![]() While there are no buildings remain to be seen in Spanishtown, visitors can take the Almaden Quicksilver Historic Trail to stop #5 where beneath the tall cypress trees is the unmarked site of Spanishtown’s Guadalupe Cemetery.Įventually, New Almaden contained three separate enclaves: Spanishtown, the Hacienda, and Englishtown. Spanishtown was New Almaden’s largest settlement. This settlement became Spanishtown and housed as many as 1,500 Mexican and Chilean miners and their families. The Tanateros and Mineros built their homes over several low ridges in a large open ravine near the mine. ![]() The workers were divided into two groups classified as “Tanateros” and “Mineros.” The Tanateros carried the ore out of the mines, a physically strenuous and demanding task. Early miners, many of whom were from Sonora, built structures like the Hacienda de Beneficio (reduction works), which still stands today, and the planilla, the mine’s long, open shed where ore cars were unloaded and crews of laborers broke the ore to specified size and separated it according to its value. Mexican labor and Spanish/Mexican mining technology were essential in the early development of New Almaden. and with the necessary capital to develop a mine, Alexander Forbes arrived at New Almaden from Mexico with a large crew of Mexican workers and equipment. In the fall of 1847, under the Barron, Forbes, & Co. Living up to its new name, New Almaden would eventually become the second largest quicksilver mine in the world. Around this time, as California’s gold and silver mining industries grew, so did the need and demand for quicksilve. changed the Santa Clara name to New Almaden after the famous and greatest quicksilver producing mine in the world located in Almaden, Spain. The firm operated a cotton mill in Tepic, Mexico. Late in 1846, Castillero sold part of his shares in “Santa Clara” to the English industrial firm of Barron, Forbes, & Co. While on his trip, however, the Mexican military required his services due to the growing conflicts between Mexico and the United States, and he never returned to California. Castillero left for Mexico to obtain capital for his venture. By 1846, after some successful firings of the ore, Castillero realized that he needed more capital, labor, and equipment to develop his mine fully. Rewarded the land, Castillero returned to the “Santa Clara” mine with William Chard, a carpenter he met in San Jose, and hired Indian workers to build rudimentary furnaces to work the mine. ![]() On November 22, 1845, Castillero filed a claim and a declaration of intent with the Mexican government for the land. He recognized and proved that this red rock contained quicksilver. Mercury was recovered by heating the cinnabar and collecting and cooling the mercury vapors that were produced.Ĭourtesy of the California Geological Surveyīy 1845, Andreas Castillero, a native of Spain and a captain in the Mexican Army trained in geology, chemistry, and metallurgy, became interested It is characterized by its bright red color. Excited by the idea that the hills might also yield gold and silver, Sunol and Chabolla, made unsuccessful attempts at extracting the metal but abandoned their venture.Ĭinnabar was the main ore of mercury at many California mercury mines. Robles shared his discovery with Antonio Sunol, a Mexican settler, and Luis Chabolla. he found the deposits in the Capitancillo Hills on the land once owned by Jose Reyes Berryessa, a retired sergeant of the Presidio of San Francisco. The first non-Indian person to discover the cinnabar deposits was Secundino Robles, a native Californio. Cinnabar expeditions came from as far away as Walla Walla, Washington to the New Almaden area to trade or fight for the prized resource. The Ohlone painted their bodies a bright red with the cinnabar and also found it an important item to trade. Long before the successful mining operations of New Almaden in the 1800s, local Ohlone Indians used the area as a source of the deep red mercury-bearing rock, cinnabar. Using Spanish and Mexican mining techniques, Mexicans were the first to develop the New Almaden mining area, and therefore were essential to the rapid growth of California’s great gold and silver mining industries. Quicksilver was the leading reduction agent for gold and silver until the discovery of the cyanide process in 1887. Predating the major California gold rush of 1849, the mines at new Almaden produced $70,000,000 in quicksilver – a fortune greater than any California gold mine that made New Almaden the most valuable single mine in the State. The New Almaden Mine produced mercury beginning in 1845, making it California’s oldest mining operation. Located just 12 miles south of San Jose, California is the tiny village of New Almaden, the once world famous quicksilver (mercury) mining community that is now a National Historic Landmark district.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |