Description

Calumet and Arizona Smelter, Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona Territory, c. 1903.

This picture is a hand-tinted color postcard, printed in Germany. Imprint on the back side reads: "Copper Queen Store, Douglas, Ariz."

The Calumet and Arizona Smelter, or reduction plant, was built in 1902 to service the Arizona and Calumet Mining Company's mines in Bisbee and Ajo. This smelter was in Bisbee originally, along with a second smelter, the Copper Queen. The need to relocate smelting operations arose however, due to increased dangers from the sulfur of the smelted sulfide ore. The toxic smoke that spewed from its' smokestacks posed health risks and lead to the death of vegetation area wide. Competition and obstacles voiced by eager land speculators also caused hostilities and concerns. 

Dr. James Douglas, an early prominent mining figure, railroad magnate and metallurgist, offered a solution to relocate the C&A smelter to a location 23 miles southeast of the mines, and near the Mexico border.

Due to result of this move, the City of Douglas, aptly named after Dr. Douglas, was established and a vibrant community grew up around this second smelter. The Copper Queen smelter closed in 1931 when the Phelps-Dodge Corporation merged with the Calumet and Arizona Company. The Douglas' smelter was renamed to the Douglas Reduction Works.

The smelter remained a central part of Douglas’s economy for many decades. However, in 1987, due to environmental regulations, the smelter was shut down. The dismantling of its iconic smokestacks in 1991 marked the end of an era for the city.