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Artist Juliana Brutsche, painting a mural on the old flower shop on Main Street.
I bet you noticed the bright colors in Superior, not on the front of the downtown buildings, but on the back. The purpose of the paint job is simple: to make people aware that there is downtown district, despite having to get off the main road to see it.
And it worked! Superior’s Chamber of Commerce figured that tourism was up at least twenty percent with a corresponding increase in income. Now, the paint job along didn’t do it all. Once people turned off the road to see the downtown, they saw well-cared for buildings and interesting shops. But if people hadn’t gotten off the highway, they would have missed it all.
In the Copper Basin, three of our towns have worked to get people to stop – Mammoth, Winkelman, and Kearny. What was done and how has it worked?
Mammoth has its roadside park with its Ore Cart as well as a display of other sculptures and narrow gauge ore cars. Winkelman has its Ore Cart (a fine piece of art) and a pleasant corner with trees and flowers. Kearny has its Rail and Copper Park. There a some similarities (mining and trains) but there are dissimilarities too.
The Miners Memorial Park in Mammoth.
Mammoth’s park is readily accessible from the highway. It is not as well marked as it could be, but many people do stop to visit the exhibit and enjoy the shade of the trees. Winkelman’s park is smaller, but is designed very well. It, too, has shade for visitors. But it is very poorly marked and parking is difficult to find.
The Rail and Copper Park in Kearny is very visible from the road (like Mammoth) but it is not nearly as accessible. The red caboose is particularly noticeable, but the plantings have suffered over the years from lack of water. As a result, there is no shade. There’s plenty of parking, but “newbies” have to figure out that the entrance is off Alden Road in the uptown area.
Not only that, but there is no signage letting people know about the park (or where to park, for that matter).
Kearny beautification volunteer Bill Dunn (seen in the background) mows and vacuums up weeds at the Kearny Rail Park.
I state all this not to complain, but to state a need. I have long operated on the mantra of “Find a need and fill it.” But we can’t fill the need unless we know what it is. By the way, Bill Dunn (of ranching and the GKI) has been helpful cleaning Kearny’s park and watering the plants, and people from ASARCO have been helping with the electrical needs for the fountain and park lights. They have found a need and they are helping to fill it.
What other needs are there in the towns of the Copper Corridor? I hope you will let me know by calling me at 480-220-9349 or by e-mail at sam_hosler@msn.com.
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