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.
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