Читать книгу The History of Mining - Michael Coulson - Страница 42

One of the more substantial copper mines established in New Mexico was a mine at Santa Rita in the late 18th century. Over the years this mine was owned by Mexicans, Americans and even Frenchmen, the ownership regularly passing into new hands as the opposition to the operation, often violent, of local Apaches, which only ceased in the 1880s following the establishment of Apache reservations, rose and fell. By the start of the 20th century the ownership of the Santa Rita copper leases had passed through Anaconda Copper into the hands of Chino Copper, and the operating mine was now the El Chino open pit, which was taken over by Kennecott in 1933 where it remained until acquired by Phelps Dodge in 1986. El Chino still operates today and it is estimated that since the start of production in 1801 the mines developed around Santa Rita have produced $2 billion in value of copper and precious metal by-products.

Sadly this period of time was hardly a glorious one for the Mexican and American adventurers who penetrated the southwest in terms of their dealings with the Indians. Not only were the Indians usually reluctant to help the incomers over their mining needs, they resented the exploitation of raw materials from lands that they claimed were theirs, as we have seen above with the Santa Rita mine. Jesuit missionaries in Texas did not help foster relations with the indigenous Indians either and they were expelled by the Spanish crown in 1767, partly to encourage the Indians to help mine the rich silver lodes found in the area.