Santa Rita copper mine

If Grant County is the heart of New Mexico's metal mining industry, then the Central Mining District is the soul. Bayard, Hurley, and Santa Clara, with a total population of 6300, are the population centers in the District.

Santa Clara, formerly called Central, is nine miles east of Silver City on US 180. The oldest village in the District, its history is closely tied to Fort Bayard. Soldiers from the fort found their recreation in Santa Clara. At one time, some forty working mines in the area produced gold and silver.

Two miles east of Santa Clara, Bayard, now the center of the Mining District, began its history as a railroad station serving as a supply terminal for Fort Bayard. Bayard gained prominence when the company town of Santa Rita was literally consumed by the expansion of the open pit mine. Bayard's status was again enhanced when the Cobre Consolidated School District was formed and the administrative offices, the district high school, a middle- school, and an elementary school were located in Bayard.

Four miles south of Bayard, still on US 180, is Hurley. Hurley was a complete company town. Everything - houses, stores, schools - was owned by the Chino Mine branch of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., (later Kennecott Copper Corporation.) Today, Phelps Dodge operates a smelter and converter here. The two smokestacks are visible for miles and serve as a symbol of the health of the copper industry. "If I wake up in the morning and see smoke coming from the stacks, I know I've still got a job," said one miner.

At Santa Clara, NM 152 branches off US 180 and climbs north through four miles of forested hills to its crossroads with NM 356 at Hano

ver. This was a lively place when the Hanover Mine was in operation. In its lifetime, it produced one million pounds of copper. Today the main attraction is the Hanover Outpost, a popular restaurant.

To the south is Vanadium, and to the north Fierro. Each was named for the most important metal produced - fierro is Spanish for iron. Vanadium and Fierro have virtually ceased to exist as villages.

A mile from Hanover is the Santa Rita copper mine, one of the largest open- pit mines in the world. To the east is the Kneeling Nun, a geological formation which has served as a landmark through history. It holds special significance for many residents, some of whom fear it may be nibbled out of existence by the encroaching pit.

On NM 152, an overlook affords visitors a view of the activity which produces 300 million pounds of copper annually. The drills, shovels, and big-haul trucks are miniaturized by the huge scale of the operation.

When the Spanish explorers arrived, the native Americans had long used copper taken from outcroppings here. The Europeans sank shafts and mined commercial amounts. Reports say that by 1804, a merchant from Chihuahua had extracted 1000 mule loads of 350 pounds each of rich ore from the Santa Rita. (Note: A veterinarian says this is a very heavy load for mules.)

The life of mining communities is determined by factors which residents can't control. When copper under the town of Santa Rita was worth more than the buildings above it, Santa Rita ceased to exist. When the price of silver dropped, the large town of Georgetown died. When the price of lead and zinc fell, those mines closed. If the world price drops below a profitable level, even copper stops its flow out of these mountains.

Because of the boom or bust nature of mining, the citizens of the Mining District are looking to other resources. The District is selling its quality of life to retirees who thrill at the sight of a herd of elk or pronghorns. Looking at their children as a resource, the District emphasizes quality education to the extent that graduates of Cobre High School receive scholarships to the most prestigious universities in the country. Maybe the Mining District has found a way to remain the soul of Grant County.