AzEntertain: Iron Door Mine

The Legend of the Iron Door Mine

The legendary gold mine in Oracle, AZ

By Robert Zucker

Deep in the mountains north of Tucson, Arizona may lie the legendary Iron Door Mine.

In Spanish, the Iron Door Mine is called "minas de la ferro con puerto en la Canada del Oro."

This mine is said to be one of "the most extensively hunted losts mines in North America."

The Iron Door Mine legend has been attributed to Jesuit priests who lived in the area until 1767 when they were ordered to return to Spain by the pope. The legend is that the priests hid gold that they mined near Oracle by building an iron door over the entrance before they left. They never returned and the gold may still be there, hidden by hundreds of years of dirt and growth.

The history of the Iron Door Mine treasure, believed to be in the Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, AZ- is unique. These videos follow Flint through some of the last territory untouched by developers between The Biosphere and Saddlebrooke.

It displays his attempts to save and preserve the rich history of the area. This sight is in the process of foreclosure due to lack of support from historical and local funding, and the rise in land prices in that area.

The Iron Door Mine land is for sale and listed in the active market.

Iron Door Mine Land for Sale

Silver & Gold Mine,  Tucson, AZ. Mine, jewelry grade gold, silver & silica ore in place, carat weight returns, historic property sold for $50,000 in 1915, outlets established for product now in museums worldwide. Land on Federal lease - mineral rights only for sale. 20 acres (871200 square ft. Unsubdivided Pima County, AZ.

The Iron Door Mine Museum

The lengend of the Iron Door Mine lives on at the Iron Door Mine Museum, operated by Flint Carter. Tours of the area, gold mining opportunities and specimens of minerals and artifacts he found near the area are on display.

The Iron Door Mine Museum is located on a half-acre property between Saddlebrook, Arizona and the Biosphere 2 near the opening of the Cañada del Oro. Call Flint Carter for a tour at 520-289-4566.

CodyStones For Sale

Gold & Silver from the Catalina Mts.
$20-$25,000

CODY STONE Sunrise Set, two pieces, $10,000 each, 14k, Michael Garcia & Flint Carter artist ORIGINAL. Can be seen at The Oracle Inn Steakhouse, Oracle, AZ. Only five Michael Garcia pieces remaining.

MORE CODY STONE AVAILABLE! Prices range from $20 to $25,000. Call Flint Carter at 520-289-4566 for more information. More on Cody Stone.

Iron Door Mine Videos

Watch several videos about the legendary Iron Door Mine, tour the Iron Door Mine Museum and discover the history and legend of the area with host Flint Carter.

Video #1: Tour Cañada del Oro- the Canyon of Gold and Iron Door Mine legend with Flint Carter

Video #2: Flint Carter describing his findings, the San Xavier Mission and other Arizona history and legend.

Video #3: Experience the Iron Door Mine Legend with Flint Carter

CodyStone- jewelry grade gold and silver in quartz

"Search for the Iron Door" CD

Listen to seven songs and ballads on CD about the Iron Door Mine, the Santa Catalina Mountains and Flint Carter. $9.95. Call 520-289-4566 for more information and to purchase directly. Mention the Iron Door web site.

Buffalo Bill "Beyond the Legend" DVD

See Flint Carter in "Buffalo Bill Cody Beyond the Legend" DVD. Presents the human side of Buffalo Bill. Preview video is  of a low quality Web browser. littlebighornproductions.com.
Tours of the Iron Door Mine Museum by Flint Carter, displays of artifacts and specimens from the surround area. Call 520-289-4566.

Cody Stone from the Catalina Mountains

Precious jewelry grade gold and silver in quartz pieces mined from the area are produced by jeweler WIlliam T. "Flint" Carter, who manages the Iron Door Mine Museum in Catalina, Arizona. He calls these precious stones called CodyStone.

For more information on this exquisite jewelry and a personal tour of the museum, call Flint Carter for a tour at 520-289-4566. Mention you saw this article on the Internet.

Commissions accepted for custom requests. Only 500 pieces of this type of jewelry produced, 350 have been placed. Certificate of Authenticity for Cody Stone provided with each piece and kept in permanent company records.

MICHAEL GARCIA, famous Native American artist from New Mexico.

Flint Carter, founder of Cody Stone in museums worldwide and The Mining Hall of Fame.

Oracle Inn on American Ave., downtown Oracle, AZ, Hwy 77
Call Flint Carter at 520-289-4566 for more information.

AZentertain.com
Historical Resources

Cody Stone is mined and designed as jewelry grade gold and silver in quartz from the Old West. Cody stone specimens are on display at the Oracle Inn Steakhouse & Saloon in Oracle, Arizona. Get a tour of the area, see the Iron Door Mine Museum artifacts and mine for gold with Flint Carter, call 520-289-4566

From Amazon

"MacKenna's Gold" DVD

starring Gregory Peck

Attempting to do for Westerns what his Guns of Navarone had done for World War II action epics, director J. Lee Thompson crafted Mackenna's Gold as a lavish, absurdly ambitious variation on Erich Von Stroheim's Greed, resulting in a last-gasp Western so eager to encompass the genre's traditions that it turns into a big, silly, wildly entertaining mess. Gregory Peck surely had more serious intentions when he signed on, and he brings prestigious gravitas to his glum role as Marshall Mackenna, who gets shanghaied into searching for the gold-filled canyon of an elusive Apache legend. The rest of the 1969 film labors to undermine Peck's respectable demeanor; how else to explain Omar Sharif as a Mexican villain, Julie Newmar as a hot-blooded Apache temptress (with underwater nude scenes that were celebrated in Playboy magazine), and a jaw-dropping finale that's so ridiculous it's impressive in spite of itself?

Formerly blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman and composer Dimitri Tiomkin joined up to coproduce the film, and one can only imagine how Anthony Mann or Howard Hawks might've handled Foreman's sensible script. Thompson goes for scenic splendor, heavy action, and heavier emotions, casting everything at a fever pitch that's wildly enjoyable without betraying his "serious" intentions. A stable of Hollywood veterans (Eli Wallach, Raymond Massey, Edward G. Robinson, and others) appear in lively supporting roles--they're all dispatched in a garish Apache ambush--and Camilla Sparv is an ingénue with plenty of fighting attitude. Gold fever reaches its peak, along with some awesome special effects, and divine intervention reaches new heights of intensity. Top it off with José Feliciano's theme song, and you'll be in zany Western heaven. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

The Mine with the Iron Door:
A Romance

(The Collected Works of Harold Bell Wright - 18 Volumes) (Library Binding) Library Binding: 338 pages. Publisher: Classic Publishers, Language: English. ISBN: 158201891X

by Mary Ellen Barnes (Author)

As you wind your way up the Catalina Highway, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a first-time visitor or a native Tucsonan; you know you’re on the way to someplace special. The Road to Mount Lemmon is a beguiling memoir of the Catalina Mountains told by the daughter of one of the pioneers in the life and development of Mount Lemmon’s communities. Mary Ellen Barnes tells how her father Tony resigned from teaching in 1943 to devote his career to the development of this mountain oasis. He not only sold real estate for long time landowner Randolph Jenks, he even bought the village’s tiny two-room store, installing a sawmill to build a larger store, and built the Mount Lemmon Inn. And as she spins Tony’s personal saga, she also gives readers a glimpse of the Catalinas before Tucson became a boom town, recalling idyllic adventures in wild country and the cowboys, rangers, ranchers, and loggers who worked there. Paperback: 224 pages. Publisher: University of Arizona Press (June 11, 2009)

Climbers guide to Sabino Canyon and Mount Lemmon Highway Tucson, Arizona

by John Steiger

Tucson Hiking Guide

Author: Betty Leavengood

This rich, enthusiastic guide to the Tucson, Rincon, Santa Catalina, and Santa Rita Mountains has been completely revised. Betty Leavengood's third edition of her bestselling Tucson Hiking Guide offers new routes and updated access information, detailed maps, and clear descriptions to area trailheads. This third edition includes: 37 hikes rated easy to difficult by mountain range; revised information on precautions for desert hiking; historical notes, photographs, and anecdotes; and detailed maps and descriptions with elevation/distance. Paperback: 212 pages. Publisher: Pruett Publishing; 3rd edition (September 1, 2004)