[Source: Max Jarman, Arizona Republic] -- The toppling of two 500-foot smokestacks in San Manuel on Wednesday symbolized the bittersweet transition of this 4,500-resident community from a rambunctious mining town to a haven for retirees. The stacks, which were the most prominent reminders of the southeastern Arizona community's mining days, were leveled with 320 pounds of explosives that caused the giant towers to topple like felled trees. Jamie Dicus, who has lived here for 53 years, cried when the dust settled and the familiar landmarks were no more. She worked in Tucson for a while and always was relieved when she topped the hill and the towers came into view. "When I saw them, I'd say, 'Thank God, I'm home,'" she said.Added Charlie Looney, "It's the end of an era. Generation after generation worked here, and now it's ending," said Looney, a longtime miner. Many old-timers thought that, as long as the stacks stood, there was a possibility the mine, which closed in 1999, could reopen. But as the chimneys fell Wednesday, they were forced to accept that San Manuel's mining days were over. Controlled Demolition Inc. of Maryland handled the job, first weakening the stacks' bases and then creating notches that made them fall in the prescribed direction. The company holds the U.S. record for demolishing a concrete chimney, a 750-foot stack brought down near McGill, Nev., in 1993.
Built a decade before Sun City, San Manuel was Arizona's first Del Webb community. It was built in the early 1950s by Phoenix contractor Del E. Webb as a company town for workers at Magma Copper Co.'s nearby San Manuel Mine. And, although it never was intended as a retirement community, most of its residents are now retirees. When the mine closed, taking away the livelihoods of more than 2,000 miners and their families, it looked like San Manuel might die. But as the miners moved on, retirees began buying up their houses, breathing new life into the community.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo by Gary Gaynor, Tucson Citizen.]
