report as to socorro county nm bureau of immigration 1881by fischer & abeytia

8/7/2019 Report as to Socorro County NM Bureau of Immigration 1881by Fischer & Abeytia

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MEXICOTERRITORIAL

IRIEIE'OIR/TAS TO

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This Report was prepared byM. FISCIIEK AND ANTONIO Y. A. ABEVTIA,

Commissioners, Socorro, Socorro County.

SOCOKRO, N. M.SOCORBO DAILY NEWS OFFICE.

1881.


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MEXICO/s ^TERRITORIAL

AS TO

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This Report was prepared byM. FISCHEE AND AKTOKIO Y. A.ABE YTIA,

Commissioners, Socorro, Socorro County.

SOCORRO, N. M.SOCORRO DAILY NEWS OFFICE.

1881.


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Bancroft Li

IRIEIPOIR/Z1OF THE

COMMISSIONERS OF SOCORRO COUNTY.LOCATION.Occupying that portion of Xew Mexico known as the Western Central,and embracing an area of near 17,000 square miles, is the County of Socorro.

It is bounded on the north by Valencia County, on the west by the Territoryof Arizona, on the south by Grant and Dona Ana Counties, on the east byLincoln County, and lies largely in Latitudes 33 and 34. The altitude isfrom 4,000 to 5,000 feet in the valleys and from 10,000 to 14,000 feet in the moun-tain ranges,' thus giving almost any climate desired.

THE FACE OF THE COUNTRYIs varied, a large portion being vast plains and fertile valleys, and the remain-der being foothills and mountains, covered witn timber, teeming with gameand rich in the noble and baser metals. Indeed, when the great Humboldtsaid three-fourths of a century ago that the "wealth of the world would befound in New Mexico and Arizona," he must have had the county of Socorroin his mind's eye. THE POPULATIONAt present cannot be less than 22,000, of which the native or Mexican elementcomprises about 15,000, the remainder being immigrants, not only from theStates, but from all portions of the civilized world. While a few of these aremere adventurers, a large porportion are here for the purpose of making Mi istheir future home, and of course are interested in the growth and prosperityof the country. The native population and the immigrants from the Statesmove together hand in hand, and if there ever was any jealousy existing be-tween the two .people it is fast becoming a thing of the past as theylearn lo know ench cither better.

THE CHARACTER OF THE SOIL.Varies grratly, from a rich, sandy loam in the valleys to a coarse,gravelly soil in the more elevated portions of the county. All kinds of tem-perate and semi-tropical fruits, gram and vegetables are raised abundantly intho valleys, while the plains and mountain ranges will give pasturage to count-less herds of horses, cattle and sheep. Xo country on earth will excel the-.Valley of the Rio (-ramie and its tributaries for the production of the grape,pear, peach and small fruit*, and in time it will supply tiie great cities of, the |


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North and Northwest with the earliest and most delicious of the products ofthe horticulturist. Here the "Mission," the queen of all grapes, flourishesalmost without attention, and from it a wine is made which when manufac-tured with proper care rivals that of the most famous vintage. Pears, peaches,cherries and the different varieties of berries, are grown to perfection. All

(vegetables can be successfully cultivated. As the planter depends altogetherupon irrigation, such a thing as a failure of crops is almost unknown.

THE CLIMATEIs unexcelled, and for tuberculosis and other lung diseases it has no superior,especially in the valleys, where the altitude is not over 5,000 feet. The atmos-phere is dry and bracing, with but few heavy winds, and comparatively littledust, that bane of most mountainous countries. The time is not far distantwhen this portion of New Mexico will become a great health resort.GAME IN ABUNDANCEIs found, consisting of bear, deer, antelope, mountain sheep, rabbits, waterfowl, etc., wliile the mountain streams, especially m the western part of theCounty, afford fine fishing. GOOD TIMBERFor building purposes is found in the mountains. It consists principally ofpine, pinou, oak and other varieties peculiar to this latitude. In fact Socorroi- one of the best timbered counties in the Territory. Several saw mills arenow in operation, and more are either in course of building or contemplated.SOCOITO County in time will become the stock-raising county of the Territory.The grass in the mountainous districts and upon the plains is abundant andnutritious, and the mildness of the winters makes any artificial protection forstock wholly anneeessary. Sheep and cattle do remarkably well. Greatimprovements in breeding have been attained within the past few years, andin the future the wool and cattle shipped will not be far behind in quality thatproducecrin the East.The County is comparatively

WELL WATEREDH\ .several streams and springs. The swift-running Rio Grand flows throughil from north to south. Besides this river we havs the Rio Polomas, Rio LosAmmas: also the Hio San Francisco and headwaters of the Gila, in the westernparr of the county. In the center of the County are the plains of San Angustint1 , which can be amply watered by means of artesian wells. When this isdone this vast waste of country will become productive, as the soil is very rich.In the mountains are numerous fine streams of the very best of water.The principa 1 towns are* Socorro, the County Seat, Polvidero, Limitnrand La Joya; Grafton, Chloride, Fairview, Carbonateville, Clairmont andAlma are mining towns. San Francisco is'surrounded by a fine agriculturaland grazing country, and bids fair to become an important point. .The chiefpoint is Socorro, the County Seat, which contains a population of at least M,ooo,three-fifths of whom are of Spanish descent. From its natural location andother advantages it is destined to become a leading commercial center and themetropolis of a vast mining, agricultural and stock-raising country. The townis pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Rio Grande and within three


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miles and a half of the Socorro Mountains. A fine, warm spring breaks outat the foot of the mountains and Hows through the city, furnishing water inabundance. THE SOCIETYfs us good as can be found anywhere, the citizens not tolerating the desperadoor bully so frequently met vvirh on the frontier. The Roman Catholics, Pres-byterians and Methodists all have good churches, which are well attended. ACollege that will be second to none in the Territory is in course of erection.THE A., T. & S. F.Railroad gives the City and County connections with both the Atlantic andPacific sea boards. Surveys have been made for another road, theNEW MEXICO & SOUTHERN,Which will connect the County Seat with the mines of the Black Range andMogollons, and ultimately push Westward until it reaches the Pacific coast.Socorro has no superior as a.HEALTH RESORT,As the experience .f numerous persons who have been benefitted will attest.VYhilo the altitude is not high enough to be oppressive to persons with weaklungs, it is above the malarial belt. Ague is unknown.While Socorro County offers great inducements to the fruit grower andstock raiser, it is not on those resources alone that we base our expectationsfor future wealth and prosperity. It is to our unexcelledMIXERA L RESOURCESThat we look forward to with a confidence that comes from the meagre devel-opments already made, and that, too, in the face of many difficulties. It is anestablished fact that the County of Socorro embraces not only the greatestextent of mining lands in rhe Territory, but also some of the very best. Hersilver and copper ores are remarkably rich, assaying often into the hundreds,and many times into the thousands of ounces to the ton. Well defined leadsof copper have been located which assay from 40 to 70 per cent, of the metal.When we take into consideration the fact that the copper ores of Lake Superiorgive but five to seven percent, of the metal, and are worked profitably, cananyone doubt that the mines of Socorro County will prove a source of immensewealth V

The most noted silver leads so far discovered assay from 60 to 300 ouncesto the ton. and as the ore is easily treated, leaves an immense profit to themine owner. ,. As an evidence that practical mining men are satisfied as to ourresources, it is only necessary to state that a stamp mill and smeltry are incourse of erection at Socorro, and a smeltry is now in active operation in theMagdalenas. Others will be built in the Black Range and Mogollons. Silverexists in almost every variety of rock J found in the County. The best ore,of course, is found in regular, well defined leads. These leads [seam all


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GOLDIs found in different localities, notably in the Mogollon and Black''ange districts. The celebrated Ivanhoe mine, which could not to-day bepurchased for $1,000,000, is in this county, as is the Torrance, for whichs.-)00, 000 has been refused. Of course these figures are exceptional, but thereare scores of mines that have been sold to practical mining men at prices from.si 0,000 to $75,000 each. The transactions in mines have been carried on in aquiet manner, not with that "boom" which indicates a camp that is but forthe day. Mining experts all unite in saying that the time is not far distantwhen Socorro County will lead in the production of silver and copper andother metals. All that is needed is the judicious investment of capital to bringthis about. COALWe have in abundance, and located at points easily accessible, thus solvmg

question of cheap fuel. A railroad eight miles long is now being built to("imect the A. T. & S. F. K. E. with the coal beds, and will be completedthis fall. IRON( 'i' ihe bost quality is found scattered over large districts, and in connection

i el leap fuel will be a profitable investment for the capitalist. Manganeseand Antimony are also met with in large quantities.Of Zinc Ore we have an abundance, notably in the Magdalenas.Immense deposits of Lead have been opened, but are not worked to anyMt. With low freights the mining of this metal will become one of our

leading industries.Sulphur, which enters so largely into the arts and sciences, is found here

in almost unlimited quantities, and nearly pure.Aluminum, the base of all the clays, is one of the leading metals of thePorcelain and Fire Clay abounds to a plentiful extent.A very superior quality of hard marble has been discovered, and covers

a large extent of territory.Mica, Graphite, Chalk, Salt, and in fact nearly all the known metals, aremet with here, almost all of which would pay a handsome margin on the money

--ted in their development.Although this portion of Uncle Sam's dominion was the first colonized

'uropeans, yet its mines are the least known. But within the past yearand a half a wonderful change has been wrought. Hardy prospectors havecome m by the score, followed by the capitalist, who, seeing our wonderfulr


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:r= ~expect will be'the result of the improvements in mining that^we tind two cen-turies later? These early miners knew nothing of the high explosives; theytransported their ores on the backs of mules and men hundreds of miles to besmelted in the most primitive manner, yet wealth flowed into the lap of Spainin such profusion as to astonish all Christendom. At present one miner cando as much work in a day as a score could have done two centuries ago in thesame time, and of course the results will be as great porportionally.It is an evident fact that, however rich a mine mav be, it needs capitalto develope it. Money is required to get the mine into a shape for its econom-ical working and the purchase of machinery before it can be made produc-tive. The investor, knowing this fact, naturally looks about him for a pointwhere with the least expense he can achieve the greatest results. We areconfident that Socorro County offers this advantage.Our Gold, Silver and Copper Mines are not the only inducements wehold out to skill and capital. The manufacturer can here find an opening foralmost any line of business in which he may desire to engage. He can utilizeour Iron, Lead and Zinc, with which the country abounds. Our Clays offergreat inducements to the manufacture of pottery.Woolen mills could be operated successfully, as native labor is notexpensive and wool is cheap and can be procured hi unlimited quantities.Machine Shops and Foundries are needed to keep pace with the growthof our mines.

Our Fine Marble ctm be quarried and shipped to advantage. The greatSulphur Beds might be utilized. We should not only supply the great South-west with Salt and Alum, but also ship it to distant points. In fact there ishardly any legitimate enterprise, backed with sufficient capital and brains,that cannot be made to thrive in Socorro County.A glance at a map of this Territory will show that the County of Socorrolies in the heart of the great mineral region of the Rocky Mountains, that theleads of both Old Mexico and the country north converge to this point. Ifthere had never been any development made the face of the country alonewould prove to the observant mind that it was rich, not only in the noblermetals but the baser also. While not wishing to disparage the mines of thecountry north, yet we can offer inducements that they cannot compete with.Our mines, to say the least, are as valuable as any that can be found in Idaho,Montana or Colorado. \Vhile they can be worked but about half of the year,ours can be successfully operated in all seasons. We have no blinding nowstorms to drive miners from their work, nor deep drifts to stop mining opera-tions nor prevent prospecting. In fact there is no better season than winter towork. A tent will be sufficient the year round. If something more substantialis desired, timber in plenty can be found, and adobes are easily procured.Besides, the industrious Mexicans or Pueblo Indians can be secured as labor-ers. Supplies and machinery can be transported to almost any pointin wagons over natural highways, thus reducing the cost of mining to the veryleast possible point.

One advantage that Socorro County offers, and which should not be over-looked, is the fact that it is not covered with land grants, as unfortunately isthe case with much of New Mexico. The miner can, by doing $500 worth ofwork on his claim, secure a title froja the Government which is absolutely


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perfect. In othei counties much of the very best mining property is locatedon grants, and tedious litigation on the part of the owners of mines will nodoubt be the result.

Socorro is eminently, a mineral-producing County, though her agricul-tural resources are considerable and largely diversified. It is upon her minesthat her future prosperity largely depends, and as the value of these havebeen amply tested, her coming greatness is assured. All that is wanted is toturn the tide of capital and skilled labor to these gold, silver and copper-ribbed mountains and hills to cause her to leap into an era of prosperity thatvvill even exceed the expectations of the most sanguine.As this report may circulate considerably among mining men perhaps itwill be as well to give a list of our mining districts with the leading ores. Thelist is necessarily incomplete, as new districts are being formed almostweekly and new discoveries are made daily:SOCORRO MOUNTAIN District Sulphate of silver, carbonates, argen-tiferous galena, blue and green carbonates of copper in gangues of calcite,heavy spar, quartz and quartzite. Chalcidany, Jasper and porphery, arefound in the vicinity.

LIMITAH District Argentiferous copper in gangue of sulphate ofbaryta and quartz.POLVADERO District Same as above, with the addition of gold in quartz.LADRONE District Argentiferous galena in colcite and quartz gangues,Native copper.LA JOYA District Argentiferous galena in spar, quartz and quartzite.coal . MANZANA AND OLO Districts Kidney and argentiferous copper.

8 VN FELICITE District Sulphate of Silver, carbonates, green and bluecarbonates of copper, iron, fire-clay, coal, etc.

(iALLiNAS District Hard carbonates, lead carbonates, chloride of silver,oro-entiferous'galen-n, molachite, native copper.S\N BARU District Cuperiferous silver, iron. coal.

S \N PEDRO District-Fire-clay, iron, copper.OSCURA District Argentiferous galena, carbonates

in quartz and spargangues, nickel.HANSONBURG District Green and blue carbonates of copper, argen-tiferous grev:coppeiV native copper, gold, coal etc.WATER CANON District Gold, nativelsilver, argentiferous galena, man-ganese, zinc,Viickel,'argentiferous grey copper, iron, trace of tin, etc.MAGDALENA District Argentiferous galena, argentiferous grey copper.The district also produces iron, zinc, cobalt, etc.PUEBLO District Argentiferous|grey copper, argentiferous galena, redand black oxides of copper; carbonates, both hard and soft.BEAR SPRING District Coal, argentiferous grey copper, argentiferousgalena, graphite, etc,SAN ANTONIO District Coal, argentiferous galena, argentiferous copperin quartze gangue.SAN MATEO^District Gold, silver, copper, iron, lead.

BLACK RANGE District Gold, silver, copper, lead in [quartz, and spargangues.


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MOGOLLON District Gold, silver, varigated copper, argentiferous greycopper, argentiferous galena, and prey copper.DACTYL District Argentiferous galena, copper, etc.The above will give the reader a very fair idea of the diversity of met-als which abound in Socorro county. In making this report we have desirednot to exaggerate, but rather to underestimate what we have and what is instore for us. Nature has indeed been lavish in her gifts. She has given us asalubrious climate for the benefit of the invalid and for the protection ofhealth. She has given us fertile valleys for the use of the agriculturist andimmense plains for the stock raiser. And above all, she has given us moun-tain ranges.

"Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun," teeming with nearly all the metalsknown to man, that the speculator, the capitalist and the working man, mayhave an unlimited field for enterprise. Untold fortunes are now locked up inthe mountains of Socorro County which only await the pick of the minerand the use of machinery to bring them to light.During the late war many old California miners enlisted and were sentto this portion of the Territory of New Mexico for the purpose of protectingthe native inhabitants against the hostile Indians. As these "49er's" crossedand recrossed the mountain ranges their practiced eyes detected the presenceof precious ores in abundance, and when discharged from the service they setabout prospecting. The result was that they discovered rich leads of gold,silver and copper; but so isolated was that section of the country at that timethat they found it impossible to bring the results of their labor to the noticeof the world Consequently they were compelled to patiently await the dawnof a new era . That day has come, andjfor the first time has the attention ofenterprise, skill, capital and speculation beenjdrawn to Central New Mexico.

AVithout detracting from the resources of her sister counties in this Ter-ritory, or any other localities in Uncle Sam's broad dominions, Socorro Countycan proudly claim a place in the foremost rank among those portions of theearth on which nature. has lavished her greatest wealth.ANTONIO ABEYTIA.M. FISCHER

COMMiSSlONEBS FOB SOCOBRO COUNTY.

report as to socorro county nm bureau of immigration 1881by fischer & abeytia

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