(SWJA)

Anna Freudenthal-Solomon

Anna Freudenthal was born in a small Polish town adjoining the Russian border. She met her husband, Isidor Solomon, in Krushwitz and was married two months after their engagement. They immigrated as a couple from Europe to Pennsylvania. They had three small children. Isidor was determined to seek new opportunities that he believed existed on the western frontier. They made the difficult journey to Las Cruces, New Mexico where they had family members living. Anna missed the green woods of the eastern U.S. and was shocked at first by the hardships they encountered in their new home. While Isidor went scouting for the right location to settle, he left Anna in a rental home in Las Cruces. Isidor found the perfect place in the eastern part of the Territory of Arizona in the Gila Valley. He went back to Las Cruces and retrieved his family. The Solomons set out to their locale in a wagon.

The Solomons rented a small place for $25.00 a month and began their business ventures in Arizona. They secured a contract to deliver charcoal to a mining company and opened a store front. Times were rough and lonely for Anna as she recalled, "Still we had some very dark and sad times. I could not get anyone to help me with my three babies." Anna was a very skilled woman but her first priority and the most important thing in her life, were her children. Isidor oversaw all of their business interests while Anna tended to the children and the family store.

The Solomon business thrived as they developed additional contracts for charcoal and other items to be delivered throughout Gila County. Their accomplishments played a major role in helping to develop Gila Valley.

The area the Solomons settled in was called Pueble Viejo (The Old Village). After 1879, it's name was changed to Solomonville because of the influence the Solomon's had in the development of the village and the area. The name change became official when mail delivery began a few years later. The post office was housed in the Solomon store. In later years, the name of the city was shortened to Solomon but old timers still call it Solomonville.

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