Jarilla Mountains Turquoise: Field Guide to the Orogrande Mine and the Chaco Connection
The Jarilla Mountains of Otero County, New Mexico produced turquoise from at least the prehistoric era through the early twentieth century, and isotope analysis has since connected stones from this deposit to artifacts found hundreds of miles away at Chaco Canyon — one of the ancient Southwest's great ceremonial centers. Jarilla is less famous than Cerrillos, but the archaeological record ties the two New Mexico deposits together in the same prehistoric trade network.
From the Library: Pogue, The Turquois (1915)
1915 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1915, not today.
According to Pogue (1915, p. 63), an 1893 paper by Hidden held that the turquoise of the Jarilla Hills formed directly from kaolin, by the addition of the necessary constituents.
Pogue (1915) also summarized Jones's 1904 explanation for New Mexico's deposits as a whole:
“Turquois is deposited by descending surface waters containing aluminum hydrate furnished by kaolinized country rock; phosphoric acid supplied by apatite and perhaps to some extent by organic matter on the surface; and copper derived from disseminated copper ores.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 63
Pogue (1915) credited W. E. Hidden with the 1892 find; Hidden, he wrote,
“who rightly considered the old workings in the vicinity to have been developed in search of this mineral, and by the close of that year a permanent camp had been established and regular mining undertaken.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 58
As of 1915, Pogue reported:
“Since then several other claims have been located and worked, but without particular success. The deposits are not now productive.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 58
Pogue (1915) on the early stone:
“The material first obtained faded. A bright future was predicted for the occurrence, which has not yet been fulfilled.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 58
On the prehistoric workings, Pogue wrote in 1915:
“Hidden considered that the old operations had been abandoned for several hundred years. A half score of ancient excavations were found, but they were very shallow and ended wherever hard rock was encountered.”
— Pogue (1915), p. 58
From the Library: Chambless & Ryan, Turquoise in America, Part One (2021)
2021 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2021, not today.
According to Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 111), the Jarilla Mountains were first mined for copper in the late 1870s; W.E. Hidden reached them in 1892, about 50 miles northeast of El Paso and about the same distance east of Las Cruces, so remote that water had to be hauled in with every other supply. [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 111) report that Hidden described at least 10 places Native miners had worked, with stone hammers, pottery fragments and long-overgrown trenches, and that the archaeologist Mathien cited references dating these diggings to between A.D. 1150 and 1400. [2]
According to Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 111), Hidden filed his claim in the names of Lippman Tannenbaum, the Block brothers and himself and named it the Shoo-ar-me (the term he recorded as the Pueblo word for turquoise); he said he worked it for six months and took out at least 50 kilograms of turquoise, some of which sold in New York and London. [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 112) found that, despite Hidden's promises, little if any turquoise was mined in the area for several years afterward, and that when mining resumed it was not by Hidden or his partners. [2]
According to Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 112), Amos J. DeMeules held an abandoned Jarilla turquoise mine and over a two-year period shipped thousands of dollars' worth of turquoise to buyers in New York and elsewhere, including Tiffany and Co.; one shipment to Tiffany exceeded $10,000, and the El Paso jeweler A.H. Richards exhibited DeMeules turquoise that included one stone reported to be the largest ever cut in the United States. [2]
According to Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 113), DeMeules, remembered as the Turquoise King of the Jarilla Mountains, was shot dead at his mine in November 1898 by an employee in a dispute over back pay, and in 1899 his father and sole heir deeded most of the DeMeules claims to John A. Eddy for $17,000. [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021) quote USGS geologist D.B. Sterrett on the DeMeules mine:
“Turquoise of various grades was found ranging from pale blue to dark blue, bluish green, and green.”
— Chambless & Ryan (2021), p. 116 [2]
Of the nearby Laura claim, Sterrett wrote (as quoted by Chambless & Ryan, 2021):
“There was much turquoise suitable for matrix, which would yield gems of good blue handsomely mottled with brown limonite stains.”
— Chambless & Ryan (2021), p. 116 [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021) read these reports as a turning point in what buyers wanted:
“By the end of the first decade of the new century, turquoise tastes were moving towards appreciation of matrix as well as the more traditional clear blue that had been the standard set by Persian turquoise.”
— Chambless & Ryan (2021), p. 116 [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021) on Hachita and the Jarillas after the rush:
“Since then only sporadic production has taken place and the turquoise has never been of the highest quality from either area.”
— Chambless & Ryan (2021), p. 184 [2]
Chambless & Ryan (2021) quote William Earl Hidden on the ancient diggings at Jarilla, recording a claim of his day:
“The Mexicans believe that both the Pueblos and ancient Aztecs worked these mines for turquoise.”
— Chambless & Ryan (2021), p. 111 [2]
From the Library: Lowry, Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone (2010)
2010 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2010, not today.
According to Lowry (2010, p. 246), the Jarilla Mountains district in Otero County is prehistoric and has produced turquoise as well as silver, iron and copper; its best-known turquoise deposit, DeMueles, was named after Amos, who claimed the area in the late nineteenth century. [3]
According to Lowry (2010, p. 246), the first recorded prospector was a man named Perkins in 1879, the other well-known property is the Iron Mask Mine, and W. E. Hidden mentioned the area in 1892. [3]
According to Lowry (2010, p. 246), mineralogist Virgil Lueth and a colleague carried out scientific studies of turquoise from this district that were widely used by the scientific community. [3]
From the Library: Ryan & Chambless, Turquoise in America Part Two: 1910–1990 (2020)
2020 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2020, not today.
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 27), George Bell, a Denver lapidary who had been involved in turquoise mining in the Jarilla area of southern New Mexico, was one of the first to promote matrix turquoise, in a 1901 advertisement that stressed its price was within reach of all who love beautiful gems. [4]
Field Notes by Mateo James
The stone itself spans a broad range. Chambless, drawing on Douglas Sterrett's USGS reporting, describes it this way (Sterrett, quoted in Chambless & Ryan 2021, p. 116): "Turquoise of various grades was found ranging from pale blue to dark blue, bluish green, and green. Very pretty matrix was observed, in which the turquoise was mottled with irregular patches of limonite and limonite-stained quartz in the veinlets." That matrix character — iron-stained, mottled — is useful for field identification.
The claims at Orogrande included the Shoo-ar-me claim, the DeMeules mine, and claims associated with Tiffany and Alabama designations. Chambless records a stone from the Jarilla district "reported to be the largest ever cut in the United States" that was shipped to Tiffany — though, as documented in the Royal Blue entry, Tiffany provenance claims from this era require careful scrutiny.
The Chaco link rests on solid scientific footing. Chambless cites isotope analysis that linked 13 of 29 Pueblo Bonito artifacts to Cerrillos and Jarilla deposits combined. This positions Jarilla as part of a prehistoric turquoise supply chain that fed one of the most significant architectural and ceremonial complexes in North American prehistory. Chambless also records the regional tradition that "the Mexicans believe that both the Pueblos and ancient Aztecs worked these mines".
Collector's Handbook
What to look for: Pale blue to dark blue, blue-green, and green stone; mottled matrix with limonite and iron-stained quartz in the veinlets. Variable quality was documented even by early USGS assessors.
Recognition tells: Jarilla stone spans a wide quality range. High-end matrix pieces with the distinctive mottled iron character are the most identifiable; undifferentiated pale blue material is harder to attribute confidently.
Honest mine-status hedge: Jarilla was primarily an early-twentieth-century commercial operation. Active mining status in the contemporary period is not confirmed in available primary sources.
Related mine guides: Pages for Bisbee, Sleeping Beauty, Number Eight, Cerrillos, Royston, Kingman, Lander Blue, and Morenci mines are coming soon to this field guide.
Pogue (1915) wrote that by the close of 1892 Hidden had a permanent camp at Jarilla and regular mining under way, while Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 112) found that little if any turquoise was mined there for several years afterward, and not by Hidden or his partners when it resumed. I tend to side with Chambless & Ryan. One correction to my note above: Chambless & Ryan (2021, p. 112) place the stone "reported to be the largest ever cut in the United States" in an El Paso exhibition of DeMeules turquoise, not in the Tiffany shipment.
We strive for accuracy. This field guide entry is compiled from the published references cited below and is continuously updated with new information from the artists, their families, and the community. See something inaccurate, or hold documentation on this mine? Get in touch — corrections are welcomed and credited.
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References
- Chambless, Philip. The History of the American Turquoise Industry, Ch. 4.
- Pogue, Joseph E. The Turquois: A Study of Its History, Mineralogy, Geology, Ethnology, Archaeology, Mythology, Folklore, and Technology. Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. XII, Part II, Third Memoir. Washington, 1915. Public domain. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1915.
- Chambless, Philip, and Mike Ryan II. Turquoise in America, Part One: The Great American Turquoise Rush, 1890–1910. Revised first edition. Callais Press, 2021. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2021.
- Lowry, Joe Dan, and Joe P. Lowry. Turquoise: The World Story of a Fascinating Gemstone. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2010. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2010.
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2020.
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