Volume 3 Issue 2
Specia l Copp
er Issu
e
$4.99 Summer 2014
Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community…
• Homegrown Copper: The Bagdad Arizona Story • Phoenix’s Riverboat Restaurant: The Copper Belle • Turning Copper into Cable: The Western Electric Company • Copper Cladding: Opulent, Lavish, and Practical • Fit for a Goddess: The Capitol’s Copper Dome
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Publisher William Horner Billy@arizcc.com
Editor Douglas Towne Douglas@arizcc.com
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Contributing Writers Lee Addis J.J.M. Czep Jennifer Giralo Rebecca Morris Maureen E. Towne Production Manager Creative Designer Accounts Manager Laura Harley Laura@arizcc.com 623-698-6436 Circulation Manager Tina Crigler Tina@arizcc.com
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To serve Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community, Then & Now…
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Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, & winter). ACC is a professional publication designed for the contracting industry, engineers, architects, and others interested in Arizona and its history. Content including text, photographs or illustrations may not be reproduced without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions. ACC reserves the right to reject any editorial and advertising material and reserves the right to edit all submitted content material. Arizona Contractor & Community Copyright © 2014 All rights reserved.
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8 Volume.3 Issue 2 Summer 2014
10
CONTENTS
28
30
32 36
40 42
46 52
48
59
56
8.
Arizona’s Copper Credentials - Editor’s Column Douglas Towne
10. 28. 30.
Construction Around Arizona
32.
Homegrown Copper: The Bagdad Arizona Story Douglas Towne
36.
Transforming Copper into Cable: The Western Electric Company - J.J.M. Czep
40. 42 .
Joe Lilly’s Last Working Day
Industry Highlights Going Strong after Five Years: Shane’s Grading & Paving - William Horner
Fit for a Goddess: The Capitol’s Copper Dome Roberta Graham
46.
Foundation of Excellence: An Interview with Kent Dibble of Dibble Engineering - Jennifer Giralo
48.
Copper Cladding: Opulent, Lavish, and Utterly Practical - Maureen E. Towne
52.
Phoenix’s Riverboat Restaurant: The Copper Belle John Bueker
56.
Scraping through the Archives with Joe Lilly William Horner
58. 59.
Bid Results - Bidjudge
60.
Digging through the Archives Part 2: Min-A-Con Equipment - William Horner
62.
ACC Advertisers Index
Digging through the Archives Part 1: Euclid Crane and Hoist - William Horner
Front Cover -
60
Background: P&H electric shovel loading a haul truck at the copper mine in Bagdad, ����. See story on page ��. Bottom: Capitol dome restoration ����, courtesy of Taylor Arrizola of the Arizona Capitol Museum. See story on page ��.
Arizona’s Copper Credentials Editor’s Column Douglas Towne
W
hat’s in a nickname anyway? A lot, if William Perry is mentioned without including “the Refrigerator” but “The Boss” can only be shorthand for Bruce Springsteen. Arizona lawmakers recently recognized the power a good nickname could bring to the state. After almost a century of competing monikers, Arizona became the last state to officially designate a nickname, by legally becoming the “Grand Canyon State.” The 2011 legislation allowed for the retirement of dated labels such as the “Baby State” and the “Valentine State” that referenced Arizona being the last of the contiguous 48 granted statehood on February 14, 1912. But another popular Arizona nickname, the “Copper State,” was also tossed aside that had a compelling case for official designation. Arizona has been the nation’s top copper producer since 1910. Copper, along with cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate, is one of the state’s 5 C’s, that were vital economic influences in Arizona’s development. Although early prospectors focused primarily on gold and silver, copper was mined in Arizona before it became a territory in 1863. The Arizona Mining and Trading Company extracted ore containing nearly 50 percent copper near Ajo starting in 1854. The ore was hauled by mules to boats on the Colorado River or San Diego Bay and transported around South America to Wales for processing. The lack of efficient transportation, along with hostile Apaches, restricted mining in Arizona until after the Civil War. When these challenges were overcome, the first large-scale copper mining started in Clifton-Morenci in 1873. Copper was still overshadowed by rich silver discoveries in Globe and Tombstone, but it would soon become the mineral king of Arizona. To extract Arizona’s rich copper deposits, mining companies invested huge sums of capital to develop deposits, build smelters, and construct spur lines to transcontinental railroads. Underground mining exploited rich veins. By 1885, the Arizona Territory was third in copper production in the nation behind Michigan and Montana. The state’s four major mining districts, Clifton-Morenci, Globe, Jerome, and Bisbee, contributed 94 percent of the 25,000 tons of copper produced by Arizona in 1884-1885. Although prospectors blanketed Arizona with mining claims and promoters launched hundreds of mining companies during the mining boom of 1880-1885, only 39 mines produced copper.
copper mining, producing 64 percent of domestic production. Copper mining and processing provide over 10,000 jobs and have an estimated $12.1 billion impact in the state according to the Arizona Mining Association. Former copper mining towns Jerome and Bisbee have prospered years after closure of mines. Picturesque communities built into the sides of mountains, they now attract artists and tourists. Besides its economic impact, copper continues to be an important symbol of Arizona. The dome of the Arizona State Capitol building is clad in copper, and the star at the center of the Arizona State Flag is copper-colored. Downtown Phoenix is nicknamed Copper Square. In 2013, Copper City Bourbon was the name selected for the first legally distilled spirit made in Arizona since Prohibition. Throughout the state, businesses proudly use copper in their names to create a unique sense of place. These references to copper honor our most valuable
mineral commodity, even if Arizona’s official nickname is not the “Copper State.” Across & top left: Copper Valley Tavern, and Starlite Ballroom, Superior, AZ, 2001. Top right: Aerial of Kennecott Copper, Sahuarita, AZ, 1968. Right: Canyon State Motor Lodge match cover, Tucson. Below left: Copper State Motel, Mesa, AZ, 1993. Below right: Copper State Motor Court, Ash Fork, AZ, 1991.
Images courtesy of author
Fourteen of these mines produced over 50 tons in 1885 according to Charles Hyde’s book, Copper for America. Many companies worked mines for decades without making a profit or paying a dividend to shareholders. Some alleged mines were outright frauds in which promoters “salted” fake ore to deceive investors. Arizona copper deposits were different than in other parts of the country. Michigan had native copper deposits. The famous Butte Mine in Montana had copper sulfide deposits such as chalcocite. Although some ore found in Arizona contained small sheets of chalcocite, the deposits usually occurred as veins of copper oxides or copper carbonates. One drawback of the copper ores in Arizona was that sulphur, arsenic, cadmium, and lead were released to the environment during smelting. By 1910, most of the rich carbonate and oxide veins that contained up to 35 percent copper had been mined in Arizona. The industry adapted by starting new mines extracting ore with less than three percent copper in sulphides and porphyries (or low-grade sulphide) deposits. Mining techniques changed from underground shafts to open pit operations. Steam shovels created huge pits and rail cars hauled out the low-grade ore that resulted in large quantities of waste rock. The economic viability of these low grade ore deposits allowed new mines to open in the four major Arizona copper mining districts as well as in other areas including Ajo, Bagdad, Casa Grande, Green Valley, Miami, Mineral Park, Ray, San Manual, San Xavier, Silver Bell, and Superior. Porphyry deposits continue to be mined, including Arizona’s first new copper mine in over 30 years in Safford, which opened in 2007. Although some Arizona mines have shut down, the state continues to lead the nation in
Arizona Contractor & Community
Construction Around Arizona
Construction Around Arizona - ConExpo 2014 in Vegas - Arizona's Copper Mine Update - West Valley Hospital Expansion
Top: Skyline view of cranes at the 2014 ConExpo held in Las Vegas. Right: The Manitowoc MLC650 crawler crane featuring the new variable position counterweight.
Ten
Images courtesy of author
- PV High School Renovations