Robson’s Mining World began in 1917 when the Westley Rush Family opened the Gold Leaf Mine. Ned Creighton acquired the mine in 1924 and renamed it the Nellie Meda in honor of the two Rush daughters. The mine operated until 1942, when the Federal Government closed all gold mines with the onset of World War II. The mine’s engineer, Harold Mason, then became the caretaker and eventual owner of the Nellie Meda. After Harold Mason’s death, Charles Robson purchased the mine in 1979. In the mid 1980s, Charles and Jeri Robson began restoring the mining property, purchasing a large portion of the mining equipment from Wilbur Johnson, a mining engineer who had worked many of Arizona’s old mining camps. Historical buildings were brought in and others were built to house an extensive collection of artifacts. Robson’s Mining World opened to the public on January 19, 1992.