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Entertainment Magazine: Tucson: Mt. Lemmon Mt. Lemmon History- the Long RoadBy Robert E. Zucker, publisher
At the turn of the 20th Century, the Mt. Lemmon area (called Mt. Lemon in newspapers) was a major source of copper mining. Some gold prospect claims were also made in the Santa Catalina mountains. These are some clips from Arizona newspapers about the development and history of Mt. Lemon/Mt Lemmon: August 31, 1901: The Catalina camp, a Detroit company managed by Francis B. Hartman, Is developing rich claims near the head of the canyon and just over the divide is Camp Condon, now shut down awaiting the arrival of heavy machinery. All these mines In the canyon are working in what seems the same lead. Rich in gold, silver and especially copper. If a wagon road Is built to Mt. Lemon it would aid In the development of these properties. From the Arizona Republican, Phoenix. August 27, 1908: Secretary Failor of Tucson chamber of commerce, after a trip over the ground is enthusiastic for an electric railroad to Mount Lemon which he thinks is destined to become a great summer resort. From the Daily Arizona Silver Belty, Globe, Arizona. November 5, 1915: Pima county has voted $300,00 road bonds, the proposition carrying by a two to one vote. A large part of the money will be expended on the Sabino Canyon Road, leading to Mt. Lemon. From The Coconino Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona. Sunday, May 4, 1919: The supervisors of Pima and Pinal counties have joined hands and purses in undertaking to build a road to Mount Lemon in the Santa Catalina mountains, the road to approach Mt. Lemon from the east. Such a road would open and cause to be developed a playground in 1.25 the Santa Catalina mountains, which would offer a place of pleasure and comfort during the summer for a large portion of Arizona where the heat of summer is something to avoid if possible for two or three months in the year. From the Tombstone Epitaph, Tombstone, AZ. July 4, 1919: The attention attracted to the summer resort in the Catalina mountains by the successful financing of the Mt Lemmon road is causing other valley dwellers in torrid Arizona to cast longing eyes toward the mountain peaks in their vicinity. Hard upon the heels of Senator Roberts proposal to make the glens and glades of the Chiricahuas accessible by means of an automobile road is attribute from Andrew Kimball of Thatcher to the delights of Mt Graham. From the Graham Guardian, Safford, AZ. April 9, 1920: PIMA COUNTY SUPERVISORS WILL OPEN MT. LEMMON ROAD. Although the government officials have fallend down in their attempts to get a good road through to Mt. Lemmon this year, the Pima county board of supervisors mean to open up the Mt. Lemmon country to the people of Tucson and southern Arizona this year and to that end is planning on puting (sic) through a temporary road as far as the Gold Mill to which the new highway is completed. From The Coconino Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona. August 7, 1920: The federal forest road fund at present has under construction the Mt. Lemmon road in Pima county. From the Mohave County Miner, Kingman, AZ. August 22, 1920: All main roads In the county In good shape; balance fair. Federal road to Mt Lemmon is completed. From the Tombstone Epitaph, Tombstone, AZ. Read more about the legends and history of the Treasures in the Santa Catalinas. Photo copyright Robert E. Zucker, 2010. These contents are copyright and are excerpts from the Book, "Treasures of the Santa Catalina Mountains."
Books about Mt. Lemmon and the Catalina Mountains
by Mary Ellen Barnes (Author). As you wind your way up the Catalina Highway, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a first-time visitor or a native Tucsonan; you know you’re on the way to someplace special. The Santa Catalina Mountains first captivated Tony Zimmerman on a 1937 hunting trip. Regard for the alpine beauty must have been in his genes—he was the son of Swiss German immigrants—and by 1940 the Tucson schoolteacher had begun taking his family to Mount Lemmon to spend the summer. Back then, the road up the mountain was a rough two-track dirt road from Oracle, and Summerhaven was nothing but a sleepy cluster of summer cabins. But Tony Zimmerman was to help change all of that. Paperback: 224 pages. Publisher: University of Arizona Press (June 11, 2009). Biking Mt. Lemmon
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Legends
of lost mines, lost cities and a lost mission have been passed down by
word of mouth for generations. The most famous legend, the Iron Door
Mine, helped launch the early American hunt for gold in the 1850s. Read
more about the legends and history behind them in a new local book on
the 
(Paperback)
