DE SOTO, OCOTILLO, MIDDLETON
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DE SOTO, OCOTILLO, MIDDLETON |
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NAME: De
Soto, or Ocotillo, or Middleton COUNTY: Yavapai ROADS: 4WD LEGAL INFO: T11N, R1E CLIMATE: Mild winter, hot summer BEST TIME TO VISIT: Winter, spring, fall |
COMMENTS:
Just outside of Cleator. The
air blowing out of the mine is incredibly cold all year round.
The bottom of the main mine is filled with water. REMAINS: Mostly mines and foundations. |
| Owned by George Middleton, the De Soto copper mine supported a small town with an assay office, a boardinghouse, cookhouse, blacksmith, warehouse, corral, and residences all overlooking the town of Middleton. Over 100 people lived here and the post office at Middleton served De Soto. The post office in Middleton was established May 8, 1903 and was discontinued in 1908. The company operating the De Soto went bankrupt. Then, The post office was reestablished in 1916 and was called Ocotillo. World War I brought an increased demand for copper and the total production was $3,250,000 in copper ore. The post office was again discontinued in 1925. There are still a few tramway towers left from the tram that went from the De Soto to Middleton. The bottom of the main De Soto mine is covered in water as can be seen in the picture. Air blows out of the mine year round at almost frostbiting temperatures, even in the summer! |
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