by Terry Lidral
Chloride, New Mexico is a ghost town with a heartbeat. Don and Dona Edmunds have resided in the Old West silver mining town in the center of the Apache Mining District since 1989. And they’ve become keepers of the living history of the place originally called Pyetown.
Don and Dona Edmund had planned a trip to Gila National Forest by way of the ghost town Winston, New Mexico. It was 1976 and The Edmunds had moved out West from New York for Don’s job working at White Sands Missile Range. He and Dona were traveling in a motor home they had bought to explore New Mexico. An accidental turnaround in Winston took them to Winston’s sister town of Chloride.
“Dona had seen roof tops and so we drove about a half mile to where we found the buildings,” Don Edmund told us of their first view of the town they would eventually make their home. “We thought we were entering a deserted movie set. Almost all of the buildings were dilapidated tumble-down shacks. As we drove on up to the west end of the road, we found rather large false front buildings standing, but all boarded up. We were mesmerized, and my wife said ‘If this is deserted, here is where we need to be’. You must remember we had just come from New York!” Edmunds told us with a laugh.
The Edmunds found themselves drawn to the town where over 3,000 men, women and children had lived in the once thriving hub of the Apache Mining District. It would become their home and they would make it their enterprise to rebuild and preserve the buildings and the history of the ghost town Chloride, New Mexico. (Continue their story here.) https://westernlivingjournal.com/preserving-history-ghost-town-keepers-don-and-dona-edmund/
Chloride, New Mexico, a mining boomtown, was named for the high-quality silver chloride found there.
The seeds of the late 19th century settlement were sown when a mule skinner named Harry Pye stumbled upon some silver chloride while hiding out from warriors of the Apache tribe that lived there. That was in 1879 while Pye was hauling supplies across New Mexico through Apache territory for the U.S. Army. Pye returned to claim his stake two years later, in 1881, after he had finished his contract for the U.S. government.
The canyon where Pye had found his silver nuggets was located in New Mexico’s Black Range Mountains. The area held the silver mother lode, called the “Pye Lode,” but it was also territory claimed and protected by Apache Chief Victorio. Pye was able to find two young prospectors by the names of Forbes and Elliot brave enough to join him to stake the claim on what had been determined to be high quality silver chloride.
Pye and his companions were successful in their search for the silver lode and built a log cabin to settle in. Over a matter of months, they had managed to dig a drift of 10 feet into the mountain. But then disaster struck. The three prospectors were attacked by Chief Victorio’s warriors and during the battle Pye’s gun jammed. Pye was killed in the fight but Forbes and Elliot were able to escape to a nearby encampment. There they told their story and spilled the secret of the silver ore laden “Pye Lode”
The log cabin built by Pye and his two fellow prospectors still stands on the spot where it was built in 1881. It provided shelter from the elements and a safe place to sleep,
News of the discovery of silver brought a rush to the canyon in spite of the threat of Apache attack. Tents began to spring up as more and more people arrived to lay their stakes. Apache Chief Nana’s attack on the settlement’s general store that killed 2 men didn’t stop the influx of prospectors on the hunt for silver. Within the year, the canyon became full up with the tents of prospectors and the settlement’s name was changed to Bromide.
Along with the tents came businesses and those intent upon profiting from the growing population of miners. In fact, by June 1881, the settlement had come to include 8 saloons, 3 general stores, 3 restaurants, a lumber yard, 2 butcher shops, a post office and a Justice of the Peace. And, of course, Bromide had its share of those establishments offering certain colorful kinds of entertainment popular in such western towns.
MANY RESIDENTS OF THE MINING TOWN HAD A HANKERING FOR FUN AND DRINK, OFTEN TO EXCESS WITH THE BOOZE. IN THE CENTER OF WALL STREET WAS A LARGE TREE PLAYFULLY CALLED THE “HANGING TREE” WHERE MANY A DRUNK FELLOW SLEPT IT OFF CHAINED TO ITS LARGE TRUNK. THE TREE HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME AND STILL STANDS IN ITS PLACE ON WALL STREET.
In response to the steady rise in population, a judge by the name of Donahue withdrew 120 acres of land from public domain that was to become the town of Chloride. Lots, blocks and parcels were all surveyed and set within streets. Lotteries were held in which men drew numbers for housing lots and houses began to appear along what became known as Wall Street.
Wall Street was the main thoroughfare that ran East to West in the middle of the canyon. It was made 60 feet wide to accommodate boardwalks on either side. (All other streets were set at a width of 40 feet.) Its wide stature was well suited to handle the busy horse and wagon traffic heading in and out of the commercial hub of the Apache Mining District.
The decision to plant shade trees on both sides of Wall Street brought more than beauty and comfort to the town. Water was directed from a nearby creek through irrigation ditches along each side of the shade trees. These irrigation ditches carried enough water to provide for both the town’s livestock and the housewives’ gardens.
In spite of the lack of a railroad stop, heavy freight was hauled over the trails north and on to St. Louis by ox powered freight wagons at least once yearly.
The place that became known as Chloride was never granted a stop on the railroad line. The only transportation stop in the bustling town was the Pioneer Stage Line which connected with the railroad station in Engle, 50 miles East. Although an inconvenience, the lack of direct railroad service did not hamper the town’s growth.
By 1883, the population had grown to its peak of 3,000 people. A school had been established and a newspaper, The Black Range, was in full operation. There were also doctors and lawyers serving the mining community.
THERE WERE THOSE IN CHLORIDE WHO THOUGHT THE CITIZENRY OF THE TOWN TOO UNREFINED AND SO THEY MOVED SEVERAL MILES ON TO FORM THE TOWN OF WINSTON.
It wasn’t until 1884 that Chloride’s request official town site status, after Territorial Legislation created Sierra County. In what appeared to be partial politics, Hillsboro was named the County Seat, deeply disappointing the proud citizens of Chloride.
It was also in 1884 that Chloride formed a militia to protect its residents from the frequent attacks by bands of Apache. There were four tribes of Chiricahua Apaches in southwest New Mexico.
Victorio was chief of the Chihenne band that held claim to the land staked out by the town of Chloride. He was a formidable foe with great skill in the art of guerilla warfare. C
Attacks by Victorio and his warriors were an ongoing threat to the town’s citizens, increasing as the activity in the town grew. There were 51 volunteers aged 18 to 58 who accepted the call to stand guard at the canyon walls and provide safety for travelers and freight going in and out of the town.
By 1885, Chloride had grown to include a good share of amenities such as bakeries, a dress maker, a cabinet maker, a “city” butcher and even a person hired to water and tend the shade trees lining Wall Street. Ore from the over 40 mines in the district was crushed and smelted at facilities a mile out of town on either side. The four major mines were the U.S. Treasury, the Silver Monument, the Midnight and the Wall Street Complex. Chloride was in its glory.
But in 1893, hard times struck Chloride when the U.S. government devalued silver, sending the price plummeting. Some mines closed a number of people left. Yet Chloride was able to hang on and keep going.
The demise of Chloride came in 1896 when President William McKinley won the presidential election on his pledge to demonetize silver. The plunge of silver prices from $1.81 per ounce to 18 cents was the death nell of the silver industry. All mining stopped, the smelter and crusher ceased operation and citizens left. and the general store was kept open until 1923, when it shut its doors, locking all its wares inside.
Today, those same wares are on display at the Pioneer Store Museum that stands amidst the restored buildings of the once booming silver mining town. A visit to Chloride should include the self guided walking tour and a stroll down the once bustling Wall Street. The Hangin’ Tree still stands proudly in its center.
