Mining in southwest, New Mexico



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Silver City
NM



Silver City, NM

Chino Copper Mine

Butterfield Stage Co.

Open Pit Mining




Columbus, NM.

Seldom does the history of an area combine the intricate patterns of vastly diverse cultures and varied elements that have blended to produce the history of southwestern New Mexico. Geologically, the area is complex to a point of perplexity. Geographically, it encompasses great expanses of harsh Sonoran deserts, lush river valleys (the Rio Grande, Gila and Mimbres Valleys), and the high mountains where alpine flora abounds and cool streams tempt the fisherman.



Chino Copper Mine, NM.

Into this scene first came the Indian, then the Spaniard; the Mexican in his turn, and finally the American. Specifics of human activity are vital to the story: frontier forts-bulwarks against marauding Indians, and outpost of conquest; overland trails for man's weary wandering; for caravans, wagons, stagecoaches, and finally for ribbons of steel and asphalt. Mines and mining camps mushroomed on a thousand hills, some to sputter and die, others to live on to feed the hungry industrial plant of 20th century America. And there were cattle, the only way yet found to harvest the desert and mountain grasses. Blend the land, the people, and the activities dictated by the land, and southwestern New Mexico has all the elements that contribute to the romance and excitement of history.




Treasure Hunters



The mountains of the Southwest were filled in those days with a set of men who had to face all kinds of danger from Indians, wild beasts, horse thieves, and outlaws. They had to suffer more than the 49'ers who crossed the plains in their covered wagons. The pioneer prospector in the Southwest not only had to put up with a bleak and desolate country, a land of deserts, but he often had to get along without water, and many times without wood or brush to cook a bite; he had to be on the watch for the savage Apache, who carried the latest firearms; and he was never safe from thieves or renegades who would not think twiceaíèÝ ó\jºÓ~~Ø‘83‡#ó_|xÓI?|’‰0�`I�Ä ïeÈ©(—ÀØ_‹Œ5G¯Û>õ¢’±dRt�„û¡ÃFM_²èODKTjÌ#îyZy;gaÀ¿ߊ�,G½ìœô¥ö£.‡w„µy—B=jZ§¬q5ŸóÍ2ÀÛIIŒ Ø$lª2÷DýšÆ+¸™îìø­3{‰WKO‡Ú"grb¹ÅJîïÞ;3"_ÅTaCßîÖºA0ÆÐ‘mà¨4ËÓ(W*”ÕÜüdöv>†‹�•e¯æ|‘¡«09Yåcç-œù¼‚öh±*ŠZpý±î s>Gס˜òÕZ¾Èÿ‘Ô3ÜâëZwëc‘`÷4Οß%tÂL¥ YáE-Ó6؆•9dzä�T9�ëëëiigìDD±ÌÂsõU£Ø¿ñz:€õWÝ¿Òjö‚‚z…-#]Xˆso9—Ð-êR¢…q�m]ûèdIP茯YØu«.7±ä¿}‚�o#-è,t…RŸ¡_ŒÅWGÕßÚòöBʈ¥™=›¡¢‡Ym~ë$ dˈ�')˜è<Ê¿Sµ>‹œ9•®ûêq²Isø@Øt€V7¡ÏRWo�Ø)2ÂßI£J v 4…ŽC!Sø´W˜z-Ö·V†ÆÅaí‹Üݪtj=ó®w¤Ý»•`ÎzNÍ{PqMC§öN½0ˆv©i—‡ÄJWsÌ1ÙÛ[~.¼6Ö» ÆÆË™áá.­Ýз†fªj§õX0¿7 j�Ì}ËÑ_'*·L<þ[¶‘ â2ØÅçH=Õº¦ðÕ"ìûèkIVgHʺs>Õ'Õ�ø2ò.sJÆ»Ò9æÊ‡í¡=qQ­ò¹„ÅTëEßçbÖA¸èȘÿ]¾ kºœ lÜóFvÒío€‹ ' ¦Ú>‰ •€AVs—ËÖ@S*È…”ùRfc§‚ªý7/ú) VÃóEÁ¸ÒטüˆÖ¾1œÆŸzõäÉZµ…3ZßSK— ._NB¹Jx®æ3{³¯QL]«¶]aì lÝ„k¹Inlæ:¬KÕUœ*ÿòúúÊZT 1èÉs=]Õ¯jVñ¨qÂù×ÿªnÐò0 TÇkEåøbÕ”vèòoƒ^Â'3Q¦=S¹/¯œà¥¦÷Ë"“'0l=fk¬­¤m“�ü%Ï :n·ÕX6ÿ3 VÊ´ÏÁ>%c‘žþ:ÝöØd�Â6�ǧõ>[À¹™ Šê¢¯»o¤Á%’’R ‘„ØR;D5‡ÂË3s©%QÝÀ¾g�Äš·ÀžÈÝÿœg¼†þ´±b"tåNc§žzý6ÛZ)Â7A¤™7œ¢“ólBÐZ¨¡§ÛY?Â!ƒ¤4[= -ª¤ŠQÿ±¼x¸ý·zþ ZA§Ø™?v8¡‰�û[‹àC©Ä¶åÏ—c¤>Xý ™>*®¡žÿ·ZÒ„I‡¹L tæX¡§©;Y5ÁÃ!7Ÿ´QÄ-³AÊ€RŸ=ŒÍªSÕAñšþœúšö\•f‰p|¥…ç3U½Wð¯ßë¢O¿m`dˆ Æ��Õå,õ›––²ŽDFMøÌèD}WTÏ/Ûål¢ œdŠù�ºc)ÒôÃ¼Š¥¼±¿²x�*Cyìð±mêt Cs¨¢±ÝÛn~f;¬ÇŸ˜;öƳÈ�æ[©£áÂuyߣ½nE|¬8Ý3›üi^ˆ>GU“˜ûò¾HÅÖ˜ÖıæÁÂ}¡Ÿ£!ZÅtWÝ­ß®a†EºÛhÐØ\¬0s›`]Þ€ÅfU Ü©úÆsÌYëÛ]-jhŒt0Yß«e.Eà˜¸ÕȺü÷Ú6Ÿ˜Ʊ^EæwXÕ«›<ñî…¶ý5P)? &Á…B!›^¦ZƒW)3ÜÃéZu¹G°æÿo¢þ%dà‡ÁÝñsždõÞÚ†¶Pf ¡ì¬‰]‘‡k;xgßÁv²C•†@¾shŠ›ÐY¼Š¥(±¿Úx�¼yä¹m‚ã4+õ(4è¸Ó'Zü”;0kÇ—fköXªh‰;òY�ÈÁ+�çÏâ/³aæ¤Pݧ ¬a>ÁžÑ‘šÐº:˜ª×Ü»øÒrÈ|ƒÉ1;]qÆ3mÿïP+ HíD/É0®ñk²òlJÅn9Ü=ûî{¤I;M ÂJØ 81ÅCóÞ¸ÑVü²!Â2F_§@éE:�FÙÝêà.e{º�K®Üî-°w>€g�•¶âzfãR¬9ó�›ìßæ‰A¥ƒl™0£a+w|Ðá™4¯Ú¡#¢P}e˧,—-<�\‰°%qˆbû–åäNC•Œx¾sßz›ÚI\Šqµ yø8GlsôøئqÂ;+ÿ§Äè3ÇPY[û¥'M>”K³”l,^n�Z=œï¢÷/Ujœ«ü|óè?6ÙS�'ŸÊ6Ã4'µ*>8÷�³þ–àXCÅ1l»ÙtÊ%© 6Â� ?­É…‹ S¦‚£�%/~è©Q»Ã¸Ë·ý,ö(™ÀŽØ¯‰ð;§ŒãÍ7×ûIÐB¤¤6› †6¦Ao(”.|Øj»46~Å+ Øæ§>?§=Ÿ…=¢ÇY¡iû)TLDÇì\ÅñuÔóí¶æÙ "=Bd®¢ˆ=·m“ A°%î˜b4¶åy"�`d>ìÆ‹“å®u‘½Y²8¯(Gû¬ÔðM”æäBg£Œ¢µÓn=�?ª,#…öšT„“ á@©Ö�GÎÅóqÛBÑþ¨¼/Ú¹ú¢ì_eÓH–—îDQ=´Í± %@yB‡f¥Õx§ý{?B-EЦŽÓ¿%ðœŒèñÙg^þ$»RÃ…Ü)¿VzÈ‹ËY«##©ät}Í�¯'Cå¬:¹‘›Þê:ŠSwݱ‘’`z:ÇWÔ)ûÒêÌJ‹y\=¡g{¡T¹MWâæOÑë¨b½mÖî¬Ã7˜aµ¶Ø;F3Âì[«3 ç³VÅ´SÁÐ-›ž¢‚Ž×m-ðØ„ì0™Gh¦ÿ€["d~ZN�uï£'µ%t48«+ñáäèý݇^&c{^*ñC^úö³RZ†S�iŸìJÏ9o£ûä%xIŠt µí¨¬5Û›:…ÕÜõVöv¿Â‹†ƒ­¯e=�¨™£Ø©w®;Å•¿ËÒpƒ*ƒé4ý9A&)æ�.ͤ"±A nv’²;„GÏHøój~ÐuÛ§¶+4 |å(ß7˜ÜM¼|KF¿<"æ�ºk¥ÀÒmŒ‚ WÑ$£Ò°zŽ`1]úÃwdY±˜�(z¹È×^ïÛS/ô” ¨>cKÓšò*žšÆüÔ™â4à­ç'Ë…¼3/P»T«ªÃãíù¹ùhìbN_àyOÓÇfb›øªìˆ{û—HG:ZýÑf&³|®&Q3¾)±\žÈwpÑ™ì³V­SÇ‹›÷¦ˆ•-�˜x‚â·y+î`é=¤ÏA¡j™R\|§�37 UzÏûÉY`K$Ä&|Ê+8W6åõÝ”¶j>b wšä³–›‚^D�!XÁìW=�Ý¢ëæakiªÔ`IøîÄ 1Èß NÍüqJà?ö;À�Ë¿ ã,Ž�ô‘õÄ <·ÃC²²¼EN¼Ûüv´?†(“‡nØx01ÉscÐñV®òùDzÊoôI2 ¬FK˜è.±CR¶v³Ž †_ü¯i@3¨Fƒ]Ôå3fç™P£¶§«|5á8}5Ñ÷)6¼œÁ°õ’fn²ª6D/÷Ê ž�?HÔéŠçKµ÷º,4”Ö› dÄ„F…ÁLåW–WŸÖIÖÂÈÁ©ñ™Ã.ú¯´²_¤"AE `–Ú²È@I�Øa00ÓßclšHð�á(!ÓÐÒ^š¬�TŸ‘àÆ3QÍïS¿E+œŠØîñ¸?2øó�J~ßÎ3CW$± Ürªx#Ïór{`ÑÃ@Ì¿²�R„MÏ�LGgÎ\ø³yvzQe‹Q´“£¸ |òAí6À� ˆê‚Ÿ}%ŽÉ(ñÑò ³¾ÄÒ\‘Ä�p?Áビuÿ>´ �8(ÂéòÝ«LÈaâUÝáû@eÜB†–|­dK3ŒŒ%_ÑÚB¾Ê®�w?´í�„'ãJ>+ò7žèÇÓ]ÿ@“d ˆˆ½‘)š¢0ÊŸgm<ȸ µðˆ;šé“ΛJt‚5�¡'3P=W§£¯Õ5}¢ù=!ja¨TrÙÕïÈ.õ#²¸wN÷žør–ÒwÌ@ƒ“\‰>q��ûëbÁšå¯š›‘¦œŽ9$ñÿàüÀb8†çñÇc°ÿøün~><Ÿ¸ÆÄ÷áÆž9ßäßîA„A8›L‘ø‚P(ß½žÜD¢Ð|Ãh§5°[=0e©fšQĤ‘¿Ã8ƒ¶ù< 8a¸ÛöØü€>8™Ÿø¢>À{g‘‡@¶;zŠÁ]´ã—`'þXÂ0=§a¡¡8ÙYQü''¼:<4»×»"ÊÔÄi8åÎAÿ—xœYxøi%~v@ˆ�ë�™oæ£ì!§yY9c‘!äþ0]†ecmÈœðöྃǕ;þ@yȇo¹x/8år­ÿ�Ï„çgHc¸ºüúÕB6Xþ§ >>��]•ïb{›(ãN„ßòuD@þÌ�¼‘QÀ°7¿Šc‡²÷atJ˜Õ¬<¼ñ›²¶úŒN]Ü|!f:T« ÑãæÆ½ù¡æ¤i]§Ga>øøÑ’~|º2Ô7…Hë^g[]È»gÆ0¿™ïj†­(}gˆ×,·œÜ’ôpB¯à^¯¡ÅW¥_ßÕBBûÊ ªK?Kð%Š(â¶ßåA›øšˆp@�—äˆâQ�Ÿá»ÁØÇ™ž=öªß¤‡øEptÚç¤uµ }°:… cÝXFúo4âR-'ᆈ1Ûe“~’3ø�YXx%'7r=ų«¯Ð]í¢¥eoš/ð•j è|OW? 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