Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-03
NEW MEXICO MINES
Commissioner Leeson Interviewed by
An Omaha Paper Concerning Min
eral in This Territory.
GREAT MINERAL WEALTH
Eighty-6ve Mining Districts Mines Work
ed for Years Improving in Produc-
tion-Favorable Propositions
of Low Grade Ore.

Among the superintendent of eX-
hibits in the Mines building are a num-
Der of old timers, who have literally
grown up with the mineral development
OF the Transmlssissippi country, saysthe
Omaha Bee. They have prospected
over all the mineral bearing regions of
the west and given a chunk of rock
they car not only give a theoretical eX-
PLANTATION of it's composition but they
can tell at a glance almost the exact To-
cality from which it came. Without ex-
ception they are enthusiastic boomers
of the states they represent and they
are never tired of entertaining visitors
with practical object lessons on the
mineral wealth that lies under the
mountains of the west. One of these is
Commissioner j. J.. Lesson, who is in
charge of the New Mexico exhibit and
who is a firm believer in the future of
his territory. He says:
'New Mexico is very likely to witness
in the next year, a remarkable advance
ment in gold mining, and even now the
tide has set in, bringing with it not only
men of wide experience in mining, but
those who have the mean to bring the
mineral to the surface. New Mexico
has an area of 122, 800 squares miles,
with a population of some 100000. 1t
was settled in 1853 by the Spaniards; be-
longed to the Spanish crow until 1921,
and from that time on it formed a part
of the Republic of Mexico until the
treaty of Guadalupe de Hidalgo in 1s46,
when it became a part of the United
Ntotnc Dripp "a 1891 an H1IrinU tho
time that this territory belonged to
the crown of Spain, numerous grants of
land, more or less extensive, sometimes
including hundreds of thousands of
acres, were made by the Spanish crown
to individual settlers of Spanish origin,
and the confusion as to titles resulting
from these ancient grants, the vague
ness of the description of their bound
aries in what was then an almost value
less country, has led to serious complica-
tions, but by an act of congress a court
of private land claims has been created,
and through the energetic work of this
court most all of the titles have or are
being satisfactory adjusted.
This territory has some So mining
districts, which are scattered widely aud
cover u large section of country, thus
showing that the mineral wealth is by
no means confined in any one special
place but largely developed over a great
r extent of territory. The mines worked
for years are not only holding their rec
ord as steady wealth producers, but
with every foot of development adding
more and more to the wealth of the
territory and nation, and bringing into
prominent notice the different sections
of the territory mo e particularly adapt
ed to mining. BY examining any or
binary map of the western states it will
be seen that all the most valuable re-
cent developments of mineral in south
ern Colorado are IN a well defined line
! following the Rocky mountain system
into and across NeE Mexico, and that
the line extends through central west
and southwest portions of the territory
without a break of any considerable
length. That conditions along this ex-
tent of country, almost 400 miles in
j., length, in many respects resemble the
gold and silver bearing formation of
) Creole, Cripple Creek, Rosita, Silver
Cliff, Leadville and the great San Juan
country of Colorado, cannot be doubted.
and in the coming years it is not un.
likely this section of New Mexico may
develop many places as productive OF
wealth as the Colorado districts named
at the exposition.
"New Mexico presents, among others.
the favorable propositions of low grade
and large bodies of free milling ores.
Most Of the mining sections have al.
ready been %prospected sufficiently tc
enable a practical man to form a judg.
ment as to where and how to invest.
New Mexico is blessed with a climate
unsurpassed anywhere in the United
States. No excessive heat during the
summer months and not cold in the win
ter, so that II can work as well in the
months of December and January as in
June and July. The altitude of most OF
the mining districts is from 1000 to T, OOC
feet above sea level"