Largest open pit mine | Morenci, AZ | Clifton, AZ
Largest open pit mine | Morenci, AZ | Clifton, AZ
#arizona #coppermine #trains #mines #oldwest #navajo #familyvlog
Hello again! We have another video coming at you this week. But first I’d like to reintroduce our family, we are the Curley’s: Melton, Drew, Tyrel, Miles, and Colter. We are Navajo from Chinle, AZ. Currently living in Southeastern AZ. We started our YouTube channel recently to capture some memories of our travels throughout our home state of AZ. Our motivation is family bonding while exploring national parks, lakes, and do some recreational activities as a family. We have an introduction video and another video of us introducing the channel and our clans. Thank you for joining.
In this video, we visited Morenci, AZ to see the largest open pit mines in the US. They mine for mainly copper and has been mining since the 1800’s. It is a beautiful site to see the size of the mine, highly recommend visiting if you have a chance. Hope you enjoy our video.
Information on Freeport McMoran Mining:
https://www.fcx.com/index.php/
Introduction video:
Video of our Navajo clans introduction:
https://youtu.be/A_b00_yk-LU
Nice I have driven by there never stopped to explore. There is a turnoff that can take you to the apache reservation..rough road. Thanks for sharing I may take a drive there again soon.
NIZHONOOO NIZHONI old town back in the day jinii, thanks for letting us tag along on your getaway…looks like the whole family had some fun…
I worked at the Morenci mine in 2007. Quite the site seeing rain birds spaying sulphuric acid instead of water. It’s used to leach the copper, gold, silver and platinum from the crushed, layered rock. Once dissolved, it collects in the bottom of the mine in log ride like troughs and flows for a distance downward into the anode-cathode building wherein it gets a DC current applied to it to form plates. Since the on site smelter is no longer available, it’s trucked to a smelter in Texas. There were miles of large, semi- hard rubberized pipes throughout the mine with several pump houses to circulate all the acid back to the top of the mine and into the troughs. Fascinating experience for me.
PS: what you can’t see is the immense electric shovel/loader that loads the haul trucks with a single scoop.
Love this area ,lived there back in the 70s have family and friends there
Such a great video showing the area. I lived in Arizona in the Phoenix area from 1975 to 1984. We used to go camping in the White Mountains in the NE. In 2001 I brought my mother to show her the mountains and we decided to go South to Morenci, got to see the mine. The overlook is so different now. Thank you for showing all that and Clifton. My niece was in AZ for Spring break this year, but ran out of time and didn’t get to see the mine. I wanted to share a video with her so she could see what she missed.
Miss working and living there thanks for sharing
Looks long….😕
I just came upon this channel, I use to live in Stafford many years ago, and I had cousins that lived in morenci to nice vlog.
Interesting vlog..New subscriber 👍🏽
All copper mines are gold mines
Thank you for the video. Im a 3 generation Morencian (if thats what we are called). My gr grand parents were immigrants from Italy. I guess there was quite a few Italian families back in the late 1800’s in Morenci. My sister and I would tease my mother about how does a family get from Italy to no where Morenci. I My dad grew up in Pima . When he returned after the WW 11 he moved to Morenci. He was a brakeman for PD it the mine . I went to kindergarten there then we moved to Tucson in 1961. I remember trips back up there as all of my mothers family still lived there. I think it was Stargo where we lived. The PD store was at the top of the hill .. My grand mothers house was in "old Morenci". above the "Plaza"I remember at Christmas whe we would go for XMas there was a very big tree in the plaze that was lit up and decorations on the buildings in the plaza. There was a movie theater and a "gentelmans club" there also. From my grandmothers house we would walk to the Catholic church for XMas mass. So many memories.
Have a buddy that works in Morenci. Always tries to get me to come work with him 😂 thanks for the little sneak peak into what it’s like out there!
This open pit looks similar to many in Western Australia. I’ve only spent about 1 week in Arizona and hope to return in the future. Will sub 👍
I was born in Clifton in ’59 and then we moved up the hill when a house became available in Stargo in ’60. My dad worked for Phelps Dodge from 1946 until 1971. I was there when all of the new Morenci was built. We got one of those brand new houses in the summer of ’69. 2 years later I was among the first bunch of kids to attend the brand new, state of the art Fairbanks Junior High school as a 7th grader. Morenci was on fire back in the 60’s and 70’s. All of new Morenci was brand new, shopping center, theater, library and a new hospital even. All of us kids felt like we owned the world. I haven’t been there since 1981 but it’s on my list when I retire. I know I’m in for a shock.
Great video. Really enjoyed it. Thank You
Looks too deserty & looks too hot hardly no trees…yah’ di’ la🧐
Hello Mr. & Mrs Curley & family. My son and I enjoyed your video. It’s been a long time I’ve been there when we use to live in Leupp Az. It’s a really a good history for my son to see your video. He likes to learn about world history. Thank you for sharing your inputs. We appreciated.