Oracle and the San Pedro River Valley

Images of America: Arizona

by Catherine H. Ellis

A green haven along a desert highway, Oracle is one of the very few Arizona communities nestled under a canopy of live oaks. With an interspersion of huge granite boulders and towering granite dells, this area has serenity that is unique. Oracle began as a preferred environment for recuperating tuberculosis patients and a winter retreat for wealthy city folk. In true Teddy Roosevelt fashion, both patients and visitors slept in tents or on the porches believing the fresh air would bring good health. Eventually mining and ranching became the base not only for Oracle, but also for Redington and Mammoth. The peak in mining was Magma Copper's huge San Manuel Mine, which opened in 1953 and produced copper for 50 years. Today the mine lays a silent mark on the landscape, the huge smelter carted away for scrap, and the twin smoke stacks lie in the dust.

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 20, 2008

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read this book again. Okay, okay that takes just a few minutes; I know. That's the problem I have with Arcadia Publishing; the picture are neat but there so little text they convey little info. It is cool to see pictures from the time my family lived there though...

[Scott Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have seen parts of the Lower San Pedro Valley from Mt. Lemmon, I need to get to this part of the state to see it myself. I liked the photographic history in this book.