Book Description

This book tells the history of Superior, Arizona, from the years 1930 to 1950. Superior is located in the central part of the state just inside the southern boundary of the Tonto National Forest. The town was the home of the Magma mine, which was owned by the Magma Copper Company. The Magma mine was an underground, or “hard rock,” copper mine. It operated continuously from 1910 to 1982, was one of the most productive mines in US history, and also included a smelter, mill, and railroad. The book hermeneutically (interpretively) merges into a single narrative the oral histories of 15 persons who were born between 1923 and 1934 and lived in Superior during all or most of 1930 through 1950. The purpose of combining the contributions into a single story was to yield a thicker, more corroborated history of the town than otherwise would have been possible by presenting them separately. Supplementing the narrative are a (1) historiographical description of the town and mine, (2) sociological analysis of their relationship, the community’s solidarity, and the segregation experienced among Mexican, Caucasian, Native American, and African American residents, (3) description of the personal meaning of underground mining, and (4) review of methods.