Madam Drachman and the 1887 Arizona flood: Part 1. The Stormy Calm
Half of this story is fake, but the gripping part is the other half that is not
By Mig Reyes-Mariano
In 1887, Arizona faced two major natural disasters. Summer storms brought heavy rains that caused destructive floods, washing out bridges, submerging streets, and reshaping the San Pedro River near Mammoth, where fields were stripped to bare sand (National Weather Service, n.d.; Noonan, 2013). Earlier that year, on May 3, the powerful Sonora earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.4–7.6, struck northern Mexico but was strongly felt in southern Arizona, toppling chimneys and cracking adobe structures as far north as Tucson. Together, these events made 1887 one of the most destructive years in Arizona’s history.
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Opening note: In 1887, Arizona faced two major natural disasters mentioned before, but for Madam Minna Drachman, the real storm was brewing within her heart, longing for the rain that seemed forever out of reach.
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Rumbling, rumbling… CRaCk; CRASH! B.O.O.M!!!
The deafening sound of an earthquake captured the attention of a devastated population in the southeastern Mohave Desert of Arizona in the summer of 1887. According to information from mainstream media, all buildings in the area were evacuated by their residents. Not a single person remained inside a structure, not even one sitting on the toilet. Every building still standing was damaged in some way. But it was not just the buildings; the very earth itself was affected. A crack opened up, from which a large bubble of water seemed to emerge. When the bubble burst, a statue dating back to Aztec times rose to the surface, bringing with it the dazzling shine of a pure gold statue.
The earth continued to groan for several minutes, a deep, animal-like roar that rattled bones and split the silence between each aftershock. People clutched one another in the streets, staring at the sudden glitter rising from the dirt. Dust filled the air, so thick that even the sun’s light fractured into ghostly beams. Horses neighed in panic, dogs barked, and the dry desert air carried a metallic scent, like blood on iron. When the statue finally stood revealed, its golden surface seemed to drink the light and throw it back in blinding bursts. Some fell to their knees in awe, whispering prayers or curses. Others pointed with trembling fingers at the fissure yawning open beside it, where shadows hid the promise—or threat—of a cave no one had dared to enter.
This incident also revealed the entrance to a mysterious cave where the crumbling remnants of a once-grand mansion lay hidden. According to a legend, this was the home of the infamous Madam Drachman, the cause of the disastrous 1887 flooding in Arizona. By the end of 1888, two towns in the southwestern region of Arizona had been deserted and abandoned (Preston, 1999) due to disastrous circumstances related to flooding and an earthquake. These ghost towns lie eerily close to the harsh, unforgiving landscapes of the northeastern Sonoran Desert and southeastern Mohave Desert.
Fortunately, one of these rural communities bounced back a few years later. The streets and alleys of this town once again thrived with activity. The once-abandoned structures and streets of the town were replaced by lively flea markets and inns. The city’s odors shifted from the foul smell of mold to a fresher scent that subtly influenced visitors, fostering a sense of vitality and renewal. It was like washing away accumulated dust and leaving the past behind entirely. However, some amazing stories and a legendary tale arose from the dirt.
According to those who study and write about our nation's past, in 1887, Arizona was officially a territory rather than a State, which was bought from Mexico in 1854. It remained a territory from 1863 until it achieved statehood in 1912. During that time, around mid-1887, when the Tombstone silver mines flooded and the mills shut down, two thriving cities declined (Sherman & Sherman, 1969). Later, the Sonoran earthquake, which struck near the junction with the Mojave Desert on May 3, 1887, caused extended aftershocks that destroyed the adobe buildings and sealed the towns' fate (Brumbaugh, 1998). The cities were abandoned, and the post office of one of them closed for good on October 24, 1888. Yet, thanks to some locals who came back to the area, today we have anecdotes from the past that were not completely buried.
The transformation of luck into a nightmare of one of these urban sprawls happened quickly. At first, to everyone's surprise, it rained out of season in that small urban area at the southeast corner of the Mojave Desert in Arizona (it had never happened before). Before the rain started, there was an ominous stillness in the wind. The air felt heavier than usual, making it a little hard to breathe. It was as if everyone around could feel a looming doom approaching. As all the others gazed up into the sky with wide eyes full of worry and fear, Madam Drachman carried on with her daily activities with serene confidence and trust.
Madam Drachman was well aware of Arizona's erratic, unpredictable weather and did not expect dramatic changes, not even knowing that she had cast a spell. Perhaps she thought it was pure fantasy. Nothing to worry about since not one thing changed immediately after she did it, so it was likely nothing would happen at all. She was a solitary figure of calm amidst the calamity she had unwittingly started, which would end in disaster. But despite her indifference, there was something different about the stillness this time around; it was not a sign of peace, it was merely a brief pause in a storm's breathing. Yet, what nobody expected was that when the clouds finally broke, they did not weep. They roared.
Nonetheless, this seemed like a miracle at first, one that started one morning when, inexplicably outside the official season, it started raining. Plus, it rained as if it had not in centuries. The water quenched the earth's thirst, and the fields turned green before everyone's incredulous eyes. Lady Minna, who thought she had been swindled by buying a "rain spell" from an old man named Don Divad, told everyone about it. And at the end, it rained so heavily that by the seventh day, all the ditches were filled with water, the wells overflowed, and the so-called old lady (Madam Minna) knelt in the storm, crying with joy.
The news spread quickly, and people traveled from nearby counties and cities. As the rumors circulated widely, someone in the government encouraged a few international investors to contact her. Minna became the wealthiest woman in the area in an incredibly short time. She renovated her parents' old house (in record time), which was not only completely restored but enhanced, and she hired a guard to watch over a couple of water barrels filled with pure, clear water collected from the first day's rain. Although no one else ever reported miracles from using the small bottles she sold, her fame and the tangible evidence still supported her claim in her town. Maybe all the others who bought the liquid lacked the faith that Don Divad mentioned – she thought.
The third morning after the rain started, the entire village gathered in front of her farmstead. At that time, she owned almost 40% of all the arable land in the small town. Madam Minna Drachman, soaked and radiant, stood like a prophet. Everyone wanted to know her secret, and she, intoxicated with power, began selling small bottles of the clean water she had collected in a couple of barrels, so that everyone could try their luck with faith if they were willing to make sacrifices, as Don Divad told her when she bought the “rain spell.”
At first, they approached timidly—neighbors who once pitied her, now staring as if she were untouchable. Mothers pressed coins into her hand, desperate for a cure to their children’s fevers. Men muttered under their breath, some calling her blessed, others whispering witch. Minna heard it all, and though her face was calm, her heart thundered with triumph. She began wearing brighter skirts, her boots polished, her hat tied with a new ribbon, and each time she walked through the marketplace, conversations hushed as if the very air acknowledged her. For the first time, Minna felt taller than her shadow, a woman not bound by land or drought but lifted by power. That sensation—addictive and blinding—clung to her even more tightly than her handmade palm hat.
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Endnote: As the rain finally begins to fall, a sense of hope washes over the town. But amidst the joyous celebrations, Minna gazes at the darkening skies, sensing a storm brewing not just in the heavens, but within her own fate. What price did she pay for the miracle of rain? As the first drops hit the parched earth, an ominous rumble echoes in the distance, hinting that the worst is yet to come.
Don’t miss the part two of this mini-series: The Downpour Disaster
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References
Brumbaugh, D. S. (1998). Earthquakes: science and society. Prentice Hall. p. 151.
Burian, A. W. (2018). The creation of the American states. Morgan James Publishing.
Malo J, Luraschi-Monjagatta C, Wolk DM, Thompson R, Hage CA, Knox KS (February 2014). "Update on the diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis". Annals of the American Thoracic Society. 11 (2): 243–53.
National Weather Service. (n.d.). Significant weather events in Arizona history. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.weather.gov/psr/WeatherEvent
Noonan, G. R. (2013). Massive storms & floods that cut arroyo along San Pedro River. SciHistory.info. https://www.scihistory.info/san-pedro-floods-1887
Preston, D. (1999). Cities of gold: A journey across the American Southwest. UNM Press.
Sherman, J. E.; Barbara H. Sherman (1969). "Charleston". Ghost Towns of Arizona (First ed.). University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 26–29.
