This impressive volume on Arizona mining covers many historical aspects from mines to minerals to transportation and extraction methods. Thousands of miles of railroads were built in Arizona to sustain mining operations that formed the crux of the territory's and later the state's economy. Hundreds of towns in Arizona owed their longevity or in many cases their ephemeral existence based upon the productivity of the local mines. Extensive mapping of the territory was undertaken, not specifically for settlement but for mineral discoveries and for ensuring the ease of extraction from the ground to the market. Mining captivated the Native Americans, Spanish, Mexicans and later the great influx of American miners and pioneers who arrived in Arizona after the Gadsden Purchase of 1854. Since then, Arizona's economy and community has greatly benefited from mining enterprises resulting in heightened employment opportunities both mining related and supported along with an improved infrastructure of roads, railroads, bridges and dams, hospitals, schools, cultural and civic centers. Mining has also influenced state tourism and recreation as many of the forest service roads and highways were built for the purpose of connecting mines to refining facilities and on to market. Tourist destinations including the towns of Ajo, Bisbee, Jerome and Prescott, would not have their aesthetically appealing store fronts and town layout were it not for revenue generated from the local mining operations. Gem and mineral shows across the state including the annual Tucson Gem & Mineral Show and the Quartzite Show generate millions of dollars directly benefiting the hospitality industry and local and regional attractions. Over 250 mining related images appear in this volume to represent Arizona's place as one of the great mining centers and mineral producers in the world. This volume is a compilation of 105 articles published under the heading of "Mine Tales", a Monday column in the Arizona Daily Star. Broken down into three physiographic provinces, Arizona has a diverse mineral content that has enabled it to be at the forefront of the mining industry in the United States and the world. 9 x 12 inches, 160 pages.

This book tells the history of Superior, Arizona, from the years 1930 to 1950. Superior is located in the central part of the state just inside the southern boundary of the Tonto National Forest. The town was the home of the Magma mine, which was owned by the Magma Copper Company. The Magma mine was an underground, or “hard rock,” copper mine. It operated continuously from 1910 to 1982, was one of the most productive mines in US history, and also included a smelter, mill, and railroad. The book hermeneutically (interpretively) merges into a single narrative the oral histories of 15 persons who were born between 1923 and 1934 and lived in Superior during all or most of 1930 through 1950. The purpose of combining the contributions into a single story was to yield a thicker, more corroborated history of the town than otherwise would have been possible by presenting them separately. Supplementing the narrative are a (1) historiographical description of the town and mine, (2) sociological analysis of their relationship, the community’s solidarity, and the segregation experienced among Mexican, Caucasian, Native American, and African American residents, (3) description of the personal meaning of underground mining, and (4) review of methods.

A booklet provides an overview of the history of mining in Arizona.

This comprehensive history of copper mining tells the full story of the industry that produces one of America's most important metals. The first inclusive account of U.S. copper in one volume, Copper for America relates the discovery and development of America's major copper-producing areas—the eastern United States, Tennessee, Michigan, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Alaska—from colonial times to the present. Starting with the predominance of New England and the Middle Atlantic states in the early nineteenth century, Copper for America traces the industry's migration to Michigan in mid-century and to Montana, Arizona, and other western states in the late nineteenth century. The book also examines the U.S. copper industry's decline in the twentieth century, studying the effects of strong competition from foreign copper industries and unforeseen changes in the national and global copper markets. An extensively documented chronicle of the rise and fall of individual mines, companies, and regions, Copper for America will prove an essential resource for economic and business historians, historians of technology and mining, and western historians.