Freeport McMoRan Industrial Railroad

See the full video here:    • Wild West Railroading: Trains of Arizona  

It’s been said that God leads every man he loves through a desert at some point in his life. Whether it’s spiritual or physical, some say that the arid wilderness reminds a man of just how much he needs God. Others view the desert as a glimpse of Hell on Earth. To the late Johnny Cash, the desert was the devil’s playground. "It's a hell of a place that he has for hell.”

Whatever view you take, history has proven though dry, and desolate - the desert of Eastern Arizona has provided the US with one of the richest copper deposits in the world. First discovered over 140 years ago at a campsite known as “Clifton,” the copper deposits in Greenlee County would help fuel the industrial revolution and aided the nation in World War II.

Today, the cities of Clifton and Morenci are home to the largest copper mine in North America: the Morenci Open-Pit. Operated by Freeport-McMoRan, the Morenci mine produces an average of 800,000,000 pounds of copper per year. New copper discoveries are rare and many historic mines across the country are seeing reserves dwindle, but with its deep roots - the Morenci Open-Pit continues to deliver year after year.

The railroad has been the backbone of the Morenci Mine for over a century, and as long as the ground has copper to mine, the railroad will continue to move it. In fact, Freeport-McMoRan operates its own industrial railroad that carries chemicals, equipment, and copper from the mine in Morenci to Clifton - where it interchanges with Genesee & Wyoming’s Arizona Eastern Railway.

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