Evening lecture presented by Evan Jones from Unique Minerals of Phoenix, AZ titled “Ben Williams – First Superintendent of the Copper Queen Mine.” 

Keweenaw Mineral Days: A Presentation by Evan Jones

Presentation Title

Ben Williams – First Superintendent of the Copper Queen Mine

Date

Monday, August 4 at 7pm

Location

The Memorial Union Building, Ballroom B on the Michigan Technological University campus. Parking is free on campus after 4 pm.

Speaker's Biography:

A photograph in color of Evan Jones, shoulder and up. He is wearing a green colored shirt and his brown hair, speckled with gray, is longer and pulled back. He smiles into the camera and stands in front of more than a dozen, very colorful mineral specimesn in a glass case, where one shelf can be seen behind him.

Longtime mineral collector and dealer Evan Jones, son of author Bob Jones, started collecting minerals at age 9 and with his father visited museums, attended mineral shows, went on collecting trips and visited mineral dealers from an early age. A graduate of the geology program at ASU in Tempe, Arizona, Evan has been a full time mineral dealer since 1986 and is currently co-owner of the fine mineral dealership Unique Minerals, Inc. He has written articles for Mineralogical Record, Rocks & Minerals, LAPIS, Mineralien-Welt magazines and given talks around the country on the subject of Arizona and Mexican minerals, mines and history and recently was awarded the Best Article of 2021 in Mineralogical Record magazine by Friends of Mineralogy for his article on the Milpillas Mine in Mexico. His collection of Arizona minerals is considered one of the finest in the world.

A historical, black and white photograph of a well dressed and groomed younger man, Ben Williams . The photograph encompasses his head to the start of his chest.

 

Presentation Description:

Ben Williams (1852-1925) was one of the key men in establishing the Copper Queen mine at Bisbee, Arizona in the 1880's. He was responsible for general operations from 1880-1899. His mineral collection, consisting almost entirely of Bisbee specimens and representing a mineralogical time capsule from his time as mine superintendent, was packed up in the early 20th century only to resurface in 1998. Included in the collection were many fascinating photos, documents and historical artifacts.