The Parker post., 1914-05-09
RETROSPECT
OF MINING
IN ARIZONA FOR THE LAST
FIFTY YEARS EARLY DAY oP-
ORATORS SHIPPED VIA COLO
RADO RIVER TO WALES.

tory and state it will perhaps be in
teresting to touch briefly upon min
ing in Arizona during the last half
century Previous to the separation
OF Arizona from New Mexico in
lS6O-62 all production from the west
ern area of Arizona was shipped out
by the way of the Colorado river.
During this period the old Planet
mine OF Bill Williams Fork and
others hauled their ores down to Au-
brey at the junction of the Fork and
the Colorado, it was put on barges,
taken down the river, loaded on to
sea-going vessels and shipped to
Swansea, Wales. All machinery COM
ing into the western part of the
state for some years after this was
hauled into the territory by the same
route. In the eastern part OF the
territory, the product of the first
mining was hauled hundreds of miles
easterly into New Mexico and even
further than this Mr.. Lesinsky about
1872, shipped ore from the Longfel-
low mine at Clifton to Baltimore by
way of Kansas City. To do this DIT
was necessary to pack it from the
mine TO the town of Clifton, five
miles distant, where it was loaded
into mule wagons and hauled 1900
miles overland through the Apache
country to Kansas City by way of
Albuquerque and the Butterfield trail.
However, this venture did not pay,
although the ore ran 35 per cent cop
per. Soon after this they smelted
tht; ore in a crude way an the ground
= .uc lllatte was taken to Balti-
more for refining. Coke was hauled
in from Kansas City
The old Ajo property that is now
receiving attention from the C. & A.
Co. was probably the first mine to
be worked by an English Co. with
Col. C.. w. Poston in charge of the
management. Soon after he was ap-
pointed Indian agent in the newly
made territory. 1863 But what a
change in all these districts today.
Clifton, Morenci, Bisbe, Globe dis
tricts, United Verde and others, so
far away from transportation, devel-
Oped into mines of great Importance,
and warranted railroads being built
into them and tremendous improve
ments have gone on ever since. For
Instance such properties as the Cop
Per Queen and United Verde, We're
100 cramped at the mine for smelt-
ing facilities and have now construct
ed plants OF great capacity and with
the adoption of all the advanced and
latest improvements in copper smeh-
ing.
Take the importance of the copper
production in Arizona We are now
in the proud position of being the
largest copper producing area in the
world. We lead all other copper
producing states in America. To say
nothing of our production of gold and
silver The improvements in smelt-
ers and milling plants cost over $3O.-
G00, 600 in the last two years.
Then what was our production in
1913 in the red metal alone. 414,-
593. 900 pounds of copper were pro-
duced in Arizona in 1913 This cop
per output was roughly valued at
$54 900 600, such stupendOus figures
are. almost beyond comprehension To
sold valued at $3.94S 900 and silver
al $2,263,G0O, lead at $612,000 and
zinc at $4,000, total money value
Of $71 1888 600.
The year 1914 will see the greatest
production Of copper in Arizona ever
known. The improvements in min
ing and reduction alone will add ap-
preciably to the output. The new
smelter for Jerome will very largely
Increase production from the United
Verde and increase also the result
from custom ores. The c. & A and
Copper Queen smetlers at Douglas
have reached the highest standard
of perfection in reduction of copper
ores. Then We have the increased
outputs from Globe, Miami and the
coming Inspiration. as we'll as the
great advancements achieved in the
Clifton Morenci district, and other
properties that are opening up in all
parts of the state, whose future is
already established. such as the Ajo
Mining Co. and Bagdad at Hillside,
Yavapai. The Commercial Copper Co