Ferris-Haggarty Mine Site
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Grand Encampment Mining Region: Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site | |
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| Nearest city | Encampment, Wyoming |
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| Coordinates | 41°11′15″N 107°04′35″W / 41.18750°N 107.07639°WCoordinates: 41°11′15″N 107°04′35″W / 41.18750°N 107.07639°W |
| Area | 160 acres (65 ha) |
| Built | 1897 |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001928[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 2, 1973 |
The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site was one of the richest components of the Grand Encampment Mining District in Carbon County, Wyoming. The site was first exploited by Ed Haggerty, a prospector from Whitehaven, England, in 1897, when he established the Rudefeha Mine on a rich deposit of copper ore. Haggerty was backed by George Ferris and other investors, of whom all but Ferris dropped out. The partners sold an interest to Willis George Emerson, who raised investment funding for improvements to the mine. These facilities included a 16-mile (26 km) aerial tramway from Grand Encampment over the Continental Divide to the smelter in Encampment and a 4-mile (6.4 km) pipeline to the mine. The mine's assets were eventually acquired by the North American Copper Company for $1 million. By 1904 the mine had produced $1.4 million in copper ore, and was sold to the Penn-Wyoming Copper Company. However, even with copper prices peaking in 1907, the company had difficulty making a profit from the remove mine site. The company was over-capitalized and under-insured, and was suffered devastating fires at the mine site in March 1906 and May 1907 which halted production. Business disputes and a fall in copper prices prevented re-opening of the mine even after it was rebuilt. Machinery was salvaged after a foreclosure in 1913.[2] A total of $2 million in copper ore was extracted from the mine during its life.[3]
The George Ferris Mansion in Rawlins, Wyoming was built with Ferris' proceeds from the mine, though George Ferris was killed in a carriage accident near the mine in 1900.[4]
The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1973.[1]
References
- 1 2 Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ Junge, Mark (May 23, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Grand Encampment Mining Region: The Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ↑ "Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site". Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
- ↑ Fraser, Clayton B. (March 15, 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: George Ferris Mansion" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
External links
- Ferris-Haggerty Mine Site at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
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