Page 91 - Vol. 1 Walks In The Black Range - 2nd Edition

Water was to be pumped (by “a pumping plant”) from “Percha River” to the mines. Polluted water was to be returned to the Percha a mile above the pumping plant so that it could “clarify itself” and be re-pumped to the mines. The pollution of the ground water by this process would have been significant.
Farish notes at the end of his report, p. 40 of the prospectus, that “The mines give every evidence of permanency and lasting quality of ore, thus insuring for them long life and prosperity.”
The “Report of the Director of the Mint Upon the Production of the Precious Metals in the United States During the Calendar Year 1902”, Washington, GPO, 1903, p. 175 states that “The principal gold camp of Sierra County is Hillsboro, in the Las Animas mining district. Both placer and lode gold are mined in considerable quantities at Hillsboro. The Mexican element work the placers, while the lode mining is being done by Americans.”
The photograph below documents the delivery of heavy mining equipment in Hillsboro during this time period. Mildred Elizabeth Fulghum Rea described this photograph as: “An Exciting Event in Hillsboro, about 1906 or 1907 I believe. One of the mines near Hillsboro - if I remember right, it was the Snake - purchased some very heavy equipment. It came to Lake Valley by rail, from there was hauled to the mine by a 24 horse team, brought in from outside Sierra County. Shown here passing thru Hillsboro between "Happy Flat" (the lower, Mexican portion) and the upstream (largely "American") part of town. A sad happening as they pulled out of Lake Valley, on the road then existing which went west past the mill and over a
steep rise before turning north. Two of their best lead horses were somehow crowded off the road and fell into a shallow shaft just left of the road. They had to be killed.”
See walk The Opportunity Mine walk, for more information about the Rattlesnake Mine.
This photograph, described above, is presented courtesy of the New Mexico State University Library, Archives and Special Collections Department. It is from the Mildred Elizabeth Fulghum Rea Papers, 1880-1921, Ms0054. Used with permission.