Morenci, Arizona

First timer?  In this formerly once-a-day blog (then every-other-day blog and now a two-or-three-times a week blog), I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48).  I call this “landing.”  I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near.  I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location.  To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan –  The curse continues with yet another western OSer . . . AZ; 79/71; 1/10 (1/13); 13; 155.6  —  highest Score since last November (last post, it was “December”).   It seems like 150 is now months away . . .

Here’s my landing map, showing my proximity to that ugly tangle of rail lines that is the well known (for me, at least) town of Morenci (actually, the Morenci copper mine):

I’ve been to Morenci, and remember it fairly well.  It was the spring of ’72 (spring break, actually), and I was on a geology field trip with my Lafayette College geology classmates.  We were touring the southwest in a caravan of five RVs.  After visiting El Paso TX (the far western tip of the state) and Carlsbad NM, we headed over to AZ and checked out the massive copper mine at Morenci.  I even have a mineral specimen that I collected there (which is, I think, a pretty lousy specimen of malachite, a copper carbonate mineral).  I just pulled the rock out of the box it has been in for decades, and put it on the bench on our lower back deck (you know exactly where I mean, Dan) and took this picture:

Back to the landing – here’s a broader view:

Here’s my GE shot, showing a fairly rugged-looking wilderness:

The stream that’s apparent to the southwest of my landing is Bonita Creek.  Bonita Creek flows southeast where it hooks up with the Gila R (35^th hit); on to the Colorado (156^th hit).

Here’s an oblique GE shot, looking southwest and showing some real topographic drama:

From the Greenlee County website, about Morenci:

The first mineral discoveries in the Clifton-Morenci District were made around 1856 when a group of California volunteers pursuing renegade Apache Indians came through the area and wrote about the colorful mineral outcrops. In 1872 a group of soldiers from New Mexico were once again pursuing renegade Indians, and they also noticed the colorful rocks.  They later returned to the area searching for placer gold. Although very little gold was found, they located the copper deposits which later become the mines around the town of Metcalf and Morenci.

I find the above use of the word “renegade” annoying.  Anyway, from Wiki:

Morenci’s population was 1,879 at the 2000 census. The biggest employer in Morenci is Freeport-McMoRan, the owner of the Morenci Mine, the largest copper mining operation in North America, and one of the largest copper mines in the world.

The economy of Morenci as well as that of the surrounding area is almost completely dependent on the Morenci Mine.  Between 2003 and 2008, the worldwide rise in copper prices led the mine to double its work force to 4,000 employees, and increase production by 55 percent to an average of one million tons of ore per day.

Several hundred new homes were built, leading to a boom in the construction industry.  All the homes in Morenci, new and old, remain owned by Freeport-McMoRan.

Hmmm.  Sounds like the population is up a little from the 1,879 back in 2000.  Also – quite the company town, eh?

Anyway, as usual, I spent some time trying to figure out the origin of the name “Morenci.”  I finally found an obscure reference to the fact that Morenci AZ was named after Morenci MI.  So, on to Michigan I go.  This, from the State Line Observer (a weekly newspaper serving the border area between Ohio & Michigan), about the origin of the Michigan town’s name:

In 1833 a small settlement was established in the wilderness along Bean Creek. The name given to this settlement was Brighton. However, it was discovered that another community of pioneers to the north in the territory had prior claim to the name. There has been some controversy as to how the name “Morenci” was selected.  Some say it was an Indian name but others believe that it was taken from the name “Mount Morency” and the ‘y’ changed to ‘i.’

The Indian name seems bogus to me (although not impossible).  A little research, then, on “Mount Morency.”  Well, I found out that there’s a “Montmorency County,” in, of all places, Michigan (as well as a Mount Morency in Quebec).  The town of Morenci is in the far southeast part of the state and the county is in the far northeast, but let me continue.  This, from Wiki about Montmorency County:

Montmorency County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan.   In 1840, it was first named “Cheonoquet” after a well known Chippewa.   In 1843, the county was renamed for the Count Morenci, who aided the colonies in the war with England. The county was organized in 1881. The reason for the change in spelling is subject to some dispute.  See List of Michigan county name etymologies.

I could have left it here, satisfied that the county (and likely the town) were named after the good Count Morenci, what with the correct spelling and all.  But, I couldn’t resist clicking on the link to the list of Michigan county name etymologies.  Here’s what that said about the origin of the name Montmorency:

Named for the House of Montmorency,  influential in the history of French Canada.

Gee whiz.  So I clicked on the House of Montmorency, and here’s what I learned:

Montmorency, the name of one of the oldest and most distinguished families in France, derived from the city of Montmorency, about 9 miles northwest of Paris.

So I’m left with two leading candidates:  Count Morenci vs. the French city of Montmorency.  The Indian name (in my opinion) comes in a weak third.

I Googled “Count Morenci,” and, interestingly, the only Google references circle back to the naming of Montmorency County!  There was not a single reference to the actual dude who supposedly “aided the colonies in the war with England.”  In fact, that very phrase in quotes was used in every citation!  Based on this painstaking analysis, I conclude that Count Morenci is a fake, a fraud!!  And that Montmorency is the true origin of both the name of the County and town in Michigan, the mountain in Quebec and therefore, the town and mine in Arizona.

Phew.  Strangely, I kind of enjoyed the search.  Likely, you’re a little bored.  Oh, well . . .

Back to Morenci AZ.  Here’s a picture of the massive open-pit mine:

Here’s a shot looking north on Rt 191 out of Morenci.  Since I did most of the driving in my RV (back in 1972), I was likely behind the wheel, driving on this very road, looking at this very scene!  (OK, so this is a little more exciting for me than for you . . .).  Note the lack of a guardrail!

Getting closer to my landing spot, I’ll close with some pictures taken just south of my landing (and far from the surreal Morenci landscape).  First, this picture from Midnight Canyon:

And then, this abandoned house:

That’ll do it. . .

KS

Greg

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