Wilson Cherry Creek mine, near Young, Arizona

The Wilson Cherry Creek mine, near Young, Arizona, was a chrysotile mine that the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook first lists in 1950, when Gila Asbestos Co. of Globe "started operations in March 1950 at the Wilson Cherry Creek mine near Young."¹ The yearbook for 1951 says that American Asbestos Cement Corp., "on February 5, 1951, took over Wilson Cherry Creek mine, formerly operated by Gila Asbestos Co."² The yearbooks list the company as active in 1952 and 1953, without naming its mine.^3,5 In October 1953 Jack L. Neal of the Arizona Asbestos Producers Association wrote in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, that the American Asbestos and Cement Company, "operating their mines and mill in the Cherry Creek district south of Young," was "another of the major producers of the district."⁴ He added that after diamond drilling aided by the Defense Minerals Administration, engineers reported "between $400,000 and $500,000. worth of inferred ore in the drilled area"; his article names no mine.⁴

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁴

Location

Year by year

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

1950

• Worked: “Gila Asbestos Co. ... Wilson Cherry Creek mine near Young (active)” (Gila Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹
• Opened: “started operations in March 1950 at the Wilson Cherry Creek mine near Young” (Gila Asbestos Co.), p. 2¹

1951

• Worked: “American Asbestos Cement Corp. ... took over Wilson Cherry Creek mine (active)” (American Asbestos Cement Corp.), p. 2²
• Ownership: “on February 5, 1951, took over Wilson Cherry Creek mine, formerly operated by Gila Asbestos Co.” (American Asbestos Cement Corp.), p. 2²

1952

• Worked: “American Asbestos Cement Corp., 115 West Oak St., Globe (active)” (American Asbestos Cement Corp.), p. 2³

1953

• Worked: “The American Asbestos and Cement Company, operating their mines and mill in the Cherry Creek district south of Young” (The American Asbestos and Cement Company), said by Jack L. Neal, Secretary, Arizona Asbestos Producers Association, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16⁴
• Exploration: “An extensive diamond drilling operation ... $400,000 and $500,000. worth of inferred ore” (The American Asbestos and Cement Company), said by Jack L. Neal, Secretary, Arizona Asbestos Producers Association, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16⁴
• Worked: “American Asbestos Cement Corp., 115 West Oak St., Globe (active)” (American Asbestos Cement Corp.), p. 2⁵

See also

• Asbestos exposure sites in Arizona
• All asbestos mines

References

1. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1950 (January 1, 1951), p. 2.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1951 (January 1, 1952), p. 2.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1952 (January 1, 1953), p. 2.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1953, October 1953 (October 1, 1953), p. 16.
5. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1953 (January 1, 1954), p. 2.