USA > New Mexico > History of New Mexico : its resources and people, Volume II > Part 54
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From June 30, 1900, to June 30, 1903, there were produced 3.710,004 tons of coal, valued at $5.011,281, with 94,097 tons of coke, valued at $252,- 642. There were about thirty coal mines in operation. In 1905 this num- ber had increased to forty-four, with a production during that year of 1,472,102 tons, valued at $2.086.042. (For details regarding this most important of mining industries of the Territory see "Coal Mining.") It will be seen that coal and its side product, coke, had an economic value of nearly four times that possessed by the four chief metals of the New Mexico mines.
Generally speaking, the chief metal-producing districts of New Mexico are in the southwestern part of the Territory, and it is claimed at the pres- ent time that Grant and Socorro counties are yielding fully ninety per cent of the gold, silver, copper and lead which are being placed on the mar- ket. Grant is pre-eminently the banner county in the Territory. Much activity is also noted in Sierra and Doña Ana counties, which are con- tiguous to those before mentioned, as well as in the gold districts which lie at and near Elizabethtown, at Baldy mountain and in the Moreno valleys, near the western boundary of Colfax county, northeastern Mexico.
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The greater proportion of the gold produced in New Mexico has been the result of the mining from 1860 to 1885, when the miners could take, with little labor, the rich surface ores. The country was famous then, but when the prospectors and pioneer miners of that period had gathered these easily accessible ores they rushed on to new and virgin fields. It is only in comparatively recent years that modern and legitimate mining has been inaugurated, and some of the famous old mines, as well as many new ones, are now attracting solid capital, skilled engineers and workers and experts in all departments of the industry, whether the operations are in gold, silver, copper or coal.
Mining Districts .- Although the classification is rather indefinite, for general descriptive purposes New Mexico is divided into more than a hundred mining districts, the grouping being determined both by physical features of the country and the time of discovery. These districts, in turn, are generally grouped around mining towns or settlements, from which they draw their supplies and to whose prosperity and growth they contribute. The life of mining towns and districts is notoriously uncer- tain, but if one proceeds upon the present status of the mining interests of New Mexico he should commence the general description of these districts at the southwest, or richest bullion section of the Territory, and advance in a northerly direction.
Pyramid and Virginia (Shakespeare) districts are those furthest south in Grant county and the Territory, and embrace a mineral-bearing area of about fourteen by five miles in extent, lying in the Pyramid range of mountains, south of Lordsburg. Shakespeare was the old camp of Ralston, the famous and unfortunate California promoter. Gold, silver, lead and copper are all mined, but the Leidendorf silver mines, once the most im- portant in the Pyramid district, has lain idle for a number of years. The Gold Hill district is twelve miles northeast of Lordsburg and a few miles northwest of Gold Hill is thie Malone district. About six miles south- west of the Hatchita postoffice, southeast of Lordsburg, is the old Hatchita mining camp, near which are ancient turquois mines, which are still pro- ductive. Southeast of Hatchita, in the Fremont district, silver-lead is the predominating ore. The Apache district, No. 2, southwest, is quite an abundant producer of silver-copper.
Lying along the Arizona boundary from Stein's Pass, just south of the Southern Pacific road, to Steeple Rock, in the northwestern part of Grant county, are a number of mining districts which, within late years, have been prospected systematically, and some have been producers. The Southern Pacific divides the San Simon (on the south) from the Kimball district; lead is produced in the former and silver in the latter district. Some gold has been produced near Stein's Pass. Further west is the California district, the greater portion of which is in Arizona. The Steeple Rock and Black Mountain districts are in the extreme northwest- ern part of Grant county, and the quartz ore which prevails carries values in gold and silver. Midway between Steeple Rock and Silver City, on either side of the Gila river, are the Anderson and Telegraph districts, which lie so far away from transportation lines that they have been virtually un- productive; the prospects of the Anderson district are for copper, and of the Telegraph for silver, a stamp mill having been in operation for a short time in the latter district, some twenty years ago.
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In the northeastern portions of Grant country are by far the most pro- ductive silver and copper mines in New Mexico. Silver City is the most important center of the entire field. The district is known as Silver, or Chloride Flat, and the phenomenal finds of silver occur about one and a half miles from the town; hence the city received its name. About seven miles to the northwest is Camp Fleming. Fifteen miles southwest of Sil- ver City are the Burro mountains, and the copper-bearing district by that name covers an area of three miles by two .; considerable turquois is also mined in this locality. The Bullard's Peak, or Black Hawk, district is the north extension of the Burro Mountain district and has produced much native silver and argentine. A few miles southeast of the Burro mountain is the White Signal, or Cow Spring, district, and promises to become a producer of turquoise as well as gold, silver, lead and copper.
Immediately southeast of Pinos Altos and seven miles east of Silver City is the Central mining district, embracing the sub-districts of Hanover, Fierro, Santa Rita and outlying points. It is also two miles south of the military reservation of Fort Bayard, and is especially fixed on the map by the location of the postoffice known as Central. Santa Rita is one of the most noted copper districts in the United States, whether considered historically or from a productive standpoint. Since the early '6os the chief interest in this district has centered in the Santa Rita, Hanover and Fierro mines, which have made it by far the most important mining sec- tion in New Mexico. In 1902 nearly three-fourths of the metallic wealth of the Territory was from Grant county, and the greater part of it from the Central mining district. The Fierro district is the only important .pro- ducer of iron in New Mexico. Some five miles southwest of Central post- office is the Lone Mountain district, a silver camp, and a few miles to the northeast of Santa Rita is the Mimbres district, embracing the once lively camp of Georgetown. Near the south end and on the west slope of the Mimbres range is the Carpenter district, which promises to become one of the great zinc fields of New Mexico.
The Pinos Altos district, in Grant county, is one of the oldest gold fields in New Mexico, and, with the exception of the interruption to min- ing caused by the Apache raids of the '6os, has been continuously pro- ductive. Among the anomalies of this district is a high-grade silver mine (Silver Bell).
The Mimbres range forms a barrier between northeastern Grant and southwestern Sierra county, and in the latter section are several remark- able producers of gold and silver. In the Lake Valley district, in the southern part of Sierra county, is the world-famed Bridal Chamber, which gave to the world a body of silver ore never equaled in richness. The ore bodies throughout the district are somewhat similar to those at Leadville. To the south, along Macho creek, prospects of lead and silver exist in what. is known as the Macho district; there are also indications of manganese deposits. Little has been done in the way of development in this region. To the northwest of Lake Valley, about fifteen miles, is a group of white- capped hills, in which some high-grade silver bromide was discovered some twenty years ago; hence the name of the district, Bromide No. I. or Tierra Blanca (white earth). Some of the shipments from this section have been very rich in gold and silver. North of Lake Valley is the Las Animas, or Hillsboro, district, which embraces rich gold fields around the
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town by that name. Both gold and copper mining is quite active, and the largest body of vanadium ore in the world has been discovered in this locality. The mountainous region east of Hillsboro, through which runs the Sierra de los Caballos, on the east side of the Rio Grande, is known as the Pittsburg mining district. Apache canyon was the scene of consid- erable placer excitement in 1903, but little gold was actually taken from the gulches. On the opposite or western side of the Rio Grande, in the vicinity of Palomas Hot Springs, is the lead-silver district known as Iron Reef. In the western and northwestern portions of Sierra county is a silver area. It lies along the eastern slopes of the Mimbres range, and the lofty Black range, heavily clad with pinyon and pine forests, stretches through its northern sections. The latter mountains derive their name from their dark and forbidding aspect, and the district was, in early days, desig- nated as the Black range. More specifically, the region is now known as Black Range (Nos. I and 2) districts. Of its many camps, Kingston is the most noted; in the days of its prosperity it held the record of New Mexico in the production of silver.
The Palomas district, north of Kingston about twenty-five miles, and the Apache No. I, still further north ( which extends into Socorro county), are chiefly noticeable for their good prospects of silver, copper and gold, and for their records of silver production in former years.
The Sierra Oscura, San Andreas and Organ mountains form almost a continuous range, which extends through the eastern sections of Socorro and Doña Ana counties. No metal seems to decidedly predominate in the prospects or production of the Socorro county districts, while in the Organ district of Doña Ana county lead-silver is perhaps most prominent. The latter mining section lies about fifteen miles northeast of Las Cruces, and the northern limit of the district is the granite spire called San Augustine Peak, which, with the pass at its southern base, separates the San Andreas range from the Organ mountains.
In the north end of the Sierra Oscura, southeastern Socorro county, is the Jones district, in which abundant deposits of iron form the marked feature, and the Hansonburg district, near the center of the range, has sonie prospects as a copper-bearer. On the east side of the range, op- posite Hansonburg, is a district which has produced small quantities of copper. It is known as Estey City district. Midway between Estey City and Jones districts is the unimportant Mound Spring district, and the San Andreas includes a number of sub-districts covering particular localities in the range by that name, in which lead and copper are the prevailing mineral characteristics.
But the great metal-producing districts of Socorro county, and among the very richest in the Territory, are in the vicinity of the Magdalena and Mogollon mountains, in the central and southwestern sections of the county. The Mogollon range begins near the western boundary of New Mexico, and for a distance of about ninety miles extends in a south by east direction. The western slope of the mountains is traversed by a number of deep canyons, which drain into the Rio San Francisco. The scene of the active mineral development in this region, which makes it one of the most promising fields in the southwest, is along this western slope, not far from the bases of the mountains. There are three mining districts in the Mogollon mountains-the Cooney, the Wilcox and the Tellurium. The
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most important and northerly of these is the Cooney, which is situated about fifteen miles from the Arizona line, and, notwithstanding that its gold, silver and copper ores are hauled about ninety miles to Silver City, the district has shown a remarkable development for a number of years. Until recently the principal production of the camp has been from the gold and silver ores-pan amalgamation and cyaniding being the general methods of treatment. In the Wilcox district, fifteen miles to the southeast of Cooney, little development has been done. The same may be said of the Tellurium district, three miles north of the Wilcox, notwithstanding the fact that some very rich pieces of tellurium float were found there a number of years ago.
The Magdalena district lies west of the town of Socorro. It stands pre-eminent in New Mexico as a producer of lead and zinc. It is one of the oldest mining regions in the Territory, the uncovering and exploita- tion of its zinc deposits being of comparatively recent date. In some of the old lead mines, which were formerly most prolific, the ore is practically exhausted, and the discovery of large and profitable bodies of zinc has given the district a new lease of life. The Magdalena mines are now the greatest producers of zinc ores in the southwest, a trainload of the raw material being sent out every day.
Immediately north of the town of Magdalena is the Pueblo mining dis- trict. It is even older than the Magdalena district, but its early promise of rich silver findings has not materialized.
The Socorro Mountain district, west of the town by that name, was an active section of the mining country during the '8os, but its life was principally founded on the immense quantities of ore from the Magdalena mines, which were fluxed at the Rio Grande smelter. This establishment. which was situated two miles west of the town of Socorro, received its principal fluxing ores from the famous Kelley and Graphic mines at Magda- lena, and the more flinty products from Socorro mountain.
At the north end of the San Mateo mountains, about fifteen miles west of the Magdalena range, lies the productive Rosedale gold district, whose name is derived from the principal mine therein. It is only within the past four years that this section has attracted much attention, but the Rosedale mine is now one of the leading gold lode producers of New Mexico, and some experts pronounce it the best gold mining property in the Territory.
Twenty miles north of Deming rises a solid granite shaft from the midst of a broad, alluvial plain, this stately column marking the southern extremity of the rugged Mimbre range. It is known as Cook's Peak, and around it lies the district by that name, which, up to 1904, was quite a famous producer of lead and silver. The ores from this and outlying dis- tricts are sent for treatment to a smelting plant in Deming. Twelve miles to the southeast of that town is the Florida district, in the mountains by that name ; some silver has been produced here, and there are good pros- pects of copper. Fifteen miles to the southwest of the Floridas is a cluster of three peaks, which embraces the Tres Hermanos district, the prevail- ing ore of which is silver-lead. In the western part of Luna county are the Victoria mountains, immediately south of the Southern Pacific Rail- road at its station of Gage, and in the district to which they give their name are the productive St. Louis and Chance mines; they, in fact, have
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brought the Victoria district into notice. Their ores are principally a silver-lead product, and in some cases good values of gold have been found.
Adjoining Socorro and Doña Ana counties on the east are Otero and Lincoln, and although by far the most important mining distriet in this section of the Territory is that lying adjacent to White Oaks, Lincoln county, all the districts will receive a general mention, passing from south to northi. The low Jarilla mountains rise from the desert region of south- west Otero county, and immediately to the north is the mysterious stretch of the "white sands." This patch of mountains, twelve miles in length by four in breadth, ineludes the Silver Hill, or Jarilla, district, and within the last two years has been the scene of considerable activity and actual development. In the southeastern portion of the distriet, near the El Paso & Northeastern Railroad, are placer deposits of considerable promise. A town site has been laid off at Jarilla Junetion.
In the midst of the White mountain country looms the celebrated No- gal Peak to a height of nearly 10,000 feet above the level of the sea. The district named after it is a portion of an old gold field, first rendered uninhabitable by the Apaches and then forming a portion of their reserva- tion. The land was not thrown open to settlers until 1882, and consid- erable gold has been taken out of two of the mines since.
The White Oaks range gives its name to the district which earns Lincoln county its chief standing as a noted mining region. None of the camps of New Mexico are better known than this, and few have been more productive. The "Old Abe" and "Homestake" mines are known to every living gold miner of the United States. The former is said to be the deepest dry mine in the world, and virgin gold in gypsum is one of its remarkable occurrences. Of the White Oaks range, Baxter mountain seems to embrace the gold-bearing area: all the principal mines of the district lie in a very limited area on the east slope of the mountain. Lone mountain, to the northeast, is nearly encircled by a good class of iron ore. The Jicarilla mountains, ten miles northeast of White Oaks, in which are Ancho and Monument Peaks and Jaek mountain, embrace a district by that name.
The mining section in Santa Fe county, near the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fé road, embracing what are known as the New Placer ( Silver Butte) and Galisteo districts, is chiefly interesting from its historical asso- ciations and not for its value as an actual producer. The former, which embraces the famous land grant of the Ortiz mountains, is the oldest gold mining distriet in New Mexico. Four or five miles south of the Old Placers, in the San Pedro mountains, are the New Placers, from which the entire district takes its name. Much gold has been taken from the gulches in this vicinity, and some of the mines are still producing. The Cerrillos (Galisteo) distriet, Iving on the north side of the Atchison, To- peka & Santa Fé Railroad, at the little village of Los Cerrillos, near the center of Santa Fé county, is chiefly noted for its ancient turquoise mines. The mining districts of the Sandia and Manzano mountains, in the south- eastern part of Sandoval county, are more or less mineralized, but their value is prospective. The Sandias, however, produce plenty of good build- ing stone.
In the northeastern part of Sandoval county, on the west side of the
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Rio Grande and in a line directly west of Santa Fé, is the Cochiti mining district, with Bland as its postoffice and main settlement. It was an early field for prospectors, and had its "boom" period in the early 'gos. The general character of the ore is of rather low grade, the ratio of values in the precious metals being two of gold to one of silver.
Of the mining districts, including scattered localities, in western Col- fax, Taos and eastern Rio Arriba counties, those which cluster around Elizabethtown are by far the most important. In this region are the great- est placer fields of New Mexico, which of late vears have produced on an average one-quarter of the gold value accredited to the mines of the Terri- tory. This productive mineralization has its origin in Elizabeth, or Baldy Peak, which rises from a spur of the Taos range, and is situated just south- east of Elizabethtown. The principal operations in placer mining have been conducted along Ute creek, on the southeastern slope of Baldy ; at Willow creek gulch, on the southwest slope, and in the Moreno valley, on the western slope in the vicinity of Elizabethtown. The last-named locality is now the scene of the greatest activity. The mining districts which sur- round Baldy Peak are known as Moreno, Willow Creek, Ute Creek and Ponil. The coarsest gold is found at the headwaters of Ute creek, one nugget weighing nearly twelve ounces having been picked up a few years ago just below its source. The South Ponil is also a favored locality for nuggets and coarse placer gold. The West Moreno district lies in the ex- treme western part of Colfax county, five miles northwest of Elizabeth- town, toward Red river, and as the ores found are usually of low grade its development has not been very extensive. Ten miles southwest of Cimarron is the Urraca and Bonito district, some placer gold being found in the gulches near Urraca creek.
Twelve miles northwest of Elizabethtown, through the Red River pass of the Taos range, lies the Red River mining district of Taos county. It is an offshoot of the Colfax county camp, and has produced some placer gold. Red River City, located in the early 'gos, is a beautiful mountain town and is both a camp and a summer resort. Further south, on the east side of the Rio Grande, is the Cieneguilla district. better known (from its principal camp) as the Glen-Woodv. This famous camp, devoted to the mining of an enormous body of low-grade gold quartz, is at the point where latitude 36° 20' crosses the Rio Grande in Taos county.
The mining interests of Rio Arriba county have been developed only to a moderate extent. The claims and few working mines are all in the eastern and southeastern sections. Bromide District No. 2 has attracted the most attention. It is situated fourteen miles west of Tres Piedras. a small village on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, in East Rio Arriba county. Until 1900 the cloud on the land grant which covered this dis- trict held hack investment and work generally. hut since that year, when the United States Supreme Court declared it public domain. it has attracted both mining men and capital. Generally speaking, the ores are sulphides, copper, silver, lead. and pvrites of iron carrying gold.
Early Explorations and Lost Mines .- The expeditions of the Spaniards, which penetrated into the present Territory of New Mexico. during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, were undertaken mainly from motives of rapacity, prompted bv stories of Indian cities and kingdoms, somewhere in the interior. where gold and precious stones were as plentiful as air
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and water. It is now believed by many historians that these tales were originated and kept alive by the natives themselves for the purpose of luring adventurers and invaders far into a strange land, where famine, hardships and their own arrows might work the ruin of their enemies. The shipwrecked wanderer Cabeza de Vaca, with his three companions, was the first Spaniard and white man to set foot in New Mexico. In 1534, while endeavoring to escape from his captors, a coastal tribe of the Gulf of Mexico, he ascended the valley of the Rio Grande, and at the furthest point north found rich deposits of turquoise. Five years after his adven- ture, Friar Marcos de Niza led a so-called religious expedition into a country which, from its description, was probably in the vicinity of the Zuni mountains; but it was the turquoise and gold which also made the main impression on the father. Coronado's expedition, of 1540, was one purely of adventure, discovery, conquest and plunder, having for its ob- jective point the glorious city of Quivira. When he had reached a locality supposed to be in Kansas, he found a little Indian town which the natives pronounced Quivira, but he found no precious metal in the place. One of the chiefs had a small piece of copper around his neck, and some turquoise and gold had been seen on the march, but nothing whatever was dis- covered to warrant any enthusiasm or a longer continuance in the country. The magnificent princes and princesses loaded with ornaments of gold and silver, eating and drinking from massive vessels fashioned from the precious metals, did not materialize ; but although he and his followers re- turned disgusted to Mexico, other like expeditions followed within the succeeding half century. Finally, Oñate, in the last few years of the six- teenth century, established a permanent Spanish colony at and near Santa Fé, and as the Spaniards had not been successful in collecting vast treasure from the persons of the natives, they set them to work to have them dig it from the mines.
In the gold and turquoise mines south of Santa Fé the Pueblo Indians became virtual slaves to their Spanish taskmasters. The Jesuits were said to have been the principal operators, and in 1680, when the natives arose in revolt against the hardships imposed upon them, it was upon these priests that they mainly wreaked their vengeance in a general massacre. The Spaniards fled the country, and during the dozen years in which it remained in the hands of the native rulers the hated mines were filled in and covered up. Final peace with the Pueblos was secured only upon the stipulation that the natives should not again be employed in mining, but only in agricultural pursuits.
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