With the arrival of the railroads in 1898, the Santa Rita Mining Company made major technological advances in mining and processing copper ore and became the first company to begin mining after the railroads arrived. The Chino Copper Company followed in 1909 and converted from underground methods to open-pit mining in 1910. Chino later passed through a series of mergers and owners, merging with Ray Consolidated Copper Company in 1924, being purchased by Nevada Consolidated Copper Company in 1926, and by Kennecott Copper Corporation in 1933. Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan acquired one-third ownership of Chino in 1980, while Phelps Dodge Corporation acquired the remaining two-thirds in 1986, Mitsubishi sold its interest in 2004, and in 2007 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. purchased Phelps Dodge. When open-pit mining began, miners and their families moved into the area in large numbers, and the company town of Santa Rita was heavily shaped by the Hispanic culture prevalent among the miners. Because the community of Santa Rita stood atop valuable ore, the entire town was relocated beginning in the 1950s as the massive Santa Rita Mine expanded, and only memories and photographs remain of the once vibrant community.