The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-11-04
MILLIONS IN IT.
The Discovery of the Old Mexican Town
of Guaynopa.

the Sierra Madre mountains during the
past l2O wears. Proto went 10 La
Trinidad, Sonora, little over year
AGO. and worked in the company's
blacksmith shop until some time in July,
when he struck out alone into the high
Sierras, from which he returned only
last month, loaded down with the richest
"old and silver ores ever seen in that
region. He says that while wandering
i'm the mountains with no companion
hut pack mule, he came upon soil
tary Indian. of what tribe he was UNI
able TO learn. but believes him to be an
Apache. The two became fast friends,
and rs both understood the Spanish
language, Proto told him he was hunt
inc for the lost city and mines of Quay
nopa. The Indian offered to conduct
him 10 some ancient ruins and old mines
in one of the great 2orges of the Sierra
Madre. Here Proto found, among many
ruined buildings. old furnaces, arrastras,
etc. the stone walls of what appeared
to have been large church, from the
ground floor of which grew large trees,
apparently more than one hundred
wears old Proto ut once set about
prospecting the ancient mines, dispatch
ing his Indian companion to the nearest
settlement for fresh supply of provis
ions, powder, etc. The Indian was gone
nearly four weeks, and the solitary pros
pcctor began TO fear his newly found
and mysterious friend had given him
the slip and taken his mule; but on his
return the Indian explained that he had
taken roundabout course into Chin
uahua to avoid contact with Mexicans
who might be in search of hostile
Apaches and to avoid being followed
back by prospectors. Meantime Proto
had cleared the debris from one of the
old tunnels. got into the ore i'll places.
and found it TO be abundant and very
uch-thc 'pay streak" being about six
feet in thickness and nearly pure metal,
81 combination OF gray copper and sui
phuret of silver, known by the Mexican
name of "petlanque," and to the scien-
tiiic world as fathers. This ore is said
to yield about Il per cent of silver
This pay streak represents only about
onc-third of the width of the vein, which
Proto thinks will yield from eight humid
red TO two thousand ounces of silver to
the ton. from wall TO wall He also
gold bearing veins of good size in the
same vicinity. as well as valuable placers.
Guaynopa of history has been seen by
civilized men but once before Off this in
deed be Guaynopa) since the Spanish
residents of the place were massacred
by the Apaches more than two hundred
years ago. Loretto Deans, famous
Indian fighter of Montezuma and Sahu-
aripa districts, Sonora. who died many
years ago. in one of his expeditions
against the Apaches. a few years prior
TO his death formed junction with
some chihuahua state troops, attacked
Il large Apache camp, slaughtered n
great number, and captured many
prisoners. At that time it was the GUS
tom to march the captives down to the
vicinity of Vera Cruz, and sell them into
slavery. With an Apache squaw as
guide Cher freedom being promised for
the service. the captives and captors
started across the Sierra Madre toward
the city of chihuahua. In passing across
one of the great plateaus that mark the
western slope of the Sierra Madre, the
party came suddenly to deep and i'm
pasSable chasm athwart their course,
when the squaw guide threw up both
hands and exclaimed "Guaynopa"
Ocans and some of his educated COM
panions ut once became excited over the
discovery, and. having read of the
wonderful richness of the mines, set
about questioning the squaw. The
Apache captiveS frowncd and scowled
at her, but after much persuasion and
promises of trinkets, in addition 10 her
freedom, she was reluctantly induced to
guide them some miles distant TO an
entrance 10 the gorge. Proceeding TO
the site OF the ancient city, the captors
found the walls OF an ancient stone
church, with large trees growing up be-
tween the walls; old stag piles, the ruins
OF arrastras, and many tunnels entering
the walls of the chasm. The ruins of
the buildings, many of them constructed
of stone. indicated that the place was
once populated by l.2G0 or / 800 people.
I'm an old bU-ying-gFound some tomb
stones and massive stone crosses We're
found still standing. One of the tunnels
was closed by II gate Of heavy oak logs,
still in a fair state of preservation. Some
human teeth and q few bones were
tut'iiAl SNblttltt iDOAl lilc IullS VI lHC
town, indicating that the last inhabi-
tants. who were massacred, had not
been buried. The squaw said that many
ages before GuaynOpa was a large
Spanish mining town; that the ApacheS
resolved te destroy il us it was in the
heart of Their country, and endangered
them while Eeturning from raids against
the grazing agricultural, and mining
settlements further south and west; that
they collected and concealed in the
vicinity large force of warriors, and
when bullion train started ON for the
City of Mexico they fell upon and mas
sacred the parts. and then made n de-
scent in force upon the town and destroy
ed the last of the inhabitants Subse-
quentlg. she said. a large party of Span
iards from the city of Mexico attempted
10 rediscover CUaynopa, but being
harassed by the Apaches and finding
rich misses further south, they halted
and founded the mining town of Quay
noplta (Little GuaynOpa), which, she
said was 1.-TWO or three days sMIth,'
and which was in turn also destroyed
by the Apaehes. The present mining
town of Dolores. south of the Rio Haros
and IN the district of Guerrero, Chihua-