Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona

Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona

Company type	Private
Industry	Copper mining
Founded	1872
Founder	E. B. Ward and William Church
Defunct	1917
Headquarters	Morenci, Arizona
Area served	United States
Key people	William E. Dodge, Jr., Daniel Willis James, James Douglas
Products	Copper
Parent	Phelps Dodge after 1897. Freeport-McMoRan after 2007.

The Detroit Copper Mining Company operated as a copper extraction and smelting enterprise based in Morenci, Arizona. Established in July 1872, it functioned independently until 1897 when a predecessor of the Phelps Dodge Corporation gained majority control. It remained under Phelps Dodge ownership until 1917, at which point its operations were merged into the Phelps Dodge Corporation’s Morenci Branch.

History

Prospectors had long explored the Clifton-Morenci area before Captain Eber Brock Ward, a prosperous Detroit steamboat entrepreneur, formed the Detroit Copper Mining Company with Miles Joy appointed as manager. Ward passed away in 1875 prior to significant development, but his management team secured patents on crucial claims such as Arizona Central and Copper Mountain.

During the late 1870s, Denver-based mine speculator William Church acquired shares in the company and became its principal leader. Supported by financial backing from Phelps Dodge associates, he constructed furnaces, initiated mining operations, and began transporting copper eastward by 1882. Following repeated robberies and assaults at the smelting site, and upon advice from Phelps Dodge consultant Dr. James Douglas (businessman), the smelter was moved closer to the mining locations. Church introduced the first concentrator and established a narrow-gauge railway connecting Detroit Copper’s mines to regional transportation systems. By 1897, Church divested his 55% ownership to Phelps Dodge for approximately $800,000 and retired to focus on philanthropy and real estate ventures.

Under Phelps Dodge’s control, James Douglas assumed roles as president and general manager, increasing capital stock from $500,000 to $1 million while expanding infrastructure with new rail links, concentrators, and an enhanced smelter facility. Metallurgist Dr. L.D. Ricketts engineered a 600-ton Yankee concentrator employing advanced gravity concentration methods capable of processing ores containing less than 3% copper. The completion of the Morenci Southern narrow gauge railroad in 1901 connected the mines to larger rail networks through intricate track loops. The smelter underwent reconstruction incorporating blast furnaces and Bessemer converters to produce copper of higher purity. At its zenith, Detroit Copper controlled 145 mining claims within Morenci.

The company established the town of Morenci—initially known as Joy's camp—to accommodate workers and provide essential services. After a fire in 1897, Detroit Copper assisted in rebuilding efforts through the Morenci Improvement Company, which managed housing developments along with stores and hotels. The company also financed public infrastructure including a library, gymnasium, educational institutions, and a water pumping station located seven miles away on the San Francisco River. Nearby Clifton evolved into a smelter community and ultimately became the county seat of Greenlee County.

The labor force primarily comprised Mexican miners who received wages roughly half those paid to Caucasian workers; under Church’s management they were compensated with company-issued script redeemable only at company-owned stores—a practice discontinued following Phelps Dodge’s acquisition. Labor tensions included union organizing efforts and strikes beginning in 1900; Detroit Copper employed labor spies to undermine union activities.

Initial disputes over ore body rights centered on the "rule of the apex" outlined in the 1872 Mining Law, which permitted claim holders owning ore outcrops to follow veins across adjacent claims. To avoid legal conflicts, Church adopted British common law principles restricting mining strictly within claim boundaries. In 1882, due to limited capital resources, Detroit Copper agreed to jointly develop the "Detroit lode" with Longfellow Copper Mining Company—a cooperative approach later replicated in other Arizona districts such as Bisbee.

After Phelps Dodge reorganized into Phelps Dodge Corporation in 1917, the Detroit Copper Company ceased independent operations; mining activities continued under "Phelps Dodge Corporation, Morenci Branch." In 1921, Phelps Dodge acquired neighboring Arizona Copper Company properties, creating a world-class copper operation that remains among the largest producers in the United States.

External links

• Records of the Detroit Copper Mining Company, 1882–1919. Special Collections, University of Arizona Library.