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June 18, 2014 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER Family Restaurant 1265 W. Main St., Quartzsite West of McDonald's • 928-927-6014 MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE Open 7am - 7pm 7 DAYS/ WEEK 928-927-8890 Open Year Round! 490 N. Moon Mt. Ave., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) B-10, Main St. Moon Mountain X Quail Trail N Hwy. 95, N. Central • DAILY SPECIALS • Thurs. SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS • Friday FISH Special • Sat. PRIME RIB Enjoy our Famous Bread Pudding ! Home Style Cooking! We'd like to thank all our wonderful customers for your support during this past season. We are now closed for the summer and will reopen on OCTOBER 1st, 2014 Be sure to watch for our Re-Opening Specials! We hope everyone has a great summer and we'll see you in October! ~ Carl and crew The mineral deposits of Mineral Park near Kingman, AZ represent one of the largest copper reserves in the United States, and even in the entire world, con- taining an estimated 389 million tons of high grade copper ore, and 31 million ounces of silver. But perhaps the most famous deposits of this area are the Turquoise deposits. The Turquoise deposits of Mineral Park are some of the highest producing and best quality turquoise deposits on Planet Earth. Turquoise is a hydrous copper-aluminum phos- phate, and is formed by the percolation of ground- water through aluminous rock which also contains copper. The color of turquoise is dependent upon other minerals in the ground where it forms. An excess of iron, for example, causes some turquoise to have a green color. Turquoise is considered a secondary mineral of copper deposits, and is most often found in arid or semi-arid environments. The turquoise from Mineral Park ranges from a beautiful sky blue to green in color, and the vibrant color of Kingman Turquoise has set the standard for the tur- quoise industry throughout the world. The bright blue nuggets with black matrix from the Ithaca Peak vein is some of the fi nest turquoise ever mined. Kingman Turquoise was originally discovered by prehistoric Native Americans over 1000 years ago. Archeological evidence from this area includes Hohokam hammers, Navajo hammers, and other artifacts dating to around 600 AD. The hammers Copper, Turquoise, Railroads and Wagon Wheels ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS SEE ROCKS PAGE 17 175 E. Main St. HAPPY HOUR EVERY DAY! 10 -noon & 3:30-5:30pm $1 DRAFT on select Beers from 10am-2pm 928-927-5585 www.sillyalspizza.com LIVE MUSIC SAT. 7PM with ERN CUNNINGHAM SUMMER SPECIALS 10AM-10PM Sunday- Spaghetti Dinner $5 Bloody Marys $2 Monday- Beef Burrito Special $5 Pacific Beer $2/bottle Tuesday- Fettuccine Alfredo $5 House Wine $2/glass Wednesday– Chicken Dinner Salad $5 Tequila Sunrise $2 Thursday– Ground Beef Taco $1 Margarita $2 SILLY AL'S PIZZA Famous Gourmet Pizza KARAOKE DJ WED-FRI 7PM with KEVIN JAMES Serving Quartsite at Same Location for over 20 years! By Jenn Jedidiah Free for RocksInMyHead™ were used for mining, polishing and fi nishing the tur- quoise. Charcoal and water containers have also been found, suggesting that the rock was fi rst heated with fi re, then cooled suddenly with water. This would cause fracturing. Once the host rock was fractured, the Native American miners would cut the turquoise from the rock using hammers and other hand tools. Some of these hammers and tools are on display at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts and the Arizona State Museum in Phoenix. Mayan and Aztec ceremonial and personal artifacts dating from about 1000 AD have also been found that are adorned with turquoise from the Mineral Park deposits, indicating the desirability of this turquoise throughout the ex- tensive pre-columbian trade networks. European Prospectors fi rst located mineral resources in the area in the 1840's. In addition to turquoise, rich deposits of silver, gold, copper, lead, and zinc were discovered. The town of Chloride was founded in 1863, but mining was not widespread until after 1870 when a treaty was signed with the Hualapai Indians. The town of Mineral Park was established shortly thereafter in 1871. Chloride is still inhabited today, and is considered the oldest continuously in- habited mining town in Arizona. The original town of Mineral Park can be seen in a few scattered remnants of buildings near the mine. The town of Kingman was established in 1882. It had a very modest beginning as a spur for loading