March 11, 2016
After the Chiricahua mountains, we drove West to the Kartchner Caverns State Park, about 60 miles from Tucson, and have done a few day trips. We opted not to visit the caverns, after our fabulous cave experience at Carlsbad Caverns, NM.
Our first day trip was a tour of the nearby Queen copper mine in Bisbee, AZ...
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| Before the tour, one has to get properly outfitted |
From their website we learn that:" In almost 100 years of continuous production before the Bisbee mines closed in 1975, the local mines produced metals valued at $6.1 billion (at 1975 price) one of the largest production valuations of all the mining districts in the world. This staggering amount of wealth came from the estimated production of 8,032,352,000 lbs of copper, 2,871,786 ounces of gold, 77,162,986 ounces of silver, 304,627,600 lbs of lead and 371,945,900 lbs of zinc!
A melting pot of immigrant miners from the mining districts of Europe labored beneath the Mule Mountains to feed the insatiable demand for copper and electricity.
A melting pot of immigrant miners from the mining districts of Europe labored beneath the Mule Mountains to feed the insatiable demand for copper and electricity.
Phelps Dodge Corporation closed the Bisbee underground mines in the summer of 1975. Bisbee Mayor Chuck Eads, with the generous cooperation of Phelps Dodge, brought to reality the idea of opening a mine tour through a portion of the world-famous copper Queen Mine. Mayor Eads felt that history of mining should be kept alive in Bisbee and in a manner that would attract tourists to the community. Many faithful volunteers cleared thousands of tons of fallen rock and re-timbered the old workings. They were assisted by local individuals and groups who furnished support and food for the workers. The local effort came to the attention of a federal agency, the Economic Development Administration, which approved a large grant to the City of Bisbee to help the mine tour project and other improvements in downtown Bisbee designed to aid the tourist business. The Queen Mine Tour was officially opened to visitors on February 1, 1976.
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| Our guide explains the rules...keep hands and feet in... |
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| The tour trolley, getting ready to enter the mine |
Tour guides, retired Phelps Dodge employees, lead the group 1,500 feet into the mine and recount mining days, techniques, dangers and drama. " Our own tour guide described his experience of a mine cave in and his rescue by several brave men...a sobering thought when you are
1500' into the mountain and 300' underground....
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| Dave ahead of me on the trolley as we penetrate the depths |
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| Explaining how to set the charges |
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| Walking into a large excavated area where the ore had been plentiful! |
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| Malachite, azurite and other semi-precious stones as well as copper, silver, zinc and even some gold were found, accounting for the colourful swirls in the rock |
During the early days, before mechanization, mules were used to transport the spoils back up to the surface, not unlike the Cape Breton, Nova Scotia "pit ponies", hard work for all involved..Until the electrically powered trolley cars took over.
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| The old latrine car on the trolley... |
The Queen mine is closed, but copper mining continues to be a major part of the community in one of a few huge open pit mines.
We were taken into some salt mines in Germany with a similar train of small cars ... being so far in and down is quite thought provoking. Don't think I could do it day in, day out.
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