The border vidette., 1932-07-30
)ST MINES OF TuMACACORl
(By John D. Mitchell)

| "a y U>ouV VI1O ALL 0SDSOA4
sion and the little settlement of
Tubac, in the beautiful Santa
Cruz valley, % miles from No
gales on the state highway to
Tucson. This Old mission is
visited annually by more than
5000 people from without the
state of Arizona.
Among other interesting facts
related to Tubac is that a mill
tary expedition commanded by
Captain Juan Bautista ANA set
forth from Tubac about 1884,
marching under orders from
higher military authority, to the
Bay of San Francisco. and estab
fishing there the Preside, and
naming the city Of San Fran
CHS 20. The first printing press
brought into Arizona was set up
at Tubac. and a newspaper call
ed The Arizonan" was conduct
ed by Colonel Cross, a veteran
of the Mexican War.
This onca beautiful mission
was the center OF extensive min
ing operations carried on by the
Spanish after Father Klno and
bis devoted Jesuit assistants be
gan spreading the gospel in
these parts. Old furnaces and
Stag dumps near the mission and
caved in shafts and tunnels in
the mountains indicate t b a t
operations we're carried on for a
great many years.
The rooms of the mission are
vacant now and the bells have
fallen from the tower. The padre
sleeps beneath the altar and the
happy voices of the Indian chill
dren have passed into silence for
ever. 10 those ancient and now
almost my ythical days the cross
and the Spanish crown held joint
and united sway over the entire
iregion. It was in furtherance of
their great work of prosely ting
the natives that the early fathers
built those long chains of mis-
sions. For 300 years mines were
developed and the flow of preci
Gus metals across the Sierra Ma
dre to the capital. thence to
Spain was regular and continu
Gus.
The shadow of the Spanish
Crown has passed away; the flag
of Mexico has been moved south
ward, and the ruins of the Tuna
cacori mission and the old mines
lie under the protection of the
peaceful American eagle.
Dreams of gold and buried
treasure have ever invaded the
minds of men. So prospectors
and adventurers dig for the gold
and silver they imagine is hidden
near the ancient ruins. Cd docu
ments now ia existence claim
that the mine called The Virgin
Guadalupe" belonged to Tuna
icacori. 1t measured one league
from the big gate of the temple
to the south and west, and from
the waters of the San Roman,
is measured 1900 varas to the
north. In southerly direction
to the west there are two peaks
torn down by powder being place
in the rocks. The signs remain
blotted out and people could
pass over these rocks treading
on the values and never see them.
The enclosure is so varas square
covering u2 the treasure inside
and outside the mine. The gold
and silver was brought from the
Huachuca mountains. 295O burro
loads of silver and 905 loads of
gold and silver. The total value
Of the gold and silver amount to
so millions pesos.
Follow straight ahead through
the pass of the mountains to the
south about three leagues from
the Guadalupe mine. To the
south of this pass runs a creek
that passes BY the old town of
Santa Cruz. The mine is to the
left of the pass. From the Qua.
dalupe to this mine which is call
ed the Pure Conception, it is
three leagues. This mine has a
tunnel 800 varas long that has
the name of the Pure Conception
cut in the rock over the mouth
or door of the tunnel The tun
mel runs to the north and at a
distance of about 20 varas they
began to cut pure silver. Ia the
face of this tunnel the metal is
yellow and is one half silver and
one fifth gold. Fifty varas from
the mouth of the mine in a south