Campbellite is a lapidary term describing a naturally occurring assemblage composed predominantly of calcite, native copper, and cuprite, with malachite present in many specimens. According to local accounts, Ray Wright—a powderman and mineral collector with Roy Buck, a pumpman and lapidarist, were the first to recognize the material’s potential as a lapidary stone in the late 1940s to early 1950s. Their interest reportedly emerged after experimental attempts to etch copper from the host matrix using hydrochloric acid (HCl) for mineral specimens. Most of the Campbellite is highly fluorescent red/orange under shortwave ultraviolet  

The material was initially encountered during the sinking of the Campbell Shaft, which began in 1917, with major copper production commencing in the 1920s. At the time of discovery, the material was identified strictly as ore. The Campbellite-bearing orebody extended from the 1600 level to the 1900 level and was located entirely within the shaft circle—an exclusion zone surrounding the shaft where mining is prohibited to maintain structural integrity.

Because of this restriction, the Campbellite-bearing orebody was never mined. Instead, specimens were collected incidentally over the years until pumping operations at the shaft ceased. Currently, the water level in the shaft stands at approximately 800 feet below the collar.