are there any gold mines in Arizona?

Question

someone is trying to tell me that they are a gold miner in AZ...and i'm really skeptical

Answer 1

Arizona does have a few active gold mines, but not many and none of them are very big. The recent spike in gold prices caused a few companies to start small time operations in promising areas or by reworking old mines. The largest of these is the American Bonanza company working the Copperstone property in western Arizona. Very few of these small time operators make much money (despite often promising claims to investors) and most shut down after a few years.

Any active underground mine in the state must register with the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources. The most recent annual production report (see link below) covers 2005 and mentions several small companies that had recently started operations in the western part of the state. None of them have turned into major producers though and you will note that the map of major mining operations on the same website does not show any gold mines.

There are a fair number of people who go out on weekends and work placer gold claims (this is gold found in creek beds or on the surface that does not have to be mined with tunnels and shafts). Most of this is done for fun and very few of these people making their full-time living at it.

Note that Arizona DOES still produce a fair amount of gold, but it is a by-product of copper mining. Arizona has several large copper mines and even though they only have trace amounts of gold mixed with the copper, it adds up because of the huge volume of ore being processed. The website that a poster above referenced shows gold produced as a by-product of other types of mining. Even though these mines do produce gold, they are being worked primarily for copper and are considered copper mines and the people who work in them refer to themselves as copper miners, not gold miners.

Also Arizona DID have a number of true gold mines in the past. Some of the larger ones included the Vulture and Congress mines near Wickenburg, the Kofa Mine near Yuma and the Tom Reed and Gold Road mines near Oatman and Kingman. But the rich ore was removed long ago and most of them stopped major production by the 1950s. While small companies do attempt to rework these mines from time-to-time, they never last very long.

The famous Lost Dutchman gold mine is a legendary lost mine said to be in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix. Various people claim to have 'found' the mine over the years, but nobody has proven it and there is no mine actually working in production there. Even if somebody did find the Lost Dutchman, they could not turn it into a working gold mine because the mountains are now a Wilderness Area where mining is prohibited.

So to sum it up... while Arizona did have gold mines in the past and continues to produce gold as a by-product of copper mining, there are only a few small true operating gold mines in the state at any time and most of them produce very little gold and don't stay in operation for very long. A larger number of people do search for placer gold in the desert washes, but this is mostly for fun and recreation.

So your friend might be one of the small time operators or he might be a recreational weekend prospector, but either way, I would not buy any mining company stock from him. :)

Answer 2

Arizona Gold Miner

Answer 3

Yes, and here's a history:

http://www.nuggetshooter.com/articles/ArizGoldDeposits.html

Yes, very good chance the person you met was a gold miner in AZ.

My Dad was a prospector for gold, silver, uranium, and copper.
My brother started going with him down into Pima County in the 1960's. When he left for college I took his place in the 1970's. Some gold success but nothing major, it was mostly for fun and possible profit.
Some copper success around Taos, NM.
Silver in Montana and Nevada, but that didn't go far.
We did have a tremendous hit with uranium in South Park, CO. -- at least until 3 Mile Island blew. Phillips was the primary leasor. They dropped those leases on everyone's claims up and down the valley.
.

Answer 4

There are gold and silver deposits in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah and many other states.

Answer 5

Have a look here for the beginning of your answer...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Dutchman's_Gold_Mine

Answer 6

I was wondering the same thing myself yesterday

Answer 7

yes they are in nevada as well as alaska!