CERRILLOS HILLS HISTORIC PARK

The 1100 acres of Santa Fe County parklands and the adjacent BLM lands have on them the remains of many hundreds of abandoned mines and prospect pits, some of them vertical shafts with depths in excess of 100 feet [30 meters]. It is partly because of this unique and visible mining heritage that these hills are such an extraordinary historical resource, but these abandoned mines are also the park's most significant hazards.

A few of the sites of mineral extraction within the park originated in prehistoric times, and most of these prehistoric locations have seen continued activity by subsequent miners. The early historic records of Spanish mining are not extensive, but we have identified several Spanish period [1600-1821] and Mexican period [1821-1848] mines. The bulk of the diggings -- the visible evidence of mining -- in the Cerrillos Hills date from the Territorial period [1848-1912], with a few sites that continued to be worked well into the twentieth century.

By and large it is the legacy of holes in the ground from the mining boom of 1879-81 that concerns us today. This legacy included the re-digging and expansion of some old Spanish mines.

Within the Cerrillos Hills Historic Park and on immediately adjacent lands, there are approximately 90 vertical or near-vertical shafts with depths in excess of 6 feet [2 meters], shafts that are regarded as hazardous. All of these must be made safe before the park can be opened to the public.

What We Are Doing

There is an agency within the State of New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resource Department, the Mining and Minerals Division, whose specific task is to treat old, non-operating mines. Making extensive use of historical records as well as the archaeological survey of the Cerrillos Hills Historic Park lands, the ABANDONED MINE LAND BUREAU (AML) has categorized the hazardous mines and developed a plan that will make them all safe.



Though some of the most interesting mines in the Cerrillos Hills Historic Park will be left as they are, except for metal safety grates or cable-nets over their entrances, for economic reasons most of the hazardous shafts will be capped or filled.

It is the common concern of all of us that we should know what is down there before we cover it over. Our primary interests are archaeological artifacts that may be inside the mines, and wildlife, particularly bats, that may be resident there. More on bats in mines.

Many of the hazardous shafts, though deep, could be adequately inspected from the surface. Some required the use of a remote-view video camera. And many -- those with lateral tunnels (drifts), empty spaces created by the removal of ore (stopes), or discontinuous shafts -- demanded visual inspection.

The Cerrillos visual inspection team is comprised of J. Scott Altenbach, a Professor of Biology at UNM who has been assisting AML with bat surveys since 1991, Rick Sherwin, a UNM doctoral candidate whose thesis work is on bat habitat in mines, and Homer E. Milford, Environmental Coordinator for the Abandoned Mine Land Bureau.

We have evidence of bat usage of some mines, usually Townsends Big Eared, as well as some evidence of rats and birds nesting, and at least one small snake. We have some mining artifacts (iron implements, cans, nails, bits of fuse) and, from the inner reaches of an old Spanish mine that was also worked in more recent times, a corncob. And frequently, of course, traces of the target mineral, usually galena, manganese compounds, or compounds of copper, including turquoise.

A video record was made of each of the shafts and drifts as they were inspected.

The inspection phase of the mine treatment project was completed in May 2001.

The on-the-ground work for the CERRILLOS SOUTH MINE SAFEGUARD PROJECT, Project No. EMNRD-MMD-2002-04, began in April 2003. Below are some illustrative photographs and descriptions of the work done by our contractor, Pioneer Industries, Inc., of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The group of nineteenth century mines shown below are identified by feature numbers assigned by the two archaeological surveys performed in the summer of 2001 (each survey covered a different portion of the Park). A site may have several features. The most significant feature is usually designated by the site-number-point-one. The second feature at the same site would be designated site-number-point-two. In the Park and its environs have been identified over 200 archaeological sites. Eighty-six of the features in these sites, usually mine shafts, have been designated as hazards.

For the safety of the public and the welfare of visitors to the Park, all mines must be safe. About a quarter of the most interesting and historically significant hazardous mines are either fenced or covered with high-tensile wire mesh. These are the featured educational attractions of the Cerrillos Hills Historic Park. About a quarter of the mines are "corked" using a polyurethane foam plug, a procedure that closes the mine without destroying it or its waste pile. These "corked" historical mines remain intact for educational development at a future date.

This is mine 127.1, a vertical shaft probably the same as the one located on June 28, 1880 as the Little Patience claim by William H. Nesbitt and A. Harkness. The 5' x 6' shaft is presently 22' deep. The original depth is unknown. There are no known drifts (horizontal tunnels) at this mine, but cedar cribbing (mine support timber) is visible. The target mineral was probably galena (lead sulphide), sought for its silver content. It is one of the four featured historical mines located on Coyote Trail. In this July '03 photo the foundation for the side-view platform is in place, and the workers are preparing to install the protective wire mesh that will cover the entire feature.


Mine 127.1 Two panels of special high-tensile wire mesh are locked together to produce a mesh blanket of sufficient size.



Mine 128.1, a short distance south of 127.1, is also a vertical shaft, probably the mine located December 3, 1879, as the Henrietta claim by Jno St.Clair, who said he had a 12"-wide vein of galena and copper. At the time of location the shaft was stated to be 20' deep. It is another of the four Coyote Trail mines. This shaft is 6' x 8' and is presently 28' deep. No known drifts, no cribbing. In this view you can see the mesh cover over the shaft, and the foundation in place and waiting for installation of the side-view platform. Note the rock bolts which anchor the mesh. After they are tightened down and the excess cut off, the stub ends are covered with earth. Though the mesh is not intended to be walked upon -- a low cable fence will be installed around the shaft to discourage this -- it is capable of safely carrying the weight of an unspecified number, but a large number, of people.


Mine 128.1 Another view of the mesh-covered shaft. The van at the top belongs to the Chimayó Youth Conservation Corps, who participated in trails and restoration training on Coyote Trail and elsewhere in the Park. More on the CYCC.


Mine 135.1, north of both 127.1 and 128.1, might be the Rozelea claim. If so, it was located September 3, 1879, by John Billings and John K. Handly, when they reported a 12' shaft on an 18"-wide vein of manganese. This may also be the Pride of the Camp claim (see below). In this photo the wire mesh is in the process of installation. This Coyote Trail shaft is 6' x 8' and presently 46' deep, with no known drifts.



Mine 135.1 The finished mesh on 135.1. Note the foundation for the side-view platform.




Mine 135.1 Installation of the side-view platform at 135.1. This was the first platform to be installed on any mine in the Park.


Mine 130.1 The the northern-most of the four mines on Coyote Trail. If this is the Pride of the Camp claim, it was located on May 3, 1879, by Harry S. Gillian, C.C. McComas, and Frank Beanway on a 20" vein of galena. Curiously, the location record for Pride of the Camp reports two shafts of 8' and 12', which fits 135.1 and 135.2 quite nicely. Or, the second smaller Pride of the Camp shaft might have been buried in the waste pile of the main shaft; more research is needed. The present 130.1 shaft is 8' x 8', and the known depth is 49'. Because of a decline to the west which stymied the remote camera, the actual bottom of this shaft has not been determined. A catwalk bridge will be installed on 130.1 which will permit visitors to look directly down into the shaft.

Erosion control straw bundles installed along the access road to the Coyote Trail mines to limit the movement of loose earth into the arroyo. Upon completion of the mine safety project, this access road will become the Mirador Trail, the northerly extension of the Coyote Trail.