Arizona Mining Association

A History of Mining in Arizona | Copper: The Star of Arizona | Copper: An Economic Profile | Mine To Market

In an effort to preserve the history of mining in Arizona and to help educate Arizonans about mining's unique role in our state's past and future the Arizona Mining association had made the following publications available on-line.

Modern-day Arizona has been shaped by many cultures, inventions and events. Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans and Europeans are just a few of the cultures that have made their marks and their homes in the Grand Canyon State. Meanwhile, inventions like air conditioning and events like the building of railroads and freeways have made it possible for people to live comfortably in the desert. What all these cultures, inventions and events have in common is a relationship to mining.
Read A History of Mining in AZ

Copper Mining, the profitable extraction and production of copper, is one of man's oldest commercial activities. This illustrates the series of steps associated with the mining and processing of copper ore. Copper mining begins with a team of scientists, including exploration geologists, geochemists, geophysicists, metallurgists and engineers discovering a copper ore deposit — a concentration of copper minerals that can be mined profitably.		Arizona. Imagine modern man's first reaction to this seemingly impenetrable land. Extreme heat. Endless deserts. Majestic mountains and inhospitable canyons that would take weeks to cross. Yet beneath these barriers lay a mineral that would help transform not only the Arizona territory, but also the entire world. That mineral is copper, and this is the Arizona copper story.
Read Mine to Market		Read Copper: The Star of AZ

Copper mining has been contributing to the economy of what we now call Arizona since before the arrival of Europeans in the early 1500s. Beginning in the late 19th Century, copper mining and processing became one of the primary means by which first the Arizona Territory and then the State of Arizona were transformed from a wilderness to a modern industrial economy. Copper mining, smelting, refining and fabricating remain an important part of that modern economy even today despite some declines in recent years.		In 1849 gold was discovered in California, and from all over the world people flocked to Sutter's Creek near Sacramento to “make millions.” some made their way west over land. This often took them through the territory we now call Arizona. Although many people recognized Arizona's mining potential, it was not until the '49ers, tired and defeated by their unsuccessful venture in California, remembered the promising rocks to the east and retraced their steps with new hope. It was then that mining gained a foothold in Arizona it has never relinquished.
Read Copper: An Economic Profile		Read Copper: The Mighty Metal