Mines and mining districts are ill defined. Geographic coverage and names have varied over time. In general, the mines listed here are to the vicinity of Lake Valley, New Mexico - Tierra Blanca to the north and Macho to the south.
The following is a listing of the mines of the Lake Valley Mining District, the minerals that were taken from the mines, information about the mines, and links to other material about the mines. Entries which are dates (e.g. March 23, 1883) are links to that issue of The Black Range newspaper.
The patented claims of the Lake Valley District are shown in this diagram from page 72 of Bulletin 37 - Geology and Mineral Deposits of Lake Valley Quadrangle, Grant, Luna, and Sierra Counties, New Mexico by Henry L. Jicha, Jr. 1954. Unfortunately the mining sites of the Lake Valley Mining District are on private land and are closed to entry. The mines there produced significant amounts of silver and other minerals and were the basis for enormous mining scams.
The photograph shown above was taken by Henry A. Schmidt in 1905 (subject of last Friday’s post). It shows the town of Lake Valley at that time. Note that the railroad spur from Nutt was still active at that time, as indicated by the train shown at the center right of the photograph.
MINES OF THE LAKE VALLEY, TIERRA BLANCA, AND MACHO MINING DISTRICTS
ANNIVERSARY SHAFT (MACHO DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Anglesite Calcite Cerussite Chert Galena Hemimorphite Limonite Psilomelane Pyrite Smithsonite Sphalerite Vanadinite Wulfenite
ARGUS CLAIMS (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
BELLA CHUTE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
BERRENDA CREEK PROSPECTS (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Quartz Scheelite
BRIDAL CHAMBER STOPE (SIERRA GRANDE MINE - LAKE VALLEY)
- Minerals: Cerussite Chlorargyrite Manganite Pyrolusite
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
BUNKHOUSE STOPE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
- Minerals: Chlorargyrite
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
CAROLINA MINE (SIERRA GRANDE MINE - LAKE VALLEY)
- Minerals: Chert Chlorargyrite Pyrolusite Silver Wulfenite
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
COLUMBIA (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
EMPORIA INCLINE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
- Minerals: Silver
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
HARRISON MINE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
LAKE VALLEY
- Minerals: Sanidine
LAST CHANCE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
LATHAM MINE (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Hematite
LOG CABIN MINE (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
LOOKOUT MINE (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Gold Hessite Malachite Pyrite Quartz (Amethyst) Sphalerite Sylvanite
MIDNIGHT CLAIM (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
OLD BRIDAL CHAMBER MINE - SEE: BRIDAL CHAMBER STOPE
OLD DUDE SHAFT (MACHO DISTRICT)
- MINERALS: Anglesite Bayrte Calcite Cerussite Chalcocite Chert Galena Hemimorphite Limonite Psilomelane Pyrite Smithsonite Sphalerite Vanadinite Wulfenite
PIERCE CANYON IRON DEPOSIT (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Chlorite Group Glauconite Hematite
SIERRA APACHE GROUP - LAKE VALLEY
- Minerals: Silver
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY
- Bella Chute
- Bunkhouse Stope
- Columbia
- Emporia Incline
- Harrison Mine
- Last Chance
- Striby Mine
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
SIERRA GRANDE MINE - LAKE VALLEY
- Minerals: Cerussite Chert Chlorargyrite Descloizite Iodargyrite Manganite Pyrolusite Silver Vanadinite Wulfenite
- Black Range Newspaper: March 23, 1883 April 20, 1883 August 17, 1883 November 2, 1883 May 16, 1884
- Sierra Grande Mine Description
- Bridal Chamber Stope
- Old Bridal Chamber Mine
- Carolina Mine
- Thirty Stope
- Twenty-Five Cut
SIERRA PLATA - LAKE VALLEY
SILVER KING MINE (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Acanthite
STRIBY MINE (SIERRA BELLA GROUP - LAKE VALLEY)
THIRTY STOPE (SIERRA GRANDE MINE - LAKE VALLEY)
- MINERALS: Silver
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
TWENTY-FIVE CUT (SIERRA GRANDE MINE - LAKE VALLEY)
- Minerals: Silver
- Black Range Newspaper: November 2, 1883
VICTORY CLAIMS (MACHO DISTRICT)
- Minerals: Calcite
WAUSA CLAIM (TIERRA BLANCA DISTRICT)