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San Manuel MIner
The building that now houses the Ore House Hilltop Saloon has been traditionally a miners’ bar since the 1950s and the days of Magma Copper. Owner Troy Letwak has kept the tradition alive paying homage to the hardworking miners and the mining history of the Tri-Community. The bar is decorated with mining relics and many retired miners come in and share stories of their mining days. On Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 another mining tradition is being brought back to the area, a Miner’s Competition.
The Miner’s Competition consists of three contests: Jackleg Drilling, Hand Mucking and Spike Drilling, all skills that miners used working underground in the San Manuel mine. There will be cash and prizes for the winners of each competition. The Grand Prize winner will be the contestant with the best combined scores in all three competitions. There is a $30 entry fee that includes all three mining competitions.
Troy said that there hasn’t been a contest like this in the area since the late 1990s. Fifty percent of the entry fees and the 50/50 raffle will be donated to local charities. There will be door prizes and food and drink specials all day long. If you pre-register by Sept. 30 you will receive a free event shirt. Registration on the day of the event is from 10 a.m. to noon with the competition starting shortly afterwards.
A group of University of Arizona mining students will be at the competition. This event is also a miner’s reunion and miners are invited to come and compete or just watch the competitors and maybe give them tips on how they should be doing it. If you still have your old brass, bring it in and if you donate it to the Ore House, you will receive a surprise. Troy is looking for anyone with experience in these competitions to volunteer and help with timing the contestants.
Troy would like to make this an annual event if it is successful. He would also like to thank all the sponsors who are making the event possible. This year’s sponsors are: American Fire, Atlas Copco Mining, BTE Mining Supply, Hagemeyer NA, Oracle Ridge Mine, Chris Trucking, Kalamazoo Materials, Lake & Lake Trucking and Cementation USA.
Whether you compete or just want to watch, this should be a fun time for everyone!
The Ore House Hill Top Tavern (formerly Don Juan’s) is located at 1200 N. Jefferson Dr. in Oracle off of American Avenue. Call (520) 896-3334 for more information.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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