Grand Canyon National Park in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Last Chance Mine

Photographed by James Hulse, June 21, 2024

1. Last Chance Mine Marker

Inscription. If a horseshoe can bring luck, why not a horseshoe-shaped mesa? Some 2,500 feet (760 m) below you sits Horseshoe Mesa. There, in 1890, Pete Berry and fellow miners discovered copper and began digging the Last Chance Mine. The ore was rich (15 to 30 percent pure copper), but like all Grand Canyon mines, the amount of ore was small. Berry created other opportunities to make money. In 1897, he built the Grandview Hotel near here, and adventuresome tourists mingled with the miners on Horseshoe Mesa. But, when the railroad came to Grand Canyon in 1901, its depot was 14 miles away from Berry's hotel. In 1907, copper prices crashed. Luck had changed for Pete and his wife Martha, so in 1919 they left, moving to their son's ranch outside the park.

Captions
Berry and his crew built a 3-mile (5 km) long trail to the mine, which was one of the finest constructed trails in Grand Canyon during the pioneer period. Today it is a rough, steep route for well-prepared hikers.

Miners had a dining hall and bunkhouse on the mesa.

Mules and burros carried 200-pound (90 kg) loads of copper ore up the trail. From Grandview Point the

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ore had to be shipped to El Paso, Texas, a serious limit on mining profits.

The Last Chance Mine operation on Horeshoe Mesa, early 1900s

Erected by Grand Canyon, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 35° 59.934′ N, 111° 59.251′ W. Marker is in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, in Coconino County. It is on Grandview Trail north of Desert View Drive. The marker is located north of the Grandview Point Parking Lot along the viewing trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Grandview Trail, Grand Canyon AZ 86023, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Flagstaff & High Country

and in Hopi.

It is also in the American Southwest,

in the Mountain West,

in Colorado Plateau,

and at the Four Corners.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s

Photographed by James Hulse, June 21, 2024

2. Last Chance Mine Marker

Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mining on Horseshoe Mesa (a few steps from this marker); Grandview, 1898 (a few steps from this marker); Canyon on Canvas (approx. 3.6 miles away); Spanish Discovery (approx. 3.6 miles away); Tusayan Museum and Ruin (approx. 6.9 miles away); Tusayan Ruin Trail (approx. 6.9 miles away); Hance Rapid (approx. 7.9 miles away); Delta Farmers (approx. 7.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Canyon National Park.

Also see . . . Miners. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

Prospectors and miners came to Grand Canyon to discover and extract its resources, but many found the tourist industry more profitable.

In addition to maintaining claims in the canyon and building trails to provide access, enterprising miners started offering guided tours and set up tent camps or hotels, providing the first visitor services at the canyon.

(Submitted on July 8, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Grand Canyon and Last Chance Mine image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, June 21, 2024

3. Grand Canyon and Last Chance Mine

Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 440 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 8, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.