White Oaks, N. M., Sept. 1. It was the intention of your correspondent to write a series of letters as mentioned in the last communication 1st, but soon after my arrival here I heard so many conflicting stories that I determined to defer it until I should be able to give the facts, based upon my own personal knowledge and observation. Since then it has been my pleasure to see much of the country and learn the true status of the mines about which there have been many conflicting opinions and statements. I find the climate delightful and pleasant the country beautiful, and may add wonderful in its geological formation. Here the historian may gather up data and draw interesting conclusions from the ancient relics Which are being constantly found, and the scientist has here a broad field for investigation, while artist and romancer would find it equal to their highest anticipations. For good health this section certainly has no rival. Sickness is almost unknown. Here the weak grow strong, and the corpulent victim grows thin, and many persons who came here diseased with rheumatism and consumption have entirely recovered. We are now in the midst of what is called the rainy season, and the rain fall during the summer has been immense, consequently water is plenty, the grass fine, and the whole face of the country is one vast flower-garden, containing thousands of the most beautiful varieties. We find splendid stock ranches, and the owners of large herds of cattle and sheep throughout the whole country, and in many localities agricultural pursuits arc followed and made very profitable, but as a general thing this is a mining country, and we are nearly all here after the precious metals, hoping to ”Strike it rich” or “make a stake for a rainy day.” This, like all other new mining camps, has its advanced guard of defunct colonels, judges, captains, doctors, lawyers, professors, merchants, and “busted” farmers in fact, the new mining camp is generally a “busted community,” and that, is about the present condition of this camp at this time, and it will probably remain. so
until we get machinery here to reduce our ores and furnish us a market. Rich lodes, bearing free gold, and rich in silver and copper, have been opened all over the country and in many instances the owners, after working their assessment (which .is ten feet down the first year,) are compelled to work for a “grub stake,” or abandon the camp on account of their poverty, while others are sometimes induced to dispose of their interest for a mere pittance, when if we had mills they would command thousands. It is not uncommon to find these ten foot holes seemingly abandoned, and yet by goin i to the dump or down into the shaft free gold can be seen in the quartz taken from the lode The owners of the famous “HomeStake” mine have just completed a tunnel and cut the mineral bearing lode at another joint, finding the vein richer than that first discovered at the top of the hill, and it is now a settled fact that it is a, true fissure and probably the richest gold mine known to the history of mining. It is so astonishingly rich that persons might easily carry hundreds of dollars away in their pockets, and to prevent such trespass the owners have been compelled to secure the face of the tunnel with a door and keep it locked.
There are many other mines similar to the ‘Home Stake,” both in appearance and value, but have not been so fully developed. Successful mining, like all other pursuits, requires science and experience, and most of the prospectors here are very deficient in that respect, consequently the country has been poorly prospected and nothing taken except where leads or other evidences of mineral appears conspicuously upon the surface. While hundreds of rich mines, bearing gold, .silver, copper and other valuable metals have been opened, it Is believed that only a small portion of the hidden treasure has been found; and the best evidence we have to support this belief is that rich placer mines are found to exist in nearly all the gulches over a vast area of country and in many places where no leads have been discovered. The placer mines cannot be profitably worked for the want of sufficient water and it will require capital to erect pipes to carry it from the mountains. Where water can be obtained in this manner the placer mines of this country will become very valuable. The recent discovery of immense deposits of silver bearing carbonates; between this range of mountains and what is called the Malpais or lavabeds, has created no little interest, and is still a mystery to everybody, This Malpais or lava bed is located in a very low valley, varying in distance from ten to twenty miles, and has the appearance of having been a lake containing salt water before it Was destroyed by volcanic action, as it is situated in the very lowest part of the country and pure crystallized salt is found to exist in largo quantities, intermingled with the lava
formation.
This Malpais is probably between thirty and forty miles long and varying in width from five to twenty miles, audit appears to have been smooth’ on the surface before the ‘truck” got cold, when the contraction caused it to bend, crack and break up, and now it resembles a lake of black iron. Near the north end at a higher latitude may be seen the mouth of the crater from whence came all this molten lava. The valley between this lava formation and the mountains is slightly undulating and sloping down to the Malpais. The surface of the higher points, in fact a large proportion of the surface of the valley, is composed of slacked lime which contains more or less deposits of what is called carbonates, bearing mineral. These carbonates are hard heavy lumps, from the size of a peanut up the size of a Kansas potato or squash (when the season is good) -and they vary in color as they do in size shape, and may be seen lying around upon the surface as convenient to pick up as the buffalo bones upon the Western plain. Some of these carbonates bear only a trace of mineral while many of them are very rich, assaying from a trace up to $76 per ton. I have been shown specimens which when broken contained solid galena. Various assays of these carbonates have been made at Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Topeka, Denver, Las Vegas and this place, with the above result, and notwithstanding all this evidence in favor of the carbonates a gentleman in writing to the Kansas City Times recently from this place makes the bold assertion that he “knows there is nothing in them.” but says that he does not know the intention of the parties who are interested and concerned in this boom, and warns the public generally, ect. Now the fact is that the author of said communication pretends to be an assayer, and it is a further fact also that several miners here hold his certificate of assays made on these same carbonates certifying that they contain silver in various amount. Therefore, the people here are puzzled, and at a loss to understand why the learned gentleman takes the miner’s money and certifies that his carbonates contain mineral, then subsequently declares that he knows that they contain nothing, But he says that “rocks may be salted.”
— A private letter just received by Mr. A. A. Barnes, of this city from the White Oaks states that in the last month the number of houses there has doubled, and mentioned other characteristics of a general boom. The reports from Nogals and Jicarillas are very encouraging. (Sept 16 1880)
— A. M. Janes writes us from the White Oaks that everything is in a flourishing condition in that camp. Thirty new houses are in the course of construction, one of which will cost $1,500. He says twenty capitalists had come into the place during the three days prior to the date of this letter. This is encouraging news and shows that the White Oaks camp is being built on a firmer foundation than ever before. (Sept 22, 1880)
–Mr. M. Whiteman arrived yesterday from the White Oaks. He says that the young city of gold is flourishing. New houses are being built everyday. He says that Las Vegas will necessarily be the point of supply for all that part of the country. He bases his opinion upon the fact that this city is as near as any other point that is accessible at all and that the road to this city is much better than routes to other places. Mr. Whiteman spoke of three roads leading to Socorro from the White Oaks region, viz: One from Hoeradle’s, called the upper road: one thro the Malpais district called the middle road and one through the Nogal Canyon called the lower road. All three of these roads are almost impassible on account of the lack of water as also on account of their roughness. Besides there is nothing gained as to distance by going to Socorro. A petition for a mail line to the White Oaks with coaches, was circulated a few weeks since and received 720 signatures. This indicates a considerable camp. The large stock of goods taken to White Oaks a few weeks since is being sold at good figures. Mr. Whiteman reports road agents some what troublesome on the road.
