 In 1880, Douglas was recruited by Professor Benjamin Silliman, Jr. of Yale (and stockholder in the Chemical Copper Company), to report on the Detroit Copper Company of Morenci, Arizona Territory as a favor for Phelps Dodge and Company.While working for Chemical Copper, Douglas had opportunity to view fabulously rich specimens from a mine in Bisbee, Arizona Territory the Copper Queen mine, the latter bonanza ore body opened by a San Francisco firm two years previous.Only a days travel from Morenci, Douglas visited the other claim, then looked around the tight confines of Mule Canyon.