Key West
Around 1896, copper ore was discovered by Scott Allen, a Cherokee, at what would become the Key West mine. The Copper King district was organized in December 1896, and Camp Vida was established - though it only lasted a short period of time. From 1900 until 1903 the Key West property was explored for copper and nickel. Small amounts of platinum were also discovered during this time. A carload of ore was shipped by the Nevada Copper & Nickel Company in 1903, and additional shipments were made in 1908 and 1916 before the mine closed. An attempt to rework the mine in 1929 yielded 2000 tons of copper-nickel ore, but poor mill recovery led to another closure. Other attempts were made in 1936 and the early 1950s, but with little success and the mine has remained mostly idle since.
