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On Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 2-4 PM, Cave Creek Museum Presents will showcase local author, historian and speaker Kraig Nelson on the subject “The Golden Reef Stamp Mill.”

According to Nelson, William B. Hellings and his brother, owned 1,280 acres near today’s 30th Street in Phoenix. Their neighbor was Josiah Woods. Historian Francis C. Carlson said Hellings was planning to establish an outpost for miners and ranchers about 30 miles from the Salt River near a stream called Cave Creek.

 

Hellings was a dynamic entrepreneur who owned a flour mill producing 30,000 pounds of flour a day. Because of Hellings’ pressing business commitments, Josiah’s brother, Jeriah, and his wife Amanda, opened the outpost. It was called Cave Creek Station. Hellings personally financed a road, from Phoenix, to the station, called Cave Creek Road. Later, Hellings purchased several mines on a nearby mountain known today as Continental Mountain including the Golden Star Mine, which later was renamed the Golden Reef Mine. This mine was the second 10-stamp mill on the property and became Cave Creek Museum’s majestic prize.

 

“Hellings was one of 23 signatories for the original Phoenix townsite,” says Nelson. “He purchased the original home built by Phoenix’s founder, Jack Swilling, a nine-room, 4,700-square-foot mansion. “This story, and the individual, common to our stamp mill and the inception of Cave Creek and Phoenix, is a captivating and engaging narrative which can only be heard at the Cave Creek Museum; this story will keep you on the edge of your seats.

 

Nelson, accomplished writer, speaker, volunteer and community participant, has given his time and talent to Cave Creek Museum for more than 18 years. Nelson got involved with the museum as a docent (volunteer) before serving on its board of directors. Voted Docent of the Year in 2014, he became the museum’s historian in 2016. The nationally published author has written features for Images of America, North Valley Magazine and the Foothills Focus. Along with his museum work, Nelson has been a member of the Arizona Archaeological Society since 2011, where he achieved an Advanced Southwest Archaeology certification.

 

The presentation, which will be held in Cave Creek Museum’s historic church, is free to museum members and $10 for non-members. Register at cavecreekmuseum.org.