Show ROMANCE AND HISTORY OF THE SANTA RITA COPPER MINES N M the story of the santa rita copper mines at santa rita new mexico now the property of the chino copper company and one of the largest porphyry copper producing corporations in the world makes an interesting addition to the romantic history of the mining industry says the detonator shrouded in mystery and legend as well as bein being a source of speculation as to how much the aborigines b kne knew w of minin mining and the use of the red metal which the they y evidently had long secured from this field the santa rita mine became identified with white men about 1800 causing it to rank as the second oldest copper mine in the united states the earliest known important copper operation within the territory now occupied by the united states was in the lake superior district of michigan early in 1800 an apache chief grateful for some favor rendered is said to have imparted information of this mine jo to jose manuel carlesco Car resco a spanish officer in charge of an army army post in new mexico the value of the mine was immediately recognized by carlesco Car resco who interested a banker of wealth and influence don francisco manuel elguea of chihuahua and a concession was secured from the mexican I 1 government known as the santa rita del cobra grant which now forms part of the title of the property elguea in 1804 made a contract to supply the royal mint with 20 mule loads probably pounds of copper annually and began working the mines in the most primitive manner with cheap prison labor obtained from the mexican govern government ment the richest parts of the ore were extracted in the early days and contained according to reports large masses of native metal the withdrawing of the mexican troops in the early part of the nineteenth century and the depredations of the apaches caused the mines to be worked only intermittently y but good profits were generally realized the first american to visit the mines was james pattie a trapper and explorer he leased it for 1000 a year and later while trying to buy the property he was made bankrupt by entrusting his entire fortune of in gold to a dishonest agent who promptly left the country this happened in 1827 the mines continued their intermittent operation under various leases until 1873 when a man by the name of hayes endeavored to obtain title without regard to the E elguea iguera heirs two attempts were made but both were decided against him by the united states commissioners acting under treaty with mexico finally hayes and his associates socia tes traced the surviving heirs through mexico and europe and obtained title to the property shafts were sunk through the old workings and a concentration mill erected records do not indicate that the operation was especially profitable during this period of ownership but it was the period when the titles were cleared and more inore territory added to the work in 1880 the property was bought by J parker whitney of boston who continued developments he leased th ohp property to the hearst estate in 1897 and in 1899 sold it to a group 11 of amalgamated b copper capitalists who organized a new corporation known as the santa rita mining company by this time the santa rita field was ivell atell known the railroad had solved transportation and the mines were extensively developed yet owing no doubt to the inactivity of the copper market at the time the new organization worked the property only in a desultory way by 1904 interest in the property was practically lost in the i meantime the general electric company had become interested in properties outlying the santa rita district they also arranged for a thorough investigation of the santa rita ba basin sin in 1905 nothing came of it however and they also lost interest in the district in 1898 A G burrage president of the santa rita company who apparently was the only one interested interest edin in the district got hold of the report made to the general elec electric company and was so impressed with its truthfulness that he had the same engineer bring the data up to date but in spite of his unshaken conviction he was unable to interest his associates in the further development of the property finally H H rogers consented to I 1 become active but died the day before the papers cereto were to be signed mr burrage believing more firmly than ever in the santa rita properties turned immediately to a firm of powerful bankers this resulted in forming the chino copper company which in june 1909 took over the old santa rita del cobra grant with additions to the original ground that had accumulated during the years the success of this great ore deposit was finally assured for nearly a century and a quarter the white man has been mining copper from a field where perhaps for centuries the to original rial americans had been digging the wherewithal supply their limited needs the property of the company now consists of mining milling claims of which are patented in addition there is the mill site at hurley nine miles distant and a plot of agricultural land making up approximately acres high I 1 the big concentration plant at hurley has handled as mg as tons of ore a day containing an average of copper and showing a production cost of between ia and per pound of net copper |