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    In May of 1863, a group of prospectors, headed by A.H. Peeples and guided by mountain man Pauline Weaver, found acres of gold nuggets on a mesa top located just S.E. of present day Yarnell. Given the name “Rich Hill”, it was here that the richest single placer gold discovery in Arizona was made.

    Before gold was found, Yavapai Indians lived in the area. These hunters and gatherers soon felt their sanctuary being threatened and trouble began. Famous Indian fighter General Crook, with a detachment of cavalry, came to intervene and established a local headquarters in the Glen Ilah part of Yarnell.

    The first post office in the area was established in October of 1875 in Peeples Valley and the first postmaster was Charles Genung. The post office was moved to Yarnell in October of 1892 on the stage road with a store and saloon. The following year, prospector Harrison Yarnell struck gold near Antelope Peak, east of the town that was to bear his name. Growth of the small town was slow and steady, unlike neighboring boom and bust ghost towns.

    A new road from Wickenburg to Prescott, up the famous Yarnell Hill, was surveyed in 1922 and by 1933 was finally paved. Five years later, on the other end of town, work was begun on the beautiful Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains. In this grotto of oak trees and granite boulders, larger than life-size statues by sculptor Felix Lucero, tell the story of Christ.