The Black Range

THE ISSUE OF FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1883

There was more to the first page of this issue than ads.  Most of the rest of the first page was dedicated to “local color” type stories and an article entitled “Silver in Ancient Times and Foreign Countries”.

Page two consisted mostly of ads and legal notices but did include an article on “Socorro’s Boom” and one entitled “Quick Silver Dissolves Gold”.

From Page 3

“A. Rogers has resigned the superintendency of the Southwestern Stage Company.  He became tired of paying the bills of the company from his own pocket.  His successor has not been named and it is more than probable that the company will settle up and ask him to stay.”

“The people of the range will be made happy by the announcement that after the 15th instant a daily mail will be run between the range and the railroad at Engle.  The order has been made by the department and the stage company is preparing for it.  The range has needed better mail facilities for a year and now it will get it.”

Grafton: “G. O. Reid and W. M. Robbins are doing the assessment work on the Belknap lode.”

Grafton: “Davis and Conner have sunk two wells on the west end of the San Augustine plains, one of which is seventy-five feet deep with fourteen feet of water.”

“Cuchillo Negro has been surveyed and application is being made to have it entered as a town site.  Canada de Alamosa is making a similar move.  Burt D. Mason is doing the surveying.”

Grafton: “The ball in the Ivanhoe building on the night of the 4th was well attended and all seemed to enjoy the exercise.  Mr. and Mrs. Scales prepared an elegant supper for the occasion.”

Fairview: “The Royal Arch machinery passed through here early this week and according to latest reports will soon be in a position where it will do the most good.”

Fairview: “Henry Blun has returned from Las Cruces bringing chickens enough to supply a peculating minstrel troup for a week’s lay out.  He has also brought another dog to make the night hideous with its ‘baso profundo’.”

Chloride: “Mr. Mitchell, one of the owners of the Silver Monument mine, resident in Socorro, fell from a ladder las week and severly injured his back.”

Chloride: “Messrs. Canfield, Hasting and Ferrall have gone to work on the Colossal.  The work will consist of both sinking and drifting and is done under contract.”

Chloride: The articles to the right were printed under the heading of this town.

The full issue may be read at: The Black Range Newspaper, issue of July 6, 1883, the file is 2.2 MB in size.

THE ISSUE OF FRIDAY, JULY 13, 1883

 

Only pages 1 and 3 of this issue are available.  The front page was dedicated to “local color” stories (not about the Black Range) and ads.  Page three is the page which typically carried the local news, material in today’s post is from that page.

Fairview: “The Blue Dandy, Chicago, and Iron Mask claims have received a visit from the inquisitive newsgatherer.   The Blue Dandy has good looking mineral in the face of the incline and promises well to become a mine on development.  The Chicago at a depth of twenty-one feet looks well, the mineral rock is coming in a more compact form and promises well on development.  The Iron Mask has good looking quartz and other natures of mineral rock in the bottom of the  shaft, and shows up well enough to warrant more work being done upon it.”

Fairview: “Canada de Alamosa claims to have the best vineyard of 500 vines in the territory.”

Chloride: “Only two carts now deliver milk in Chloride.”

Chloride: “Jay Barnes of Hillsboro, is visiting with his family this week.” (Ed. - This is the Jay Barnes of The Spell of the Black Range.)

Chloride: “Mr. Alexander, who has a ranch near Robinson, has gone into the hog raising business. It is whole hog or none with Mr. A.”

Chloride: “Lewy Cruse is still breaking rock in the White Signal tunnel.  The tunnel is now fifty feet in length and the showing of mineral grows better as work progresses.”

Chloride: “The water in several of the wells in town is getting considerably below its usual low water mark.  The rainy season having set in the scarcity of water will not be of long duration.”

Chloride: “Mr. Reber of Robinson, is daily expecting a cousin of his, L. E. Reber, of Reber & Co. of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, to put in his appearance at Robinson.  When he arrives he will, in company with Mr. Reber of Robinson, set up a soda water outfit at San Marcial or Socorro.”

Chloride: “J. H. Magner is expected back to the range shortly, and it is understood that a contract of one hundred feet of work will be let on the Black Knight mine.  This property is located near the head of South Fork and has already considerable amount of development work done upon it which shows it to be a very valuable property.”

Chloride: “Property owners in the Black Range that desire to have their ores shown at the Cincinnati exposition can do so by bringing in the samples to G. S. Haskell.  This opportunity should not be passed by without an effort to represent every claim, as over  500,000 people visit the exposition yearly, and the committee pay freight and furnish glass cases to show the ores and other minerals.”

Hermosa: “Four men are at present working on the Pelican mine.”

Hermosa: “H. E. Berlew has got his saloon front ready to receive the glass.”

Hermosa: “Bivens and Bryant have erected a new cabin 16x18 feet, just south of Mrs. Miller’s restaurant.”

From the Southwest Sentinel:  “Foul air is retarding operations in several of the Kingston mines...A Chinese company has purchased a mining claim near Kingston, and will import coolies to do the work.”

From the Albuquerque Democrat:  “The Superior Mine at Kingston is steadily shipping high grade ore to Denver for treatment.”  

Work has commenced on the Amajicano.  The shaft will be driven still deeper, which is at present fifty-five feet deep.  The foul air is being removed by the aid of a furnace.

A copy of this issue can be found at: The Black Range newspaper, issue of July 13, 1883, the file is 1.2 MB in size.

 

 

 

THE ISSUE OF FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1883

On the front page of this issue, the Monte Christo Restaurant advertised full board for a week at $8.  Above, the Monte Christo as it appears today and before.  The remainder of the front page was devoted to humorous stories and other ads.

From Page Two

“General Tom Thumb is dead.  Apoplexy took his last breath at his home in Middleboro, Mass. on the 16th inst.  His true name was Chas. Haywood Stratton.  He was forty-five years old and had been on exhibition before the public since Barnum picked him up at the age of fourteen.  He was married in 1863, his widow surviving him.  Bridgeport will be his burial place.”

“The United States authorities are very prompt in returning pauper immigrants to England.  A ship load of this class was recently returned to Queenstown and five Polish families later arrived are sent back to London whence they came.  America welcomes self-supporting able-bodied foreigners but of paupers she always has enough.  The action in returning them was wise.”

From Page Three

“Water is so short on Poverty creek that the saw mill can only run a portion of the time.”

“There is an abundance of wild grapes in the range this year.  The full grown but green fruit is gathered and the juice thereof made into jelly.”

“The daily mail line from Engle to the towns of the Black Range was established on Monday.  A two-seated buckboard runs opposite the regular coach.  It is an appreciated improvement to the get the mail every evening but it will take some time to get the people thoroughly accustomed to it.”

Grafton: “D. C. Cantwell has arrived at his ranch on the Gila with 1000 head of cattle from Missouri.”

Grafton: “Burt D. Mason has gone to Silver City as a witness in the matter of Mead Bros. and Cassil to quiet title to some mining property in South Percha, Grant County.”

Grafton: “P. Moosaw had two fingers on his left hand badly mutilated handling the bucket at the Royal Arch while hoisting water from the mine.  Dr. Otterson dressed thewound...The Royal Arch shaft is free from water and sinking on the lead began this morning...The toot of the Royal Arch steam whistle sounded for the first time last Thursday evening and the first bucket of water was hoisted about six p.m.  The engine is a Chicago manufactured one and from appearances seems fully able to do its work.  On starting the engine to take up the slack of the wire rope a lever connecting the steam valve after opening steam refused to close it again and the drum sticking in some manner run the bucket up against the crossbeam, give the boys a little scare but no damage.”

Grafton: “The price of the stock of the Ivanhoe mine has been advanced until it now stands at $1.95.  Somebody must be purchasing.  Perhaps it is the star route funds that are doing the business.”

Grafton: “Another shift was put on the Occidental Wednesday night.  Eight men are now employed in the mine, whose shaft is now over two hundred and fifty feet deep.  Kean St. Charles the superintendent, is doing good work.  He will sink twenty-five or thirty feet more when he will drift for the ledge.”

Fairview: “Reports have reached town of a strike of antimonial galena in the Chicago.  The vein is about a foot wide and looks well.”

Fairview: “The base ball mania has struck the camp and challenges are now in order.  Can’t some other hoodlum club beat the Fairview bummers.”

Fairview: “The Black Knife has at last let a contract of fifty feet to J. C. Hubbard.  The result of the last meeting of the  company was to contract one hundred feet but the treasury falling short of the required funds fifty feet was let with the understanding that should sufficient money be paid into the treasury by the time of the completion of this contract the additional work will be done with a possibility of still continuing work if anything warrants it.  Mr. Hubbard is already to work with three men, and more to be put on if they can be worked to advantage.”

Fairview:  The article (below) about the issues of what was to become “open range” appeared in this issue.

Chloride: “The workmen on the Colossal strike some fine pockets of mineral every now and then.”

Chloride: “Billy Kellem is no longer connected with the Monte Christo restaurant, Major Beebe having sole control.  Mr. Kellem will go to Socorro to look over the field there with business eyes.”

Chloride: “A wagon road from the top of the range at the head of Chloride creek down the west side of the range to connect with the North Star road would give Chloride control of the trade of the upper Gila country.”

Chloride: “The Sweet Annie and Caledonia claims being the west extensions of the Silver Monument are being vigorously prospected the indications furnishing much satisfaction to Messrs. McBride, Myers, and Westman who are the owners.”

Chloride: “A local rain at the head of Byers’ run las week made a rushing torrent ten feet deep of that stream and flowed nearly to Cuchillo creek, while the other gulches were dry as bones.  The flood was of short duration, however.”

Chloride: “Dr. Blinn, the range druggist, is accumulating as  rapidly as possible specimens of the insects and reptiles of the range.  He will be glad to receive any curiosities of these orders that may be brought him.  He will, ere long, have things so fitted up that he can display his collection.  One large bug which he lately added to his collection, called a helotacellopod is a curiosity that nobody would miss the opportunity of seeing.”

Chloride: “J. M. Smith took a small quantity of the Dreadnaught ore and after crushing it had an assay made which showed a value in silver of twenty-three ounces.  He then took a gold pan and washed the mass down to one-fifth its original size and then took another assay which gave him one hundred and seventeen ounces of silver.  This is pretty fair demonstration that the Dreadnaught ore will concentrate with profit.”

The complete issue can be read at: The Black Range newspaper, issue of July 20, 1883, the file is 2.2 MB in size.

 

THE ISSUE OF FRIDAY, JULY 27, 1883

The front page of this issue was devoted to humorous stories and ads.  Page two had short articles about railroad work north of Socorro and train fares to the tertio-millennial celebration in Santa Fe.  

Mining scheme public relation notices are not unique to our time and place.  See the article to the right from page 2.  Most of the page was dedicated to ads and legal notices.

From Page Three

Fairview: “M. G. Levy has got three young mocking birds which he is playing wet nurse to.”

Fairview: “Tom Hill of Canada de Alamosa, paid the range a visit last Saturday.  He informs us that he will soon commence to run a vegetable wagon to this place and Chloride.”

Fairview: “Mr. Geo. Nutbean came in on Monday’s stage and immediately commenced work on the Black Cap.  The results of the present working will determine whether it will be continued.”

Fairview: “Family jars are all very well when hidden away in a cupboard, but when flourished upon the sidewalk and in the street they present an unwholesome appearance.”

Fairview: “The milk war which raged so fearfully early this summer has settled down to sky blue and butter.  Mr. Alexander furnishing the lactiel fluid and Riley Bros. the oleomargarine.”

Fairview: “Henry Cloudman has quit working on the Bobtail mine at Hillsboro, and is now at Socorro working on the smelter.”

Chloride: “Alex von Wendt has gone to Denver with the last shipment of Silver Monument ore.”

Chloride: “Billy James has sunk his well to the depth of  a trifle over fifty feet and it now furnishes an abundance of water.”

Chloride: “G. A. Cassil is now at Silver City on business connected with the Percha Mine, the Gray Eagle, trouble.”

“The Cliff-dwellers"

New Mexico is a rich field for study for the antiquarian. In all parts of the territory ruins of ancient dwellings abound and no point is utterly devoid of objects connected with centuries past. Relics of the previous claimants lie about and although not so plentiful as formerly they are as yet by no means scarce. The distinct evidences of three separate and distinct peoples having in turn been dispossessed of this territory by the right of might show plainly the means by which the Indian gained title to this property, and justifies the white man in acquiring it by the same process. The soil is evidently stolen goods at best and the whites simply compelled thieves to disgorge when they took the red man's lands. Judging the future by the past the time will come when we will be given like meed of justice by a stronger people who will push us into the same oblivion that we have prepared for the Indian, and that, he dealt out to his predecessor.

Probably no point in these United States is more prolific in its evidences of previous human occupation than the Black range. The frail tepees of the savage Apache sun remain at their favorite camping places, the undimmed trails in many instances yet serve the purposes of the present occupants of the land and even the previous proprietors themselves sometimes threaten to visit their previous homes lo warm up the skins of their conquerors. Water jugs deftly plaited of split willow twigs and covered with pitch from the pine.  Flint arrow heads and government cart ridge shells, bones of adventurous prospectors and rash U. S. soldiers, with an occasional cache of auburn female hair and baby clothes, are the mementoes left by this murderous people that they were here. Preceding the Apaches it is popularly supposed that the Pueblo Indian held possession of the land, as the evidences of a people of like habits and employments are extremely numerous. On the top of nearly every foot hill on either side of the range the rock foundations of their houses can be traced with an abundance of pottery ware scattered about. Metates, being stones on which corn and wheat were ground by hand are numerous and go to show that these valleys once produced crops for the sustenance of a numerous people. Stone hammers and other relics have been dug from their houses although but little in the way of exploration has yet been done.

But the most curious and mysterious of the previous occupants of this land are the Cliff Dwellers whose habitations are found in nearly every inaccessible place on the western side of the territory and adjacent portions of Arizona.  Of the other ruins there can be found traditions regarding the builders among the last possessing savages but of the cliff people there is no record in song or story.  They have passed from earth completely with only the ruins of their residences and the scattered specimens of their handiwork to let the race now on the stage of life's action know of their having been. The ruins of these houses as found in the north part of New Mexico have been repeatedly visited by scientific men and many speculations regarding who and what they were have been advanced by those who have made the subject a study, but these theories though guided by the fullest possible light are yet speculations after all, and therefore to be taken on trial.

On the headwaters of the Gila river, on the western slope of the Black range and the eastern side of the Mogollon mountains, these Cliff Dwellers' houses are numerous. Many of them are in perfect preservation but the majority have had. All the woodwork about them burned; possibly by the conquerors.  The houses are built in natural caverns hollowed out of the face of solid, perpendicular rocks. To reach any of them necessitates a tedious climb from the visitor and many of them cannot be gained at all, except by the use of ladders of longer or shorter dimensions.  The walls of the houses are built of stone laid in mud and the neat, accurate work done by the masons constructing them would do credit to any mechanic of these limes. In the majority of the buildings the rooms are small and the ceilings low, and in all of them the doors and windows are miniature, the former being barely large enough for a six foot man to crawl through.   Notwithstanding that the houses were protected from rain or snow by the overhanging cliffs, most of them were provided with roofs constructed after the style of the Mexican dwellings of the present day, being made of mud held up by timbers with the ends supported upon the tops of the walls. Most of the timbers used were Cottonwood and by reason of its having been protected from the elements this wood remains' in a perfect state of preservation. In the center of the rooms boxes two feet in diameter, made of stone, were situated in which fires were builded. These yet remain filled, with ashes. Specimens of the handiwork of these people are yet numerous and can be found by digging beneath the debris caused by the fallen roofs. They consist chiefly of baskets woven very neatly from the leaves of the soap weed, sandals plaited from the Spanish dagger leaves, and of pottery of every description known to the Pueblo Indians. Stone axes have been found and metates are numerous. Corn cobs still lie scattered about in abundance, dry and brittle with age.  Bones of animals of the various species peculiar to this country are plentiful among the rubbish, but as far as known to the writer, no bones supposed to belong to the Cliff dwelling people have yet been discovered. This circumstance Is considered peculiar and gives rise to various speculations as to the manner in which they disposed of their dead.

The largest habitation of these ancient people located on the Gila, is on the west fork about two miles above the hot spring. Here is a cliff standing probably three hundred feet high, and on the south side of it about one hundred feet from its base Is a cavern which is hollowed out of the soft rock.   The cave has an open pace five hundred wide while its depth is about fifty feet and its height thirty feet, The houses are built to occupy the entire space of this cut. Most of them have doors and windows outside and all are connected by partition doors.  The rooms twenty-six in number are generally or fair size with ceilings six and seven feet high. One room which appears to have served as a council chamber, house of worship or some use of the sort, is 50x100 feet in dimensions with a ceiling fifteen feet high. In one corner is what appears to be the ruins of a pulpit. Two flights of stone steps lead up into the room. The space is fraught with great interest to those who enjoy studying the remains of prehistoric man and his handiwork.  There has been produced in the minds of many by the fact of the doors and windows being so small, that no large stones are used in the wall, that the timbers used to hold up the roofs are of the lightest woods and that the large rocks which oft times obstruct the free passage of the dwellers therein were not removed, that the Cliff-dwellers of this country were a small and weak people, but there are many other things which dispute this theory. For instance, the sandals found were large enough for a full grown man of today.  The stone steps leading to the amphitheater are of the size now generally used, the fire boxes in the center rooms were of regulation size for five-footers, at least, and all the rooms found had not less than six-foot ceilings wherever practicable.   The lilliputian size of the doors and windows were probably so made as to serve to give as little opportunity for invaders to attack the owners, as possible.

With the assiduous and studious research that is at the present time be ing given to the attractive study these people an explanation of who and what they are may be arrived at some time. As for the Range it has only one ray of light to throw upon the subject and this is pale and flickering:

Where did Cain get his wife?

Page Four

Page Four was dedicated to humorous stories and ads.

The entire issue may be read at: The Black Range newspaper, issue of July 27, 1883.  The file is 2.2 MB in size.