An aerial view of the summit of Grand Central Mountain
North is at the top.
The orange-colored waste material piles from several 1880-era mines can be seen
in this view of the summit of Grand Central Mountain.
The orange-colored spot just above the center of this photo, surrounded on three
sides by piņon and juniper trees, is situated in the col between the east peak
and central peak of Grand Central Mountain. It is a shaft several tens of feet
deep, probably the Hoosier Boy Claim located on May 15, 1879 by Willima B.
Sullivan and owned by the Miller brothers. If, in fact, they were looking for
gold they could not have been pleased with the results. Sullivan found no gold,
and this mine was probably abandoned within the year.
Slightly to the west of this shaft (at 10 o'clock from the Hoosier Boy), on the
east side of the central peak, is a pale area that may have been the site of the
miner's tent-house.
Continuing along the 10 o'clock line, the pale-orange waste pile near the west
peak, seen in the upper left of this photo, is probably Sullivan's Asperanza
Claim, located May 26, 1879, which he both owned and operated. It appears rather
large but is only a few feet deep. This claim may have been worked for a month or
less before abandonment.
Not one to give up easily, William B. Sullivan continued for more than another
year to file claims and work in the mines of the Cerrillos.
This website is maintained by the Cerrillos
Hills Park Coalition
and is dedicated to the creation, enhancement and stewardship
of an historical, recreational, and cultural open space in
the
Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA
