Arizona Mines and Minerals - Federal Materials
The earliest miners in what is now Arizona were prehistoric Native Americans, who were later followed by Spanish explorers searching for metallic deposits in the 1600s. Two centuries later, hard-rock mining was set in motion by the Arizona Mining and Trading Company in 1854. The mining industry stimulated growth in the Arizona Territory, and by 1912, the new State of Arizona had 445 operational mines.
While the number of active mines in Arizona has decreased since the early 20th century, mining remains a critical industry. Currently, about 65% of the nation’s copper is mined in Arizona, and Arizona mines and quarries employ nearly 22,000 people.
This collection, which represents the rich history of mining and mineral resources in Arizona, includes federal reports and studies from the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Mines about select Arizona mines, mineral assessments, and mining practices. The federal Bureau of Mines was shuttered in 1996, and while many of its functions and archives were transferred to other U.S. Department of the Interior bureaus like the U.S. Geological Survey and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, some materials from the Bureau of Mines are still accessible through this collection.
Federal publications are printed by the authority of Congress or by executive or judicial agencies at taxpayer expense and are distributed to federal agencies, their clientele and to depository libraries which serve the public. The State of Arizona Research Library is the Regional Federal Depository Library for Arizona.
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