The Robert Lenon Map Collection consists of maps from the collection of Patagonia, Arizona-based mining engineer Robert Lenon. The majority of these maps depict ore and mineral mining in the Sonoran desert region of southern Arizona and northern Mexico, spanning the Arizona territorial period of the 1800s up to the 1960s. Additional selections include historical maps of the region, including an 1880 Nogales city block map by Henry Flipper, and maps drawn by Lenon tracing Father Eusebio Kino's route through Pimeria Alta in the 17th century. This digital collection represents just a small sample of the 9000 maps collected or created by Lenon over the course of his long and varied career.
A 1930 graduate of the Department of Mining and Geological Engineering at the University of Arizona, Robert Lenon practiced as a mining engineer and surveyor for more than forty years, retiring in 1975. His career in mining was interrupted by a five-year stint in the US Armed Forces during WWII, where he served in both the European and Pacific theaters. In later years, Lenon was an active supporter of the Arizona Historical Society and published two volumes of memoirs documenting his years in the Arizona mining industry. He died at the age of 99 in 2008.
This project was made possible through the generous support of The Walton Family Foundation.
