Who is Mansel Carter?
Mansel Carter was born in 1902 near Quaker City, Ohio, as reported by Facing East Valley’s past Gary Nelson April 10, 2004 Eastvalley.com.
QueenCreek.org calls Mr. Carter “Man of the Mountain.” The site also reports that he lived in Gilbert, AZ and thought it was getting too crowded and moved out to the mountains in San Tan Valley.
Take a Seat Next to Mr. Carter
The Mansel Carter Statue is in the Queen Creek Marketplace area. Use the address 21506 South Ellsworth Loop, Queen Creek AZ 85142. You will spot the statue sitting on a bench in front of a store. Take a seat next to Mansel and see how many birds you can attract to you.
Inscription
The Man of the Mountain
Mansel Carter (1902-1987) made his home on Goldmine Mountain where he had filed mining claims for 40 years. He worked the claims for silver and copper with his friend Marion Kennedy. Mansel became a local celebrity and was known for his way with birds and animals. He is depicted here feeding his bird companions with the seeds from a pomegranate. Learn more about Mansel at the San Tan Historical Society Museum.
More Information and Memorial Centers
Mansel Carter Oasis Park – 19535 E. Appleby Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85142. Check out a few photos from our visit to Mansel Carter Oasis Park for the Outdoor Art in Queen Creek, Arizona adventure.
Mr. Carter (1902 – 1987) gravesite resides in San Tan Regional Park
His guest book, cactus curios, and many of his personal items are on display at the San Tan Historical Society’s museum. We are looking forward to visiting this museum in the near future.
Sitting with Mansel Carter in Queen Creek, Arizona
There are many photos of Mr. Carter with his long beard, smoke pipe in his mouth, and a bird on his sleeve. Have you had a bird land on your sleeve? Did you bribe it with food?
I HAVE had a bird on my sleeve and I admit I did bribe it with food. It also helped that we were in a bird enclosure I think. I love the history behind this statue.
I trust the experience was awesome, especially if you were in a bird enclosure.
Interesting information about Mr. Carter. My son would love to sit there and attract the birds. He is a bird lover!
What is your son’s favorite bird?
I think that’s a cool statue of Mansel Carter. And, it’s interesting he feed the birds with pomegranate seeds. I have a pomegranate tree in my front yard.
Have you made jelly with your pomegranates?
It is interesting that they wrote the whole paragraph on the inscription. He must be a big contributor to the area.
There are many places in Queen Creek named after him.
Very interesting. I’ve also never had a bird on my sleeve
I think it would be interesting. I see the zoo staff had birds on their arms all the time.
Mr. Carter sounds like an interesting local character. I can’t say I’ve had a bird land on my sleeve before, but I do remember visiting a square in Italy and someone feeding the pigeons, when suddenly I was surrounded by flapping birds. I ran away quickly, Ha Ha!
I think I would run too if I was not expecting a lot of birds around me.
Love the historical aspect and learning more about the man behind the statue. As I’ve been hiking more I’ve notice many of benches and other memorials are in memory of someone. I like to take a few minutes and thank them for their role in helping to ensure we all have beautiful green places to hike.
I love that you do that. Gratitude is a great experience to share even if the person is not in front of you.
Payton would love to sit there and try to attract birds. When we were at a ranch in Colorado the hummingbirds would come right up to you and land on your hand. It was very cool!
Having a humming bird sit on my hand would be a wonderful experience. Thank you for sharing.
What a beautiful statue! I love that he had a way with birds and animals!
The artist had many details like the buttons on his shirt.
What a fun photo opportunity! I have had wild birds land on me before. It’s always startling when it happens. I think they are just curious as I didn’t have any food to offer them.
That is neat that they landed on you.