^Lot 1366 Copper Ingot Lot AZ - Morenci,Greenlee County - Numismatic

Lot of 6 ingots marked DM&MCO and measure 3.75" x 1.75" x 1." Average weight: 1 lb. 10 oz. These ingots are possibly from the Detroit Mining and Milling Co., which may have been associated with the Detroit Copper Mining Company. The company was co-founded by Captain E. B. Ward, a wealthy steamboat owner from Detroit, Michigan, and William Church, a mine speculator from Denver, Colorado. The company consisted of 145 mining claims near Morenci and the mines produced the "Detroit lode," which yielded about 140 pounds of copper per ton of ore mined. Detroit Copper Mining Company was the only company of any size to operate in the area until 1900 and the company also owned a large store, a hotel, and considerable amounts of additional property in and around Morenci. Fred Holabird speculates that these bars may have been sold to tourists after the turn of the century, perhaps at the company owned store or hotel. As technology advanced and America began to electrify, a huge need for copper arose and resulting in a "Copper Boom."