Page 57 - Early Naturalists of the Black Range

Giants of the Mimbres, March 22, 2016
From page 219 of Bartlett’s account; caption reads - “Approach to Mule Spring - Picacho de Mimbres”
11:00 a.m., finding that “this spring forms a pool, some fifty feet across, surrounded by rushes. The water is a little brackish, but the grass in the vicinity is
excellent” (p. 220). That afternoon, they headed west across Cooke’s Spring Pass (known by many names). See The Black Range Naturalist, Volume 3, No. 2, April 2020 for a description of a walk across this pass.
They camped on the Mimbres on May 1 (where our description of the Giants of the Mimbres starts - above).
On May 2, he visited what is now Faywood Hot Springs, which he simply called Ojo Caliente (pp. 225-226) and found them hot. “Mr. Thurber discovered fresh water plants (algae) and insects flourishing in water at this elevated temperature.” They also took time to assess the gases they found in the hot water and judged them to be “atmospheric air”.
Later that day he was kicked by a mule and suffered “a fracture near the shoulder”. He removed to the mines where he was immobile for two weeks.
“On entering these excavations,” (the copper mines) “one sees the bright veins of the sulphuret of copper penetrating the rock in all directions, with here and there small masses of native copper; and it is evident that all the hills in the vicinity are quite as rich as those which have been opened...” (p. 229)
In describing the Black Range, he notes, “The principal trees are two species of evergreen oaks; two cedars, one like our red cedar, the other with a berry much larger, and several pines, among them the Pinus edulis, or piñon pine. This bears an edible nut, which is a favorite article of food with the Indians. It is quite pleasant to the taste, but is rather small and troublesome to eat.” (p. 234)
At page 235 he starts his description of the fort at the copper mines (drawing at the top of the following page). There were truly hardships, but there were places to stay and food to eat. And, “The hills and valleys abound in wild animals and game of various kinds. The black- tail deer (Cervus lewisii) and the ordinary species (C.
virginianus) are very common. On the plains below are antelopes. Bears are more numerous than in any region we have yet been in. The grizzly, black, and brown varieties are all found here; and there
On April 30, he left Mule Spring and headed south to Cooke’s Spring. “This was directly out of the general course of our route, which was to the north-west; but there was no other way to pass the mountains” (p. 219). They reached Cooke’s Spring by
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