Pinal Nugget
Kearny’s roots began in the 1800s as legendary Arizona explorer Father Kino sought to convert the Apache Indian communities in the area to Christianity. In the late 1800s, General Stephen W. Kearny set up camp near the Gila River at the base of the Pinal Mountains. Gen. Kearny called the area hostile and uninhabitable, but more than 50 years later, that “uninhabitable area” became something quite the opposite.
Many years after the expedition of Gen. Kearny, he was celebrated in the naming of what is actually the most recent settlement in the Copper Basin area.
The Town of Kearny was founded by the Kennecott Copper Company. The mine’s operation had expanded so far it was about to envelop the communities of Sonora, Ray and Barcelona. Many of the residents of these small towns that were located in what is now the Ray Open Pit were miners with the company.
In the late 1940s, it was decided that the underground mining operation should be replaced by open-pit mining. The open pit was started in 1947 and by the late 1950s the open pit mine grew larger and also a new leach-precipitation-flotation facility was constructed. In order to accommodate the new enterprise, it was also decided that the town of Ray itself and the nearby communities of Sonora and Barcelona should be moved.
To help the residents who were about to be displaced, Kennecott developed the planned community of Kearny. Although some of the residents refused to move to the new community, many did. Others decided to move to other locations and still other new employees moved into the community.
The Town of Kearny was not officially founded until 1958, but the first Kearnians moved into town in 1954. The John W. Galbreath Corporation was the developer of the endeavor.
First constructed was the middle blocks of the town (300 blocks of Danbury to Hartford), the business district of Alden Road and Bristol and Croydon. In later years, the other blocks were added along with all the other amenities such as schools, churches, a library, a swimming pool, a city park and businesses.
Kearny started slow with businesses such as Milton’s Market relocating from Ray and Haddad’s department store from Sonora, but eventually, the town thrived and boasted a dime store, a laundry, a fine medical facility and hospital. Eating experiences included Bob’s Drive In and Buzzy’s, along with a great menu offered by the General Kearny Inn. Other businesses included its own newspaper theCopper Basin Newswhich was founded in the late 1950s. The area across the railroad tracks was also developed adding more businesses, a golf course, a mobile home park and Little League ball fields.
Kearny over the years has had many ups and downs due to the fluctuations of the copper prices. People have moved away and new people have moved in, but many people elect to live in this some quiet town on the edge of the Gila River just because they want to and love it.
For more information visit the Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce located on Alden Road, 520-363-7607 or the Town Hall, located just off Tilbury Road 520-363-5547.