The copper era., 1909-04-29
Paper by Frank Cox on Arizona Minerals


 The following paper on mining and the mineral resources of Arizona was written by Frank Cox, of Phoenix at the request of an official of the American Mining congress and read at the meeting of that body held in Pittsburg in December:
 To every bar of precious metal produced not only in Arizona but in any mining region, there is per sonal history attached. From the ambitions and hopes of the sturdy prospector, down to the calculations of the largest mining operator, is the story woven. Interesting ast these stories are, however, and much as we owe to the men who broke the ground. individual mention of them must be here omitted. But, though even the names of the men have been forgotten, we do not forget the fact that is was the brave, the stout hearted pioneers, that made possible such mines as the Detroit and the Arizona, the United Verde and the Copper Oueen-mines known all over the civilized >world-mines without which we could not make our proud boast that, with her yearly output of something 253, 100000 pounds of cop per, Arizona today leads the United States in production of this royal metal.
 The manufacture of copper is the most important industry in the terri tory. Mining was substantially com menced here long before Arizona was known as a political subdivision ot the United States. In the early part of the eighteenth century, it was carried on in a crude way, and there vet remain, in the southern part ot the territory, many evidences that silver mines were worked there hundreds of years ago. When l first came to Arizona, mining on the i'm proved and modern plan had just be- gun, although years before that, stamps had been dropping at the Vul- ture and at the Silver King. The Vulture was a gold, the King silver, producer. Both have records of many millions of production, and both. on account ot expensive trans portation, were shut down long ago. Now railroads have made possible their working at profit, and they are to be re-opened, companies for the purpose having been already or panized. At the Vulture and other mines the original houses were built of gold ore, so rich that afterwards they were torn down and milled at a large profit.
 ItAEas shortly after the Gadsder purchase that the first smelter-ar !. adobe plant at the old Ajo mine-wa: operated by Peter Brady, wei known pioneer. In 1873 a similar smelter was at work in Pinal county and this plant it was that made th' first assay of the ore of the famou Silver King. In the early sixties mill were at work in Arizona, but .amoni the first of the modern ones cor structed here was the twentysstam mill on the San Pedro riVeS, nea Tombstone, erected in 1879. Thi mill worked ores from the famou Tombstone mines.
 Now, great, roaring furnaces hay supplanted the crude roaster; stam mills, the arrastras of the aborlgne and magnificent Corliss engines, th one-horse whim of the prospecto And nowhere can there be found t day more complete and perfect m chinery than that operating on tt hills and in the canyons of Arizon If the men who worked on the Week twenty years ago could see the II perial shelter on the plain at Sasc he would think that truly Aladd had come to life and rubbed his Ian again: so with the old miner of u Lucky Cuss, could he travel now t northern customs shelter, or throus Douglas, where two great smelte are in operation night. and day; through Jerome, from where,
 night, the slag dumped from | mighty furnaces sends out glow vivid and far-reaching as to be seen magnificent painting-in the Co., ninO forest, fifty miles away.
 Among the gold mines of the A xona of today is the Congress, pr ably the deepest in its workings any in the territory, and its richn
 holds with depth, nor shows signs giving out. The King of Arizc
 and the North Star, two compa'
 lively recent discoveries in the we
 ern part of the territory, are de'
 oping into gold producers, and ev
 day brings news of additional disc
 cries. Notable among the z
 mines of Yavapai county, the he
 of the Congress, are the Tiger,
 Octave and the Poland, of Moh
 county, the Gold Road and the /
 zona- Mexican.
 Nor must mention of our piaC
 be omitted; for, from the Pot-H'
 of Yuma county, to the Painted k