[1] The city was founded as a company town by the French Compagnie du Boleo in 1884, which established the local copper mines.

The main mining company building (La dirección) have been reconverted into the city hall and its offices into an industrial museum.

To prevent the economic collapse of Santa Rosalia and surrounding communities, a Mexican state-owned company (CMSRSA) assumed control and reopened the works using basically the same (rather archaic) equipment and process used by the French.

Baja Mining estimated that the property contains a resource of 534 million tons of ore, containing 0.59% Cu, 0.051% Co, and 0.63% Zn.

Majority ownership interest and control of the project was transferred to the Korean consortium, in return for funding the reported cost overruns.

[3] Santa Rosalía is a port city, and a regular ferry connects with Guaymas, Sonora, on the other side of the Gulf of California.