Contents

Page

The Pinos Altos Story 3

Early History 5

80’s And 90’s 13

The 1900’s 18

Schools 24

Churches 27

Mines And Mining 29

The Family 35

TODAY 37

Acknowledgements 38

Photographs 41

The Pinos Altos Story

Pinos Altos, the oldest Anglo settlement in Grant County,is a small town in southwestern New Mexico. It lies across theContinental Divide at an altitude of just over 7000 feet, between theDiablo Range to the north and east and the Pinos Altos Mountainsto the south and west. Bear Creek begins in the Pinos AltosMountains and flowing north divides the town, joining the GilaRiver near the town of Gila, twenty miles away as the crow flies.Whiskey Creek has its source in the Diablos, skirts the town on theeast and by devious means finds its way to the Rio Grande. It is ina transitional zone where Ponderosa pine and junipers, pinon andscrub oak meet. There was a time when the site was covered withtall pines, when springs bubbled to the surface, and the arroyos ranwith water. Ruins of pit houses and the number of shards andartifacts found in the vicinity indicate that a prehistoric people livedhere before the coming of the white man.

In the archives of the Mexican Government in Chihuahua,it is said, there are records of the discovery of gold in the Pinos AltosMountains by General Pedro Almendaris, a commandant at SantaRita, and of shipments of gold received there from San DomingoCreek in 1837. The laborers at Santa Rita were convicts for the mostpart and a small garrison of soldiers was stationed there to guardthe convicts and also to protect them from the Indians. No doubtin the performance of their duties they scouted this far afield.

There is a legend that Mexicans finding gold here built asmall but strong encampment of logs, rocks, and adobe which theycalled “Pinos Altos”. The wall was built in the form of a horseshoewith the only opening at the narrow end. Inside were shelters formen and animals and a living spring at the foot of a large cottonwoodtree. Men and animals lived inside the enclosure but wentoutside every day and while the men placered the animals grazed.At day’s end the workings were carefully concealed and all returnedto camp and barricaded the opening for the night. Day by day moregold was added to the rawhide panniers. At last the time camewhen the gold must be taken to Mexico. There is something aboutthe precious metal that incites greed and envy. The men disagreedas to whom would take the gold to far away Chihuahua, and whowould stay to protect the camp and continue working. Each mandistrusted the othe

BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!

Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR!