Arizona republican., 1917-06-17
BY Charles F. Willis,
Director Arizona Bureau of Mines

OFCClOt NflZOUa OF MITES
The original plans and Specifications
for the building of ella county were
drawn with extraordinary care; as a
copper bottom was laid under the en-
tire southern half of it, and while il
has not been fully demonstrated, it is
believed by many that il is under the
the northern part also. Gold anG sill
Yer, asbestos and tungsten and manv
other metals and minerals were util-
lied in the framework, but the general
construction was hurried, and the ieck-
less abandon with which rocks and dirt
were thrown around at the finish, In
dictates thorough disorganization of
the forces employed.
In some counties of Arizona mining
Is the most important industry, with
agriculture, stock raising and other
things in order while in others agri-
culture leads. In ella county mining
comes first, second and third, with
grazing next, while agriculture is
about as serious a thing as the
funny supplement in a Hearst news
paper. Here and there is a little patch
y
chickens. and they are just as good
as anybody's, as they have unlimited
markets to supply, but the areas
where such industries are possible
are too small to command much at
tentlon Most likely as the years go
by. all such places will be utlnzeu,
and the bench lands along the noun
xuh 40
veloped will be covered with farms and
orchards, for there is nothing wrong
with ella cOuntys C1imate Or soil
where the wrinkles can be smoothed
out Of it enough to run water over it.
The construction work Of the county
was done very carefully in spots-the
most exacting engineers could not wish
for more appropriate abutments than
Nature provided for the Roosevelt dam
with plenty of lime and clay adjacent
for the making of cement. Nor could
there be better basin for water stor-
age than that which was created by
the building of this dam, the basin
some forty miles long lying just in
side the western line of ella county
"iN Naie iiHSi, WHICH supplies IL i III
ming across the middle of the county
from east to west
Gla Water Makes Maricopa
South of the river is the great
proved mineral district OF the county
North of it, the principal interest is
encouraging precipitation to keep this
basin full for the ella county water
&c ha H.
Maricopa county worth while. North
ern ella, however, is a great country
aside from this fact, industrially and
otherwise. But two settlements in this
half aspire to recognition, these being
Payson and Pine, known to fame for a
quarter of a century. This region also
contains minerals and some mines
have been worked from time to time
but for the most part everything is
still in a prospect stage. Numerous
properties will some day be valuable
when made more accessible by the
building of railroads. But from a fin
ancial standpoint the big interests o
ella county are in the southern part
where two of Arizonas importan
cities, Globe and Miami. named afte
their respective copper districts, ant
but six miles apart, are found. Thes
are connected by an automobile bou
levard as smooth as a board and al
crooked as a snake
Globe, the county seat of Gil;
county, was first heralded to tn
world as a silver camp, and for SOM
quite extensive. AS lower levels wer
reached and silver gave way to copper
which was then drug in the market