The first mineral mined here was hematite which was used by Native Americans to make a red body paint. In the late 1600s Spanish miners surface mined or dug shallow holes to extract copper ore. When Arizona became part of the US in 1854 American companies began more extensive mining however open pit mining did not start until 1917. The pit is about 3,000 feet long, nearly 2,000 feet wide and 750 feet deep. 3 million tons of copper, 463 tons of molybdenum, 1.56 million ounces of gold and 19.7 million ounces of silver have been pulled from the earth. All mining stopped in 1985 when required upgrades to the smelter and low copper prices made mining uneconomical.
The best place to view the pit is from inside the fencing that surrounds the little visitor center. The parking area is the site of Mexican Town. Foundations slabs from the rows of small houses can still be seen. Indian Village was also located on the land overlooking the mine. This form of housing segregation was practiced well into the 1960s with the main townsite of Ajo being predominately white. The houses in Mexican Town and Indian Village were sold for materials after the mine closed.
The visitor center and overlook are accessible.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV.
Overlook 32.36429, -112.86872
My goodness, we've never been to or even near the mine overlook. Must be something to see.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a pretty big hole!
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