(Images from Williams, Arizona Sanford Fire Insurance Maps, December 1901: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)
THE LOMBARD GOOD AND COMPANY SMELTER
(Images from Williams, Arizona Sanford Fire Insurance Maps, December 1901:
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division)
Notation on map reads: "Located 3/4-mile east of RR Depot. Not in operation Oct. 1901. Iron roofs. Whitewashed inside- water to be supplied from R.R. water supply to a tank to be located on a hill south of plant."
In the early years of Williams, a sense of optimism and the hope of prosperity filled the hearts and minds of the town's citizens. A new lumber mill had been built, with ample supplies of Ponderosa Pines waiting to be harvested. The Atlantic and Pacific ran through the town, with the hope of securing the division point of the railroad. Ranching was a major industry. Add to this the newly discovered mineral deposits of the Anita Mining District, with the promise of untold wealth. Yes, there were ample reasons to hum a happy tune, as there seemed to be no end to good news. The Williams News, the town paper, was more than obliging to continue and encourage this sunny outlook on the future.
Lombard, Good and Company, through the auspices of the Anita Consolidated Copper Company, were involved in the development of the Anita Mines, north of Williams, and south of the Grand Canyon. In order to ship the ore from the mining district, and to supply the new smelter in Williams, a railroad would have to be built. After acquiring the necessary funding through investors and stocks, they began building the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railway to the Anita Mines district, and then onward to the Grand Canyon. However, due to the fact that the ore deposits were of low quality, the first company ran out of money before reaching the canyon. The Santa Fe Railroad was able to buy the remaining assets of the Santa Fe and Grand Canyon Railway, completing the building of the line to the Grand Canyon.
According to one source, the mill was completed June 1898, and the first load of ore was delivered in July of that year. The map indicates that the plant was located 3/4 of a mile from the Williams Depot, situated on a hillside, with the railroad tracks on the southside of the building. The plant building was facing to the north; the main structure included the bin building and a furnace in the northwest corner. A basement is indicated on the east side. Other machinery is not identified in the structure (more on that later). To the south of the building, between two tracks, was the crusher, used to pulverize the ore.
The Williams News reported on July 12, 1902, that the first test run of the smelter had been completed on Tuesday of that week. This would indicate that the structure had stood idle for several years. Mr. H.I. Nesmith, a representative of the Anita Consolidated Copper Company, had been in Williams for several weeks.
The smelting was to be a new process, discovered by Mr. W.L. George of Williams. His process required changes to the standing mill (explaining why it was idle for some time.) Due to the application of this new "theory," additional parts were on order. Smelting and mining was not a new industry, having been practiced for hundreds of years. Whenever a "new process" has been discovered, it should be met with some degree of skepticism, meaning hold your wallets closer to your person, as someone may be trying to mine your hard-earned money. It could be presumed that this healthy skepticism was the one thing Mr. Nesmith was in town to sooth.
In the December 20, 1902, issue ran a front page, multicolumn article on the Anita Consolidated Copper Company. It expounded the greatness of this moment, when the smelter was about to come into production. Carloads of ore were reported to be bypassing Williams on the railroad, headed east to other smelters. The mines had temporarily shut down, waiting for the smelter to start. Mr. Nesmith was about town, with occasional trips to Boston, and Mr. George was perfecting his process. Large sums of money were being spent. The paper went to great lengths to describe the equipment and smelting process, which it appears as yet had not been fully installed.
An important item was mentioned in the article; the ore was of low grade, but they were assured that this could be processed at a profit. Sometimes a fact manages to get mentioned yet could be missed with all of the pontification about possible success.
The months pass: on January 17, 1903, another article appears in the paper. This too receives front page treatment, albeit a single column. On Wednesday of that week another test run is reported to have taken place. Ore had been treated, then run through the crusher and rolls; "...many fine specimens of pure copper-some as large as a copper cent- were picked up by interested onlookers. The treatment is such that the pure metal is separated from all foreign elements and comes out in quantities varying according to the richness of the ore (italics mine.)" What is curious about this report is that the metal was pure and varied according to value of the ore, important clues as to the veracity of the company officials. The article mentions that more equipment had to be installed, such as screens, concentrators, and automatic handling equipment. Some question can be made as to if the smelter had done the work, since the only thing mentioned is that the ore was "treated," then crushed and rolled. Could there have been some sleight of hand at work?
The company had an agreement with the Atlantic and Pacific to provide water to the mill, however the pipeline was mysteriously damaged beyond repair. It is possible that the railroad had second thoughts about sharing its own precious liquid gold - water.
Time once again passes. A short article appears on page two in the September 26, 1903, issue. The Anita Consolidated Copper Company transferred all the mine claims and the smelter to Mr. Paul W. Abbot, who then deeded it to the Anita Copper Company.
Little is mentioned about the smelter, until 1904. The Williams News reported (02-06-1904, page 2,) that "...It is proposed to move (temporarily) the splendid boilers and engine... (to be) used to furnish power for the hoist, drills, etc..." The new company was going to move these items to the Anita Mines district, in order to drill further down, in the hopes of finding the main ore strata.
The newspaper followed-up in the February 13, 1904, edition, with a front-page article:
"Operations to begin Immediately on Extensive Workings. Anita Copper Company to Thoroughly Exploit the Grand Canyon Mining District for the Red Metal Existing in a Body Below."
The article summarized that much labor and time had been wasted, until the reorganization of the new Anita Copper Company. The earlier works in the mining district had been crude, focusing on the surface areas. The ore was assumed to blanket the area, but the new theory was that it originated deep below the surface. The ore that had been found was of such low grade as to cost more to ship than it was worth. This was directed at the Williams smelter, an open admission by whomever that the smelter was not profitable. It was also stated that the last seven years were not looked upon with favor, however new findings in the area brought hope of a potential mining boom. A new mining engineer, Mr. Todd C. Wadsworth of Boston, was brought in to help with the venture. Mr. Wadsworth, with a crew including another engineer, traveled throughout Arizona, and had studied the formations in the Grand Canyon. He was confident that an ore deposit was at the thousand-foot level.
The company hired fifteen men to build a dam, 3/4 mile from the mines, hoping to capture two million gallons of water. A large double compartment shaft, with the anticipation of adding an additional compartment, was at the 300-foot level. With regards to the smelter:
"Within the next few weeks the work of tearing down the old smelter, east of town, will begin, the machinery and timber to be shipped out to the mines and used in the construction of a 500-ton (daily) water-jacket smelter and copper converter, which will turn out blister copper of a 98 per cent grade."
And so, in 1904, ended the existence of the Williams smelter. History has shown that the promise of a pay layer at the mines did not meet expectations; remnants of a smelter exist in the mining district, but it is doubtful it ever produced.
When the Anita Consolidated Copper Company transferred all assets to the reorganized Anita Copper Company, the stockholders either had to wait to see if this new adventure would prosper or sell their stock at a loss. When the second company collapsed, so went the considerable investments made by: the citizens of Williams; the Saginaw and Manistee; the J.M. Dennis Company; as well as other investors. The Williams investment alone was over $200,000. Later, in Federal Court, some of the funds were recovered (Fuchs, 142.)
The location of the smelter site is now either covered by the overpass on the east end of Williams, or on BNSF property. It is best to leave the site to history; do not trespass on private property.
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