Freeport McMoRan’s 80-square mile Morenci mine, the largest copper mine in North America, has laid waste to two important family historical markets: the Shannon Mine in Metcalf that made William Boyce Thompson a millionaire and the family home where Julius Kruttschnitt entertained family guests after the birth of his first daughter, Meanie. The recent discovery, […]
Memories of Mount Isa: Candace Remembers Her Trip to Casa Grande
Several years ago, Dr. Candace Kruttschnitt traveled to Mount Isa to visit Casa Grande, the architecturally significant house built by her grandfather, Julius Kruttschnitt, Jr., general manager of the Mount Isa Mine. A grand house designed by the prominent Brisbane firm of Donoghue, Cusick, and Edwards reflected the influence of Kruschnitt’s time spent in Arizona and Mexico. […]
John Kruttschnitt Played a Bizzare Practical Joke at His Sister’s Wedding Reception
Newspapers in New Orleans and other cities carried breathless accounts of Rebecca Kruttschnitt’s (1889-1975) wedding in 1911 to English suitor Henry C. Woodhouse. The reports focused on the glorious venue, the glamorous dresses the bride and maids wore, and the bountiful flowers that adorned the scene. They missed the most exciting event. “The wedding reception,” […]
Charting My Jewish Roots Along a Misleading Path
I got woefully lost tracing my family’s Jewish roots and fell into a familiar trap. Like many family history researchers trolling the Internet, I wanted to believe I was related to the great Moses Levy, a New York merchant who commissioned museum-quality portraits for most of his family members. My fifth grandmother was a Levy, […]
Real Estate Mogul Fred Pickering Died Alone
Rhoda Anne Williams and Walter Hinds Doty hadn’t been married too long when a mysterious visitor showed up in their driveway.
The Man from Asarco Once Visited St. Louis
Julius Kruttschnitt, Jr. (1885-1974) was so famous in Australia that a letter addressed “Julius Kruttschnitt, Australia” was likely to reach him. But in the late 1960s, when the mining magnate visited the St. Louis suburb where my family lived, he was just another great-grandfather visiting his great-grandchildren. According to his biography, The Man from Asarco, […]