The Early Mining Years

The Early Mining Years. Santa Rita Copper Mine. The early years of mining were turbulent, with numerous explorers and adventurers attempting to conduct mining operations here., Fur trappers Sylvester Pattie and son James tried their hand at mining copper and used the underground mines to store furs. At one time, even Kit Carson worked here as a teamster., The Apache Indians regarded this country as their domain and many of the mines and nearby communities were occasionally abandoned due to raiding Apaches. The Spaniards built the Santa Rita fort using thick adobe bricks to protect miners from these raids., In 1821, the territory passed from Spanish to Mexican ownership, and in 1853 the region became part of the United States with the Gadsden Purchase. This change in the international boundary allowed for a southern intercontinental railroad route and included some of the richest mineral land in the United States., Mining at Santa Rita continued under a variety of owners, but stopped during the Civil War. With the end of the Apache wars, about 1886, conditions improved and the safety of the miners was guaranteed. It was many more years, however, before copper was profitably mined in this region., The "Chino Mine" , It's All in the Name , Named after the small community of Santa Rita, once located here, the Santa Rita Mine is often referred to as the "Chino Mine." The origin of the name "Chino," however, is not clear. It is believed that the name Chino was derived from a slang Mexican word for quartz. Today, Chino is owned by Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.