~ Copper 4 The Weekend™ ~

Broadstruck · December 3, 2016 6:13AM

1901-05 "In Copper We Trust" Douglas "Copper City Of The Southwest" Arizona, 32mm Diameter, Copper

I've always liked the slogan "In Copper We Trust" and have wanted a high grade example of this token for years. Patience finally yielded me an examples which betters the Ford/McSorley specimen. Struck by L.A. Rubber Stamp Company this pictorial token features a Donkey packed with mining equipment.

Douglas in Cochise County was founded in 1901 and incorporated in 1905 and was a smelter town for copper mines. The early 1900’s brought new recognition to this area when Phelps Dodge selected the Douglas area as a suitable site for its copper smelting activity. Bisbee’s copper mining operations were developing quickly and the company needed an area for a reduction works facility. Developers quickly took steps to establish a city, installing electricity and phone lines and other basic needs to meet the needs of a rapidly growing city. The city was thriving and Douglas became a gathering place for the people who worked the copper smelters and who farmed and ranched in the valley. At one time, Douglas was home to more than 13 movie theaters. The most famous and the only building remaining today is the Grand Theater. The Beaux Arts style building was considered one of the most deluxe entertainment venues in the Southwest and played host to vaudeville performers and other entertainment legends in its heyday.