Planet, Arizona
34°14′51″N 113°57′54″W / 34.24750°N 113.96500°W
Planet is a populated place on the north bank of the Bill Williams River[1] in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. The town was known as a travelers' stopping place, and had a post office from 1902 to 1921.[2] It is now a ghost town.[3] It is part of the United States Bureau of Reclamation's Planet Ranch Conservation Area.
Mining
[edit]The geology of the Planet area is ancient, estimated to be Precambrian, the bedrock being made up mostly of pinkish gneiss and absorbed limestone and amphibolite, which contained hematite-copper. Gold and the copper were discovered in La Paz County in the early 1860s.[2] The Planet area began producing ore c.1868, making it likely the first copper mine in Arizona.[4] Prospectors received trouble from Apaches in the area until 1874, when they were placed on reserves. Smelting and bullion production, assaying at about 5% copper, began in the 1880s. By 1884, the mine had sent more than 6,000 tons of high-quality copper to San Francisco. Transporting freight 28 miles to Planet cost $10 to $18 a ton. There was for a while limited access to Planet, a stage going between the town and Bouse (21.5 miles to the south) three times a week. With 31 lode claims, the mine was noted as a good example of the state's abundant natural resources.[1] In 1906, the mine was owned by J. Stanley Jones of Denver, Colorado.[5]
The NewPlanet Mining Company was incorporated in Delaware on July 13, 1909. Its predecessor, the Planet Copper Mining Co., had taken over the mine in 1902.[4] By 1916, the Planet Copper Mine was producing 3,929,000 lbs. of copper a year; it ranked as the 25th most productive copper mine in the United States.[6] By 1920, the company's stock assets amounted to $4 million at $5 a share. That year, the superintendent of the mine was Claude Ferguson.[7]
Planet Ranch
[edit]Property around Planet later became known as the Planet Ranch, owned by the Arizona Ranch and Metals Company.[8] The City of Scottsdale acquired Planet Ranch in 1984 in an unsuccessful attempt to use its water rights to support the city.[9] Freeport-McMoRan acquired the Planet Ranch from the City of Scottsdale.[10] Freeport-McMoRan leased the land to the United States Bureau of Reclamation, then gave the land to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.[11] Reclamation administers the land as part of its Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Paige, Sidney. Mining Resources of the Llano-Burnet Region, Texas. Government Printing Office: Washington, DC, 1911
- ^ a b USGS GNIS Feature Detail Report: Planet
- ^ Planet – ghosttowns.com
- ^ a b Weed, Walter Harvey, E.M. The Mines Handbook. New York City, 1920.
- ^ Mining Reporter, Volume LIII. The Mining Reporter Publishing Company: Denver, Colorado, 1906.
- ^ Finlay, James Ralph. The Cost of Mining. McGraw-Hill: New York, 1920, p. 185
- ^ Dunbar, Alexander R. The American Mining Manual. The Mining Manual Co.: Chicago, 1920, p. 84
- ^ https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g2000/envdocs/Final_EA_and_FONSI_PlanetRanchConservationArea_March_2018.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Scottsdale aims to sell water ranch". June 25, 2006.
- ^ "The Future of Planet Ranch".
- ^ https://www.lcrmscp.gov/activities/conservation_areas-Planet-Ranch?id=35857 [bare URL]
External links
[edit]Municipalities and communities of La Paz County, Arizona, United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Populated places | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Ghost towns | ||