Morenci, Arizona

The Morenci Hotel was built and completed in the fall of 1903 at a cost of $25,000. It had 2 dining rooms and 22 guest rooms. The building on the left is the Longfellow Grade School, built in 1902 and torn down in 1965 due to structural deterioration.

The Longfellow School (also known as the Red Brick Building), built in 1902. In 1908 the roof was removed and a second floor was added. It was next door to the Morenci Club.

New Town was built after the fire of 1897 which destroyed all the gambling halls and saloons in Morenci. Paul Becker owned this land and he encouraged saloons and gambling hall owners to lease land from him for their businesses. New Town was just east of the football field and Morenci.

Narrow gauge Morenci Southern locomotive pulling slag cars. Note no headlight, which means this locomotive is probably owned by a smelter now and is likely for local/slag service only. The standard gauge Rock Island boxcar is showing air brakes and knuckle couplers, but the narrow gauge loco has a link and pin on it?s coupler.

The Greenlee County Historical Society provides the following description: "The headframe on the left is the Joy shaft. The mine on the right is the Humboldt mine. The mountain in the background was called 'Copper Mountain.' The pit engulfed the entire mountain. The track came out of the Humboldt tunnel and under the area where the two men in the foreground are pictured. They are standing on the side of what was known as 'Burro Alley.' The track went underneath Burro Alley, through the mountain and to the mill."