Wickenburg was first settled by early Hispanic families who established ranches in the area and traded with the local Native Americans. The town was relatively unpopulated until a Prussian named Henry Wickenburg picked up a rock to throw at a stubborn burro and stumbled onto the richest gold find in Arizona, the Vulture Mine. His find began a $30-million boom and the birth of a town. Today, Wickenburg is the oldest town north of Tucson and is well-known for its area dude ranches.