Arizona republican., 1918-06-22
Mines of Mayer

Mayer is a beautiful. hustlng, wide awake town of about 800 people, situ ated on the Bradshaw branch of the Santa Fe, thirty-one miles south Of Prescott, seventy-siX miles north of Phoenix and twenty three miles south of Jerome. The real history of the town dates back to the time Joe Mayer pitched his tent on Big Bug creek, in the early eighties, near the old Big Bug stage station. He was the pioneer of the district and the town took his name. His dream was to make the town a great center of mining and livestock activities and had he lived to the present day, he would have seen his dream realized.
 The principal industries of Mayer and vicinity are mining and stock raising. There are number of ranches in the valleys near by where crops of alfalfa and grain are grown profitably. An excellent quality of all kinds of fruit, excepting citrus, grows in abundance and every householder in the town has his own fig tree.
 Lately, mining has taken a new life throughout the Mayer district, cop per being first in importance and sil- yer next Thirty years ago. there was great activity all around Mayer in the mining of both these metals as well as gold but there was a falling off in production when the price of copper and silver went down.
 Three reasons may be given for the great activity in mining in this sec tion at the present time. Of first l importance, is the high price foI copper and silver which has created a market for the metals.
 f- h4 d lie. covery of a process that will success | fully treat the copper and the com plex silver ores of the district This is the oil Notation process which vii handle copper successfully with al low as two per cent copper and sil- yer ore as low grade as six or sever ounces. These low grade ores could not be profitably handled in thu | Mayer district prior to two or thre' years ago. before the introduction o this new process.
 The third reason for the mining ac tivity is the proving that the bodie of ore of the district, which occur il the so-called Yavapai schist forma tion, become larger and richer witt deep mining and are permanent a | great depth. The deepest shaft is a the Blue Bell mine which has opene larger and richer ore bodies on tn 1200-foot level than any place above There is reason to expect this mine based on geological determinations, | be large producer many hundreds o feet deeper than at the present leve
 Mayer has a wonderful future as
 mining center. There are half
 dozen mines producing copper an silver within short distance, now and more than A score of DrODertie have developed ore bodies which wi soon be on the producing list Larg capital is becoming interested in tn mines which is being directed b some of the best metallurgists in tn country. There is no boom on in an of the camps around Mayer and n boom is wanted. The present stead and substantial growth is more dc sirable.
 Those who are interested in the flu ture of Mayer, see not many year hence, a large city, the supply poir for the mining companies, an outfit ting place for the large stock inter ests and a home town for those wh are financially interested in and wh are employed in the various enter prises of the district. Mayer is lc cated in the heart of the great minel alized belt which begins at Jerome c the north and extends southwaI
 through Black Canyon to New rivt
 not far north of Phoenix. distant
 of about eighty-five miles. This
 the longest unbroken mineral belt . the state. At the north end are il
 rich copper mines of Jerome whi ] seventy five miles south is the rio | Kay mine which has the appearans