History of Gooseprairie

Scotsman John Fife and his 13 year old son, Thomas came to America in 1866. They traveled across the continent prospecting for gold along the way. When they arrived at the beautiful meadow now known as Gooseprairie, they were reminded of their home in Scotland.

Some say a flock of wild geese was there when they first saw the meadow and the next day all but one flew off and that one remaining bird stayed the entire season with the Fifes. Others say that as the Fifes explored the area and looked back at the meadow from the top of the nearby mountains, the meadow was in the shape of a goose in-flight. Either way, they named the meadow Gooseprairie and homesteaded there. That original 160 acre homestead is the only privately held land in the area.

There have been a couple of books written by those who spent their lives in the area which include wonderful stories about the Fife’s. One particularly good one “We Never Got Away” by Jack Nelson gives a real flavor of life there.

Another man who had a big impact on the Prairie was Ira Ford who came to the Prairie in 1927 to work at a sawmill that was set up to supply timber to the Copper City Mine. Ira’s step-father, R.P. Root was the president of the Copper City Mining Company and operated the sawmill. He had purchased about 40 acres years earlier directly from Tom Fife.

In the early 1900’s there were about 40 mining claims in the area along Deep Creek. Reuben Root constructed the sawmill in 1906 mainly because he thought that the railroad would come through, but it never did. The mines eventually closed when the price of copper fell after the war, never having produced enough to make a profit. Copper was the primary metal with some silver and a smidgen of gold. The last of the machinery was dismantled in 1948.