Author: Donald Steve Guenther
Written: November 11th, 2013
In Uncle Ron’s history he writes of a July 1924 trip made by your great Grandpa Sam and his to Pinos Altos in search of the lost Dutchman’s mine. While there Great Grandpa Sam built a Rock garden for the major and left. Knowing how the Guenther family embellishes family stories I decided to take a trip to Pinos Altos and check Uncle Ron’s stories out.
Trip plan: Stay in Silver City, go up to Pinos Altos, up to Cliff Dwellings, come back around Mimbres to Silver City.
Nov 8th the expedition (Kyung and I) arrived at the Pinos Altos museum just before closing time. George Schafer (575-388-1882) told me the Pinos Altos was not a town in the 1920’s and had no mayor. He said it had no City Park. He said that he has never heard of the Lost Dutchman’s mine being associated with the area. The Lost Dutchman Mine legend has the mine 150 miles to the north. George, the great grandson of the George Schafer who built the Pinos Altos School in the late 1800’s said that if our Great grandpa Sam built a rock garden it would have been out by the old ball field. The old ball field was now privately owned and located behind the historical marker just as you came into Pinos Altos. I reported back to the family my disappointment. I thought the whole story suspect.
On Nov 9th the expedition got an early start and after a hefty breakfast at the Drifter in Silver City headed north 6 miles to Pinos Altos to look for Grandpa’s rock garden behind the historical maker:
We went down the private road just past the historical marker 30 yards, turned left into the young trees went 50 yards and found Grandpa’s rock garden. The garden is built into a bank in front of the old baseball field.
I was stunned ….. and I mean stunned. This is an old rock garden. Level of effort to make the garden a month. Concrete was used rather than the traditional Indian mortar. No house old house ruins were in evidence anywhere around the garden.
I even found a picture of the possible man Grandpa Sam built the garden for, George Schafer’s grandfather who died in 1938. The picture can be seen the in the family album. The landscaping in the area could have influenced dad’s later landscaping. It looks very much like dad’s landscaping around the patio that replaced the old garage.
I took the time to investigate the local Indian cliff dwellings while on the trip. The Indian mortar required an especially close look, Grandpa was able to use concrete, but the Indians did not have concrete. We even got to have dinner at the old bar of 1924, The Buckhorn, still open for business.
A penitent man I made a package with the collected proof to send to uncle Ron. I’ll never question his stories again.