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| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
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.
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.
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.
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. |
Mariscal Mine
Photo Gallery
Abdul Khan Photographs |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
Covered mine
shaft
Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
| Photo
courtesy Abdul Khan, October 2016 |
Mariscal Mine
Photo Gallery
Erik Whetstone
Photographs |
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.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
One of the many
covered mine shafts.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
The chimney
at the top of the furnace/condenser system.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
A few of the
worker-built stone houses
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
The company
store? The mine can be seen in the background.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
One of the concrete
/ stucco houses - about 40 yards from the company store.
Photo courtesy Erik
Whetstone April 2006 |
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