Whispers of the Past: Cleveland Mine
The lives of 300 hundred men that soon grew to 600 hundred changed the face of the mountain in the late 1860’s, the start of The Cleveland Mine. Their picks echoed across the land, the trees falling and being constructed to other uses, and blasts shook the depths of the land as the face of the mountain was transformed. Gold, Silver, and Copper is what they sought for.
By 1868 six stamp mills were in the vicinity. Mining was big part in this district prior to 1860, but significant amounts of metals were not recovered until that time. Gold was the major yield, with less production of silver and copper. In 1905 they started to build across the land a two-foot narrow-gauge railway, “The Silver City, Pinos Altos and Mogollon Railroad” that came to Pinos Altos. The ore was shipped to the Silver City smelter, but in 1913 declining silver prices forced the railroad to close, and the line was dismantled.
The men continued to work even in the hard times as War was declared in 1914. The world around their lives was ever changing and their families were impacted with the changes of times. During World War I, the Empire Zinc Company mined zinc from 1916 to 1917 for the war effort. The day of the hour finally struck as Germany had formally surrendered on November 11, 1918, and all nations had agreed to stop fighting while the terms of peace were negotiated. On June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allied Nations (including Britain, France, Italy and Russia) signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the war.
By 1922 the entire Cleveland Mill Camp was abandoned and the machinery was removed. The men packed up their gear, horses, and left the mountain side. The valley grows quiet as they faded away. The old structures creek and grown within the wind. The caves, tunnels, and shafts darken. The men fade from scene turning to whispers of the past. While the working of the mine and mill was of no more, the mine itself, continued. Continuing to affect the land as the times grew on.
The land works at reclaiming the hill sides with the loss of the vegetation from the mining time, but the endless battle begun for the area the mine was spread across. Along the mountain across ten acres above ground and 4 acres within, their voices and imprint remains on the land. The work they performed impacted the land. As ruins of the old Cleveland Mine can still be seen even to this very day even after the cleanup project that was initiated in 1997.
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The historic Cleveland Mill site is located 5.5 miles north of Silver City. The site has gone through an environmental cleanup in 1989 to help protect the water way of Little Walnut creek. Mining still remains one of the most important industries of Grant County. This special geocache is located at a locked gate to the road leading to the Cleveland Mine. Unfortunately after the cleanup project, the gate was locked, but bicycle riders and hikers often frequent the area. If you want to see the Cleveland Mill site, which still has foundation you can also drive up on the mountain where the towers are. It is a fairly easy drive, even in a car. You will have the most incredible 360 degree views of Silver City, Pinos Altos, Little Walnut and the beautiful Gila Wilderness. At one point you can look down on the Cleveland Mine Mill site and see how big it was and the cleanup work. The geocache was placed near the locked gate area. Have fun searching!