Morenci Arizona
Morenci is a copper mining town located in U.S. Highway 191 in Greenlee County, eastern Arizona. The reason for Morenci’s existence is copper and its famed open-pit mine. At an elevation of 4,838 feet, the town is basically owned and operated by Phelps Dodge Corporation. It is the biggest employer in the area and the second largest copper mining operation in North America.
In 1865, the first indication of copper ore in the area was discovered by the members of Colonel Carlton’s Regiment of California Volunteers though the Indians who live in the area made it difficult to get the copper. Fiver years later, the Apache Indians signed a treaty that allowed access to the area. A mining camp was established called Joy’s Camp which was named after Captain Miles Joy who was a mineral surveyor. When capital was acquired in 1872 to expand operations, the Detroit Copper Company was created. The camp was then renamed Morenci after a town in Michigan. Later in 1885, Detroit Copper Company was sold to Phelps Dodge and the town of Morenci became one of the biggest copper mines in the country. During the Depression, mining was closed down. It only reopened in 1937 and mining began as an open-pit. Phelps Dodge was forced to move the town of Morenci around two miles from its original location since it was in the way of mining.
Today, Morenci has a population of 1,879 based on 2000 U.S. Census. Phelps Dodge continues to operate the open-pit copper mine and employs about two-thirds of the entire workforce of the town.
