The copper era. (Clifton, Graham County, Ariz.) 1899-1911, 1906-04-05
Ell ARROYO DE ALAMO
Hanover GULCH.
Early History of What is Now One of the
/. Most Substantially Mining Camps 4
in the Southwest.

Aside from the fact that the exist
ence deposits of wonderfully rich cop
per ore in the Arroyo de Alamo was
known to the Spaniards who first
settled Santa Rita as a penal colony
in 1904, there is no date in exist
ence indicating that the old smell
ting furnaces at Fierro were
built by the early adventures and
pioneers of the great southwest.
The credit of the exploration, exploit
tation, and settlement of the Arroyo
de Alamo belongs to German, d
native of Hanover, Soft Hinkle by
name, who emigrated from his native
land to the capitol city of Mexico in
the late thirties, and there obtained
employment in the coinage mint of
the Mexican government. Mr.. Hinkle
was skilled mechanic, a blacksmith
by trade, and while in the employ of
the Mexican government he cut and
engraved several of the dies for the
minting of coins of small denomina-
tions, and while so engaged learned
of the wonderful copper mines of the
far.north, their wealth of metallic or
native copper, and the easy and
cheap method by which the ores could
be extracted and smelted. In the
summer of 1841, having completed
arrangements, he set out with his
own train and joined a pack-train
belonging to the government, and
after many adventures common and
incident to journeys at this early
date, arrived in Santa Rita late in
August, 1841. For several days after
his arrival he made careful examina-
tious of the mines then being
operated by the Spaniards, and early
September visited the Arroyo de
Alamo, abont four miles distant from
the old fort at Santa Rita. The
wealth of both native and oxide of
copper exposed in the cropping of
the old Hanover mine was so much
better than he anticipated or
dreamed of that he determined upon
the present site of the furnaces, and
without delay began the erection of
stone cabin and the old furnaces
which have borne such a conspicuous
part in the historical as well as the
smelling annals of southwest New
Mexico-then Arizona territory.
Mining and smelling operations
were in full blast by the end of the
month, and large quantities of copper
shipped to Old Mexico, thence to
Vera Cruze and finally to Spain.
Raymond's states of mines and min
ing published in 1870 credits the Han
over mine with having a greater
production than the Santa Rita.
Hinkle's book of accounts show sew
eral shipments ranging in value
from S25. 900 to s35, 900 of ingot copper
each. From the first elbow i'm of
the furnaces in September, Al, until
the fall of October, 43. the output
was continuous and uninterrupted,
and shipments we're made regularly
and as rapidly as the ingots accumu-
lated into pack-train lots.
The fall of this year was an event
full one only in the history of Han
oyer gulch, but the territory as we'll.
On a bright October afternoon an
Apache squaw whom he had be
friended, confided to Mr.. Hinkle that
plot had been formed by the Indians
to kill every person in the gulch
without regards to color, age, sex or
condition, and advised him not to
leave his house for the next ensuing
three days, and place three white
marks on the door post. The instruc
tions were followed literally, and
near the close of the third day the
Indians, numbering hundreds, swept
down upon the little hamlet, murder
ing everyone in sight. A defense
was made, but to no purpose, and
seeing no possibility of winning, stop
ping or checking the fight, Hinkle
and his storekeeper sought safety in
flight. The storekeeper was killed
as he was mounting his horse; Hinkle
barely escaped, and en- route to Old
Mexico, between Apache Tejo and
Carazillo Springs, counted over one
hundred dead bodies of whites and
Mexicans who had fallen victims of
the Apache raid. Remaining in New
Mexico until after the conclusion of
the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo,
and believe that the change in gov
ernments would have a beneficial eff
feet, and the stationing of United
Stated troops at Santa Rita would
minimize the Indnia troubles, he
again directed his course to the scene
of his early success, and resumed
operations in the middle fifties, and
continued the business of mining
and smelling until 1861, when the
civil war and the invasion of New
Mexico by the confederates put an
end to mining operations at Hanover
and Santa Rita.