Contributions by web visitors to Ray-Sonora web site

This picture of the high school, drawn by Kathy's Dad, was used on .Ray High School stationary. Mr. .Case also took pictures of downtown .Ray. These have been distributed to others including the museum in .Florence, AZ.

(I asked Kathy where the HS was --ovk) The elementary school was .Lincoln Elementary. Straight above, about a mile walk, was .Ray High School. The two schools were connected by an old trail with stairs that many kids used. Later a shorter trail, sort of paved and straighter, was built.

Kathy's Dad was Randolph V. .Case. He was the second elementary principal at Lincoln Elementary, he also went to Sonora Elementary. Kathy's Mom, Berniece .Case, taught high school English and history and worked in the library

Dusty writes that there was a bar in Ray, the Richelieu Bar, that offered tokens to patrons. His Dad, Arthur Eugene Tibbs, converted the token to a watch fob. After his service in the Marines he had gone to watch maker/ jewelry school, but moved from his birth place of Poplar Bluff, Mo. and went to work in the mines. He worked in the Ray Mine nearly 40 years, until it was shut down by Kennecott. He served as a gate guard during his final days of employ before taking his retirement.

Dusty shared several other mementos with us. This first is a safety award. The text is " Safety Award, Ray Consolidated, Mining."

This badge has the words Ray and Kennecott and Security but the others are illegible. The central symbol's meaning is unknown.

KW Dart is on the front; Certified Operator is on the back-- of this watch fob earned by drivers of the huge ore haulers.

Dorothy

Dorothy is not from Ray but-- "Hi,
This panoramic photo was on its way to the trash can. I was helping a friend that was cleaning out an old shed. It was a dirty dusty job but I loved it! (Every historians dream to find an old shed full of great stuff)

Her mother in law had moved into a house in Clarkdale in 1916, lived there until she died, she had moved from Phoenix when her husband started working for the mining company in Jerome/Clarkdale. She brought with her, her Grandfather Sam's things, he was civil war veteran and a Tombstone gunsmith. He was there when they had the shoot out. Her father Philip was an amateur photographer who had live in various Arizona mining towns. So there were things dating back to 1850. He had saved his fathers things and added a lot of his own to be saved.The son died and his wife wanted to get rid of all the 'stuff' in the shed that had been sitting there since 1916.

I know the historical value of old papers and photos and wanted to be sure they were saved. I also know how much stuff is trashed by relatives "cleaning out". The panoramic is in bad shape. I did manage to steam it open and scan it and haven't touched it since. Some of the photos that we found are so great, it blew me away. About 80% of the things were old books.

So fast forward 2 years when I happened to watch a PBS story on Sonora and Ray and thought, I have pictures of Ray! Did a little research and could not find the panoramic shown, found your web site and here I am. Are you the Ray historian? I was born in Clarkdale in 1934 and love Arizona history.

It looks like the town was still being constructed. When would that have been? There are six photos that I haven't scanned yet. A couple are of mine equipment and the rest are landscapes. On one of the photos is written Ray 1920(?) Philip was so good at dating and identifying all the rest of the pictures, but he seems unsure of the date on the Ray photos.

Sam Barden

"Hi. I am in the process of scanning photographs belonging to my parent's and grandparent's. There are 4 photos that I've come across related to Ray, AZ and the Hercules Copper Mine. The photo album contains pictures from 1917 and 1918, though I don't know if these particular photos are from those years. ...." 1/27/2009.

Caption: "Shaft Entrance to Hercules Copper Mine" Here-evidently under construction. By 1944 mill and elevator were abandoned and was a playground for some. Several of us were swinging on a knotted rope in the elevator. John McCormick fell from the swing and walked painfully home - a mile. (Broken hip! I believe two of us helped-one under each arm.) Downtown Ray is at the lower right.

Caption: "On a trail to the gold mine about 5000 ft above the city of Ray, Arizona." Question: Can anyone tell us what the uniform and saddle might indicate? Military? Cavalry saddle? The inset was computer edited to bring out the outline of Teapot Mtn. The faded building on the left is indistinguishable. From an email: "there were many small claims with small tunnels that were dug chasing an outcrop of mineral that someone hoped would turn into a vein containing gold or silver. The original prospectors were seeking gold and silver, not copper, when they made their way into these hills, so many stories told of "almost" finds. "--John Rich (2009) CLOSEUP/WITH QUESTIONS

Caption: "Up the Gila River Valley" Again, a question: What location are we looking at? I remember Mineral Creek looking something like this downstream? But any bridges would have been rail bridges? The comparison isn't good but the left side of the panorama on Mineral Creek resembles this picture. From email:" As to the picture labeled looking up the Gila, I believe that it is a picture looking up Mineral Creek from the top of a hill overlooking the flat area where the shops and #1 ore bin were later built. The bridge matches the one shown in one of Gary Spargo's pictures.The bridge would be for pedestrian and road traffic, since at that time there was no railroad on the east side of Mineral Creek. " -- from John Rich (2009)

Caption: "Species of Giant Cactus in Arizona"

June Morton

John Rich

Text from John is included as additions to several pictures on this website. " lived in Kelvin from 1927 until we moved to Ray in 1937. I lived in Ray until 1948." He is in a picture contributed by Gary Spargo

Ken Shake

Tommy Meisel

See Tommy's page--pictures and text of 1962-65. An excerpt: " There ( in Sonora) was a clothing store owned by Kelly Haddad, who was Lebanese and greatly loved by all in Sonora. He was also the Justice of the Peace,.... "

Don Mahan

Diane Ortigo

1931 Commencement Program-Ray HS, including graduates names and dignitaries. Diane, with no direct relationship to Ray-Sonora, was kind enough to send the Program.

Albert Ruiz/Theresa Ozuma

Albert Ruiz has been painting for quite some time now and he sent me (Tess) this (the left) painting. He wrote, "To everyone who remembers September 16 at the skating rink in Sonora, Arizona. (Ray High School is in upper left-hand corner)"

The right picture, Sonora in 1961, is discussed. And info about the painter requested!

Terry Hall

My name is Terry Hall I lived in Ray from 1950 to 1960 when we moved to Superior, AZ. I have many memories of Ray one of which concerned the “Old Man of the Mountain” My father was a Drilling foreman and remember him telling me how they were drilling the old man to blast it down. They drilled for several weeks and then Pete Perez and the blasting crew loaded all the holes. Pete hid under an old underground ore car and set the charge off. It was the largest single blast recorded up to that time in AZ. I remember it well we were at the old baseball diamond when it went off. Scared us all to death.

When we first got to Ray we lived in the old hotel. Then Noel Wilson in Kelvin offered for us to stay in his home until we were able to live in a little home owned by Mr. Chambers who was Postmaster for Kelvin with a small store there. Then we moved to Thomas Terrace in Ray. Afterward we moved to Teapot Terrace lived there till we moved to Superior. Many summers were spent climbing Teapot Mt. and swimming in the Ray swimming pool.

CONTRIBUTIONS BY VISITORS - 2

Kathy (.Case) Kangas

Ray High School

Dusty Tibbs