The Black range. (Robinson, Socorro County, N.M.) 1882-1897, 1883-01-05
THE BLACK RANGE
A Brief Description OF Our
Mines and Mining Districts
AS Furnished by DR.. G S. Has
kell to the Director OF the
Denver Mint.

The Black Range is situated about
fifty-four miles almost due west from
Engle station on the main line of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail-
road. The length of the range proper
is about one hundred miles, and the
mineral belt can be traced for eighty
miles by about thirty miles in width.
1t is divided into seven districts, CON-
mencing at the north: First, Black
Range district; second, Apache district; ;
third, Cuchillo Negro district; fourth,
Limestone district; fifth, Palomas DIS
trict; sixth, Perche district; seventh,
Lake Valley district. The third and
fourth districts are not on the main
belt, but form spur of the range
Apache district has four towns, Chlo-
ride, Fairview, Roundyville and Robin
son. Black Range district has two,
Grafton and St. Charles. Chuchlllo Ne
gro district has one, Edwards Camp.
Palomas district has one, HermoSa.
Perche district has two, Kingston and
Perche City. Lake Valley district has
three, n utt. DAILY and Sierra City. The
range is embraced by parts of three
/ counties, Sacorro, Grant and Dona Ana,
in which the Thousand claims are re-
corded. The line of the mineral is in
ii northwest and southeast direction
through the high spurs of the range, up
to and even west of the continental
divide. The geology of the country is
made up of red stratified quartzite,
but principally Of 4 gray and greenish
gray porphyry, capped and hanked in
many places by hard, fine grained,
crystalline limestone, forming ribs or
dykes. Distorted and thrown from it's
natural horizontal bed by the erotic
outpourings of porrhyry, subsequently
highly crystalized by the metamorphic
heat, it is marked throughout this belt
in very disturbed state, but in many
places still retaining its natural strait
tication, breaking through the porphyry,
its limestone cap in contact with both,
presents to the geologist most remark
able series of true assures filled with a
quartz matrix. Their persistent struc-
ture aud bold outcropping through the
porphyry. through and across the STRAIT.
flied limestone cap, leaves very little
doubt of their deep seated nature. These
veins vary from few feet in width
to over forty feet of solid quartz, carry
ing rich pay streaks from few inches
to over SIX feet, of gray copper, copper
glance highly argentiferous with black
sulphurets, chlorides aud native silver,
and goll more OF less disseminated
throughout the mass Besides these
veins of rich ores, beds of red quartzite
are met with richly impregIated with
native, carbonate, red and black oxide
of copper. The range as far south as
the Perche district is in the midst of a
well wooded and watered country
abounding in limestone, iron and lead
ores, the bold outcropping of which
offer exceptional economical tunnel
entrances for thorough exploration Of
their mineral character and deposition
new and rich discoveries being con.
stantly added to the number already
named. The amount of high and low
grade ores now exposed on the dumps
OF the developed and those now being
developed is sufficient to place these
mineral deposits in the front ranks OF
the mining districts of the world"
The Black Range district commences
about eight miles north of Wild Horse
creek and extends south TO Bear creek
being some twenty miles in length by
fifteen in width. There are some six
hundred recorded claims. Those having
the most development are as follows
Hiawatha, San Diego. Hawkeye, Iowa
Columbia, California, Grand Duke
Mammoth and Delphi. These are i'm
proved by shafts ranging from fifteer
to thirty feet, the veins showing widtt
of from two to six feet, and the mInera
from few inches to two feet, assays
ranging from thirty to live hundred
ounces in silver and traces of gold. The
Occidental has shaft 22O feet in deptf
with several cross-cuts showing fine
mineral of black sulphurets and tree
gold. On this property there is being
a ten stamp mill, which will be ready
to start about the middle of January
on the ore taken from the mine, anC
will also do custom work. Everything
bids fair for a successful run, and as
this is the first undertaking of the kline
in the range we expect it will be KEPT
in ore to its full capacity for many
months at least, as the bulk of the ores
in this district are free milling anC
carry large percentage of gold. Th'
Occidental at the 40 foot level has {
four foot vein that will mill-run $5: