D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
February 2010
The Lost History of Pinos Altos
Why almost everything you think you know about the gold-mining boomtown is wrong.
By Erica and Jim Parson
Much has been written about the founding and early history of Pinos Altos, the small town north of Silver City where gold was discovered in 1860. Much of what has been written is — to be perfectly blunt — wrong.
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1. Summit of Pinos Altos Mountain 2. Pinos Altos town-site 3. Arrastra site 4. Arroyo Rico 5. Junction of Rich Gulch and Bear Creek — site of Eureka/Burchville 6. Rich Gulch 7. Junction of Little Cherry and Bear Creeks |
Serious errors are to be found in the accepted histories of many towns in this area, including Silver City. Often the result is a caricatured, dime-novel representation — of which the history of Pinos Altos is a prime example. Pinos Altos should be recognized today as much more than a quaint old mining town where tourists can wile away a few pleasant hours on a Saturday afternoon, soaking up the culture and art of the Southwest.
Why does the history of Pinos Altos exist in its current, error-riddled form? Broadly speaking, there are three main reasons.
First, it appears to be standard practice to create a new work on local history by quoting, paraphrasing, commenting on and discussing the works of previous authors, often with the incorporation of very little or no new material. Often there is little or no evidence of any fresh research having been carried out by the author. In short, to quote English author and historian Philip Guedella, "History repeats itself. Historians repeat each other."
Second, many modern-day writers develop the habit of over-reliance on those items written most closely in time to the occurrence of a particular event. They succumb to the belief that age alone validates the information and automatically confers on it a veneer of credibility, reliability and authenticity.
Coupled with this is the tendency to depend heavily on the memoirs of "old-timers." This is not to suggest that all such memoirs are completely unreliable. There are some very good examples, in particular two that relate to Grant County and make mention of Pinos Altos. These are the memoirs of H.B. Ailman and of O.W. Williams, who, more accurately, were diarists — recording events as they happened as opposed to collating a set of memories, often many years later.
Each of these three types of resources, although not completely devoid of value, has serious flaws. When compared to official and public documents, marked discrepancies arise. Very often the oldest works — those that form the bases for the work of more modern writers — fail to provide any referenced sources for the information they contain. The memoirs of old-timers are frequently found to be inconsistent with records and documents of the time to which they relate.
For example, "New Mexico Mines and Minerals: Being An Epitome Of The Early Mining History And Resources Of New Mexican Mines In The Various Districts," written by Fayette Alexander Jones and published in 1904, is cited on numerous occasions by numerous authors. It is regarded as being an authoritative and standard text on New Mexico's mining history. Jones' technical information is not questioned; he was twice the president of the New Mexico School of Mines at Socorro. But his histories of the various mining districts contain many factual errors, which could easily have been identified and rectified by thorough research on the part of more modern writers.
Sadly, these errors have been perpetuated — in particular those concerning how the first gold was discovered at Pinos Altos, when it was discovered, and how Pinos Altos was first named Birchville. Jones does list several people by name as sources for his information, but no specific person is credited in relation to Pinos Altos. The "myth" of Pinos Altos was already well established by the time that Jones' work was published.
The work of R.S. Allen ("A Summary of the History of Pinos Altos, Grant County, New Mexico") was first published in the Silver City Enterprise in 1899 and later reproduced in the New Mexico Historical Review (NMHR) in 1948 under the title of "Pinos Altos, New Mexico." It too includes what has come to be regarded as a standard section on the early history of Pinos Altos, as has Dorothy Watson's 1960 booklet "The Story of Pinos Altos." In fact, Watson's paragraphs on the very early history of the town repeat almost verbatim Allen's words. When Allen's article was reproduced in the NMHR in 1948, George B. Anderson's 1907 History of New Mexico: Its Resources and People was used as a supplemental reference. Again, Anderson's section on the history of Pinos Altos closely follows that of Jones' 1904 publication.
Our research has revealed that, to a large extent, the histories of Pinos Altos as narrated by these authors had their origins in an article written by General James H. Carleton. Carleton was commander of the 1st California Volunteer Infantry, the "California Column," which arrived in New Mexico Territory in 1862. In 1867 he visited Pinos Altos in the company of Charles P. Clever (Territorial Delegate to Congress), Robert B. Mitchell (Governor of the Territory of New Mexico) and Captain John Pratt (Marshal of New Mexico). Carleton's article was published in the Santa Fe Gazette in the summer of 1867, and was also included in a report published by Clever in Washington, DC, the following year.
When examined in chronological order, it can be seen how the current history of Pinos Altos is the result of an amalgamation of these three earliest works. Jones in particular reiterates information from both Carleton's and Allen's articles. For example, Jones reports that Thomas Mastin was killed in the Sept. 27, 1861, Apache raid on Pinos Altos, a "fact" first reported by Carleton. He also repeats the assertion that Pinos Altos was originally named Birchville, a "fact" first put into print by Allen, as was the "fact" that the first gold was discovered when Henry Birch paused to drink from Bear Creek, again, repeated by Jones. Carleton makes no reference to Pinos Altos having originally been called Birchville. All three writers agree on the "fact" that the discovery of gold occurred on May 18, 1860.
As regards the unreliability of the memoirs of old-timers, a prime example is the memoirs of Henry Clay (Hank) Smith written in 1909 and 1910. Smith's memoirs were collated and published in 1979 under the title "Sun Rising On The West, The Saga of Henry Clay and Elizabeth Smith." Hank Smith was a resident of Pinos Altos in 1860. Comparison of Smith's accounts of many events, and in particular his role in them, with public records and documents of the time leads one to the inevitable conclusion that he had a penchant for placing himself at front and center of those events. Much of his "memoirs" consist of error-filled accounts of events and gross exaggerations of his role in them. Hank Smith, it seems, had played a leading role in very many of the major events of southwestern New Mexico's history, including the first discovery of gold on Bear Creek.
Although there are some differences between the various accounts of the history of Pinos Altos, most writers are in agreement on the major points. There are countless magazine and newspaper articles, numerous books written by historians, and a whole slew of books on ghost towns that tell us that:
The first discovery of gold was made May 18, 1860, by Snively, Birch and Hicks.
Birch discovered the placer gold as he drank from Bear Creek; he is said to have seen gold glistening on the bed of the stream.
News of the discovery leaked out and spread quickly, resulting in a massive influx of gold hunters and leading to the establishment of a fast-growing settlement.
This settlement was christened Birchville in honor of the discoverer of the gold — Henry Birch.
The town was virtually abandoned shortly after the commencement of the Civil War, and subsequent to it being attacked by a large band of Apaches on Sept. 27, 1861.
It was during this period of abandonment that Birchville was renamed Pinos Altos, its original name, by the few remaining Hispanic citizens.
Thomas Mastin had been the first to discover a gold-bearing quartz lode in the area in December 1860.
Mastin, a leading citizen of the settlement, was mortally wounded or died (depending on which account you read) during the Apache attack.
In our opening we stated outright that much of the accepted history of Pinos Altos — namely, those points listed above — is wrong. What evidence do we have to support this?
Our main evidence is provided by three letters published in the Mesilla Times in 1860 and 1861, and by the 1897 edition of the Compiled Laws of New Mexico. The first of the letters is written by no less than Jacob Snively himself, its contents witnessed by Burch and Hicks, and dated "Pino Alto Mines, Sept. 17, 1860." It is addressed to the Editor of the Mesilla Times, and was published in the Oct. 25, 1860, edition of that newspaper:
"MR EDITOR: As the Pino Alto Mines are becoming of some importance, and as the discovery of those Mines is attributed to individuals who were not present, it now becomes necessary to inform the public who were the real discoverers: About the 20th day of April last, I was encamped near the Santa Rita del Cobre Mines with a small party, prospecting in the vicinity for Gold. Having found nothing sufficient to encourage us to continue longer I concluded to prospect the Gila and its tributaries in the Apache Country. About this time Mr. Henry Burch came to my camp, who immediately concluded to accompany me to that country. A few days after we started, Mr. Burch and James W. Hicks being my companions, after examining the mountains, and prospecting the gulches for several days unsuccessfully, we encamped on a creek which afterwards I named Bear Creek. Here we found indications of Gold, in the appearance of the country. We began to prospect. The first pan of dirt I dug and Mr. B washed it out. The result proved to be about eight cents. This was on the 3d day of May last. We prospected throughout that day, and every trial showed flattering prospects. Believing it was unsafe to continue longer in the neighborhood of hostile Indians with a small party, we concluded to return to the Copper Mines. We supplied ourselves with provisions, and augmented our company to eight in number, and then retraced our steps to the Mines. We then prospected Bear Creek and its tributaries, more thoroughly. In every attempt we found Gold; and also discovered the mining district to be of considerable extent — sufficient to engage five hundred or a thousand men. We let the intelligence of our discoveries spread. About the above stated number are now engaged in the Mines. Discoveries in quartz, both gold and silver, are daily being made. I have no doubt that the Mines will last, at least for twenty years or more.
J. Snively
We, the undersigned, certify that the above is true.
Henry Burch
Jas. W. Hicks"
A careful reading of Snively's letter raises several issues that clearly negate certain points in the accepted history:
The letter was written at the "Pino Alto Mines" in September 1860. This disproves the story that this name did not come into use until after the settlement was largely abandoned in the fall of 1861. The federal census of 1860 also refers to the settlement as "Pino Alto Gold Mines," as do earlier items in the Mesilla Times relating to the gold mines there. Advertisements placed in the same newspaper by various businessmen of the settlement state their place of business as being "Pino Alto." The census was enumerated there between August 13 and August 22; there is no "Birchville" listed in this census.
The party was obviously purposefully prospecting for gold, and had set out with that purpose in mind shortly after April 20, 1860. The discovery, therefore, was most certainly not the result of some serendipitous find; neither did it occur as the result of Burch pausing to drink from a stream. Snively specifically states that it was he who dug out the first pan and that Burch washed it out.
The discovery took place on May 3, not on May 18 as is more often than not reported. Where this latter date originated is not known. Allen seems to be the first to cite this date; Carleton just refers to the discovery having been made in May 1860 and gives no specific date.
News of the discovery did not "leak" out. Snively clearly states that they purposefully broadcast the news of the discovery; they needed as large a group of people as possible there to afford a reasonable level of protection in the event of attack by the Apaches.
Quartz/hard-rock mining was well established several months before the purported December 1860 discovery of the "first" quartz lode by Thomas Mastin. Snively states that "discoveries in quartz" were being made on a daily basis by the time that he wrote his letter on Sept. 7. There is little doubt that this is so. It was standard practice when placer gold was discovered to attempt to trace the origins of it — usually back to the lead from which it had eroded.
Two further points are raised by this letter. First is the spelling of Henry Burch's name. Most commonly it appears in modern times as "Birch" and, therefore, "Birchville." In the letter — which he signed himself as a witness — it is spelled "Burch." There are other examples of his name being spelled this way. In another newspaper article he is referred to as "old Burch" and reference is made to "Burch's Gulch." Although on the 1860 census he is enumerated as "Henry Birch," it is not uncommon to find such misspellings on almost all of the census returns of the time. In all likelihood the recorder wrote down names as they were given to him verbally, using the spellings he was most familiar with, or which approximated to what he had heard.
Second is Snively's reference to his purpose for writing the letter: the growing importance of the mines and "as the discovery of those Mines is attributed to individuals who were not present." This suggests that, even by this early date, a scant four months after the original discovery, the true history was already becoming muddled and embroiled in myth and error.
The second important letter was written on Oct. 8, 1861, and published on Oct. 17. It is a copy of the resolutions formulated at a meeting that took place subsequent to the death of Thomas Mastin. Here is the first paragraph:
"BURCHVILLE, AZA., Oct 8th, 1861.
"At a meeting of the ARIZONA GUARDS and the citizens of Pino Alto, held in this place in respect to the death of Capt THOS. J. MASTIN, after a few remarks pertaining to the occasion, made by Mr. J.W. Holt, Maj J.B. McKinney was called to the Chair, Mr. Wm. Marks chosen Secretary, and the following resolutions offered and adopted."
Note in this article the spelling of "Burchville" and the use of "Pino Alto" — further evidence that "Burch" is the correct spelling and that Pinos Altos was first known as Pino Alto. (For an explanation of why "Burchville" was considered as being in Arizona, see last month's article on "The Secret History of 'Arizona.'") The outstanding points of this letter, however, appear in its first few lines:
The letter was written at Burchville and the meeting was held "in this place" — that is, at Burchville.
It was attended by the Arizona Guards "and the citizens of Pino Alto." There can be no clearer evidence than that supplied in this letter that Burchville and Pino Alto were in fact two separate locations.
As mentioned, another "fact" commonly found in print is that Thomas Mastin was killed on Sept. 27. One of the earliest accounts of Mastin having been killed in the raid appears in "New Tracks In North America," the 1869 work of William Abraham Bell. Bell states that he is relating the events of the raid as they were told to him by Carleton, who does indeed say in his 1867 article that Mastin was killed, as do the Executive Documents of the House of Representatives, 2nd Session, 41st Congress, December 1869-July 1870. Fayette Alexander Jones also repeats this — as does Hank Smith, who goes so far as to state that he personally was one of those who found the body of "Tom Masterton."
Mastin's obituary appeared in the Oct. 17, 1861, edition of the Mesilla Times. It states categorically that he had died "at Pino Alto" on Oct. 7, 1861, at about 4 p.m. "after a lingering illness occasioned by a wound received in the arm" during the raid of Sept. 27.
The last of the three letters was published in the Mesilla Times on Oct. 18, 1860. It was published under the heading, "From Our Correspondent At The Pino Alto Gold Mines," and is dated "Pino Alto, Oct 8th, 1860." It was written by B.F. Neal. Judge B. F. Neal was chairman of the Committee on the Formation of a Constitution for Arizona; he had also been elected attorney general for the Provisional Government. As this is a somewhat lengthy letter, we have not reproduced it in its entirety; instead we have concentrated on the most relevant sections.
To begin with, Neal gives a brief description of the civic structure in place at Pino Alto, stating that the town had a mayor, a marshal and select and common councils; he says that there was a population there of 500 "Americans." In the letter he refers to the fact that, although such organization makes it sound as though the town has been incorporated, they are operating on their "own book," in a "provisional way." He uses the term "provisional" once more. This is without doubt a reference to Pino Alto's acceptance of and role in the Provisional Government of Arizona Territory, established in April 1860 at the constitutional convention held at Tucson. He also refers to the governor of the territory having visited Pino Alto. This is a reference to L.S. Owings, governor of the Provisional Territory of Arizona, and not to the governor of New Mexico Territory, who was at this time Abraham Rencher.
Aside from yet again referring to the settlement as "Pino Alto" and the spelling of Henry Burch's name, our attention is drawn to Neal's description of where the major mines were located. He refers to two main sites, and lists "the most prominent miners" with whom he was acquainted. These sites are Bear Creek and Burch's Gulch:
Bear Creek: This name has remained unchanged. It is the creek that runs through the Pinos Altos town-site. Bear Creek rises on the southeastern slope of Pinos Altos Mountain and runs roughly northwards to converge with Cherry Creek. Ultimately it empties into the Gila River at a point just south of the town of Gila, NM. Neal names seven of the companies in operation on Bear Creek.
Burch's Gulch: Neal lists 15 companies with claims on Burch's Gulch, among them Burch, Langston & Co., who were averaging $50/90 per day, and Snively & Co., averaging $30/50 per day. He also mentions that several of the claims here had shafts on them: Jackson & Co. "have a rich gold quartz lead upon which they have sunk a shaft 30 feet deep" "Read & Co. have a silver mine called the "Pino Alto" lead. A shaft has also been sunk upon this lead at each end of it." The lead of Dr. Cotton and Mr. Dwenger was also in the process of having a shaft sunk on it. This mention of shafts provides further evidence that the reported December 1860 discovery of the first quartz lode by Mastin cannot be true.
But where exactly was Burch's Gulch? Historians have puzzled over its location for many years. The name Burch's Gulch is no longer in use; it cannot be found on any modern-day map, nor could we find it on any 19th century map. Here we enter into some degree of conjecture, employing the scant evidence that does exist.
Let us suppose that Burchville was situated on Burch's Gulch. We now know that Burchville and Pino Alto were at two different locations; we also know that Burchville was not the commercial center of the gold mines. That was Pino Alto, where the major businesses were located. Carleton, if he is correct on this point, states that the population had established Pinos Altos "at a point central to the scene of their labors." This would be the logical thing to do. In all probability, Burchville was a satellite mining camp, one of several located near to the town-site and known collectively as "The Pino Alto Gold Mines." Burchville was most probably the first of these camps to be established.
The 1860 census enumerated the "Pino Alto Gold Mines"; from Neal's letter we can safely assume that this must have included those persons located on both Bear Creek and Burch's Gulch and, therefore, Burchville. We know that Burchville was still in existence in the fall of 1861 as per the Mastin resolutions. After the very early 1860s, as far as we have been able to determine, the names Burchville and Burch's Gulch fell into disuse. Why this happened is an unknown. We do know that this, and the changing of a settlement's name, was a common occurrence at this time, when so many mining camps boomed and died over short spans of time.
Carleton's 1867 report states that the first discoveries were made "near the present site of the town of Pinos Altos in what is known as Rich Gulch." This is the first mention of Rich Gulch. There is today an arroyo called Arroyo Rico, which translates as Rich Arroyo or, possibly, Rich Gulch. Arroyo Rico rises on the northern slope of Pinos Altos Mountain, runs west into Webb Gulch, and then north to join Bear Creek. However, as we shall see, this cannot be Carleton's Rich Gulch.
Allen's 1899 article refers to the site of the first discoveries as being "just above the junction of Little Cherry Creek with the Bear." This is the location most often cited today. Initially, Allen's use of the word "above" might lead one to assume that he is referring to a location somewhere north of the junction of these two creeks. Taking into account the fact that Bear Creek runs from a higher elevation in the south to a lower elevation at its northern extreme, at its junction with Cherry Creek, "above" in this context should be interpreted to mean that the first discoveries were made south of the junction of Little Cherry and Bear Creeks. (See map.)
Our fourth, and perhaps most definitive, piece of evidence is to be found in the 1897 edition of The Compiled Laws of New Mexico. This edition was printed and published at Santa Fe pursuant to an act passed by the 32nd Territorial Legislature "to provide for the compilation, publication, and distribution of the Laws of The Territory of New Mexico," which was approved on March 16, 1897. The Compiled Laws contains everything from the Kearny Code of 1846, through to laws that had been enacted since the previous edition was published in 1884. Most relevant here is the section which deals with the organization and boundaries of the various counties of the territory, in particular paragraphs 546 to 549 that relate to Grant County.
Paragraph 548 describes the Grant County electoral precincts that were created on Jan. 30, 1868, in conjunction with the organization of the county itself. There were four of them: Precinct 1 was centered at Central City, Precinct 2 at Pinos Altos and Precinct 4 at the Town of Rio Mimbres. There is of course one more — Precinct 3, that precinct centered on the settlement of Eureka, which lay "at the junction of Rich Gulch and Bear Creek."
The Compiled Laws describe Precinct 3:
"(from the) top of Pinos Altos Mountain thence northeastwardly down the dividing ridge between Rich Gulch and Bear creeks, midway between the Town of Pinos Altos and the junction of Bear Creek and Rich Gulch, thence northeastwardly to the northern boundary of the county, shall be included in precinct number two: and the remainder of the territory of the county to-wit: That part of the county lying west of last described line, shall be included in precinct number three."
The creation of a new precinct also meant the appointment of a justice of the peace and a constable to serve that precinct. Records of later dates found at the Grant County Clerk's Office seem to suggest that a minimum population of 50 was a necessary prerequisite for the formation of a new precinct. The actual population of Eureka in 1868, however, is unknown.
From the above description of the precinct boundaries, and by referring to the map, we see that the northeast line, which began at the summit of Pinos Altos Mountain, ran midway between Pinos Altos town-site and the settlement of Eureka — Eureka itself being located at the junction of Bear Creek and Rich Gulch.
Where was the junction of Bear Creek and Rich Gulch? There is only one arroyo that runs into Bear Creek at the described location. It is unnamed on the current USGS map relevant to this section — the 7.5 minute Series Topographic Map for the Twin Sisters Quadrangle. It runs roughly northeast, rising on the northeast slope of Pinos Altos Mountain. The junction between it and Bear Creek is at a point 1.46 miles north-northwest of the intersection of present-day Bear Creek Road and Main Street in Pinos Altos; 0.34 miles northwest of the historic arrastra site. This junction lies at a latitude 32 53' 8.0" N, longitude 108 13' 43.8" W.
To answer the mystery of Burch's Gulch, then, we know:
- Burchville was one of the earliest mining camps established; therefore it must have been located at or very near to the earliest discoveries.
- The earliest discoveries seem to have been centered on the Burch's Gulch/Bear Creek junction, as per Neal's 1860 letter.
- By 1867 both the names Burch's Gulch and Burchville had fallen into disuse.
- In 1867, Carleton states that the first discoveries were made on what was
by then known as Rich Gulch, and the 1897 Compiled Laws refer to a
junction of Rich Gulch and Bear Creek.
It is therefore highly probable that Carleton's Rich Gulch and Neal's Burch's Gulch were one and the same arroyo, and that it was here that Burchville was located.
In all probability Burch's Gulch had acquired the new name of Rich Gulch when the area was repopulated by a largely fresh influx of people when mining and prospecting recommenced towards the close of the Civil War. Similarly, it was probably also around this time, and for the same reasons, that the old mining camp of Burchville also acquired the new name of Eureka.
How long the settlement of Eureka existed we do not know. Precinct 3, the Eureka precinct, would last for only four years. An act approved by the Territorial Legislature on Dec. 29, 1871, stated:
"That the precinct of the county of Grant known as Eureka, number three, be and the same is hereby abolished, and that the territory embraced therein be and the same is hereby attached to and embraced within the limits of precinct number two known as Pinos Altos precinct."
In all likelihood, and with the supporting evidence of similar examples found in Grant County records, the precinct of Eureka was abolished because its population, centered on the settlement of Eureka, had fallen below some required minimum. This is also supported by the fact that Eureka is not listed on the 1870 census.
The act that had abolished Eureka precinct also created a new precinct, also numbered Precinct 3, centered at Silver City. It also established Silver City as the new county seat, taking away that distinction from Pinos Altos.
The gold-mining boomtown would never regain its former glory, and its history would begin to mingle with myth and folklore. We can't make Pinos Altos a boomtown again, but we can at least try to get its history right.
Jim and Erica Parson live in Silver City. Jim was born in Silver City, and grew up in the area. His family settled in Grant County in the late 1870s, having been in the Southwest since the early 1830s. Erica was born and raised in South Wales, and lived there until 2004 when she came to New Mexico. Over the past four years, they have been engaged almost full time in researching the history of southwestern New Mexico.