billrquimby Report post Posted November 7, 2012 For some reason, I've been unable to respond to posts on this forum lately. Here's what I would have liked to reply to Shawn's post asking for someone to identify the structure he found in a wash while hunting mule deer. I don't think it's a well, but it could be what's left of a primitive smelter for processing copper, gold or silver ore. If so,it might even date as far back as the time of the early Spanish exploration of our region. Don't know where Shawn found it, but there are a number of old Spanish mine sites near Arivaca. As a boy in about 1950 or so I found a site in the Baboquivaris where they had crushed ore with a huge donut-shaped rock, which they apparently had pulled by burros or oxen. When I returned a few years later, someone had somehow hauled that heavy rock out of there. I wouldn't have known a smelter if I'd seen one then, but I suspect there was one nearby. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted November 7, 2012 good info Bill! also, please email me more details about your posting problem so we can get that solved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn Report post Posted November 7, 2012 For some reason, I've been unable to respond to posts on this forum lately. Here's what I would have liked to reply to Shawn's post asking for someone to identify the structure he found in a wash while hunting mule deer. I don't think it's a well, but it could be what's left of a primitive smelter for processing copper, gold or silver ore. If so,it might even date as far back as the time of the early Spanish exploration of our region. Don't know where Shawn found it, but there are a number of old Spanish mine sites near Arivaca. As a boy in about 1950 or so I found a site in the Baboquivaris where they had crushed ore with a huge donut-shaped rock, which they apparently had pulled by burros or oxen. When I returned a few years later, someone had somehow hauled that heavy rock out of there. I wouldn't have known a smelter if I'd seen one then, but I suspect there was one nearby. Bill Quimby Thanks Bill for the reply. My dad was thinking it was an old smelter also when I showed him pics. I thought it was to big around for a well, it was about 10 feet across and 15 feet deep. Im thinking it was form the early spanish, I couldn't find sign of anything else around it. It was about 30 miles from Arivaca. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted November 7, 2012 Amanda. Obviously, I am able to reply to a post I created. With everything else, though, the area below the statement "reply to this topic" is frozen. I can't type anything in it. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benbrown Report post Posted November 8, 2012 Sorry, Bill, I didn't see this post until I had already replied in Shawn's original post. I think that you are correct. Ben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billrquimby Report post Posted November 18, 2012 My thanks go to you, Ben. Although I knew it, for the life of me, I had a senior moment and could not remember the word "arrasta" when I described that huge stone I had found in the Baboquivaris what seems like 100 years ago. As you obviously know, arrastas were used to crush ore so that it could be more easily handled and smelted into bricks. Bill Quimby Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
