Abandoned Cotton Gin in Arizona - Eleven Mile

The Eleven Mile Corner Gin, a now abandoned cotton gin in Arizona, was named after the Eleven Mile Corner where it’s located, which was named from its proximity relative to mile markers and old city boundaries: 11 miles each from the cities of Casa Grande, Eloy and Coolidge. 

Operations began in the early 1940s as a cooperative project between several area farmers. For a time it was known as “farmers’ gin” as it provided services to co-op owners as well as other area growers. At the height of its production, the gin would produce about 400 bales of cotton in about 24 hours. Each bale weighs about 500 pounds.

Initially, the Eleven Mile Corner Gin processed only short-staple cotton. Later, long-staple Pima cotton was also processed at the facility. Prior to the opening of the gin, farmers would have to make the long trip to Coolidge to have the cotton processed.  One farmer recalls that back then, there weren’t any roads, so they’d just drive through the desert to get to Eloy.

Learn more about the abandoned cotton gin in Arizona in this news story.