Yerington Monday: Anaconda Copper Mine - Part Three: Weed Heights

Yerington Monday:  Anaconda Copper Mine - Part Three:  Weed Heights

A company town, Weed Heights, was built to support the Anaconda Mine operations which ran from 1952 until 1978. The Anaconda Copper Company built Weed Heights in 1952, named for Clyde E Weed, vice president in charge of Anaconda operations.  The elevation of Weed Heights is 4,665 feet.

In its peak years, Anaconda employees operating giant shovels, bulldozers and trucks gouged 50,000 tons of earth from a huge open pit mine each day. And every day, 300,000 pounds of copper was refined from the earth they removed. The mine at one time employed 550.

Aerial view of Weed Heights and the pit.

Sign at base of roading leading to Weed Heights.

The first thing one had to get by was the guard shack at the mine entrance.

Then you would pass the administrative building.

Finally you would drive under the overpass where the dart trucks passed back and forth from pit to processor building.

Welcome To Weed Heights

A post office was established March 16, 1953. The town was owned by Anaconda until the company was taken over by Atlantic Richfield Company.

The Anaconda Copper Company built Weed Heights in 1952, named for Clyde E Weed, vice president in charge of Anaconda operations.

Atlantic Richfield ceased operations in 1978 and sold the property in 1982 to Don Tibbals, a Lyon County commissioner, who subsequently sold the entire property to Arimetco, with the exception of the town of Weed Heights, which is now a rental community and RV park.

An article was written in a newspaper with this headline:

Resurrecting a Ghost Town : Couple Reviving Mine--and Its Community

July 05, 1989|CHARLES HILLINGER | Times Staff Writer

When Don Tibbals first arrived here, he was a hay hauler with a broken-down truck. Disgusted with his job, he sold the truck and went to work for Anaconda Copper Co., which owned the town and a nearby mine.

That was 40 years later, Tibbals owned the mine and the town. And therein lies a tale of one man's efforts to bring his community back to life.

When copper prices plunged, Anaconda sold the mine to Arco in 1976. Two years later the mine shut down. Weed Heights became a ghost town. Only Tibbals and his wife remained.

Tibbals, 57, had played a part in the mining operation from the day construction started until the mine played out. He had quit the mine to begin his own business in 1955, Tibbals Construction Co., a company that eventually employed 45 and worked almost exclusively for the Anaconda Copper Mine.

When the mine closed, the mill, shops, offices and 256 company homes stood vacant for seven years. The huge open pit slowly began filling with water. Arco, the last owner, put the property on the market in 1983. Tibbals made a modest bid. It was accepted.

A former Arco executive recalled the sale: "We wanted to liquidate the property. We sold it to Tibbals at a bargain-basement price. Essentially, we gave it away." Neither Tibbals nor Arco revealed the amount.

Tibbals now owned 4,000 acres of land, the huge hole, the old shops, equipment, the mill, offices and the former town of Weed Heights, which includes the homes, the old post office, a community hall, a recreation hall, swimming pool and park.

Tibbals' wife, Joy, 53, worked in accounting and personnel for Anaconda. They live in one of the company homes she and her husband are refurbishing.

"It was Don's idea to buy the old town and mine. He could see great potential here," Joy Tibbals said.

"Joy and I just hated to see the place die," Don Tibbals said. "The homes were well-built. I know. I helped build them. The sewer and water systems were redone in the 1970's. I know. I did the work. We wanted to breathe new life into this place."

Condition of houses before restorations.

 

100 Homes Restored

The Tibbals have put new kitchens, bedrooms, carpeting, acoustic ceiling and windows in the 100 homes they have already restored. They are renting the one-to-four-bedroom houses for $290 to $375 a month.

Many retired Southern Californians are living in the homes. The Tibbals said they have a long waiting list of people wanting to move into the houses still to be renovated.

A renovated home at Weed Heights.

My uncle & aunts house, Charles and Jerry McGee, after renovation

The Crouse family’s first house at Weed Heights after renovation.  They had twelve children and Mrs. Crouse babysat my mother’s four kids as well.  That made 16 little faces to feed and care for.  Got to take my hat off to that lovely lady.

The Tibbles erected a large gazebo in the town park, opened the recreation hall and fixed up the swimming pool.

They have refurbished the community hall, which now is being used not only by the residents of Weed Heights, but of nearby Yerington as well..

Gazebo in the town park and tennis courts

The swimming pool.

DJ’s Tee Off (the miniature golf course)

Weed Heights RV Park

"Joy and Don Tibbals are certainly on the right track," said Joe Dini, 60, owner of the Lucky Club Casino in Yerington and Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly. "They're resurrecting a ghost town that would have sat there and rotted away if they hadn't come along."

The Tibbals had high hopes for Weed Heights, They hoped to see it become an incorporated town. They  looked forward to the reopening of the Weed Heights Post Office.

Don and Joy Tibbals and Their Burros

When you first meet Don and Joy Tibbals they strike you as the kind of friendly, hard working grandparents you remember from your youth. Owners of a 56-acre ranch along the Walker River just west of Yerington, Nevada ("the hay truck I was driving broke down here in 1951 and I stayed," says Don), the Tibbals can boast of having eight children, twenty-seven grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, two dogs, two mules, eleven cows, and twenty-two, count-em, twenty-two burros. The burros were adopted off Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands in Nevada and California.

The Tibbals are without a doubt some of the most successful adopters to participate in the BLM’s adoption program for excess wild burros from rangelands in southern Nevada and California. They love animals and the feeling seems mutual.

"People around the valley often refer to me as ‘The Donkey Lady of Yerington,’" says Joy. "We get asked about them all the time. They are quite visible to the public because a Nevada State Highway and rest stop border our fields. People love to come pet them – they’re gentle and have been trained not to bite or kick – plus, they’ll bring them apples and carrots. But you know what their favorite treat is? Pancakes!"

Adoption Success in Nevada

The burros all came originally from BLM managed public lands surrounding Death Valley National Park and from near Needles, California. Don and Joy spotted a number of them at the BLM wild horse and burro holding center outside Ridgecrest, California. "We immediately went about adopting as many as BLM could allow," says Joy. "Don had animals as a boy, but I grew up in Ogden, Utah, so it was all new to me. But they’re like family now. Our grandkids just love to come feed and hang on them."

Burros & Baseball

Don admits he grew up with burros around Bishop, California, and has always thought that they are the smartest and most trainable of hooved animals. "Burros like to participate in things you would never dream of trying with a horse. I remember playing donkey baseball at a Lion’s Club sponsored event in Bishop back in 1948," says Don. That’s when you form up teams where the players have to lead a burro around with them while they bat or try to field the ball. It leads to some really hilarious moments. The burros will cooperate for most of the game, but they do live up to their stubborn reputation at times – they don’t always want to go where you want them to or when you want them to."

Donkey Days

In addition to their ranch and Don's position as a Commissioner for Lyon County, the Tibbals own the rental community of Weed Heights west of Yerington and annually host their own "Donkey Days" festival in the park there. Guess what the biggest event of the week is? Yep, Donkey Baseball is back, followed by a big evening barbecue; both are a hit with players and spectators alike. Word-of-mouth among RV camper owners is spreading the news of the family-oriented festival held every September. The Tibbals have traveled in their RV, too, and they provide some nice facilities for those who come to Donkey Days.

How do you properly prepare for Donkey Baseball?

Don says there is a secret to burro base running success when rounding the bases in Donkey Baseball. "Keep talking to them as you’re walking alongside," says Don. "They’ll usually go right along with you. Most people think you have to get behind them and yell ‘yee-haw, let’s go,’ but they’ll run straight past first base and won’t stop until they get to the right field fence."

Any last minute base running advice?  "Yeah, don’t forget to let go of the rope if you trip," says Don.

Tibbals Tidbits on Raising Burros

Do the Tibbals have advice to potential adopters of BLM burros? "Burros are very social animals so remember that they are happier in a group and love company. They also are good companions for mules, horses, and even sheep," says Don. "You also should take time to work with each animal. Remember to approach them from the side and keep talking in low, gentle tones. Most of them respond very well if you don’t approach them directly from the front – they perceive that as a threat. Burros are desert animals so they don’t like wet soil conditions. Make sure they have some dirt and dust to roll around in since that is their way of taking a bath and keeping the bugs off."

The Tibbals were glad to pass on their experiences and suggestions to future potential adopters of BLM burros. Potential adopters are also invited to the annual Donkey Days each September.

A portion of the small town of Weed Heights sits on the edge of the large open pit mine owned by Arimetco near Yerington.

Aerial view of Weed Heights and the pit.