__NOTOC__ Inspiration is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

Gila County, Arizona Gila County ( ) is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe. Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona micropolitan statistical area which is inclu ...

, in the United States. It has an estimated elevation of above sea level. Inspiration was the

company town A company town is a place where all or most of the stores and housing in the town are owned by the same company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schoo ...

for the Inspiration copper mine. The old Inspiration townsite is on company property, and is not accessible to the general public.

History

Inspiration had its start as a copper-mining settlement. According to tradition, the area was so named when a local prospector dreamed of finding a mine, and his dream came true. A post office called Inspiration was established in 1917, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1983. At its peak population, Inspiration had between 350 and 400 people. There were 89 houses, three duplex apartment houses, the Benjamin Franklin School, the Warrior Store and service station, the Inspiration Post Office, and the telephone office. As of 2013, only the school building, the gas station, and some walls and foundations remain. Inspiration ghost town
Accessed June 24, 2018

Inspiration mine

The rich Inspiration copper mine opened in 1911. It was promoted by

Boyce Thompson Boyce Thompson, Jr. (born October 1, 1955) is an American magazine editor and the author of five books, including ''The Forever Home'' (Schiffer 2023) and ''Lincoln’s Lost Colony'': The Black Emigration Scheme of Bernard Kock (McFarland 2023) ...

, who owned the nearby Magma Mine in

Superior, Arizona Superior (Western Apache language, Western Apache: Yooʼ Łigai) is a town in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States, and is the oldest town in the county. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the tow ...

. He retained a 15% interest in the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company when that was founded in 1915. The mine is currently operated by

Freeport-McMoran Freeport-McMoRan Inc., often called Freeport, is an American mining company based in the Freeport-McMoRan Center, in Phoenix, Arizona. The company is the world's largest producer of molybdenum, a major copper producer and operates the world's la ...

, which renamed it the Miami Mine.

References

Featured in the film "A Kiss Before Dying " 1956 MGM Robert Wagner Joanne Woodward. {{authority control Ghost towns in Arizona Unincorporated communities in Gila County, Arizona Unincorporated communities in Arizona