When there is quarantine or lockdown, when schools close their on-campus activities, businesses close, workers are laid off or start working remotely, coronavirus gives us a kick in the ass, but also the unexpected gift of time. At the very least, commuting and travel time is saved, and at most, you could be presented with […]
Robert Gay
Posted inArts & Culture
Village Gets a Valentine
Photo by Robert Gay Just before Valentine’s Day, a small heart rock and a few other stones appeared at the edge of a new sidewalk and wheelchair ramp being poured near the Long Realty office in Patagonia. Placed by Robert Gay, the heart is not meant as a reference to being stone-hearted, but rather as […]
Posted inCommunity
The Future of the 1872 Mining Law
The 1872 General Mining Act has shaped the opportunities, behavior and effects of the hardrock mining industry for almost a century and a half. The Act’s creation of the claim-patenting process was a natural complement to the 1862 Homestead Act, as both acts were intended to help settle and develop the West. The mission of […]
Posted inCommunity
Forest Service Plugs Lead Queen Mine
The historic Lead Queen Mine in the Patagonia Mountains, which produced lead, silver and small amounts of copper between 1898 and 1940, has intermittently leaked toxic minerals, both visible and invisible, ever since. In 2014, monsoon rains caused a dramatic orange outflow that attracted media attention, followed by two Coronado National Forest (CNF) projects attempting […]
Posted inLocal News
Rio Tinto Mining Claims Large Tracts of Land in Eastern SCC
In the last three years, Rio Tinto, an international mining company, has staked two large groups of mineral claims in the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains. The claim stakes typically bear the initials “KEX”, for Kennicott Exploration Company, an American subsidiary of Rio Tinto, the third largest mining company in the world. Claims are generally […]
Posted inLocal News
Changes Coming to Downtown Patagonia
As Patagonia enters a new decade, a quiet renewal is occurring in the heart of its ‘downtown’ retail district. Between the Stage Stop Inn and a vacant lot, two new owners share a joined building on McKeown Ave, fronted by a covered sidewalk with a step to the pavement that provides pedestrians with both protection […]
Posted inLocal News
Spirit World 100 Bike Race
Early on November 9th, 110 very fit riders set of to pedal the dirt and gravel between Patagonia and the border in the Spirit World 100 bicycle race. The race drew about 150 visitors to town. The riders, who came from 22 states and one Canadian province, were challenged to finish either the 100-mile or […]
Posted inLocal News
Remediation Work Continues in Mansfield Canyon
Map adapted from U.S. Forest Service Road Closure Map. A mine remediation project in Mansfield Canyon, accessed by Temporal Canyon Rd, is being conducted by the Nogales District of the Coronado National Forest (CNF). There are four phases in the project: tunnel and shaft protection, road maintenance and realignment, tailings relocation and biological restoration. The […]
Posted inPRT Newspaper
Fire at High Spirits, Patagonia
Fire at High Spirits Flute Factory was contained to one storage building on the premises. Photo: Robert Gay Patagonia residents were alarmed by the smoke in town on the night of June 14. A fire had began about 9 pm on June 14th at High Spirit Flute Factory, located off Harshaw Ave. A man who […]
Posted inCommunity
Luau, Shirt Sale Benefit KPUP
Guests enjoy the evening of food and dancing at the annual KPUP luau. Photo by Robert Gay Every spring for the last 11 years, a tropical fever of sorts spreads in the Patagonia region, culminating with a tropical-themed community party to benefit Patagonia’s favorite (and only) radio station, KPUP. 70 diners spread happily under the […]