Apache Nitrogen Products
| File:Apache Nitrogen Products Logo.jpg | |
| Formerly | Apache Powder Company |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Explosives |
| Founded | 1920 in New Jersey |
| Founder | Charles E. Mills |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 95 (2012) |
| Website | www |
Apache Nitrogen Products, originally known as Apache Powder Company, was established in 1920 to produce nitroglycerin-based explosives primarily for mining operations. The company adopted its current name in 1990 to better represent its specialization in nitric acid and ammonium nitrate products, discontinuing dynamite manufacturing and focusing on regional mining and fertilizer sectors. Based in Cochise County, Arizona, it continues to be a key employer within the community.
The plant is located along Apache Powder Road near St. David, Arizona, a site historically referred to as Curtiss, Arizona due to its proximity to a Southern Pacific Railroad station.
History
Formed as a corporation in New Jersey in May 1920 and registered in Arizona the following month, the enterprise was initiated by Charles E. Mills—a Harvard-trained mining engineer and former Valley Bank of Arizona president. Mills spearheaded a coalition of mining companies from the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico that collectively held 65% ownership, while Mills and his partners retained the remaining 35%. The site was deliberately selected for its arid climate conducive to powder manufacturing, natural geographic features that offered blast protection, and convenient railroad access for shipping.
Construction commenced in March 1920 and concluded by April 1922, with the first dynamite shipments dispatched that same month. By 1923, monthly production achieved one million pounds, escalating to 41 million pounds by 1956. This volume positioned the facility as the largest single-location dynamite producer nationwide, supplying mines throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. The complex expanded to encompass over 140 structures across more than 700 acres, employing hundreds of workers even during the economic downturn of the Great Depression.
Responding to evolving mining technologies in the 1940s, the company broadened its product range to include ammonium nitrate-based blasting agents manufactured through the DuPont process beginning in the 1950s. Production of nitroglycerin-based explosives ceased by 1983. By the 1990s, product offerings had diversified to include detonating cord and ammonium nitrate fertilizers catering to agricultural markets in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Mexico—although mining-related sales still accounted for approximately 75% of revenue. A historic brick Powderhouse structure dating back to around 1922 remained operational as of 2012, housing boilers that supplied electricity to the plant.
Ownership by the mid-1980s comprised prominent industry corporations such as Phelps Dodge, Magma Copper Company, Cyprus Mines Corporation, Southwest Energy, alongside descendants of Mills. The facility's footprint had grown to roughly 1,040 acres.
Railroad
Within the facility, a narrow-gauge railroad system was utilized for internal material transport, employing a three-foot gauge track as of 1922. Initially, freight was moved using mules to minimize explosion hazards caused by sparks. Eventually, these were replaced by seven fireless steam locomotives supplied by the H.K. Porter Company, which operated using steam pressurized from a separate boiler, thereby improving operational safety.
Apache Powder maintained a rail connection to the broader national network through a spur line linked to the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad.
The whereabouts of six Porter 0-4-0 locomotives are as follows: on display at the Benson Historical Society & Museum; actively running on the North Country & Pacific Creek Railroad in Fallbrook, California; exhibited at the Apache facility in St. David, Arizona; undergoing restoration at Rail's End in Hurtsboro, Alabama; stored at the Arizona State Railroad Museum in Williams, Arizona; and displayed in Salem, Ohio.
Incidents
Throughout its history, the company encountered several critical events affecting safety and compliance:
- A 1923 explosion resulted in four fatalities and the destruction of five buildings, representing the plant’s first major catastrophe.
- In 1927, an explosion involving nitroglycerine demolished multiple structures but caused no injuries due to rapid evacuation prompted by early warning signs.
- Exposure to anhydrous ammonia in 2014 impacted both employees and contractors, culminating in a $1.5 million penalty imposed by the EPA in 2018.
These episodes underscore the inherent dangers present in explosives manufacturing and emphasize the necessity of stringent safety measures and regulatory compliance.
Superfund site
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated this location as a Superfund site owing to contamination from hazardous substances requiring extensive remediation. The site encompasses approximately (), with groundwater polluted by arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, and perchlorate. Soil contamination includes arsenic, antimony, barium, beryllium, chromium, lead, manganese, nitrate, 2,4-DNT, 2,6-DNT, vanadium pentoxide, paraffins, and TNT residues originating from chemical manufacturing activities.
In 1994, the EPA approved a remediation strategy involving extraction and evaporation of contaminated groundwater, treatment through constructed wetlands, and aquifer replenishment. Contaminated soils were either contained on-site or transported off-site for disposal. Remediation construction concluded in 2008, with the site declared "Ready for Reuse and Redevelopment" by 2010.
Historic district
In 1925, land was purchased in Benson, Arizona—approximately north of the main plant—to accommodate housing for company management. Initially, eight parcels were sold to company executives who built residences; however, after disputes arose, the company reacquired these lots and leased them to employees at subsidized rents. Additionally, Apache constructed an "evacuation hospital" located at 209 West 6th Street. The company retained ownership of these properties for several decades before divesting them during the 1970s and 1980s. One parcel was transferred to Benson’s municipal authorities for use as a public park during the 1960s. The collection of eight houses, hospital building, and park area collectively form the Apache Powder Historic Residential District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.