Hard times

At the western edge of the Pinal Mountains, situated among some of the most breathtaking scenery in all of the desert southwest, lies the town of Superior. Picketpost Mountain rises above Superior to the west; to the east is the stunning Apache Leap and Queen Creek Canyon. Sadly, amidst all this beauty, Superior is experiencing some very hard times. The area has always been very dependent on mining, since the Silver King (the richest silver mine in Arizona) was established in 1870.

In 1912, with worries that the silver was mined out, a magnate named Boyce Thompson took over the Silver Queen Mine. In short order, a huge copper deposit was discovered, and the Silver Queen became the Magma Copper Queen. A narrow gauge railroad was built in 1914, then a smelter in 1924. The mine (and Superior) enjoyed prosperity until 1971, when the Magma Copper Company smelter shut down. A decade later in 1982, the mine shut down. Over 1,200 jobs were lost, and the town's population plummeted to half of its prior level.

With the worldwide appetite for copper increasing, the mine reopened in 1990. Though operations were at a much smaller scale, the 200 new jobs were a cause for celebration. Sadly, it didn't last, and Magma had to sell. Magma's operations were purchased by Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd. (BHP) of Australia. The mine was again closed in 1996, and only a small amount of exploratory work kept BHP in Superior.

If you drive through Superior now, you'll see the proud history of mining in the area. To the north of town is the old smelter and mountains of tailings piles. The park in the center of town features a mine train display, a caboose, and a small model headframe. The Bob Jones Museum (named for former resident and sixth governor of Arizona) in town is dedicated to mining. Just east of town, the Queen Creek Valley is dotted with closed mine adits, and the Shaft #9 headframe stands tall above the Oak Flat area.

Though mining was a large part of Superior, it hasn't been the only part for a long time. Staring in the early 60's Hollywood came to Superior to film the stunning scenery - you'll see Superior in several movies, including 1962's "How the West Was Won" and 1997's "U Turn". The Superior area is a favorite with hikers and rock climbers, and tourism does play a part in the local economy.

Still, times have been tough for this resilient town. Most of the storefronts along Main Street are shuttered, the movie theater is dark, and lodging (from the small Copper Motel to the upscale Magma Hotel) sits empty.