Ajo Historical Museum

 Seeing we were in Gila Bend as a base of operations for the Phoenix, AZ area, getting food was a challenge.  The local market in Gila Bend closed so the choices became Buckeye or Ajo, both 40 minutes away.  Since we came to Gila Bend through Buckeye we were familiar with the lay of the land so we decided we would food shop in Ajo. This turned out to be a good choice since Ajo is one of those towns where misfortune fell hard and they have re-imaged themselves.  

The Ajo Historical Museum documents this rise, fall, and recovery very well. The Ajo Historical Society was founded in 1975 and the Ajo Historical Society Museum was opened in 1976. The Museuem is located just a few minutes away from downtown Ajo at the St. Catherine's Indian Mission 1/4 mile to the west of the mine overlook on the Mine lookout road. The Museum itself is home to several different items from Ajo and the surrounding area's past. Ajo was originally built as a company town to support the New Cornelia open pit copper mine.   

Turns out that this was the only productive mine in the Ajo district. The mine is now under the ownership of Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Corporation through a series of acquisitions.  The mine was shut down in 1983 due to low copper prices, and a worker dispute with the local union. The museum documents the mine history and the downfall of Ajo very well. It also documents the contributions of Ajo natives throughout history including Ajo native’s contribution to the nation’s military.  While the closing of the mine nearly ruined Ajo, they have since remade themselves as an art haven and even host an annual fiddlers fest.