White Oaks eagle. (White Oaks, N.M.) 189?-190?, 1903-02-26
in GLOWING COLORS
CLalles Ellery Hall Pints the
Future OF White Oaks
District.
How Gold Was Discovered in the Old Abe
Mine and Something Of the Coal
Fields Of Captain.

The current number of Leslie's Weekly
contains the first article in Charles Elley
Halls series now being written for that
periodical, on ''The New Southwest" The
first article concerns itself with the district
along the Rock island, and El Paso and
Northeastern railroads in eastern New
Mexico, principally the White Oaks district
and it is distinctly interesting Mr.. Hall
is the general staff correspondent of Leslies'
and his series oi The New South has ex-
cited national interest. The present series
promises to be equally successful. Of the
White Oaks section Mr.. Hall writes in part:
1T is thought by people familiar with
the subject of oil, that this section of New
Mexico lies directly in the oil belt which
runs northeast and southwest, extending
from the oil field of Cheyenne, Wyo., and
Florence and Boulder, Colo, to point
near the oil fields of Gallup, N. M, and
the recently developed oil fields in Pastura,
N. M. Operators from Pennsylvania are
now prospecting a distance of seventeen
miles northeast from White Oaks. One
we'll has been sunk 900 feet at which point
strong oil indications have been found
Another we'll, two miles from White Oaks
is 500 feet deep. This is mountainous
country. The height of the various ranges
is as follows White mountains ID, 900 feet;
Nogal II, 900 feet; El Captain, II, 900 feet;
Gallinas, 5000 feet: Jicarilla 5000 feet.
The White Oaks range includes Carrizo,
Baxter, Lone and Patos peaks.
''The leading mineral, of course, is gold
as gold mining is the principal industry of
the heart of New Mexico. Copper iron,
coal, lead, black and white marble, black
brown and gray building stone, silver sui
phur and fire clay are also found in abund-
ant quantities. While the Mexicans and
an occasional white man had for years past
been engaged in placer mining in the noun
tains, yet it was not until 1878 that the i'm
portant strike was made on Baxter noun
tain. 1t came about in this way. George
Wilson, partner of old Jack Winters, and
George Baxter and other miners was
prospecting and placer-mining in the noun
tain gulches. On the lucky day while the
miners, including Wilson, we're eating din
ner, the latter left the rest of the party and
climbed up the side of Baxter mountain.
A large blowout boulder opon which he
rested attracted his attention With his
prospecting pick he broke off piece of the
boulder, which, to his great surprise, con-
tanned native gold. He promptly reported
his find to his associates, and as promptly
sold out his share of the prospect to them
for $47-5o, a pony, and quart bottle OF
wh;skey. He then disappeared from that
region, and has never been heard of since.
The coal lands are situated on Carrie
and Patos mountains. The last named is
said to be the oldest mountain peak in the
western hemisphere Baxter mountain is
practically one huge gold mine, while Lone
mountain is huge deposit of iron ore,
yielding from sixty-two to sixty-eight pei
cent, of iron and containing smaller de.
posts of copper and some gold The