(...continued) Unfortunately, the optimism was short-lived. In September 1904, a fire destroyed the company's smelter, and underground exploration revealed that while the ore had been rich at the surface, it diminished significantly in depth. The combination of technical setbacks and disappointing yields led the Arizona Smelting Company into bankruptcy.

The mine lay dormant until 1914, when advancements in mining technology allowed for renewed, though more limited, activity. Even so, by 1922, the ore body was considered exhausted. Total output by that time had reached an estimated $3,250,000 in copper ore. Minor shipments continued under lease agreements into the late 1920s, but in 1930, a fire destroyed two aerial tramway towers and the terminal, effectively bringing the operation to a halt. The site remained largely abandoned until the mid-1950s and was last known to be worked in 1972.

The Desoto Mine was developed through multiple adits on both the southern and northern slopes, along with a large open pit that connected to the underground workings. The ore body itself consisted of at least seven overlapping lenses, but by the time miners had reached a depth of 900 feet below the original outcrop, the copper ore had completely vanished.

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