Clifton and Morenci Mining District

Across America, from big cities to small towns and rural hamlets, there are many stories of challenges, historic events, courageous people, tragedy, and success. Some of the best and most exciting tales may not be well known. Such is the case for the towns of Clifton and Morenci, Arizona. They survived labor strikes, rising and falling copper prices, devastating floods, outlaws and lawlessness, gambling houses, and saloons. All this added to the lore that these towns were some of the roughest communities in the West. Today, after 143 years of mining, Freeport-McMoRan's Morenci copper mine is the largest in North America. Expansion has required new homes in Clifton-Morenci, a modern library, and recreational facilities. Residents are proud of their communities.

Robert A. Chilicky was born in Morenci. He graduated from Morenci High School in 1988 and also attended Clifton schools. Gerald D. Hunt came to Morenci at a young age and graduated from the high school in 1964. He worked at the mine and was principal of Clifton High School in the early 1980s. Both authors share a deep love for the communities they grew up in. In collaboration with the Greenlee County Historical Society and several devoted friends, they present this pictorial history of one of the most important copper mining districts in the world.