A new book has been published on the history of mining in Arizona. The book is In Search of Fortunes: A Look at the History of Mining in Arizona by William Ascarza. The book is a compilation of 105 articles written by Ascarza for the Arizona Daily Star in a series known as “Mine Tails”. It includes a wonderful collection of 250 photographs, maps and illustrations of the mines, people, mining methods and equipment that allowed Arizona to become a leader in the mining industry in the United States and the world.
Ascarza covers the mineralogy of Arizona from Asbestos to Zinc with some excellent color photos of rare specimens and listing the locations where they were discovered. Although this is a condensed history of mining in Arizona, it covers the famous mines of Arizona as well as little known mines around the state.
Those of us living along the Copper Corridor and familiar with some of the mining history will enjoy reading about and seeing new pictures of our famous, infamous and little known mines and ghost towns as well as the railroads of the area. They are all here from Oracle (Campo Bonito, Southern Belle, Oracle Ridge), through Mammoth (Mammoth-St. Anthony, Schultz, Tiger, Copper Creek); San Manuel (Magma Copper, BHP); along the Gila River (Hayden-Winkelman, Ray, Sonora, Kennecott, ASARCO, Cochran, Helvetia, Butte City); to Superior (Silver King, Reymert, DeNoon, Pinal); and up to Globe-Miami (Inspiration, Old Dominion), etc.
In Search of Fortunes is a great introduction to Arizona mining history for those new to the state and a wonderful addition for Arizona history and mining buffs. We highly recommend the book.
The book can be purchased on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1rdmxLE. The hardcover ships from the publisher MT Publishing Company and retails for $31.96.