| Percy Chester Armitage Hot Number Tunnel, 1200 Foot Section 1907 Gelatin silver print 17 3/4 x 21 3/4 in (45.1 x 55.2 cm) Swann Galleries - New York Sale 2208 Lot 41 LL/35592 With Armitage's copyright and title in the negative.
This tunnel was dug to extract copper, gold, and silver from the De Soto Mine between Prescott and Phoenix, Arizona. The small town of Middletown sprung up around the mine during its heyday, but the ore ran out in the 1920s, and it is now a ghost town. Like many of the Southwestern mines, the Hot Number Tunnel now sits flooded and abandoned.
In addition to taking photographs, Armitage sold picture frames, art goods, stationary and office supplies from his shop in Prescott. He relocated to California soon after 1907.
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