Top to bottom: Clifton’ s Visitor Center is in the 1913- era Mission Revival train depot. This baby- gauge locomotive, nicknamed“ Copper Head,” dates to 1897. Storefronts on Chase Creek Street in Clifton’ s historic district.
We stopped to take in the sights in Clifton, a copper mining town founded in the 1870s that’ s located at the confluence of the San Francisco River and Chase Creek. Clifton’ s historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes dozens of buildings built in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Riding north out of town, the road climbs through two sweeping hairpin turns and turnoffs for Morenci, Clifton’ s sister city, as it enters an industrial area. At a confusing junction, we mistakenly turned onto an access road for an ore- processing facility.
After realizing we weren’ t in Kansas anymore, we returned to the main road and soon entered the Morenci
The Morenci Mine covers 96 square miles and is 4,450 feet deep.
36 | OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2025 | AMERICANRIDER. COM