Santa Rita Mountains Mine tales

The Helvetia-Rosemont Mining District at the northern end of the Santa Rita Mountains is known for its copper deposits found in limestone, quartzite, and granite. Some of the best-known mines in this district include the Copper World Mine, Heavy Weight Mine, Narragansett Mine, Omega Mine and Isle Royal Mine. Prospectors discovered copper ore here before the Civil War. One of the oldest reported operating mines in the area was the Old Frijole Mine in the early 1880s, owned by John Weigle and William Hart. Ore was shipped by pack animals to the Mohawk smelter operated by the Rosemont Smelting and Mining Co. on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains. During the 1890s, the Helvetia Copper Co. of New Jersey invested $800,000 in a 5½-mile aerial tramway and smelter. A return profit of $400,000 mostly included copper ore averaging 8 percent to 10 percent, along with a byproduct of gold and silver. Adobe buildings including saloons, restaurants and a post office — along with some tents and makeshift grass buildings — dotted Helvetia, which reached a population of 500 by 1899. Transportation included a triweekly stage that connected Helvetia with the Southern Pacific Railroad in Tucson. However, a shorter route from Helvetia to the SP at Vail was soon established despite a failed attempt to link both points by a standard-gauge railroad due to a lack of ore. A narrow-gauge railroad running 8,000 feet was employed in 1900, connecting the mines in the Helvetia District 28 miles southeast of Tucson to a 175-ton smelter. The smelter was closed in 1907, and the ore was shipped to the Old Dominion smelter in Globe. Despite fluctuating copper prices, World War I saw the production of 2 million pounds of copper in the district. The Narragansett Mine, owned by Harold Steinfeld & Co. of Tucson, yielded 6 million pounds from 1915 to 1920...more