The copper era., 1909-04-08
Copper Fields Of Arizona.

Major J. H. McCliutock, writing in the Los Angeles Mining Review has the following to say regarding the Arizona copper fields:
 The history of mining in Arizona is practically the history of Arizona. When the Spaniards started across the deserts north of Culiacan through Pimaria and Apacheria, hunting for the Seven Cities of Cibola, they said their sovereign king, but what they really sought was the gold which a lying pioneer said lay in great quanti- ty in the treasure houses of what later were found to be mud built pueblos. Since that time, the noun tains of the Southwest have been searched most thoroughly. The Spaniard of old and his Mexican suc- cessor were the best prospectors and the closest judges of ore that were ever known. But, necessarily, they could mine only the richer veins of the metal that they found. They hunted for gold and for silver, and the latter they smelted in rude mud built furnaces, from which however, came, for hundreds of years, much of the wealth that sustained the then dominant kingdom of Spain. Along the southern border of what now is Arizona, they established mining camps, clustered around churches, and dug in mines of wonderful rich ness, mines which today are known only by name, for they were filled by an Indian rising against the task, and the landmarks were obliterated.
 From the time of the Spaniard to the time of the American miner was a long step. The first American min ing followed in the pathways made by the Spaniards, along the southern border, at such places as TubaC and Aio;here silver ore was taken out, all most pure metal and shipped by mule team to the Colorado, and thence to civilization. But the later-day miner was not content, and his scouts spread northward, at first along the Colorado river, and then eastwardly into the jagged mountains. where the Apaches dealt death. By these pioneers were discovered the great Vulture mine, near Wickenburg, and the celebrated Weaver diggings, north of that point, and arastras and sluices still are be- ing worked on the properties on the ground the Weaver party first banned. The great Silver King in what is now the northern portion of Pinal county, was an accidental discovery, with it's enormous pillar of silver, so rich that it was passed over for several years as being nothing but lead. The mines at Globe were located for silver, and there are remains still of silver mills, where veins were worked, around the Miami Valley, at McMillan, at Pion- ger, and the Richmond Basin.
 Early discovery was made of the riches of northwestern Arizona where silver mines that were found more than forty years ago still are being worked, all the way from White Hills to Signal Around Prescott, hundreds of claims were worked in the early sixties, when the miner needed a guard of riflemen as protection for his life and property against the Apache. This pluck, or foolhardiness, if you choose, eventually wore out the Indian and pacified Arizona, the miner contributing to a far greater degree than the soldier in making Arizona the peaceful land it now is.
 Arizona for fifty years, has been known as "The Land of Sunshine and Silver,'' but this now is a misnomer, and the happy suggestion has been made that, ,when she shall attain staate hood,it will be known as +''The Copper State" for there now seems no ar gument over the cold proposition that, within Arizona lies more copper ore than found in any other region of the world. The highest production of Arizona for gold and silver, in any years of the past, is trivial compared to the copper production of today. Any one of years product of the precious metals would be far more than exceeded by the value of tie product from a single one of Arizona's copper smelters of today. The Ter ritory leads the United States in cop per production, having passed both Montana and Michigan, and yet she has barely touched her enormous beds of copper ore. Today, the mining of copper has gotten down to plain business basis. It is not poor mans business.
 Southwestern Improving ROadbed.
 Approximately 100000 new ties