Description:
The Copper Mountain (Morenci) mining district is located approximately 115
miles northeast of Tucson, Arizona (Figure 1). It lies along the southern
boundary of the Transitional physiographic province, a rugged mountainous
region that separates the Colorado Plateau from the Basin and Range province. The discovery of copper at Morenci during the turbulent years of the American
Civil War brought new opportunities for many, but foreshadowed the end of a
way of life for Native Americans, who had lived in the region for millennia.
A diverse cast of characters has played a role in Morenci's history,
including veterans who ventured west after the war, as well as immigrants
eager to make a new life in America.