The original seat of Grant County, Pinos Altos ("Tall Pines") is seven miles
north of Silver City and founded in 1859 by miners returning from the
California gold fields, who found color in
nearby Bear Creek. Among those that did well in Piños Altos was one George
Hearst, father of William Randolph Hearst, who started his publishing empire
with the fortunes his father made from the Pinos Altos mines. Life was
tough in the early days, though, with Apaches besieging early Pines Altians;
in 1861, Cochise and Mangas Coloradas ran the first settlers out, and the
miners didn't return until 1866, when operations resumed and Piños Altos was
built into a good-sized community, with the requisite banks and saloons,
and even an opera house
The town, sitting at an elevation of 7,040 feet, is a charming old gold-mining
community as a reminder of the past and appears as an old western movie set.
Many of the local buildings date back to the 1800’s and have been restored
and decorated with original memorabilia and artifacts, mostly 19th Century American. Visitors can enjoy the rich history with
tours of Fort Cobre, the museums and other historical sites.
HISTORIC SITES & MUSEUMS
Fort Cobre is a structure that is a three- quarter scale replica of the Santa Rita Del Cobre
Fort (circa 1804) which was originally located on the site that is now
the open pit copper mine in Santa Rita. Rebuilt as authentic as possible
from available information, the fort brings you back in time to life in the
1800 s. A tour is well worth your time. The entrance to the fort is thru
the gift shop (features a fine selection of Case Grande pottery & other
gift items) and art gallery.
It's time to get ready for the opera. The Buckhorn Saloon, erected in
the 1860s would meet the miners needs. The restaurant today provides some
of the best food in three counties. There is live entertainment in the
evenings on weekends.
The Pinos Altos Opera House, which serves as a theatre for the local
Melodrama Company, is ornately decorated with 19th century memorabilia and
showcases excellent displays of prehistoric Indian artifacts, Mimbres
pottery, pictures of Apache Indian chiefs, ancient tools, and weathered wood
relics of the old west.