Royal John Mine and Mill, West Cut Retaining Wall and Train Rails, Royal John Mine Road, north of the Old Mill, San Lorenzo

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NM-35-F. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Royal John Mine and Mill complex is on the west slope of the Black Range in the Gila National Forest. Off Highway 61, near Faywood, New Mexico, is Royal John Mine Road. The road is approximately 12 miles long, and the Mine and Mill are located at the end. It is within the boundaries of Township 17 South, Range 9 West, and includes parts of Sections 8, 9, 16, and 17. Date of Construction: A single claim was patented in with major development occuring in the area between and Designer: Unknown. Builder: Unknown.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER NM-35-F. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Erin Edwards Royal John Mine and Mill, West Cut Retaining Wall and Train Rails HAER No. Page 2 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY: The West Cut retaining wall and ore cart rails are located on the east side of Royal John Mine Road, beyond the terminus of the road in the mining area. The West Cut is on a hillside, north of the Old Mine and Mill. The road is unpaved, and has been subjected to periodic washouts due to heavy rains and flooding. Additionally, excessive vegetation covers the road. The general area is littered with various pieces of equipment, processing and hauling gear, assorted machine parts and pipes, and mostly modern-day litter. It is unclear which of the equipment, gear, and machinery are original to the site and what has been brought in by hikers or the adjacent landowners.

The roads leading to the West Cut have been cleared of the surrounding pine and juniper trees, leaving an unpaved road. As the Royal John complex was expanded over the years, an extensive system of rail lines crisscrossed the valleys, connecting each cut or adit to the Old Mill, and more recently to the New Mill. In order for some rail lines to take advantage of gravity or to cross ravines, retaining walls were constructed to elevate the rails. The ore cart rails at the West Cut are one of the few remaining traces of that extensive system of rails, which has been disassembled over the years (Figure 1). The rail lines are currently spaced at 18 inches apart, which suggests that rails were originally configured at a standard 18-inch gauge.

The rails are made of steel, and most likely supported a 1-ton ore cart. There are currently five rail tracks, with their ends hanging off the retaining wall. The wall is constructed of wood logs, sand, and large rocks, and it stands approximately 6 feet tall and is 12 feet long. BIBLIOGRAPHY: American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO) ASARCO Company History. Electronic document. Chipman, Donald E. Handbook of Texas Online, "Cabeza De Vaca, Alvar Nunez," accessed January Royal John Mine and Mill, West Cut Retaining Wall and Train Rails HAER No. Page 3 05, Chipman, Donald E. Handbook of Texas Online, "Seven Cities of Cibola," accessed January 05, Donoghue, David Handbook of Texas Online, "Coronado Expedition," accessed January 05, Fell, James E.

Ores to Metals: The Rocky Mountain Smelting Industry. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. ForestHistory.Org. National Forests of the U.S.; digital document Gulf South Research Corporation. Cultural Resources Survey of the Royal John Mine and Mill in Grant County, New Mexico. USDA Forest Service, Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Hast, Adele. International Directory of Company Histories, Volume 4. St. James Press, Chicago, Illinois. Heyl, Allen V., Allen Agnew, Erwin J. Lyons, and Charles H. Behre, Jr. The Geology of the Upper Mississippi Valley Zinc-Lead District. Geological Survey Professional Paper United States Government Printing Office, Washington, Huggard, Christopher J., and Terrence M. Humble Santa Rita del Cobre, A Copper Mining Community in New Mexico.

University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. Kinney, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Royal John area, Swartz District, Grant County, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report. Kohout, Martin Donell Handbook of Texas Online, "Asarco," accessed January 05, McDonald, Steven John Brief History of the Royal John Mine and Mill Site. Gila National Forest, Grant County, New Mexico. Royal John Mine and Mill, West Cut Retaining Wall and Train Rails HAER No. Page 4 Simmons, Jerry. New Mexico Mining History. Albuquerque Gem and Mineral Club. Electronic document. Soule, Investigation of the Royal John Lead-Zinc Deposits, Grant County, New Mexico. U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations Sutton, Wendy. Email from Wendy Sutton, November 30, Sutton, Wendy.

Email from Wendy Sutton, January 27, The American Presidency Project. 2016a Proclamation 432 Setting Apart as a Public Reservation Certain Public Lands in the Territory of New Mexico. Electronic document. The American Presidency Project. Proclamation 582 - Enlargement of the Gila Forest Reserve, New Mexico. Electronic document. USDA Forest Service. Establishment and Modification of National Forest Boundaries and Natural Grasslands, A Chronological Record electronic document. %20to%202012.pdf USDA Forest Service. 2016a The Early Days: A Sourcebook of Southwestern Region History. Electronic document. USDA Forest Service. Gila National Forest. Electronic document. https://www.fs.usda.gov/gila. Visit Silver City. Gila National Forest.

Digital document; Royal John Mine and Mill, West Cut Retaining Wall and Train Rails HAER No. Page 5 Figure 1 - West Cut Retaining Walls and Ore Cart Rails