New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

The Orogrande mining district is situated immediately north and west of Orogrande, New Mexico, in the Jarilla Mountains. The district is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range on the west and by the McGregor Artillery Range on the south and east sides. Orogrande lies approximately 35 mi south of Alamogordo and 50 mi north of El Paso, Texas on US–54.

The Jarilla Mountains cover as area of approximately 40 mi² rising to 1,200 ft above the surrounding Tularosa Basin. The highest point is an unnamed peak rising to 5,295 ft above sea level. No springs or other sources of potable water are known to exist in the area. The mountains are composed of mostly upper Paleozoic limestones, sandstones, and shales intruded and domed by Tertiary igneous intrusions. The ore deposits are in the contact skarns. For more detailed information on the geology of the Jarilla Mountains and the Orogrande mining district, you are referred to Schmidt and Craddock (1964) and North (1982).

Prehistoric mining for turquoise is the first evidence of mining in the district. J. M. Perkins is credited with being the first historic prospector in the district in 1879. Amos J. Meules rediscovered the turquoise deposits and began mining them in the early 1890s. By 1883 the district was very active developing outcropping mineral showings. The district was being touted as a source of potential bonanzas with only the lack of water preventing development.

By the late 1890s a branch rail line was extended from Jarilla Junction (later to be named Orogrande) to Brice, the first camp in the district due to the discovery of copper, lead, silver, and gold ores. The line was later extended north through Ohaysi to end at Zora in 1916. This greatly assisted with the development of the iron mines in this area of the district.

In 1904 a 6.5 oz gold nugget was discovered on the Little Joe claim during a dry washing operation. This event triggered a minor gold rush and led to Jarilla Junction being renamed Orogrande with much promotion and speculation following.

In 1907 the Southwestern Smelting and Refining Company brought water to the district with the completion of a 50 mi pipeline from the Sacramento Mountains. Also, the SSRC smelter came online on November 6, 1907, causing further interest in the district. However, the smelter was shut down six months later and sold when sufficient quantities of ore could not be produced to keep the smelter running. It was sold and reopened only to be shut down again in 1910.

Significant ore was produced until 1918 with little production since then. The estimated total production of all metals is around $2,000,000.

Although Orogrande never lived up to its name, it has produced a number of interesting anecdotes and still continues to be the source of recreational gold mining, turquoise mining, and mineral collecting. Currently a group is attempting to get permits to mine the iron ore left in the dumps of the iron mines in the northern portion of the district.

North (1982) lists the occurrences of 42 different minerals in the district. Northrop (1959) lists three museum quality minerals that occur in the district: orthoclase, jarosite, and turquoise.

This power point talk will focus mainly on the collectable minerals found in the district, photos of current mines, and the anecdotes that contribute to the colorful history of the district.

Refer to the North (1982) report for an extensive bibliography of articles related to the Orogrande mining district. 

References:

1. Harris, L. G., 2003, Ghost towns alive: University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 256 pp.
2. Jones, F. A., 1904, New Mexico mines and minerals, Worlds Fair Edition: Santa Fe, New Mexico, 349 pp.
3. Lindgren, W., Graton, L. C., and Gordon, C. H., 1910, Ore deposits of New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 68, 361 pp.
4. Lueth, V. W., 2012, Abstract for talk at New Mexico Facetor???s Guild on two occurrences of turquoise in the Orogrande mining district (available online).
5. North, R., 1982, Geology and ore deposits of the Orogrande mining district, Otero County, New Mexico. New Mexico Bureau Mines and Mineral Resources (available online).
6. Northrop, S. A., 1959, Minerals of New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 665 pp.
7. Sherman, J. E., and Sherman, B. H., 1975, Ghost towns and mining camps of New Mexico: University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 270 pp.