Baldy Town, New Mexico

Baldy Town, New Mexico is a former mining town in the Baldy Mining District in Colfax County, New Mexico. Baldy Town was established in 1868, to service mining prospects on the East side of Baldy Mountain, notably the Aztec Mine. After Baldy Town's initial high profit boom from 1868-1870, Baldy Town suffered a series of booms and busts as investors and prospectors searched for profitable lodes. The town was originally a conglomerate of miner's homes and services in Ute Meadow. Then in 1886, Baldy Town's core was moved to a strip of services just above the Aztec Mill. The new town grew to accommodate hundreds of residents with a store, stables, saloons, boarding houses, a church, small school, and post office.[1][2] In 1895, at the height of its population, Baldy Town was home to around 1,000 residents. Multiple ambitious and extensive expeditions were made from 1870-1936 to discover additional gold veins, but only a select few found substantial lodes.[1] By 1941, Baldy Town had been deserted and a majority of its infrastructure sold.[2] In 1963, the eastern half of Baldy Mountain, including former Baldy Town, was donated to the Boy Scouts of America by Norton Clapp. Today, Baldy Town operates as a staffed camp at Philmont Scout Ranch providing a living history program regarding mining as well as logistical support like food resupply for hikers[3]

Simplified map of Baldy Town from 1921-1938
View of Baldy Town, New Mexico
Map of Baldy Town, New Mexico, 1921-1938

Founding

Gold was discovered in the region by Ute natives who displayed their find to local traders. After learning of the discovery, Civil War Veterans flocked from Fort Union to prospect Baldy Mountain. Elizabethtown or E-Town was established in 1866 to service claims on the east side of Baldy Mountain. The town’s position in the Moreno valley was advantageous for water supply and transportation, but was too far to service claims on the east side of Baldy Mountain. In order to minimize transportation of ore, Lucien Maxwell created a 15 Stamp Mill to process gold ore directly below the Aztec Mine. Baldy Town began a series of dwellings and services adjacent to the mill and grew into a small town.

Growth and Infrastructure

Old Baldy / Little Chihuahua

Baldy Town originally was a series of miners homes in Ute Meadows, a couple hundred feet below the Aztec Mill. In 1884, an English company, The Aztec Mining & Milling Co., came under control of the Aztec Mine claim. They remodeled the town, creating company buildings, residences, stores, and saloons above the mill. By 1886, the core of economic and social activity had shifted to the new town core. The prior site of mixed mining residences became a ghetto for Hispanic miners. It was called multiple names including "Old Baldy Town", "Little Chihuahua", and simply "the Mexican settlements". As a result of processing ore with chemicals such as Mercury and Cyanide, the water traveling below the Aztec mill was polluted. The segregation of residential spaces, where Mexicans lived below the mill, spoke to racism and xenophobia in the early 20th century.

Aztec Mill and Tramway

In 1868, Lucien Maxwell invested in a $8,000 15-stamp mill and 12 horse power steam engine built below the Aztec mine to service the same.[1] Ore was moved from the mine to the mill by burro originally. The same year, an arial tramway was installed to transport ore easier. Then in 1885, the mill was replaced by a 30 stamp mill by the Aztec mining and Milling Co. In 1921, The arial tramway was replaced with simple track and the mill was updated. In 1934, as an effort to process small rich deposits quickly, the mill was replaced by a ball mill. This mill continued to process small ore and remill tailings until its decommission in 1940.

The Big Ditch

The Big Ditch was a water infrastructure project which brought water from the head of the Red River, 41 miles to the West side of Baldy Mountain above Willow Creek. The project was an engineering marvel of its time which was designed for 700 miner inches of water or 7.65 million gallons of water to be transported per day. The project cost $200,000. Ultimately, the Big Ditch only transported 100 miner inches of water due to leakage. While it did improve water conditions, it never satisficed all the needs of placer mining and the investment of promoters.[1]

The Company then tapped the waters of the South Ponil creek and created a pool below the mill on the New Orleans flat to provide additional water for placer mining on the West slopes of Baldy.[1]

Town Core

Businesses grew above the mill around 1688. The Aztec Mining and Milling Company moved their offices above the mill in 1885, and the town's core with it. The town then grew from 1885-1897, with investment from the Maxwell Company. The town experienced a second revitalization between 1913-1917, with the discovery of additional ore veins. In 1941, major components of the town were auctioned and most structures were ruined. In 1965, The Boy Scouts of America destroyed the general store, the last original building, as a safety concern.

Local Mines Baldy Town Serviced

Aztec Mine
Section of the Aztec Mine System

AKA: Aztec-Ponil, Aztec Reservation, Azurite, Aztec Extension

The Aztec Mine was the primary producer of gold bullion on the east side of Baldy Mountain.[1] In 1868, three rich veins of gold-infused quartz were discovered between the Ute and South Ponil Creeks. Lucien Maxwell and fellow promoters filed for the claim and invested in an expensive 15-stamp mill below the mine. The mine proved very profitable, the richest deposit in the Baldy Mining District.

The Aztec was worked until 1879, when there was litigation between the owners on how the mine should be developed. Frank Springer attempted to reopen the Aztec in 1881, and Baldy Town grew to support his operations and investment in the mine. Springer’s investments proved unprofitable and the Aztec Mine ceased operating by the 1890s.

In 1914, Geologist Ernhest V. Deshayes drilled 300 feet below the original Aztec discovering a new rich lode of gold. The renewed mining of the Aztec briefly revitalizes Baldy Town, bringing hundreds of miners, investment, and infrastructure. In 1915 and early 1916, Baldy Town was one of the largest towns in the region. By late 1916, however, the Aztec mine once again ran dry and hundreds vacated in search of other opportunities.[1]

The Aztec produced a majority of the bullion from the Baldy Mining District, upwards of $2 million over its lifetime.[4]

View of Baldy Town from the Aztec Mine Tramway

Montezuma

Struck in 1869 by “Big Jack”, the Montezuma mine sat directly south of the Aztec. A 30-stamp mill was created to process the mine’s ore. The Montezuma was nearly as profitable as the Aztec, netting $1,000 a day in 1869.[1] The Montezuma followed the Aztec's situation and was discontinued in the early 20th century.

French Henry

Main Article: French Henry

In 1870, a group of French miners under Henry Buruel began mining on what is now called French Henry Ridge, north of Baldy Town. The mine had a 60’ shaft and a rich ore deposit. Buruel, however did not have the means of processing said ore since Baldy Town’s major mills were owned by Maxwell and refused to process his ore. The mine closed soon after.[1]

Deep Tunnel

Brothers Alexander T. and William P. McIntyre began plans in 1898 to bore a tunnel deep into Baldy Mountain in search of a legendary lode of gold. In 1900, they began to mine on the west side of Baldy Mountain, extracting sparse veins of gold and copper. The McIntyres were able to reach significant depth, but did not find a significant deposit of gold. With no profit to show by 1908 most promoters of the mine withdrew their investment. The McIntyres continued to bore a tunnel from the west and east ends of Baldy Mountain which finally met in 1936. The Deep Tunnel’s completion and unprofitability was emblematic of the end of Baldy Town’s relevance.

Black Horse

John Kempt founded the Black Horse, south of the Aztec, in 1871. The mine was moved in 1880, under the Four Creeks Milling Co. The mine proved somewhat profitable, but suffered from lack of investment. Mining operations were sporadic until 1908, when the mine was largely abandoned.[1]

Mystic Lode

The Mystic was one of the first mines established on Baldy Mountain, struck in 1866 close to the peak of the mountain. Here, gold, quartz, and copper were discovered in pockets. The mine was difficult to profit from due to its location and ore’s various mineral composites. The mine changed hands often.[1]

Other Mines

Source:[2]

  • Swansea Mine
  • Rebel Chief Mine
  • American Mine
  • Bull-of-the-Woods Mine
  • Homestake
  • Ajax Mine
  • Willow Creek Mine
  • Placer Operations on Ute Creek

Decline

After the 1914-1916 Aztec Mine boom, Baldy Town slowly crept towards its abandonment. A few miners and businessmen attempted further strikes, and updated mechanization with limited success. In 1926, Baldy Town’s post office was discontinued. In 1936, the Deep Tunnel was completed, ceremoniously closing the era of mining at Baldy Town. After, a majority of work was redirected to remilling discarded ore from the Aztec Mine which was mildly profitable.

On September 1, 1940, the Aztec Mill, the heart of Baldy Town, stopped milling. The Dutch Company who owned the property redirected attention to the German Invasion. The mine and mill was a larger liability than a business. Within weeks the residents of Baldy Town left. In 1941, mining equipment and infrastructure was removed as capital. Similarly, houses were scavenged and ruined. By 1942, no person lived in Baldy Town.

Baldy Town at Philmont Scout Ranch
A trading post for hiking gear. Mining equipment and car parts lie rusting outside.

10,098 acres of land surrounding Baldy Mountain, including Baldy Town, was purchased by the Boy Scouts of America with a $100,000 donation from then BSA Vice President Norton Clapp in 1963. The land added a considerable portion to the ranch and allowed for treks to access Baldy Mountain, one of the tallest peaks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. On the site of the town's former school house is a commissary for food distribution for backpacking scouts. Directly above the site of the former Baldy Hotel, Philmont erected a cabin for the staff quarters. There is a trading post and cabin which acts as a small museum. The road traveling from Baldy Town to Ute Park has been maintained to allow vehicle traffic for logistics. The road connecting Baldy Town to the French Henry/Aztec-Ponil Mining Complex is also continually maintained. Roads and trails connecting Baldy Town to other mines have disappeared over time. All mines, with the exception of a ventilation shaft out of the Aztec-Ponil (which is displayed through French Henry's camp program), have been intentionally collapsed or barred for safety.

Scouts who stop at Baldy Town are introduced to mining and metallurgy through a living history program. The current facilities can support more than 250 participants, 10 staff members, and a visiting geologist. There are showers, as well as a trading post and commissary.[3]

See also

References
  1. Murphy, Lawrence (1965). "Boom and Bust on Baldy Mountain, New Mexico, 1864-1942" (PDF). University of Arizona.
  2. "Baldy Mining District". Mindat.org.
  3. "Staff Camps". Philmont Scout Ranch.
  4. "Mining Districts of Northeastern New Mexico" (PDF). New Mexico Geological Society.
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