Page 89 - Early Naturalists of the Black Range

John Grubb Parke
Parke was in the Mimbres valley and crossing the mountains south of Cooke’s Peak in March 1854. Parke was surveying a railroad route (see below) as part of the Pacific Railroad Survey under the direction of Williamson.
On March 8, he described the Mimbres as about 6 feet wide and 1 foot deep. “The water is clear and cold, and flows over a pebbly bottom, with a rapid current; and, like most of the streams throughout this country, although dignified by the title of rio (river), its waters disappear soon after leaving the mountains, sinking into the sands a short distance below the road.” He also commented on the geology of the area and in particular “The Giants of the Mimbres”. On March 10, he notes, “Left camp at half-past 6 o'clock, and, crossing the stream, we followed the road, which is equal to a turnpike, on a course tangent to the southern end of the Picacho de los Mimbres (ed.: Cookes Peak). On nearing this mountain, we found that, instead of turning it, the road, after passing over two or three ravines, crosses a low spur by a steep ascent, but gradual descent, to Cooke's spring, at its base, where we camped, having made nineteen miles. This spring is a hole, or rather a pond, of sulphureous water, which disappears a short distance from its source. There are no trees, not even bushes, to indicate the existence of this spring.” (Report of explorations for that portion of a railroad route : near the thirty-second parallel of north latitude, lying between Dona Ana, on the Rio Grande, and Pimas Villages, on the Gila , by John G. Parke, 1854). His map, (previous page), was published in 1859. In developing his maps, Parke relied on many sources, including trappers like Antoine Leroux, a French Canadian who had come to New Mexico in 1820.
Adolphus L. Heermann
Heermann was a member of the Parke expedition. He was a doctor and naturalist. He collected many new species (flora/ fauna) and a few, like the Heermann’s Gull, are named in his honor. A photograph of Heermann, from about 1850, is shown to the upper right. He wrote “No. 1. Report Upon Birds Collected on the Survey” of Reports of Explorations and Surveys.... Volume X. 1859 of the U. S. Pacific Railroad Explorations and Surveys 38th, 39th, 41st Parallels in 1859. (Others filed similar reports.) His notes on the Aplomado Falcon, and the depiction of that species in the report (see page 90), are works of art.
Thomas Antisell
Thomas Antisell was the geologist of Parke’s Exploring Expedition of 1854. His time in the Black Range was limited. On August 9-10, the expedition’s Camp 85 was on the left bank of the Mimbres. From there they travelled to Cooke’s Spring, where they were on August 11-12, and from there to the Rio Grande.
Like so many on these expeditions of exploration, Antisell went on to numerous successes, including the identification of many of the California oil fields and time as an advisor to the government of Japan.
Caleb Burwell Kennerly
Kennerly participated in two of the government expeditions in the Southwest during the mid 1800’s: the Pacific Railroad Survey and the United States - Mexican Boundary Survey (1855-1857) under Emory. It was during the former that Kennerly collected the type for Cyprinella formosa, Beautiful Shiner, on the Mimbres in 1854. See page 90).
Caleb Burwell Rowan Kennerly (photo by George Gibbs)
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