Monday, June 14, 2010

Where Goes Superior?

Ahh, Superior. 

Often, "Ahh..", used in this context is followed by "wilderness."  Maybe it should also be used in this sense about rural Arizona.

Superior, Arizona, is definitely rural, having sprung from nothing more than the geological discovery of copper and gold.  Geologists found it, mining interests exploited it,  millions of dollars were made by Resolution Copper stockholders, and now the excitement is winding down.

Mining exists in Superior at 10% of what it was, employment is at a level lower than that, people have retreated.

What remains. . . you be the judge...







Hey guys, where'd everybody go...?







Deserted streets, irrelevant stop sign.







Shuttered windows . . .







A lonely dentist. . .







Secrets behind the wall . . .







Storage? . . . ain't nuthin to store!













Sinclair's Little Dino. . . neither company nor logo has existed for years.

For the lonely town, lost employment, lost homes and shattered lives, Andrew Harding, Chief Executive of Copper, Rio Tinto Ltd., received total compensation of over $2 million annually.  Is he proud of what he does?. . . Who knows?. . . He lives in England.


6 comments:

  1. ummm.... errr.... whatever's growing in your backyard.... save me some. Resolution has invested over 400 million in this mine and hasn't made a penny yet. You see... mines only make money when they take the minerals OUT of the ground and process them. In order to do that they need to overcome the irrational fears and pipe dreams of those people who feel the need to "create" their own truth, rather than go through the actual work of DISCOVERING it by researching the various topics associated with the proposed mine.

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  2. Dear Anonymous,
    I'm not sure what you're getting at, but here's a recent news report re Superior.

    "In the early 1980s, however, a new and more serious threat appeared: Chile, with a large supply of high-grade ore and cheap labor, had modernized its operations to compete with U.S. copper mines. Meanwhile, as U.S. environmental regulations got stronger, operational costs increased. By 1986, globalization had infiltrated the hardrock mining industry, and Chile had surpassed the U.S. in copper production.

    That was enough to knock the legs out from under the Magma Mine. It shut down in 1982, and though many locals always held out hope that mining would return, others seemed to accept that the world had changed.

    "They just locked the gates and said, ... Leave,' " says Roy Chavez, a native of Superior and former mayor and city manager. "We lost over 1,200 jobs in one day. After that, things really set in that things might not be the same."

    Mining did return for a brief flurry from 1990 to 1996, but things would, indeed, never be the same. After the 1982 shutdown, most of the younger miners fled to Nevada, where the industry's big open-pit mines weathered lower metal prices. In 1970, 5,000 people lived in Superior; by 1990, the population had plummeted to fewer than 3,500.

    "The town died," says Daniel Avenvano, who worked in mines for 25 years, both in Superior and in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado."

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  3. WTF? You're actually regurgitating what Roy Chavez said? And that is the foundation of this ridiculous posting? Seriously? This one sided view has got to stop! You do NOT live in Superior! Obviously! How dare you make our town look as pathetic as your intellect.

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  4. Dear Anonymous,
    Again, what point are you trying to make?
    If it is that Rio Tinto invested $400 million in a mine that has failed to make a profit in Superior, I guess if I were the boss of the guy who made the decision to proceed, I would have the guy’s ass.
    If it is that I don’t live in Superior. . . you’re right. I live in Jerome, another sad, ex-mining town.
    I’ve been to other ex-mining towns throughout Arizona, Aho is one, where a few humans live marginal lives finding solace in the sun, the few beers that help them forget where they are, and the companionship of people around them.
    I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that the mining companies have done Arizona no favors by establishing towns, scraping the ground clean of minerals, and then leaving.
    Beside the human “waste”, the mining companies have left a legacy of polluted soil on which nothing grows.
    They have left behind polluted rivers in which nothing thrives but scrap fish, the low end of the life chain that requires little oxygen and that humans cannot drink, as well.
    When the EPA forced Phelps-Dodge to clean up its mess around Jerome/Clarkdale, the drivers of the vehicles plowing the “Tailings Field” were wearing respirators. Not masks. . . respirators so they wouldn’t breathe poisonous dust.
    Nothing over 3 feet has grown on the hills surrounding the Clarkdale smelters for over 50 years.
    The situation is no different than the BP disaster.
    What “research” would you like me to do?

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  5. ...What point am I trying to make?? Seriously? since you are mentally handicap, let me state this as simpleton as possible. Resolution copper, and every educated individual knows that they will not be able to produce a dime until the year 2014+ this operation takes not only time but vital legislation to be past for a land exchange! So, the comment you made about "Rio Tinto "failing" to make a profit in Superior" is B.S.! The nature of mining is to extract natural/vital resources that both you and I need. Once they are done, or the the market/demand falls, they stop or go away. Every miner knows this. This whole "I'm a victim" mentality is shared only by naive and unaccountable! You make no mention that Resolution has spent a good portion of those millions for the reclamation of what MAGMA left behind. They dont have to do it yet, but they are!!
    You make no mention that they also donate substantially in the community to scholarships, restoration projects, education, non-profit groups, clubs organizations, and general philanthropy. All the while they have not yet produced a dime from this project. They dont have to do it, but they are! As far as your comparison to BP. Again, exposes your emotionally charged ignorance! Do the math! Yes there are environmental issues. That is why we have the EPA. We did not have them prier to 1970 which is primarily when most of mining damage took place. This is the NOW. Try to get with it sometime today. And as far as your appalling depiction of Superior. I pity your inability to process information! Those bias photos and comments you posted of the downtown are translated as a malicious and feeble attempt to tarnish and discredit our town! If anyone is doing a disservice to a community, it is YOU!!!

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  6. Dear Anonymous,
    I've published your comments . . . I'll publish whatever you want to say . . .A word of advice: Just keep it civil, reasonable (that's big with me) and, if I'm wrong, state you thoughts. You wanna get personal, I win, you lose.

    ReplyDelete