Silver Bell is a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
in the
Silver Bell Mountains
The Silver Bell Mountains are a northwest–southeast trending mountain range in north–central Pima County, Arizona. The range lies west of Marana, Arizona, located on Interstate-10, northwest of Tucson.
The range is located to the east of ...
in
Pima County
Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, United States. The name "Silver Bell" refers to a more recent ghost town, which was established in 1954 and abandoned in 1984. The original town, established in 1904, was named "Silverbell" and abandoned in the early 1930s.
Both towns were utilized and later abandoned due to the
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
of
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
in the area.
According to James E. Sherman's ''Ghost Towns of Arizona,'' Silverbell was "one of the most renowned
mining camps
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry.
Historic mining communities
Australia
* Ballarat, Victoria
* Bendig ...
in the
Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
," and was also described as "the Hell-hole of Arizona." Today nothing remains of the town other than a cemetery.
The later Silver Bell was established when
Asarco
Asarco LLC (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999.
Its three larges ...
shifted its attention back to mining in the Silver Bell Mountains in the early 1950s. Located four miles southeast of the original town site, next to the present-day Silver Bell Mine, the town of Silver Bell was also short-lived, and only a few small ruins remain.
History
Silverbell
The history of mining in the Silver Bell Mountains is fairly convoluted, largely due to the dynamic nature of the copper business in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to geologists and researchers, the richest, most densely exploited area occupied a narrow zone along the southwest flank of the range. Although
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
was of primary interest, some silver, lead, and gold were also mined.
The first documented prospecting began in the early 1870s under the leadership of Charles O. Brown, who was from
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
. By mid 1874, he and his partners had opened the Mammoth Lode, the Young America Mine, and a
smelter
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including Silver mining#Ore processing, silver, iron-making, iron, copper extracti ...
. Other claims and mines established in the latter quarter of the century included the Atlas, Old Boot, and prospector mines; each was exploited by various short-lived partnerships, companies, and lessees. At this time in the American West, it was common for miners working in proximity to form self-governing "mining districts" in the absence of strong territorial authority. Miners elected a leader and a recorder, and they formed committees to establish district rules and boundaries. In time the term "mining district" developed a less formal, more geographical meaning. In the 1890s, two
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
companies entered the Silver Bell Mining District: the Silver Bell Mining and Smelting Company, Ltd., and the Tucson Mining and Smelting Company, Ltd. Both had very limited success.
By the turn of the century, it must have become clear that consolidation was the best means of achieving profitability, and a partnership under two businessmen named Zeckendorf and Steinfeld managed to acquire a large group of claims in the district. This partnership held one of the most productive mines, the Old Boot. Another group of claims was developed by the Oxide Copper Company; this company retained another major mine, the Young America. In 1901, there was enough mining activity in the district, and enough of a family presence, that Pima County established a
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
. It had seventy-five students that year. Two communities were included in the
1900 census: Peltonville, with eighty inhabitants, and Atlas Camp, with fifty-nine.
In 1903, Zeckendorf and his partners sold approximately sixty claims to the Imperial Copper Company. Formed by William Field Staunton, E. B. Gage, and
Frank M. Murphy in May 1903, Imperial proceeded to systematically develop its operations in the district. By September 1904, the Arizona Southern Railroad - a fully owned subsidiary of Imperial - was established, built, and operating between
Red Rock and Silverbell. Imperial subsequently built a smelter at
Sasco
Sasco is a ghost town located in Pinal County, Arizona, west of Red Rock. Sasco, which is an acronym for the Southern Arizona Smelter Company, was a company town with a large smelter that served several mines. Once an impressive and little-known ...
, again via a subsidiary; the Southern Arizona Smelting Company, in late 1907. An electrical power plant was also built to supply power to the Sasco smelter, the town of Sasco, the Silver Bell mines, and the town of Silverbell.
Although Imperial was the foremost mining operation in the Silver Bell Mining District between 1903 and 1911, the Oxhide Copper Company continued operations in the area intermittently until the early 1930s. A third company, the Cleveland-Arizona, organized around 1906. It was succeeded a year later by a company that eventually optioned its claims to Imperial, and ultimately ceased operations in 1919. A lessee continued on until about 1925.
Soon after its inception, Imperial Copper established the "town" of Silverbell over the remains of a mining camp that dated to the 1880s. Reaching a population of 1,000 in 1905, the community included a post office, the offices of Imperial and the railroad, a
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...
station, the Imperial company store, a school, two
saloons
Saloon may refer to:
Buildings and businesses
* One of the bars in a traditional British pub
* An alternative name for a bar (establishment)
* Western saloon, a historical style of American bar
* The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francisc ...
, a
Chinese bakery
Chinese bakery products ( or ) consist of pastries, cakes, snacks, and desserts of largely East Asian origin, though some are derived from Western baked goods. Some of the most common "Chinese" bakery products include mooncakes, sun cakes (Beiji ...
, a barber, a doctor, a justice of the peace, and a deputy sheriff. By 1907, services expanded to include a company hotel, a
cobbler
Cobbler(s) may refer to:
*A person who repairs, and sometimes makes, shoes
Places
* The Cobbler, a mountain located near the head of Loch Long in Scotland
* Mount Cobbler, Australia
Art, entertainment and media
* ''The Cobbler'' (1923 film) ...
, more barbers, and another bakery; a dairy and a
public notary arrived by 1909. E. Glen Baker, the most notable local entrepreneur, also opened a saloon in 1909, and later his ventures encompassed
general merchandise store, a
billiard parlor
A billiard, pool or snooker hall (or parlour, room or club; sometimes compounded as poolhall, poolroom, etc.) is a place where people get together for playing cue sports such as pool, snooker or carom billiards. Such establishments commonly serve ...
, and an auto stage.
The lack of readily available potable water was a constant problem. The high mineral content of the local water made it useless for all but laundry and other cleaning. Even gardening was unsuccessful. Throughout the history of the community, drinking water was imported, first by mule and wagon, and eventually by rail. Water was stored in tanks near the company store, piped twice a day through two taps - one of which was located outside the sheriff's office - and sold to local residents. Sometimes guards were posted at the taps, which were turned on for two hours each morning and evening. Archival sources indicate that men did quit mining and railroad construction jobs and leave the district because they were not able to obtain good drinking water.

In spite of this significant difficulty, growth continued, albeit briefly: the 1910 census lists the population as 1,118 persons in 327 households. At least 247 adult women resided at Silver Bell in 1910, and there were hundreds of children. American, Mexican,
O'odham
The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham, the Pima people, Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are indigenous people of the Americas, indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and ...
, Chinese, and
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
individuals were present, though the community was totally segregated. Other occupations not gleaned from business directories but listed in the census report include grocer, butcher, restaurant keeper, boardinghouse keeper, musician, stableman, servant, laundress, teacher, carpenter, teamster, photographer, and prostitute. The company also maintained a hospital and attendant personnel at this time. Additional amenities established around 1910 included two firehouses and a
movie house
A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
. Strikingly, a 1911 business directory seems to indicate that many of the private businesses soon left, presumably as a result of sudden depopulation tied to the declining fortunes of Imperial.
A bad shaft fire and water difficulties at their
Tombstone properties led to bankruptcy and forced Imperial to lease its holdings to Asarco in 1911. Asarco began optioning Imperial claims in 1915, ultimately acquiring all of the company's assets - including the railroad and the smelter at Sasco - by 1919. Under Asarco's early tenure, Silverbell again served as the company headquarters and workers' community. Its population temporarily rebounded to 1,200 in 1920. Although the Sasco smelter closed in 1919, after only about four years of renewed operation, the electrical plant continued to supply power to Silver Bell and the mines. The post office, which had also closed in 1911, was reopened in 1916.
This revival also proved to be brief. After the price of copper dropped in 1920, Asarco shifted its focus to other operations. It ceased mining activity in the Silver Bell District entirely by 1930. During that decade about 500 people lived in Silverbell; by 1931, the population had further declined to about forty-five people, only ten of whom actually lived within the company-owned camp limits. The railroad continued to provide mail, supplies, and limited passenger service until late 1933, when it was dismantled and sold. The Sasco smelter was also demolished at that time, and the post office closed for good in 1934.
Sam McEven
Sam McEven was Silverbell's
deputy
Deputy or depute may refer to:
* Steward (office)
* Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy"
* Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including:
** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...
and the man personally responsible for taming old Silverbell. According to local lore, three men were killed in Silverbell in the three days before McEven's arrival in town. McEven spent the first few months of his time in Silverbell arresting, fining, and jailing "local
desperadoes" for carrying concealed weapons.
After a miner named Ramon Castro killed Gracio Manzo, he hid from the law for two weeks in an abandoned mine shaft. As deputy, it was McEven's duty to bring Castro in, but he knew that if he entered the shaft without some sort of protection, he would be an easy target for Castro. He devised a simple but effective shield. Obtaining an ore car, upon which he hung a lamp, McEven pushed the bulletproof barrier ahead of him through the mine shaft until he cornered and captured Castro.
Silver Bell
Asarco fared better than the Silver Bell; the company continued to consolidate all of the major holdings in the district, including those once held by Oxide. In 1952, Asarco began
open pit operations in the region, and in 1954 it founded a new town - named Silver Bell - four miles to the southeast of the original town site.
Silver Bell survived in its new form from 1952 through 1984. Mining operations at the Silver Bell Mine eventually ceased in 1984, and the town was disbanded. Copper prices continued to tank, the water and sewerage system in town was beginning to fail, and once-contemporary homes were falling into disrepair. Most of the homes were sold and moved to other locations in and around Tucson. In the late 1980s, there were still a few homes and company structures standing. Nothing but a garage (which was the only one in town, belonging to the General Manager) is all that remains. It is pictured above, listed as a "ruin".
In 1989, Asarco purchased the old BS&K Mine, which is located near the original Silverbell site, about a mile east of the Silver Bell Cemetery in
Ironwood Forest. Today, a few BS&K buildings remain standing, along with a few old mine shafts and some wrecked vehicles.
Gallery
File:Silverbell_Arizona_Circa_1909_Number_1.jpg, Silverbell, 1909
File:Arizona_Southern_Between_Railroad_Red_Rock_Silverbell_Arizona_Circa_1909.jpg, Another view of Silverbell around 1909.
File:Arizona_Southern_Railroad_Between_Red_Rock_Silverbell_Arizona_Circa_1909.jpg, An Arizona Southern train along the road between Red Rock and the Silver Bell Mine.
File:Silverbell_Mine_Pima_County_Arizona_2014.jpg, View of the Silver Bell Mine from the site of Silver Bell.
File:Silver_Bell_Cemetery_Arizona_2014.jpg, One of the three cemeteries near Silver Bell. Silver Bell Mine tailings can be seen in the background.
File:Ironwood_Forest_National_Monument_Silver_Bell_Cemetery_Arizona_2014.jpg, The Silver Bell Cemetery in Ironwood Forest National Monument.
File:Cultural_Resources_Sign_Ironwood_Forest_National_Monument_Silver_Bell_Cemetery_Arizona_2014.jpg, A Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
cultural resources sign at the Silver Bell Cemetery.
File:Silver_Bell_Arizona_Ruins_2014.jpg, The ruins of a house in Silver Bell.
File:BS&K_Mine_Ruins_Arizona_2014.jpg, Ruins at the BS&K Mine (This was the house of the watchman that was constructed to keep individuals out of the mine).
File:BS&K_Mine_Ruins_Arizona_2014_Number_2.jpg, More ruins at the BS&K Mine.
File:Ruined_car_at_the_BS&K_Mine_with_suicide_doors_Silver_Bell_Arizona_2014.jpg, The remains of a car at the BS&K Mine. Notice the suicide door
A suicide door is an automobile door hinged at its rear rather than the front. Such doors were originally used on horse-drawn carriages, but are rarely found on modern vehicles, primarily because they are perceived as being less safe than a fron ...
s.
File:BS&K_Mine_Shaft_Entrance_Silver_Bell_Arizona_2014.jpg, The entrance to an old adit at the BS&K Mine.
File:BS&K_Mine_Shaft_Silver_Bell_Arizona_2014.jpg, Inside the adit.
File:BS&K_Mine_Shaft_Exit_Silver_Bell_Arizona_2014.jpg, The light at the end of the adit.
See also
*
Copper mining in Arizona
Copper mining in Arizona, a state of the United States, has been a major industry since the 19th century. In 2007, Arizona was the leading copper-producing state in the country, producing 750 thousand metric tons of copper, valued at $5.54 billi ...
*
Ironwood Forest National Monument
Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Created by Bill Clinton by Presidential Proclamation 7320 on June 9, 2000, the monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the United State ...
*
Silverbell artifacts
References
External links
Silverbell– ghosttowns.com
– Ghost Town of the Month at azghosttowns.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silver Bell, Arizona
Ghost towns in Arizona
Former populated places in Pima County, Arizona
1904 establishments in Arizona Territory
Populated places established in 1904
History of Pima County, Arizona
Asarco
Cemeteries in Arizona
Company towns in Arizona
Mining communities in Arizona