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Orizaba Gold Mine
The Orizaba gold mine was established in 1886. This mine was the only mine in Maricopa county to have is own smelter; most of the ore in Arizona was shipped by railway to Texas and New Mexico. The nearest smelters to Maricopa County were located outside the towns of Mayer, and Humbolt, which both are in Yavapai county. This mine was also the first in 1894 to incorporate the use of rivets for their Head-frame. From the Head-frame, steel cables were utilized with a pulley winch system. The retrieval of the ore by the 1940's would have a final descent of 400 vertical feet down. The ore was then carted to the smelter, crushed, and heated to approximately 2200 Fahrenheit. The molten ore was then poured into large steel pots. During this process the gold would sink to the bottom of the pot and then be drained into to ingots'.
The Orizaba mine is not open to the general public, only through Ride On Arizona will you experience one of the first original gold mines in Maricopa County.
"Gold Rush" tour: 2 person minimum $100.00 p.p.
   
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