Pine Top Asbestos Mines, Globe, Arizona

The Pine Top asbestos property lay in the San Carlos Indian Reservation, "37 miles northeast of Globe," Arizona, according to the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook.^2,4 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, wrote in 1944 that J. S. Michault "has operated the Pine Top Asbestos property since 1941, as an experimental project," and had become convinced the Globe District needed "an asbestos custom mill."¹ The Minerals Yearbook for 1942 says Pine Top Asbestos Mines "began development of a property in the San Carlos Indian Reservation in May 1942, and shipments of fiber were made later in the year," and lists the firm among the Globe companies that made sales.² It added that "plans are under way for systematic development of the property and for erection of a mill."²

The wartime mill

The Minerals Yearbook for 1943 reported that the Reconstruction Finance Corporation had authorized "a loan of $25,000 to Pine Top Asbestos Mines," supplemented by "about $17,000 from other sources," to develop the company's properties, and that the Defense Plant Corporation had agreed to advance "$80,000 to the company for building a mill to handle the product of its own mines and to serve as a custom mill for small producers in the region."⁴ In February 1944 Asbestos reported that a new company, Southwestern Asbestos Corporation, was being organized by Michault, "sole owner," for "the continued operation of the Pine Top Asbestos Mines."¹ The yearbook said the mill project, directed by Southwestern Asbestos, "was designed to mill and classify asbestos mined throughout the Globe area."⁵ In November 1944 the trade journal reported that the War Production Board and the Defense Plant Corporation "have stopped all work on the custom processing plant and the Pine Top asbestos mine," and the yearbook dated the stop "late in 1944."^3,5

Globe Asbestos and after

The sources describe the next owner of the mill in two ways: the Minerals Yearbook for 1945 says the mill "has been acquired by the Globe Asbestos Co.," while Asbestos reported that Globe Asbestos, "a subsidiary of Rheem Reasearch Products, Inc.," had "leased the DPC-constructed Pine Top asbestos mill a mile east of Globe" early in December 1945.^6,7 The yearbook says the mill "is said to have begun production in January 1946"; the trade journal, citing The Mining Journal, said Globe Asbestos "began production on January 31st."^6,7 The Minerals Yearbook for 1946 reported that "the mill of the Globe Asbestos Co. was operated part of the last 2 months of 1946," though that page does not name the mill.⁸ The yearbook still listed Pine Top Asbestos Mines of Globe as active in 1951, and "Pine Top Asbestos Mine (Grady B. Gulledge), Globe" as active in 1953.^9,10

The documents report small or short-lived production of asbestos fiber for sale.²

Location

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1941

• Worked: “Michault has operated the Pine Top Asbestos property since 1941 as an experimental project” (J. S. Michault), p. 34¹

1942

• Mill: “Plans are under way for systematic development of the property and for erection of a mill” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 4²
• Worked: “Sales ... were made by the following companies: ... Pine Top Asbestos Mines, all of Globe, Ariz.” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 3²
• Opened: “Pine Top Asbestos Mines began development of a property in the San Carlos Indian Reservation in May 1942, and shipments of fiber were made later in the year” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 4²

1943

• Exploration: “a loan of $25,000 to Pine Top Asbestos Mines which ... will be used to develop properties of the company 37 miles northeast of Globe” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 3⁴
• Exploration: “Limited progress had been made on these projects by the end of 1943” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 3⁴
• Mill: “The Defense Plant Corporation has agreed to advance $80,000 to the company for building a mill to handle the product of its own mines and to serve as a custom mill for small producers in the region” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 3⁴

1944

• Ownership: “Southwestern Asbestos Corporation being organized by J. S. Michault, sole owner, for continued operation of the Pine Top Asbestos Mines” (Southwestern Asbestos Corporation; J. S. Michault), p. 34¹
• Idle: “stopped all work on the custom processing plant and the Pine Top asbestos mine” (Southwestern Asbestos Corporation), p. 32³
• Worked: “This project has been operated by the Southwestern Asbestos Corporation” (Southwestern Asbestos Corporation), p. 32³
• Mill: “This project, directed by the Southwestern Asbestos Corporation, was designed to mill and classify asbestos mined throughout the Globe area” (Southwestern Asbestos Corporation), p. 3⁵
• Mill: “Late in 1944 the Defense Plant Corporation stopped all work on the new custom processing mill at the Pine Top asbestos mine” (Southwestern Asbestos Corporation), p. 3⁵

1945

• Ownership: “has been acquired by the Globe Asbestos Co.” (Globe Asbestos Co.), p. 3⁶
• Mill: “The mill of Pine Top Asbestos Mines, financed by the Defense Plant Corporation” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 3⁶
• Ownership: “early in December 1945 leased the DPC-constructed Pine Top asbestos mill a mile east of Globe” (The Globe Asbestos Company), p. 45⁷

1946

• Opened: “is said to have begun production in January 1946” (Globe Asbestos Co.), p. 3⁶
• Description: “Globe Asbestos proposes to lease various properties in the district and mine asbestos which will be milled at the Pine Top mill” (The Globe Asbestos Company), as reported by The Mining Journal, p. 45⁷
• Mill: “completed installation of equipment in its mill and began production on January 31st” (The Globe Asbestos Company), as reported by The Mining Journal, p. 45⁷
• Mill: “The mill of the Globe Asbestos Co. was operated part of the last 2 months of 1946” (Globe Asbestos Co.), p. 2⁸

1951

• Worked: “Pine Top Asbestos Mines, Globe (active)” (Pine Top Asbestos Mines), p. 2⁹

1953

• Worked: “Pine Top Asbestos Mine (Grady B. Gulledge), Globe (active)” (Grady B. Gulledge), p. 2¹⁰

Other names

Documents call this mine “Pine Top Asbestos Mines”, “Pine Top Asbestos Mine”, “Pine Top asbestos mill”, “Pine Top mill”, “Pine Top asbestos mine”.

See also

• Asbestos exposure sites in Arizona
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, February 1944 (February 1, 1944), p. 34.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), pp. 3–4.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1944, November 1944 (November 1, 1944), p. 32.
4. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1943 (January 1, 1944), p. 3.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1944 (January 1, 1945), p. 3.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1945 (January 1, 1946), p. 3.
7. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, April 1946 (April 1, 1946), p. 45.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1946 (January 1, 1947), p. 2.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1951 (January 1, 1952), p. 2.
10. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1953 (January 1, 1954), p. 2.