10/13/2026
Here's a bit of history about our starting point of Kearny, AZ
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Arizona's Ray Copper Mine has been operating for more than a century, but its expansion came at an extraordinary cost: entire communities disappeared to make room for the growing pit.
Located near Kearny in Pinal County, Ray's mining history dates back to 1880, when the Mineral Creek Mining Company began developing the district.
The operation entered a new era in 1911, when Ray Consolidated Copper Company introduced large-scale underground mining, including block-caving methods.
Between 1911 and 1954, approximately 79 million tons of ore were extracted underground, averaging 1.46% copper.
Kennecott Copper Corporation took control in 1933 and began stripping overburden in 1948, preparing for a dramatic transformation.
Open-pit mining commenced in 1952, and underground operations ended in 1955.
But there was a problem.
The expanding mine was approaching the communities of Ray, Sonora and Barcelona, where generations of mining families had lived.
Rather than abandon the valuable copper deposits, Kennecott developed an entirely new town.
Kearny was established in 1958 to accommodate displaced residents, while the original communities were gradually demolished or overtaken by mining activities.
The transformation was enormous.
Between 1950 and 1998, Ray processed approximately 494 million tons of open-pit ore averaging 0.88% copper, producing concentrates containing 3.4 million tons of copper.
ASARCO purchased the operation from Kennecott in 1986, modernizing its infrastructure and commissioning a new concentrator in 1992.
Today, the mine remains operational under ASARCO, part of Grupo México.
Its facilities include open-pit mining, crushing, concentrating and copper leaching, with additional processing connected to the Hayden complex approximately 18 miles away.
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