Old Dominion Mine (Old Dominion shaft; Globe and Transit Mine; Old Dominion and United Globe Mine), Buffalo Hill, Old Dominion vein system, Globe, Globe Hills, Globe Hills Mining District, Globe-Miami Mining District, Gila Co., Arizona, USAi

Regional Level Types
Old Dominion Mine (Old Dominion shaft; Globe and Transit Mine; Old Dominion and United Globe Mine)	Mine
Buffalo Hill	Hill
Old Dominion vein system	- not defined -
Globe	- not defined -
Globe Hills	Group of Hills
Globe Hills Mining District	Mining District
Globe-Miami Mining District	Mining District
Gila Co.	County
Arizona	State
USA	Country

A former underground Cu-Pb-Zn-Ag-Au (asbestos-aluminum-clay [kaolin]) mine located in sec. 23 & the W½ sec. 24, T1N, R15E (Globe 7.5 minute topo map), at the SE base of Buffalo Hill, about 1¼ miles N of Globe, on land of mixed status, including patented (private) land. The mine extends diagonally across sec. 24, following Alice Gulch and then continuing NE along Copper Gulch; claims cover the entire section. The major mine of the Globe District, closest to the town of Globe. The central claims are the Globe and Transit. USGS topo maps identify this mine as the Old Dominion shaft; however, noone calls it that. Discovered 1874. Closed 1957. Originally worked by the Long Island Co. and the Buffalo Mining and Smelting Co. (Buffalo Mining and Smelting Co. included in addition to those workings which became part of the Old Dominion Mine) the Buffalo Mine, which is described under a separate file. In 1883, the Old Dominion Copper Mining Co. abandoned the area it had been mining (the original Old Dominion or Keystone Mine) and took over the holdings of the Long Island Copper Co.; In 1891, Phelps Dodge bought the Buffalo Mining and Smelting Co. and renamed it the United Globe Mining Co. In 1895 the Old Dominion Copper Mining Co. was sold and reorganized as the Old Dominion Copper Mining and Smelting Co. In 1903 the Old Dominion and United Globe were combined as the Old Dominion Comapany, controlled by Phelps Dodge. In 1931, the mine was bought by Miami Copper Co., now part of Cities Service Co. Past leasees and operators of the mine include George Hansen; Heron and Gribble; F.A. Bennet; Norman Deveaux; R. Henderson; Metzel; and, Kilpatrick. Operated by the Cities Services Co. (1982). NOTE: Additional names which apply to this property: United Globe property; Hoosier group; Hoosier shaft; Buffalo group; Cleveland group; and the Grey shaft. NOTE: Alternate coordinates provided: 33.41472N, 110.79028W.

In 1882, the Long Island Copper Co. was organized to work the present Old Dominion vein. In 1883, the Old Dominion Copper Co. purchased the holdings of the Long Island Copper Co., which included the Globe, Globe Ledge, and Alice claims. From this time on the mine became generally known as the Old Dominion. In 1886 the Old Dominion property was sold at auction to William Keyser of Baltimore. The Old Dominion Copper Co. was reorganized in 1888. In July, 1895, the Old Dominion Copper Co. was sold to the Lewisohn-Bigelow interests and reortganized as the Old Dominion Copper Mining and Smelting Co. Toward the end of 1901, the shareholders of Old Dominion Copper Co. had regained control of the property from the Lewisohn-Bigelow interests. In 1903 the Old Dominion Copper Mining and Smelting Co. and United Globe Mines Co. were acquired by the Old Dominion Co., which had been organized as a holding company under control of Phelps, Dodge & Co. Closed October 14, 1931 after 50 years of continuous operation.

Mineralization is the Old Dominion vein with an irregular ore body hosted in Troy Quartzite, Naco Limestone, Martin Limestone, Escabrosa Limestone, Mescal Limestone, and the Dripping Springs Quartzite. The ore zone is 3352.8 meters in length, 30.48 meters wide, and 18.29 meters thick, striking N58E and dipping vertically. Ore occurs along faults in the limestone, quartzite and diabase and along bedding planes between the quartzite and limestone. Associated rock units included the Madera Diorite and the Schultze Granite. Ore control was fault zones trending NE and N-S, and bedding planes dipping gently SSW. Ore concentration was in the erosional period preceding dacite eruption. It is questionable that any appreciable enrichment occurred in the present erosion cycle, except perhaps NE of the mine.

Alteration in the central vein, where limestone was most completely replaced by hypogene sulfides, and gangue minerals, downward migration of copper continued as long as pyrite remained in the vein. When all pyrite had been either oxidized or replaced, further oxidation altered the chalcocite to copper carbonates and oxides in the oxidation zone.

Area structures included two small, parallel, NW-trending faults. One intersects with a NE-trending fault near a shaft. Tertiary dacite overlies the deposit to the NW. N and W of the mine is a complex network of NE and N-S faults in Precambrian diabase and lower Paleozoic sediments.

Workings include several shafts including the Old Dominion A shaft, B shaft, C shaft, Interloper, Kingdom, Globe, Hoosier, Grey, and Cuprite. Workings total 30480 meters in length and 1219.2 meters in depth. The length of the workings is estimated from Peterson, USGS PP 342, Plate 3. The Interloper shaft which opened the mine to the sixth level circa 1888; later the "A" shaft was added. Circa 1894 the mine was developed to the eighth level and the first serious trouble with water began. By 1901 the mine was opened to the twelfth level. The mine was opened to the 18th. level circa 1914 and produced 3,750,000 gallons (about 15,000,000 liters) of water per day. By the beginning of 1931, the mine reached the 26th. level (2,200 feet) with discouraging results. Art this point the underground mine workings had been extended 4,500 feet southwestward under the cover of dacite and Gila Conglomerate.

No alunite or actinolite production.

References

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Link to USGS MRDS:	10046353

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