New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-08-05
THE MINERAL WEALTH OF
GRANT COUNTY OUR LARC-
EST MINERAL PRODUCER

Grant County, New Mexico, is
probably the most diversified mining
area Of its size in 'he United States.
1t produces prac'ca.l, every variety
OF the commercial metals. A COM
pIcte list includes gold, silver, copper,
iron, lead, zinc, manganese, and alum
mum. A few of the more unusual
minerals produced are turquoise, me-
erschaum, alum and torbynite.
Silver City, the c~ounty-seat, is
located in the center of this mining
area and is the supply base for a
Number Of mining camps. The head
quarters of the New Mexico Chapt-
er Of the American Mining Con-
gress is located here and its MEM
Iership includes mine operators from
practically every section OF the state.
Gold is found associated with 9TH
er minerals in practically every min
irg district in the county. The Pi-
been the principal source OF supply
from Grant County.
Silver, from which Silver City, the
county seat, derived its name, is pro-
juccd II almost evey part OF the
county. centering, however, in the
Silver City district.
Thousands of tons of manganese
and manganiferous iron ores have
been shipped from Silver City with
in the past three years. The deposit
here is one of the most extensive in
tie United States.
The turquoise mines of the BurrO
Mountains have for many years been
famous throughout the world for pro-
ducing the finest quality of this gem.
These mines have, for a number Of
years. produced a large percentage
cf the worlds supply of turquoise.
Judge NJ. w. Porterfield, owner of
these mines. is widely known As the
I %urquCise King.
Onxy, marble and a great variety
of building stone are available in a
number of localities.
Grant County has two deposits o;
mterscham; one about twenty-five
miles north of Silver City and the
other nine miles northwest. Much
of this is of commercial quality. This
mineral is found in few places in the
United States.
T~orbynite, one Of the radioactive
ores, is a mineral which has almost
Unlimited possibilities and is believed
t. be foand orly in Grant Cour.y.
Extensive deposits OF this mineral
are located near White Signal, about
twenty miles from Silver City and
nine miles from Tyrone. Torbynite
IS a radium bearing mineral and has
the effect. when immersed in water
of creating a radio active condition.
Various experiments have been made
and it is claimed that baths in the
radioactive water will effect cures
of rheumatism and neurotic diseases,
Although. primarily a mining eoul-
ty, Grant County is one of the larg-
est cattle producing counties in the
state. The mild winters tend &c
decrease the number of livestock lost
through severe winters, which is eX-
perienced in most sectionsm OF the
west.
Farming. also, is carried on quite
extensively. The best farming sec
tions are located on the ella and
Mimbres rivers where water for ir-
rigation purposes is available. Dry
farming is successfully carried on in
many other parts of the county. Con
siderable fruit, of excellent quality
. is produced here. A gold medal was
awarded Grant County for its fruit
at the Worlds Fair in St. Louis
in 1904.
Silver City and its immediate vicin-
ity is recognized as the most favor
able locality in the United States for
the treatment OF tuberculosis. The
United States Public Health Service
maintains a tubercular hospital al
Fort Bayard, nine miles from Silver
City, for the treatment of ex-service
men.