Written by Bail Lichtenhan
Illustrations by Carrie L. Beherens
Without the kindness and expertise of many people, this little book would not be in your hands. Before you begin to enjoy its contents, I want to thank everyone who helped put it into your hands. ASARCO Incorportated; BHP Copper, Inc.; and Phelps Dodge Corporation; the members of the Arizona Mining Association, sponsors of this book; Jim Lichtenhan, ASARCO Mission Complex, and Carl Mitchell, Phelps Dodge Morenci, for their expert help with the technical aspects and for not laughing out loud to my face at my errors; Steve Trussell, 6th grade teacher, Barbara Bush Elementary School, for thoughtful input about mining history, yes there was a lot of gold in them thar hills; June Castelhano, Arizona Mining Association, for listening, giving guidance, and editing multiple drafts; Carrie Behrens, ASU art student, for bringing the book to life with her development of the illustrations; the 1999-2000 Engineering Science Labs class at Morenci Jr.-Sr. High School, Jasmine Hanson, Sharon Jackson, Erin Kane, Sergio Olmedo, Rachael Tysseling, Angel Verdugo, and Matt Wolfgang, who researched the topic, began the writing, and developed the concept for the illustrations of this book as part of their class work and most of all Dr. Larry McBiles, Director of Education, Arizona Mining Association, for expressing the desire for “a little book about copper.”
Copper surely is a mighty metal to be able to bring all of us together in this creative venture. |
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In 1849 gold was discovered in California, and from all over the world people flocked to Sutter's Creek near Sacramento to “make millions.” Although many traveled to the gold fields around the tip of South America, others made their way west over land. This often took them through the territory we now call Arizona. These people, though, weren't the first to gaze at the spectacular, often desolate vistas dotted with saguaro cactus and mesquite. Native peoples inhabiting this area made their living hunting, gathering, and farming. Spanish explorers searching for the Seven Cities of Cibola and spreading Christianity traveled north through this land leaving behind settlements that exist today. People from Mexico, too, trekked along the major rivers, the Rio Grande in New Mexico, and the Gila and Colorado in Arizona.
Although many of these 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. They looked for gold, and they found it. Boom camps sprang up along the Colorado River, Lynx Creek, Big Bug Creek, and Groom Creek. At Rich Hill near present-day Wickenburg, they were “digging it out with spoons and knives”. All too soon, though, the gold played out; so they turned to silver, and there it was — in greater abundance than gold. Another boom was on, but in 1893 the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act forced a decline in the demand for silver. However, Arizona truly was a blessed land. The real mineral wealth waiting to be unlocked from the rock did not have the glint of gold nor the sheen of silver. Instead, when refined, it glowed with a deep, rich hue reminiscent of a western sunset — the red metal, and what was to become known as the star of Arizona — copper.
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