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November 7, 2012 Copper Mines and Ghost Towns By Jenn Jedidiah Free Well, life has come full circle, and we fi nd ourselves once again eagerly be- ginning another winter season. The summer has been fi lled with adventure but now it's time to settle in here on our little piece of Arizona desert. So we bade goodbye to our last venue on the road in Nevada to join all of you here in Quartzsite. Nevada is called the Silver State, but here in Arizona, copper was our Gold Rush. In fact, we, the state of Arizona, wouldn't even be here without copper. Many prospectors came to Arizona looking for silver and gold, but the majority of them moved on to Califor- nia and did not settle here. It was the early copper miners who settled and founded the towns, like Ajo, which was founded by a prospector named John Greenway. The towns of Ehrenberg, Poston, and Wickenburg were also originally founded and established as copper mining communities. Copper has been mined here since the 1500s. The native peoples mined cop- per to use for tools and weapons. In the late 1700's missionaries came to Arizona to establish missions and to mine and prospect in this area. Ari- zona Mining and Trading Company, our state's fi rst mining company, was established in August 1854. BUYS & SELLS GOLD Nature's Nuggets We pay 80% of Spot & Up Gold Sand Concentrates Placer Gold 24 Mesh Size up to Nuggets Richard Trusty 928-927-5479 Richard Thomas 435-730-3388 In Quartzsite over 15 Years! Quartzsite Licensed Business Large scale production copper mining began in 1872, by the Longfellow Cop- per Company near Morenci. In 1876, the completion of the Southern Pacifi c Railroad opened the door for Arizona's copper wealth to be transported to markets all over the world. While in other parts of the country, the railroads brought industry with them, here, the need to transport copper brought rail- roads to Arizona. Since 1910, Arizona has been the nation's top producer of copper, producing more than all the other 49 states combined. Copper mining on this scale helped the Arizona territory to achieve statehood in 1912. Copper, back then, but especially to- day, is one mineral we can't live with- out. Every person will use approxi- mately 1500 pounds of copper in their lifetime. There are 50 pounds of cop- per in the average car, and about 400 pounds of copper in a standard house. There is copper in your microwave, re- frigerator, computer, and telephone. Copper is used in plumbing, fi ber op- tics, solar and wind power, generators, electronics, and medical technology. Gold, silver, lead, zinc, and molybde- www.DesertMessenger.com ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS be taken from Quartzsite to copper mining areas. One is to Planet Ranch and the other is to the ghost town of Swansea. The Planet Ranch area has over 100 copper mines. The area is rich in Chrysacolla, and in several areas the chrysacolla deposits are on the surface, creating beautiful swirls of color in the red/brown rhyolite. famous for beautiful gemstones like turquoise, chrysacolla, azurite, and malachite which are secondary miner- als that form in copper ore bodies. There are two great day trips that can Page 19 Quartzsite Events Online: www.VisitQuartzsite.com Hand-blown Glass Vases Must See to Appreciate! Quiet Times SEE COPPER PAGE 26 90 E. Main St., Quartzsite 928-927-8081 JOSEPH BRUNO • BACK FLOW SPECIALIST 115 N. Emelia, PO Box 581, Quartzsite ABPA Certified No. 29-00027 num are important minerals that are by-products of copper mining. Arizo- na is the 2nd largest producer of mo- lybdenum in the US. Arizona is also 928-927-6589 MOBILE SERVICE ONLY Betty Crenshaw CML Owner 37 Years Experience LOCK & KEY C & B Residential Commercial Autos RVs Bonded - Insured BLM Approved Serving Quartzsite and Surrounding Areas 928-916-4965 775-790-3260 KBUX Quartzsite Radio 94.3 FM http://kbuxradio.com • Quartzsite's Favorite "CLASSIC HITS" • Local Information • Weather • 24 Hours Day / 7 Days Week! 928-927-5111 First locally-owned and operated music station in Quartzsite, Arizona. Proudly serving the communities of Quartzsite, Bouse, Brenda, Rainbow Acres, La Paz Valley and beyond, since 1988. Local Resident! Serving Quartzsite area!