The name Mogollon can be found in many places in New Mexico, including peaks, creeks, plateaus, and mountains, but perhaps best known is the once-thriving mining camp turned into the town of Gila Wilderness. It’s been a long time.

In his book The Place Names of New Mexico, Robert Julian writes that a mountain in Gila National Forest in Catrón County was first named after Mogollon, and then everything else, including the former mining town, was named after the mountain. It is said that it was named in The name is also found in Arizona, where it is used to describe prehistoric Native Americans who lived in the mountains of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.

The pronunciation of isolated ghost town depends on who you answer.

Julian describes it as sultry YOHN. The New Mexico Department of Tourism pronounces it mo-go-yone.

The most popular theory for the origin of the name commemorates Juan Ignacio de Flores Mogollón, governor of New Mexico from 1712 to 1715, when it was called New Spain. ) was called. Julian agrees that it is possible. However, in his book, he says the lack of documentation leaves room for speculation and other possibilities.

Stanley Croquiola, a Catholic priest and historian who served in New Mexico, has a different theory. He believes the word comes from the Mexican word mogollo, the name for a thin cake or bread made by his native Americans.

But for most New Mexicans, the most important history is the connection to the days when mining was booming here.

The once-busy miner’s homes carve out a stretch of wilderness. The few remaining buildings are clustered on the driveway. The only thing that separates them from the blacktops of NM159 is a swath of weed several inches thick. .

What people lack, they make up for in history and lore.

According to a May 31, 1940 article in the El Paso Herald-Post, the isolated area, located at an elevation of about 7,000 feet and tucked away in a vast forest, was the hideout of Geronimo and other Apache Indian chiefs. Now populated by miners.

“As the years went by, the region was inundated with fortune-seeking hunters. It was 80 miles from the exit of the ,” said the story.

Supplies were brought “over winding mountain roads” by horse or mule to Mogollon’s camp.

According to the article, production there peaked between 1907 and 1916, when the mine averaged $1 million in gold and silver annually.

But it started in the 1870s when James C. Cooney found gold chains in the Gila Mountains near what would become Mogollon. He began his claim in 1876, but was killed during the Alma Massacre of 1880. A prospector named John Eberle built his first hut in town in 1889, but he seems to have taken the term Wild West a little too harshly.

An article in the Santa Fe New Mexican of May 25, 1893 reported that “news of the mass shooting came from Mogollon.” Mogollon District veteran John E. Everle shot Sam Settle in the right chest. Since Settle worked for Hébert for many years, Hébert apparently owed him a great deal. ”

The next day, the New Mexico newspaper reported that the man’s identity was incorrect and that his real name was Edward Phoenix.

The next day, distraught at what he had done, Eberle offered to pay a doctor $500 to go to Mogollon and treat the man, according to the May 26 article. He claimed the shooting was an accident. Sadly, he committed suicide that night, unable to cope with what he had done. Phoenix died three hours later.

A May 30, 1893 article in the Southwest Sentinel found that the men were not fighting over unpaid wages, but over mining.

“The two men met on the Eberl ground on the afternoon of the 19th and after a few words Phoenix threatened to throw a stone at Eberle. Phoenix turned to look for a rock and Hébert turned him away. I shot…”

He was immediately taken into custody amid threats of lynching.

“Although Hébert did more for the Mogollon mining district than any other inhabitant of the camp, and was more generous, he had few friends in the camp,” the May 30 article said. says.

Mogollon acquired a permanent prison and post office in 1890 and a school in 1892. The first prison was a tree with criminals chained to it. Staff of the Albuquerque Journal His writer, Olly Reed, Jr. wrote an article about the town in his Albuquerque Tribune in November 1988, interviewing the few remaining residents of the time.

“According to one story, sawmill owner Harry Herman donated timber to build a proper prison in Mogollon,” Reed wrote. “According to the story, Hermann celebrated the completion of the building so loudly that he became not only the benefactor of the prison, but also its first occupant.”

Today, some of the few remaining buildings are private residences that double as cafes and shops. Housed in his 5,000-square-foot two-story adobe house built in 1885 is a small lodging facility, the Silver Creek Inn. It is possible to stay not only for individuals but also for groups.

The Inn was built in 1885 by Frank Lauderbaugh. Its use has varied throughout history. The downstairs area was once used to sell food and merchandise, but was converted into a barber and general store in 1914 by James Holland, who came to the bustling town from Philadelphia.

Falling silver and gold prices during World War I killed the mining industry and the population began to decline. In 1894, 1904, 1910, 1915, and 1942 the town suffered fires and floods when not burning. Major floods flowed through the town in 1894, 1896, 1899 and 1914.

According to the New Mexico Department of Tourism, “Mogollon boasted a population of about 3,000 to 6,000 people at its peak, and because of its isolation, it was one of the wildest shooting mining towns in the West.” That’s what I mean. “Mining continued until the 1950s, then briefly resumed in the 1970s before being halted.”

But the charm remains. The quaint town is a haven for artists and those looking for a short respite from civilization.

Curious about how towns, streets and buildings got their names? Contact our email writer Elaine Briseño at ebriseno@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965.