History of the district.-In 1879 Harry Pye, a mule skinner, working for Uncle Sam, hauling freight to a military post, picked up rich float in the canyon where Chloride now stands. Pye knew something about minerals, and at his destination had the ore assayed. Finding it contained chlorides of silver, running several ounces per ton, he gave this information to several friends, and when his contract with the Government was completed he made up a small party, returned to the spot, prospected the country, found the mother lode, and made the first location, which is still known as the Pye lode. The camp was started and named Chloride, because of the character of the ore found. Pye and several of the first settlers were killed by the Indians.

FAIRVIEW.

Fairview started in 1881 and up to 1883 had a population of about 500. It takes its name from the beautiful surrounding scenery, being situated in a small valley surrounded on all sides by picturesque mountains, covered with abundance of timber.

GRAFTON.

Grafton, 10 miles northwest of Fairview, participated in the promising prosperity of the early eighties and boasted of a population of over 300. It now has 15 houses. At this camp is located the once famous Ivanhoe mine, the stock of which was floated by Col. Robert Ingersoll and his associates in 1882 and 1883. Development work

consists of a 250-foot tunnel on the vein. The first-class ore of this property yields 17 ounces of gold per ton. The Ivanhoe vein enters the Emporia claim, upon which 750 feet of work has been done in ore. Shipment returns of Emporia ore show 13 ounces gold per ton.

KINGSBURY.

The next place along this vein which has been prospected sufficiently to warrant an estimate of value is at Kingsbury, 3 miles north of the Emporia mine, at which camp is located the Great Republic group of mines. Ore worth $1 per pound in gold has been mined here in places, and general shipments from the whole group have paid handsomely.

In the early eighties the mining camps of Fairview, Chloride, and Grafton were all prosperous mining camps, with 300 or more population each, with good hotels, business houses carrying large stocks of goods, saloons, dance halls, theaters, and connected with the outside world by three daily six-horse stage lines.

ROBINSON.

About 1882 considerable excitement was created by the proposed building of a branch of the Santa Fe to a point 3 miles northwest of Fairview, and the town site of Robinson was laid off, named in honor of one of the Santa Fe officers at the time. The railroad branch line did not materialize, and now about 25 houses and 30 people constitute Fairview and 40 houses and 50 people Chloride, while not a house or foundation is left to mark the spot of Robinson City, which is now included in a cattle ranch.

THE EASTERN SLOPE.

The eastern slope of the Black Range and both sides of the Cuchillos are seamed with veins of metal bearing rock, some of which are of great extent. No part of the mining section of the United States has better surface indications than the Black Range country. What is needed is judicious development.

There is here a great opening for the live prospector, some of the best locations having been made during the past year. The altitude is from 6,000 to 8,000 feet. Timber for mining purposes and wood for fuel are abundant-wood can be contracted for years to come for $1.50 per cord. Water is plentiful in all the gulches. With railroad communication the Black Range will be heard from.

THE CUCHILLO RANGE.

In the Cuchillos, Edwards Camp sprung up and operations continued for years. Farther south the Black Knife, German, Rifle Shot, and a number of other good locations were made in 1882.

EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE.

East of the Rio Grande, the Sierra, Fra Cristobal, and Caballo ranges rear their lofty crests 8,000 feet above the level of the sea, and contain valuable deposits of silver, copper, iron, lead, and coal. These mineral riches have as yet only been ascertained to exist in outcroppings, and no mining to any extent has been done there. Closely contiguous, however, to the Santa Fe Railroad, these sections will in the future contribute to the wealth of the county and to the private fortunes of many an enterprising miner and investor.

The Caballo Range has been but little pro spected as yet, but nevertheless many good claims have already been located there.

There are fuel and water in abundance throughout, and on the whole, Sierra County offers a rich field for prospecting parties.

The inducements are much greater to the mining man to come into the Black Range and parallel ranges with their rich mineral fields so easily and comfortably reached the year round than are offered in the Klondike or other northern mining sections.

OTHER MINERALS.

Abundant coal indications exist in different parts of the county, especially in the vicinity of Engle where the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company has diamond drills at work testing the thickness of the

veins.

Extensive beds of marble, white, black, and variegated, have been opened near the Animas River.

Lead carbonate ore exists in vast quantities in the Black Range. No production of large importance has yet been made, but the future. will see these valuable ore veins developed.

RAILROADS.

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway passes through Sierra County from north to south. Its distributing points are at Lake Valley for the south and Engle for the east, from which two stations

stage and freight lines penetrate to the different settlements and camps. From Nutt Station a spur of the Santa Fe Railway runs to Lake Valley, a distance of 13 miles. The roads to Hillsboro, Kingston, Hermosa, Fairview, Chloride and other points are good.

An important railway project is the Black Range Railway, which has been incorporated and is to be built from Magdalena, Socorro County, to Chloride and probably from Chloride to Engle, there to join the main line.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Excellent schools are maintained in the seventeen school districts. Eight to ten months of the year are devoted to the education of the children, and the teachers selected are of the very best character. The school fund has always been cherished, and commodious, substantial, and handsome schoolhouses have been built and are being built. In all departments of primary education the school system of Sierra County will bear comparison with communities otherwise far more advanced.

CLIMATE.

It is not too much to say of this land of sunshine that there exists. a perpetual summer. There is just enough of cold in the months of November and December to mark the change from summer to winter, while a fall of snow is rare, and at most does not remain upon the ground more than a few days. In the higher portions of the mountain ranges some snow is preserved during the colder months, and serves to maintain the summer streams. With such a winter temperature it might be expected that a very high temperature would rule in summer, but such is not the case. From 90° to 95° in the shade is the greatest heat recorded. The altitude-4,000 to 6,000 feet-of the main portions of the region will account for these moderate extremes. In such a climate mining operations are pursued to the greatest possible advantage, and agriculture, aided by irrigation, has no drawbacks. The devastations of snowslides and blizzards are unknown, and the same may be said of pneumonia, that scourge of the miners in the North. It is an ideal section for healthseekers, especially those suffering from pulmonary complaints.

SETTLEMENTS.

Hillsboro is the largest settlement in the county and is the county seat, the court-house being a handsome stone structure. The town is reached by stage from Lake Valley in a two hours' ride, the distance being less than 16 miles. Hillsboro has a bank, a weekly newspaper, good stores, and is surrounded by gold and silver mines and placers, reached by good roads. It is the oldest mining camp in the county, its mineral wealth having been discovered in 1878. The predominating ore of the district is a quartz, impregnated with copper and copper pyrites, and carrying gold in the proportion of 1 ounce to 4 or 5 of silver. The surface ores to a depth varying from 50 to 150 feet are much oxidized, and constitute free-milling ore. Copper is an important by-product, varying in percentage to the ton from 1 to 20. There are four ore mills in and around Hillsboro. East of the lode mines is an extensive area comprising several thousand acres, and known as the

placers. With crude dry washers some $500,000 in gold have been taken from these placers. In the valley between Hillsboro and the mines are warm springs having medicinal and curative properties. Bath houses have been erected over them. Hillsboro is also the headquarters of several large cattle companies.

At Las Palomas, on the Rio Grande, and at Ojo Caliente, north of Grafton, are also hot springs famous for their curative qualities. Above this settlement some 200 acres are under irrigation and yield good crops. With storage reservoirs the area under irrigation could be greatly increased.

Fairview is a supply point for the mines of the Black Range between Chloride and Grafton, and for the mines of the Cuchillo Negro Mountains. It is located in a beautiful and open valley.

Grafton is a picturesque mining camp, and is surrounded by a rich mining district.

Chloride is situated 20 miles north of Hermosa among the foothills of the Black Range, in a district of gold and silver bearing fissure veins. The nearest railway point is Engle, a distance of 50 miles.

Lake Valley, the famous silver camp, is the terminus of a short branch of the Santa Fe Railway. It is an important cattle-shipping point.

Hermosa is a mining camp romantically situated in a small park surrounded by lofty mountains of bold and majestic outline, stately pines, and flowing streams.

Kingston lies 10 miles northwest of Hillsboro, and is delightfully situated in the valley of the Rio Percha, among the foothills of the Black Range, at an elevation of a little over 6,000 feet.

Tierra Blanca is a mining camp 10 miles south of Kingston. It is situated in the beautiful and sheltered valley of the Rio Tierra Blanca, and at one time had a flourishing sanitarium.

Andrews is a mining camp 8 miles north of Hillsboro, and here are the famous Andrews mines that are being worked by Pennsylvania capitalists.

Monticello is an agricultural settlement on the Alamosa.

Cuchillo is an agricultural settlement on the Cuchillo, 24 miles west of Engle.

Engle is the principal railroad and shipping point in the county, and is the center of one of the finest cattle ranges in the southwest. Artesian water has been struck near the town. If the flow proves permanent and other wells are drilled, Engle will also become the center of an agricultural region, for a constant water supply is all that is needed to make it the center of a rich agricultural sectión. The indications of coal around Engle are many, and it is believed that strong veins of this fuel will be found in the course of time.

TAOS COUNTY.

Taos is the most picturesque and in many respects one of the richest in mineral resources of New Mexico counties. It is also one of the oldest in point of settlement by white men, and one of the best watered sections of the territory. At one time it included Colorado south of the Arkansas River, Colfax, Mora, and part of Rio Arriba counties, but at present it is the smallest in area of New Mexico counties excepting Santa Fe. Yet its area is 1,470,000 acres, or 2,265 square miles,

being more than twice the area of the State of Rhode Island, and 305 square miles more than the State of Delaware. Of this almost onehalf, or 650,000 acres, is open to entry under the Federal land laws; 300,000 acres are still unsurveyed. About 120,000 acres are reserved and 700,000 acres are appropriated. Considerable of the area is in so-called private land grants, the title of which is clear. The area of the confirmed land grants in the county is about 600,000 acres. The northern part of the Pecos Forest Reserve is also in the county. It is bounded on the north by Colorado, on the east by Colfax and Mora counties, on the south by Mora and Rio Arriba counties, and on the west by Rio Arriba County.

Taos county is one of the most densely populated of New Mexico counties, but could support five times its present population. It is the eighth county in population. The census of 1900 credits it with 10,889 inhabitants, an increase of 12 per cent during the decade preceding. The population by precincts was as follows according to the census: Ranchos de Taos, 1,407; Taos, 1,225; El Llano, 907; Penasco, 887; Arroyo Seco, 772; Chamisal, 704; Placita, 685; Costilla, 631; Cordova, 607; Questa, 584; Arroyo Hondo, 485; Taos Pueblo, 419; Cerro, 392; Upper Costilla, 383; Red River, 208; Latir, 153; Cieneguilla, 119; Picuris Pueblo, 98; Tres Piedras, 87; Ojo Caliente, 59; La Belle, 49; Amizet, 22; Midnight, 6. A peculiarity is that its densest population is not along the railroad but a considerable distance from it.

The taxable assessed valuation of Taos county in 1902 is $695,946, but that this represents but a small part of its real wealth is shown by the fact that the census of 1900 credits the county with farm values to the amount of $892,000. The assessment for 1902 is an increase over 1901 of $105,200, or about 20 per cent. The same census credits it with 7 manufacturing establishments, which include 4 flour mills and 3 ore mills, with an invested capital of $18,000 and a product worth $24,000 per year. Since then the extensive ore reduction and treatment plants of the Frazer Mountain Copper Company have been erected at Twining. The county has 50 miles of narrow-gauge railroad and as many miles of telegraph. The low assessment rate makes taxes surprisingly low, although the tax rate may at first thought seem somewhat high.

TOPOGRAPHY.

The Sangre de Cristo range is the backbone of the county. Its peaks rise to an altitude of over 13,000 feet. From it extend toward the west foothills and the mesa through which the Rio Grande River breaks its way, as well as some fifteen perennial streams, which have broken, picturesque canyons and mighty gorges, or have eroded fertile valleys.

RIVERS.

The Rio Grande flows through it from north to south but through rocky gorges, hence the cultivated lands of the county are along its tributaries. The county is characterized by the great number of small perennial streams, which, rising in high ranges on the east, debouch at about one-third the general width of the district upon the high mesas forming the central and western thirds and flow into the Rio Grande.