History of Morenci, Arizona

Abstract

The writer has attempted to show the development of Morenci, Arizona, from the time it was first visited by scouts in search of marauding Indians to the present time. Emphasis has been placed on the earlier history of the area. The first part of the work discusses the earlier explorers and prospectors who have left little but their names and some locations they founded. William Church, the founder of the town, is discussed, and after his departure the Phelps Dodge Corporation became an important factor in the town. The mines and the railroads each tell a story, as do the lives of the people. Morenci is a town of 6541 population located in the Peloncillo Mountains between Eagle Creek and the San Francisco River in eastern Arizona. The town is not directly connected to any main transportation system; the road from Morenci connects in Chase Creek to state highway 666 and the company-owned railroad connects with a branch line of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Clifton, Arizona. The outstanding feature in Morenci is the great open pit mine. Mining has always been the most important single factor in Morenci, but the development of this new pit revitalized Morenci and saved it from the status of a ghost town. This work has been compiled through the use of various sources: books, bulletins, mining journals, magazines, newspapers, and personal interviews. The source that has proved of greatest value is the newspaper. Accounts in the newspapers are not always complete and some papers were published for only a few years and then ceased to exist, but by reading many newspapers a history of the town was available. Many people have been of great help in this work. Ryder Ridgway of Safford, an authority on Graham and Greenlee counties, contributed much material as well as inspiration. Miss Sarah Sloan, of the Historical and Pioneers Library, and Mrs. Good, of the Archives in Phoenix, opened many new avenues of research. The Copper Era staff in Clifton was most helpful and provided many contacts which aided in this work.