"Minerals of Arizona's Historic Mines and Mining Towns" - New Exhibit at the Sun City Mineral Museum!
Sun City Mineral Museum Director Carol with our new display.
In 2023, we unveiled a new exhibit at the Sun City Mineral Museum, "Rocks and Minerals of Arizona and the Southwest," which featured several collector's pieces, ore specimens, and pieces of lapidary art (see our blog post here). After almost two years, that exhibit has ended and the Sun City Rockhounds have generously offered us the space once again to install a new display, "Minerals of Arizona's Historic Mines and Mining Towns."
This new exhibit illustrates how Arizona has been an important center for mining since its territorial days. While the earliest miners were indigenous peoples, commercial mining began in the 1870s, powering the Territory’s economy and driving settlement patterns through the early 20th century. The exhibit showcases exceptional specimens originating from historic mining towns across the state, including Bisbee, Morenci, Ray, Jerome, Ajo, Miami-Globe, and others. We've included a few of our favorite pieces including a stunning, large native copper with cuprite from the Ray Mine, which has not been on display since the days of the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, and a world-class malachite and azurite from the earliest days of the Copper Queen Mine. Along with the mineral specimens are informational displays containing brief histories about a few of Arizona's most famous and productive mines.
Over 150 years later, many of these historic mining localities are still in production, and Arizona continues to lead the nation in copper production while also producing significant amounts of other important metals and aggregates. Mining remains a vital part of Arizona’s identity and economic strength to this day, and we can use our museum's mineral collection to tell that story.
We encourage you to visit the Sun City Mineral Museum and see this exhibit in person, along with the Sun City Rockhounds' other 1000+ specimens on display. The museum is located in the Sun Dial Recreation Center at 14801 N. 103rd Ave., Sun City. During the summer (May through September), the museum is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am-1pm. From October through April, it is open from 10am-1pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is always free and tours are available.
Want to collaborate with us, or suggest a potential partner? Send us an email here! We're always looking for new ways to make our specimens available for public viewing. Thanks for your support and enjoy the photos below.
