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MARISCAL
MINE
Big Bend National Park
Photos courtesy Erik Whetstone April 2006 |
The
Mariscal Mine is "deep inside" the Big Bend National Park on the northern
side of Mariscal Mountain. The mine, housing units, furnace and condensers
have been declared a National Register Historic District.
To reach the mine, take the River Road five miles west of Rio Grande
Village and follow the signs. High-clearance vehicles are recommended.
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Walking
up to the mine
Photo courtesy Erik Whetstone April 2006 |
Mine History
in a Pecan Shell
Local farmer Martin Solis is credited with discovering cinnabar outcroppings
on his land in 1900. Solis showed the bright red ore to local store
owner (and customs agent) Ed Lindsey. Lindsey filed a claim on Mariscal
Mountain - modestly naming the mine after himself. Lindsey started
limited excavation of ore but transporting it to Terlingua for processing
was costly. In 1905 Lindsey sold his interest to Isaac Sanger of Dallas.
Sanger renamed operations to the Texas Almaden Mining Company. Sanger's
operation only lasted four years - a year less than Lindsey's run.
Mexicans heard of the mine and crossed over the river for work. They
first built crude shelters at the foot of the mountain and these slowly
evolved into stone houses. Vegetables were planted a mile north of
the mine on Fresno Creek and the gardens were tended by the miners
wives who drew water from shallow hand-dug wells. Drinking water was
freighted in from Glenn Spring - a distance of ten miles. |
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A
few of the worker-built stone houses |
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Between 1919
and 1923 many one-to-three room houses were built and these still
remain - as ruins. During WWII when operations were managed by the
Vivianna Mining Company, ten CBS (concrete block stucco) homes were
built for the miners and their families.
The economy was a very closed circle. While experienced miners earned
$1.50 for each ten-hour shift and laborers earned $1 to $1.25 - both
worked a six day workweek and both spent their paychecks at the company
store. |
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The
company store? The mine can be seen in the background. |
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One
of the concrete / stucco houses - about 40 yards from the company
store. |
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Between 1900
and 1943 Mariscal Mine produced 1,400 flasks of mercury - 1/4 of the
US production.
Operations were overseen by a handful of U.S. citizens while the miners,
workers and freighters were all Mexicans. The freighters hauled the
mercury from the Mine to Marfa
while they hauled in supplies and firewood to stoke the furnace.
The pick and shovel work was as unhealthy as it was difficult. Contact
with the ore was bad but assisting with the processing was worse.
The furnaces released mercury sulfide which proved harmful - if not
fatal - to the workers. Mercury poisoning showed it's first symptoms
by workers producing abnormal amounts of saliva. Most miners were
toothless within a few years of exposure. The lucky ones escaped with
chronic respiratory problems and no one bothered to document cases
of dementia or madness. |
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The
chimney at the top of the furnace/condenser system. |
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One
of the many covered mine shafts. |
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| Cinnabar ore
must be heated to 360°F to release the liquid metal. This part of
the process was done in the large furnace and then the molten ore
was run through a series of condensers. Within the condensers the
molten mercury was forced through iron pipes. As the vapor cooled
gravity ran the mercury across slanted floors and into wells where
it was later drained into iron flasks and hauled to the railroad at
Marfa. |
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A
closer image of the condensers and Scotts furnace. The Scotts furnace
is in front of the condensers. When functioning the furnace was 40
feet tall and was 20 feet square. |
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| Recommended
Books |
| Official
Guide to Texas State Parks |
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| Camper's
Guide to Texas Parks, Lakes, and Forests, 5th Edition : Where
to Go and How to Get There |
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| Hiking
and Backpacking Trails of Texas: Walking, Hiking, and Biking
Trails for All Ages and Abilities! |
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| Texas
Atlas and Gazetteer (Texas Atlas & Gazetteer) by Delorme |
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