Set of Miniature Panoramic Photographs of Chipiona Mine District

[Mexico]: [Cieneguita Copper Company?], 1900. Very good. 11 photographs, each measuring 2¼" x 7" and mounted on thick card measuring 5¼" x 10½". All but one with extensive detailed captions. Photos near fine, cards very good -a bit wavy with light edge wear and small flecks of surface loss on versos.

This is a group of 11 photographs which depict the Chipiona mining district in Mexico around the turn of the 20th century. Evidence in the captions suggest they were prepared by a surveyor or mining engineer with an eye toward further operational development. The images may have been compiled by an employee of the Arizona-based Cieneguita Copper Company (CCC) as the company had a significant operation in Chipiona at the time. According to a 1906 article in The Engineering and Mining Journal, CCC's Cieneguita's operations had:

"four wood-burning reverberatory smelting furnaces, two reverberatory roasters and some 50 roasting stalls. A steam plant, gravity incline and several work shops are in operation. A large company store is also run. Half a million dollars (gold) is said to have been spent on the property. Over 7000 ft. of drifts are said to have been run and a large body of ore opened up. This mine is the best developed in the district and should soon be an active producer."

If indeed taken by an employee of the CCC, the images likely pre-date that article, as the operations shown here appear to be in their infancy, and show far fewer buildings than images of CCC's plants in a 1905 prospectus.

The photographs show different angles and viewpoints of mostly mining areas. We see guard houses, ruins of an old mill, two views of the Chipiona mining camp and one of the Colorado De Vres camp. The versos are exceptionally well captioned, detailing geography, mine components, progress of mining efforts and more. Over half have an economic/planning aspect to them with detail on measurements, location, potential profit and more such as,

"The "Foster Shaft," looking almost due East. "Jerry" on left, Mr. Brodine on right. The pile of rock on their right, and behind them, is ore, and is estimated to be of from $10,000 to $40,000 value. The mountain in back is ½ mile away, across Chipiona Creek. To right is waste pile, with truck. Shaft 235 ft. deep."

Or,

"The reservoir and stack. Mine hill on left. Reservoir 93 feet long, 60 feet wide, 10 ft deep, holds ½ milliion gallons; said to have cost about $10,000 gold. Taken from corner of old adobe wall that enclosed qudrangle, for protection from Indians."

Other captions point out ruins, older buildings and one mentions a cemetery. Also of note are the three which contain manuscript drawings of shafts.

A rare collection documenting an early 1900s American mining venture in Mexico.