Oral historian Jane Bardall gave a wonderful talk titled ‘Stories of Miners in Mogollan, NM’ in the September Mining History Association monthly nuggets presentation. Mogollon is in the southwest of the state near the Arizona border and had mining for silver and gold from the late 1870s through WWII. Jane covered the mining in the 1932-42 period when gold was mined in the area.
The discovery of the area was done by one James Cooney while he was a soldier in the 8th Calvary chasing Indians in the area. A story online titled Cooney’s Tomb, says Cooney was a famine immigrant, but that does not appear to be correct. James Cooney and his brother Michael were born to Irish immigrant parents in Ontario, then known as Upper Canada. They came to the US about 1860. Michael signed up for the 3rd Illinois Infantry in 1861 and served till 1864. James went west to California and apparently was a miner there and then enlisted in the cavalry in 1866. They were assigned to Arizona and New Mexico territory and he served till 1876.
He then went back to where he had discovered silver and began mining with some success. But he was killed by marauding Apaches in 1880. His brother Michael took over the mine and ran it well until the silver crash of 1893. At one time the town of Cooney had a population of 600. He also used some of the tailings to build an elaborate tomb for his brother in the area. A flood in 1911 washed away most of what was left.
Michael was later mayor of Socorro and continued prospecting before being found dead in the wilderness in 1914.