Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico by Christopher J. Huggard and Terrence M. Humble (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico by Christopher J. Huggard and Terrence M. Humble David A. Wolff Santa Rita del Cobre: A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico. By Christopher J. Huggard and Terrence M. Humble. (Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2012. Pp. 272. Illustrations, maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN 9781607321521, $45.00 cloth.) The authors describe Santa Rita del Cobre as a "narrative and photographic history" of an "extraordinary mining community" (2), and these descriptors are basically correct. This over-sized volume contains more than 130 photographs and maps, making it resemble a coffee-table book, while Huggard and Humble's text is a full scholarly treatment of industrial copper mining. Then a number of reasons make Santa Rita an extraordinary place, such as the longevity of its existence, beginning in the eighteenth century, and the fact that it disappeared into the open pit mine, causing locals to recall it fondly as the "town in space" (1). What may be a little misleading is the word "community." With that in the title a reader [End Page 409] might expect the book to focus on the town and the people within it, but that is not the case. While those elements are important to the story, the authors have a much more expansive definition of community in mind, and they draw in all aspects of the copper business, from corporate machinations to labor relations. The narrative is roughly chronological, beginning with the arrival of the Spanish and ending essentially with the Phelps Dodge takeover in the 1980s. Within this flow of events, one chapter specifically explores the company town that Chino Copper began in the early twentieth century. Overall, the book presents a vast amount of information, to the point that the details can be overwhelming. But themes are evident, and if a reader keeps those in mind, the book will be easier to navigate. The authors identify seven themes in the introduction, but a conscientious reader can pick out even more. These themes include the evolution of mining technologies, race and ethnic relations, changing corporate mentalities, and the environmental cost of large-scale mining. One of the book's more compelling story lines deals with union formation and the fight for recognition, highlighted by lengthy strikes in the 1930s and 1960s. The authors comment that the latter strike was the "copper industry's longest strike," (203), and that its outcome "marked a new era of labor management relations" (204). Despite the book's thoroughness, there are places where a reader can become confused, and where a little more explanation might have helped clarify a point. For instance, the authors mention various places around Santa Rita, such as "Niagara Pit" (174) or "Booth Hill" (179), without effectively locating them. Occasional comments seem a little odd. One example is: "No longer did the workers want to be treated like dependent children" (104). While mining companies were paternalistic, it would be surprising to find workers who really wanted to be treated like "dependent children." Then at times the chronology seems fractured, with the narrative fluctuating back and forth in the timeline. In one case, it goes from the 1930s to the 1950s and then to the 1910s within two paragraphs. Perhaps the scope of the project requires a non-linear flow, but this approach can be confusing. Yet, these complaints do not outweigh the excellent information contained within this fine volume. A variety of readers will find it of interest, in part because of all the wonderful pictures, but mining historians and people interested in history of the American Southwest will find it particularly compelling. David A. Wolff Black Hills State University Copyright © 2013 The Texas State Historical Association