There are two other local mines that were destroyed by the BLM in years past. One was the “Camp B” mine, below Constellation Road and south of the King Solomon. Another was a very large placer mine (complete with buildings) that operated for years about two miles northeast of the The Box, above the Hassayampa River. Culturally, this was an important location because of the mine settlement and the contribution of Chinese labor at this site. Sadly, nothing is left today.

Keep up the good work! There aren’t nearly enough folks dedicated to the preservation of history – even if on an informal basis.

While not covered in this series of articles, the “closure” of the Anderson Brother’s Mica Mill
( c. 1950 ) on the San Domingo Wash in the White Picacho District is yet another example of the BLM’s “heavy handed” methods.

When I first came out to Arizona, I “discovered” this site and was truly amazed at the
“craftsmanship” and sheer ingenuity of the operators ( Andersons ) in constructing this operation out of literally anything at hand from old WW II aircraft runway sections to assorted other “scrap” materials. During my early visits, there was a working well, that I have pictures of myself “pumping” ( the original motor was long gone at that time but a hand priming pump still drew water. )

There was a very tall bucket conveyor that was used to carry the quartz/mica up to a series of sizing trommels where the mica was separated and sized. Other interesting equipment was also on the site including a windmill ( again made from scrap materials ) that still spun and tracked into the wind, and a core drill which had been used to take samples of the nearby geology and a “shack” where the core samples were once stored. ( I have several of these that I picked up and use occasionally to sharpen my knives ! ).

The first “sign” that some sort of “clean-up” was at hand was during a subsequent visit with a friend who I had wanted especially to show the windmill … It was gone ! Just as though someone had pulled up a carrot, there literally was nothing to be found where it had formerly stood ! No foundation, no structure of any kind …
Little by little, the abandoned equipment and “parts” began to disappear, culminating in the complete removal of the well apparatus and the “capping” of the water supply pipe ( it and the “priming” pipes now being welded shut ! ) Today, ( 2008 ) there is almost nothing left of the original site as I had initially found it.

When I inquired as to why the extreme measures for a site that of any which I’ve visited, should in my mind have been designated an Historical Site ( if for nothing else, the amazing ingenuity displayed in its construction ), I was told that there were concerns about ” homeless squatters using the site” so it was decided to essentially raze the site- another piece of Arizona’s “history” now lost to time …. At least I have my photos of this amazing place.

This is the very reason a friend and I have taken up, as a sort of “hobby”, the locating, exploring, and photographing of these various sites so as to preserve, as best we can, this part of Arizona’s fast disappearing “history”.

have made it kind of a “hobby” to visit as many of these places as we can and at least record and preserve what remains with photos as many of these sites have already been destroyed

1. A citizen’s complaint about the perceived danger of any mine can lead to destructive closure. In the case of the Mammoth Spar Mine, two complaints were filed by non-resident visitors, leading to its closure.

2. There is no procedure that allows the general public to comment or lobby for the preservation of a mine on the BLM’s closure list.

3. The BLM does not issue public notices about planned closures.

4. The BLM will not provide a list of planned closures when requested. They maintain “there is no list.”

5. The BLM has recently used deficit financed “federal stimulus funds” to pay for destructive closures.

I share your concern that an important aspect of Arizona history is being lost – without our knowledge or recourse.