WorldWide Drilling Resource

Alaska Miners Association Phone: 907-563-9229 Fax: 907-563-9225 ama@alaskaminers.org www.alaskaminers.org Northwest Mining Association Phone: 509-624-1158 Fax: 509-623-1241 nwma_info@nwma.org WorldWide Drilling Resource ® is proud to be a member of these mining associations. Women in Mining 866-537-9694 wim@womeninmining.org 53 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JULY 2014 Bisbee Arizona Copper by Harry W. Short Engineering Geologist One of Arizona’s famous mining areas is located at Bisbee, the county seat of Cochise County, in the Warren District. Bisbee is about 82 miles south- east of Tucson, Arizona. The city popu- lation is over 6000, and at an elevation of 5300 feet, is situated in a steep moun- tainous area. Many of the buildings ap- pear to be impaled on the hillsides. One story was that early Spanish explorers were the first persons to ob- serve the mining potential at Bisbee. Mining was not considered practical at this time because the area was very remote. Thus, the early prospectors only mined gold and silver. History credits an Army Scout for finding the copper de- posits, and mining began in 1880 at the Copper Queen Mine. When the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived at Bisbee, the boom was on since it became econom- ical to mine and transport the copper ore to the smelters for processing. The Phillips Dodge Company was the largest mining company in Bisbee. The Calumet and Arizona Company was formed in 1901 and mined adjacent to the Copper Queen. Phillips Dodge also owned a smelter at Douglas, Arizona. They began mining the Lavender Mine, named after Harrison Lavender, 1890- 1952. It closed in 1974. The Copper Queen was Bisbee’s first working copper mine, and the last mine to close in 1975. The Warren District is credited by history of having produced 7.92 billion pounds of copper; 324 million pounds of lead; 355 million pounds of zinc; 28 million pounds of manganese; 2.79 mil- lion ounces of gold; and 102 million ounces of silver (Wikipedia). The Bisbee copper occurs as cavity fillings (vugs) in the Paleozoic limestone at the site. Crystals of green malachite and blue azurite, carbonate rocks rich in copper, occurred in the Copper Queen Mine. These minerals contain approximately equal amounts of copper, CO 2 , and water. Green stains found on surface rock exposures were valuable clues for the prospectors. Bisbee offers a wide range of attrac- tions for the traveling public, such as strolling downtown in the evenings, vis- iting Brewery Gulch, and shops and res- taurants. The Turquoise Valley Golf Park boasts Arizona’s only par 6 hole, the 747-yard Rattler. Other interesting attrac- tions include a tour of the Queen Mine and museums. Harry Harry Short may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com The Lavender pit. Downtown Bisbee 2004. AMA Convention: Productive, Informative, and Fun Adapted from Information by Alaska Miners Association TheAlaska MinersAssociation (AMA) recently held their Annual Convention, and the Executive Director of the organi- zation said it was a “smashing success.” The following award recipients are to be congratulated: Jamie Cawood Above and Beyond Service to AMA Dennis Steffy A Lifetime Commitment to Training Alaska’s Miners James Fueg Outgoing President (for an extremely transformative 2 years of AMA) Bill Jeffress The Know Everything About Everything Award Senator Cathy Giessel Alaska Legislator of the Year Ken Gerondale Alaska Miners Association Supporter of the Year Lynn Lythgoe III Special Recognition of Determination Roger Burggraf Lifetime Achievement Award The following key events took place at the convention: AMA Political Action Committee (AMAPAC) held a fundraiser in conjunc- tion with the convention. In 2013, the group raised over $10,000. These funds will help AMAPAC contribute to candi- dates who support Alaska’s mining industry. Alaska Resource Education raised over $56,000 to help educate students on the importance of resource devel- opment.