Description

The former American Copper Co., was later renamed the Iron King Mine. It was located in the Big Bug District, of Yavapai County, Arizona Territory and was instrumental in the development of the Big Bug Mining District. The mine and its’ adjoining smelter were located just outside the town of Humboldt, in Yavapai County, Arizona. It began with the discovery of a generous ore outcropping in 1880. A variety of mining operations took place at this site through succeeding years. By 1906, the Iron King boasted a miner’s camp of about 300, including 140 employees of the mine itself. Ownership of the mine passed several times and the mine produced significant amounts of lead and zinc before it was closed in 1968. Most of the structures and buildings of the Iron King Mine operations no longer exist.

Left behind are more than 8 million tons of unwanted tailing and smelter wastes, i.e., arsenic, lead, cyanide, and zinc. Since the early 2000's, operations have been underway by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (AQED), to determine the extent of the area-wide contamination and determine a feasible plan for either its’ remediation and/or containment. The Iron King Mine/Smelter and surrounding area have been designated as a Superfund clean-up site. As of August, 2024, operations are still ongoing by the EPA/AQED, to finalize what needs to be done to the area based upon their studies; the EPA will issue a "Record of Decision" (ROD) once they conclude their findings.