QUANTRELL MINE

The Quantrell Mining Claim was one of eleven patented claims comprising the Elephant Head Mine Group (also known as the Tremaine-Daniels Group) which was located in the northwest corner of the Tyndall Mining District.  Development of this mine group was primarily confined to the Quantrell, Grand Prize and Horseshoe claims with the Quantrell being the most important. 

The Quantrell claim was located by Ben Daniels and two partners in 1907.  Daniels was a former Rough Rider in the Spanish-American War and was a close friend of Teddy Roosevelt.  Daniels was no stranger to the Santa Rita Mountains having built and lived in two cabins in Madera Canyon and was also the developer of Daniels Mine.

The Quantrell Mine is located in the northwest portion of the Santa Rita Mountains at an elevation of approximately 5100 feet.  The mine is situated in an area of intrusive granite and granite porphyry. The porphyry material is coarse grained and somewhat irregular in width. The ore is in sulfide form with the mineralization consisting primarily of lead and zinc with traces of gold, silver and copper.  In 1912, the indicated values of the ore ranged from $12.00 to $15.85 per ton.

The main shaft of the mine is reported to be 225 feet deep with levels at 50 feet, 100 feet and 150 feet.  Mr. Harry Barnes, a former mechanic at the mine indicated that the shaft was sunk in ore for its entire distance.  Most of the excavation was done by Chinese workers.

The Horseshoe Claim was located about 3,000 feet away from the Quantrell Claim.  A tunnel was started from the Horseshoe Claim, continued into the Grand Prize Claim and was evidently planned to connect to the Quantrell shaft and be used as a haulage-way for ore from the Quantrell workings. The tunnel extends about 800 feet toward the Quantrell shaft but is some 2200 feet short of its goal.


Summary prepare by T. Johnson from a Arizona Department of Mines Report titled “Report on the Examination of the Elephant Head Mine, Santa Cruz County, Arizona” by William E. Arndt

Additional Material: GVHC Library File 60