Superior and Boston Mine (Superior & Boston Mine; Great Eastern claim; Great Eastern shaft; Black Oxide Mine), Black Peak area, Copper Hill, Globe Hills Mining District, Globe-Miami Mining District, Gila County, Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Superior and Boston Mine (Superior & Boston Mine; Great Eastern claim; Great Eastern shaft; Black Oxide Mine)	Mine
Black Peak area	Area
Copper Hill	Hill
Globe Hills Mining District	Mining Sub-district
Globe-Miami Mining District	Mining District
Gila County	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

A former surface and underground Cu-Ag-Au-Mn mine located in about ½ mile NNE of the Buckeye Mountain, about 1 mile E of the Copper Hill ghost town, on the Great Eastern claim, which includes the continuation of the Great Eastern vein east of the Eureka and Black Hawk Mines of the Arizona Commercial Mining Co., on. The location is for the Superior and Boston shaft; the Black Oxide adit is located about ½ mile S of the Superior and Boston shaft. This is one of a large group of claims originally owned by the Globe and Arizona Development Co. Very little work was done on the claims before 1906, when the property was taken over by the Superior and Boston Copper Co. Development was begun in 1907. Closed in 1910 but reopened in March 1913. This firm ran the mine until 1929. The continuation of the Great Eastern vein east of the McGaw fault was discovered, and a large orebody was mined from it. An extensive development program was begun in 1915. The Footwall vein was discovered and began to produce ore in 1919. The North vein was also involved. Produced 1908 - 1959. Other owners and operators include Bob Temple and Joe Martin, Bert Roby and J.W. Walker, Fred Camden, Edward Foster, Joe Gucieno, Raphael Lopez, H. Medlin, Hewitt Wolfe, E.A. Borge (owner), Racine, and the Copper Hill Mining Company. Former by a group of 51 claims.

Mineralization is hosted in the Mescal Limestone and the Dripping Springs Quartzite. Ore control was NE-trending fault zones, where they were cut by unmineralized NW-trending faults. The best ore is found where Mescal Limestone forms the hanging wall and Dripping Springs Quartzite forms the footwall of the fault. Diabase overlies these formations at the mine.

The Limestone shaft was sunk to explore the Limestone vein, which strikes N80E and dips 70 to 80N. The shaft started in Mescal limestone at the outcrop of the vein and pased into Dripping Spring quartzite at a depth of about 130 feet. Short crosscuts on the 100, 200 & 300 levels intersected the vein at shorty distances north of the shaft. On the 300 level, a drift to the east apparently cut the McGaw fault 240 feet from the shaft. A drift to the west followed the vein for 145 feet to a cross fault that displaces the vein 35 feet to the south. The offset segment was followed westward for 210 feet; it carried little copper but considerable manganese oxides and specularite. The vein ranged in width from a few inches to 5 feet (150 cm) and contained some small but good orebodies in the upper shaly beds of the Dripping Spring quartzite.

The Rigby vein was discovered in 1920. It was only 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) wide but contained rich copper-silver ore. On the 6th. level bunches of ore were found that are reported to have contained 25% Cu and 300-400 oz. Ag/T.

The McGaw shaft started in diabase but intersected the top of the Mescal limestone at 28 feet below the collar. At 370 feet it passed from limestone into Dripping Spring quartzite and continued in it to the bottom at 435 feet. The lateral workings are all on the 400 level and explore mainly the Black Oxide or Buckeye vein.

A small vein known as the Iron King crops out about 300 feet south of the Gardner shaft. It strikes N80E and dips 70N. At the outcrop, diabase and Precambrian basalt form the footwall and Mescal limestone the hanging wall. The vein has been explored by a 70 foot shaft and a few shallow pits, but little if any ore was found.

Operation by the Superior and Boston Copper Co. ceased early in 1927, after all known ore reserves had been mined. The mine was never reopened but circa the late 1950's a few small lots of ore were shipped from shallow workings on the Buckeye and Great Eastern veins.

Workings include the Black Oxide adit (source of early production, 1054 feet long); the Gardner shaft, at 435 feet deep; the McGraw shaft, at 1400 feet deep; the Great Eastern shaft, at 444 feet deep; and, the Limestone and Superior and Boston shafts. The Great Eastern shaft was started in 1907 and the Gardner and McGaw shafts in 1908. The McGraw shaft was the main shaft. The Limestone shaft is 1,800 feet SSE of the McGraw shaft. By the end of 1910 all the known ore in the Great Eastern vein west of the McGaw fault had been extracted, and the mine was closed. Production from 1907 to 1926, the mine is credited with a production of 19,556,000 pounds of Cu and 1,343,000 oz. Ag. Some Mn ore is said to have been produced.

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10046303

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