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Images
PHOTOS: Copper in southern Arizona
PHOTOS: Copper in southern Arizona
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A collection of gemstones donated to San Manuel's museum sit in glass display cases. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Memorabilia from Magma Copper Company is on display at San Manuel's museum. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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David Prough at the San Manuel Historical Museum. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Metal lunchboxes used by miners are displayed at San Manuel's museum. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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The San Manuel Historical Museum houses blueprints and photos of the original town, along with items like lunchboxes, helmets and picks used by miners. (Alisa Reznick / KJZZ)
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David Prough shows a spool of paper-thin copper donated to the San Manuel Historical Museum. (Alisa Reznick / KJZZ)
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Alisa Reznick/KJZZ (A turnoff for the San Manuel Historical Museum sits on the edge of town.)
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Laurie Smalla and other volunteers with the San Manuel Revitalization Coalition helped to renovate parts of the town originally built by Magma Copper Company — like a community center and park. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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A San Manuel resident stands outside of one of the town's shopping strips. Many local businesses have closed in the years since the mine closed in 1999. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, is tracking the progress of an exploratory mining operation in the Galiuro Mountains. (Alisa Reznick / KJZZ)
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Water near an old mine project appears a bright greenish-blue. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Russ McSpadden looks at older mining efforts in the Galiuro Mountains. The mountain is one of several high-altitude ranges in southern Arizona and northern Mexico that are called sky islands, where vastly different environments allow for some of the richest biodiversity in the world. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Russ McSpadden looks at a collection of GPS coordinates he's marked to follow various mining efforts in the Galiuro range. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Elements left behind from decades of mining projects can be seen in the Galiuro mountains. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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An old wooden bridge marks where a historic mine once operated in the Galiuro Mountains outside Tucson. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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Heavy machinery is station in a rugged stretch of the Galiuro range, where Faraday Copper is conducting exploratory drilling. (Alisa Reznick/KJZZ)
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The Galiuro Mountains are a biodiversity hotspot sandwiched by the towns of San Manuel, Oracle and Mammoth. (Alisa Reznick / KJZZ)
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