More than eight centuries ago, long before this country was discovered by the white man, a Native American people known as the Mogollon lived in southwestern New Mexico. They hunted, gathered and prospered. Around 1300 AD, they disappeared. Their land became inhabited by the Apache. They, too, hunted, gathered, and prospered, led by chiefs whose names have become synonymous with the area: Victorio, Nana, Geronimo. Then in 1875, a U.S. Calvary sergeant by the name of James Cooney discovered yet another reason for gathering and prospering in this area: Some of the richest gold and silver veins in the world were here.