Learn how the communities we've visited, filmed and written about respond to their long-standing relationships with ASARCO.,

Start reading about Ruston, Washington here. Ruston’s identity, culture, and economy were bound to the smelter.

Begin reading about El Paso here. ASARCO was central to El Paso’s economy. By 1927 it commanded "a million dollar payroll."

From its earliest days Ruston was a close-knit community. Some Ruston residents trace their histories back to the first days of settlement.

Arizona mining history is marked by industrial strife, especially for Mexican-Americans who faced community and workplace discrimination.

For many years ASARCO in Ruston was one of the largest employers in the county, employing 1300 workers at its peak. The smelter’s...

Founded as a company town Hayden endured volatile strikes, and ever-growing evidence of health and environmental damage.

Because of its economic importance, residents were generally willing to live with odors and acid rain caused by proximity to the smelter.

By the 1970’s there were growing concerns about health and safety issues at ASARCO’s Ruston plant. The work was known to be hard and ...

It was common knowledge that Asarco often waited until the winds blew south towards Mexico to fire up the furnaces and increase production.

Residents and workers were invited to participate in a difficult decision--to weigh environmental health against economic health, or jobs.

This post describes struggles to regulate the heavy metals that imperiled the health of Puget Sound residents and despoiled the environment.