian expedition to explore the prehistoric Sinaguan ruin called "Montezuma's Castle" on Beaver Creek in the Verde Valley.
Buckey in his cabin at the Grand Canyon, about 1892.
The Buckey O'Neill cabin at Grand Canyon, now part of the Bright Angel Lodge and available as a tourist cabin.
O'Neill wrote copy for Hoof and Horn and authored two booster pamphlets: the 130-page "Resources of Arizona" (1887) and "Central Arizona for Homes for Health" (probably 1888). Perhaps his least-known talent was the writing of fiction, which he is said to have penned as Pauline played the piano. His stories appeared in the San Francisco Examiner between 1890 and 1910.
Captain John O'Neill, who fought in the Irish Brigade during the Civil War.
Courtesy Michael Bickley.
Document signed by Buckey O'Neill
while mayor.
Courtesy City of Prescott
Buckey O'Neill in the Bank of Arizona, southeast corner of Gurley and Cortez streets, Prescott, about 1886.
Paperweight made from onyx from Buckey O'Neill's quarry. Marked "H. C. SMOOT, ASSAYER & CHEMIST PRESCOTT ARIZONA"
"Mexican onyx" ore from the Mayer, Arizona, onyx quarry once owned by Buckey O'Neill.
Courtesy Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum.
Letter written by Buckey O'Neill regarding Grand Canyon ore samples.
Courtesy Al Richmond.