Another of the early famous mines located in what is now the State of Arizona was the Patagonia, afterwards called the Mowry mine. It was located in the southern spurs of the Patagonia Mountains, seventy-five miles from Tucson, and three or four miles north of the Sonora line. It was discovered in 1857 by a Mexican herder, who sold it to Captain Ewell (afterwards General Ewell of the Confederate Army) and Messrs. Brevoort, Douglass, and Johnson, who gave the Mexican a pony and some other traps for the location. In 1859 Colonel Titus and Brevoort became the owners by purchase, and in 1860 they sold it to Lieutenant Mowry for $25,000. Lieutenant Mowry associated other parties with him, erected buildings, furnaces, machinery, etc., and worked the mine successfully until 1862, when he was arrested by order of General Carleton, who was then in command of the Union forces in the territory, was taken to San Francisco, but was never tried on the charge of disloyalty preferred by General Carleton. There was much indignation among the people of the territory against General Carleton for the arrest of Lieutenant Mowry, and it was then charged, and is yet, that the arrest was without cause, and made on account of previous jealousies and ill feelings between Carleton and Mowry when they were in the service in former years. Be this so or not, the result of the arrest of Mowry was the ruin of all his hopes of fortune and affluence. After his release, he went to London for the purpose of selling his mine, and was taken sick and died in poverty. After the death of Mowry, his heirs, who resided in the Eastern States, being either ignorant of the mining laws, or too poor to fulfill the requirements, neglected to maintain their title, and in the year 1875 the property was relocated by Tucson parties.
While in the possession of the property, Lieutenant Mowry developed and worked it quite extensively, expending about $200,000 in the work, and, although the process used by him was not the most economical, or the one best suited to the treatment of the ore, the prices obtained by him showed a net profit of over $100 per ton. It is significant that although Lieutenant Mowry was arrested and confined in Fort Yuma for a period of some four months, he was never brought to trial, and no evidence was adduced against him, and at the end of his confinement in Fort Yuma he was unconditionally released. His property was not, however, immediately restored to him, and there may be some truth in his charges, made in an open letter to the New York World, and published April 25th, 1864, which are as follows:
"Nearly two years ago the Mowry Silver Mines in Arizona were seized by a Brigadier General, whose name shall not disgrace this letter, and a marshal of the United States, in the name of the United States. The mines were then producing about $700 per day; in a few weeks they would have been producing $1500 per day, and by the close of the year double that sum. "By a nice little arrangement between the brigadier-general and the marshal aforesaid, the mines were leased to a third party in the name of the government for $100 per month. Net result to the government: $100 per month, paid by the mine, and charged by the marshal for traveling expenses. Result to the brigadier general and marshal : several thousand dollars per month. The worst of the matter is yet to come. No improvements have been made at the mines to increase their product; and instead of their producing, as they can and ought, $5,000 per day, they produce no more than they did two years ago; and this will always be the case if the government attempts to work the mines on its own account.' Such was the encouragement given by the government of the United States to the pioneer miners in the western territory which had been acquired from Mexico under the Gadsden purchase.
From Sylvester Mowry’s book: " Arizona and Sonora," 3rd Edition, published in 1864, is given the report of F. Biertu, metallurgist, on the Mowry mine and others situated in that part of the country, which describes, perhaps better than can be done in any other way, the condition of the mining industry around Tubac and Tucson in the year 1860. The report is as follows: "My first visit to the Patagonia Mine, now called Mowry Silver Mines, has lasted four days —the time necessary to give it a full examination in all its parts, and to make a careful assay of its ores. But why was it called the Patagonia Mine? Is it because it is situated in a desert inhabited only by Indians ? Such were the questiorts I put to myself while travelling, and which I thought might be answered affirmatively. Great was my surprise, however, when, instead of finding as I expected, barren mountains as at Washoe and Mono, I gazed on beautiful landscapes, and a country covered with trees of different kinds, with fertile lands perfectly watered. True it is that the nearest neighbors, the Apaches, are far from being even equal to the Patagonians ; but this, it seemed to me, could not be a reason for giving to such a beautiful spot, which in spring must be covered with flowers, so savage a name. Mr. Mowry was perfectly right to alter it.
"This property, containing about five hundred acres of land, is situated ten miles from parallel 32° 207 north latitude, which forms the limit between Arizona and New Mexico, twenty miles from Fort Buchanan, fourteen from the town of Santa Cruz in Sonora, and at an elevation of 6160 feet from the level of the sea ; and a good road, 280 miles in length, and which, with a little repair, might be made excellent, places it in direct communication with Guaymas. By this route, freight from San Francisco to the mine does not go beyond five cents per pound. The mine is situated on the last hills forming the eastern slope of the Sierra de Santa Cruz, and is bounded on the northeast by extensive plains covered with mesquite and oak trees, which reach the line of Sonora whose elevated mountains rise in the horizon. Between these plains and the mine is to be seen the Sierra Espuela, called also Wachuka (Huachuca) Mountains. "The Lodes and Ores;—The principal lode of the Patagonia Mine is composed principally of argentiferous galena, and runs south 85° E. Its thickness, which increases as it dips in the earth —now eighty-three feet in depth—is of about three feet. Three small veins, excessively rich, cross each other in the main vein, all running in different directions. The size of these small veins varies from ten to nineteen inches. Other veins, whose outcroppings are visible on the topof the hill, and which run in a parallel direction at a great distance, will, according to all probabilities, be met with as the working of the mine proceeds. No prospects have as yet been undertaken to ascertain the nature of these veins. The galena of the principal vein contains a small quantity of copper ore and arsenic. It seemed to me that I detected appearances of zinc, but I had no means to ascertain the fact. An assay of the different ores has given results varying from $80 to $706 in silver per ton, and up to sixty-two per cent of lead. Their reduction is of the utmost facility.
"The Shafts and Tunnels;—Unfortunately, all the operations perfected up to this day are, I might say, useless. The labor expended on shafts and tunnels has been conducted so carelessly— the different stratas of earth have been subjected to so little investigation, that while, on one hand unnecessary expense and labor have been incurred, on the other, a quantity of ore, sufficient probably to pay for the whole expense of the establishment, has been thrown aside as worthless. Ores which I have picked up on the creek, being assayed, have given the best results that I have obtained. 'But the actual owners of the mines are not the ones who ought to complain of the bad direction of the works, for, according to my idea, it is principally this bad management which has enabled them to purchase the whole mine at a comparatively low price. However, it will be easy to remedy the evil, either by beginning new works in a more suitable locality, or by modifying those already existing. The quality of the mine is such as to cover in a short space of time all the expense which may be incurred in a rational manner.
"The discovery of the Patagonia mine dates only from the Fall of 1858, but it would appear that its existence was suspected long ago, for the first parcels of silver ore gathered by the Mexicans were taken, at the time of the late discovery, from shafts which had been sunk many years ago, and which had been abandoned. "The administration of Mr. Brevoort was not a happy one. The mine, which as I have before stated, had been badly opened and badly worked, being turned into inexperienced hands, fared much worse. A certain quantity of ore was extracted, but, whether the proceeds were expended in useless operations or for any other purposes, they were not sufficient to cover the costs incurred. These failures gave rise to disagreements between the owners, which could not besettled except by the sale of their whole interest, which Capt. Ewell and his partners made to Mr. Brevoort, this last-named gentleman turning the interest immediately over to Mr. H. T. Titus. But these negotiations did not put a stop to the difficulties, which were renewed on account of the payment of the purchase-money. Consequently, the sale of the whole was resolved upon, and the conveyance took place in the Spring of 1860, in favor of Lieutenant Mowry, all the interested parties joining in the deed. The price of the mine, including the lands surrounding it, all the works and establishment standing at the time, fixed at $25,000, was paid in cash by the new owner, who some time after sold one-fifth to a wealthy capitalist in the East. Hence four fifths of the Patagonia Mine are now held by Mr. Mowry, who has given his name to it. In the hands of the last-named gentleman, and under the direction of Mr. Charles Mowry, his brother, the works will be started with unusual activity.
Already preparations have been made to carry on works of a considerable extent, so that next Summer the mine will be in full operation. "The Management of the Mine;—The old furnaces having been badly constructed, and being out of use, they will be replaced by others containing all the later improvements, either for smelting or refining. A steam-engine of fifteen to twenty horse power will be put up for the treatment of the ores, for the working of the pumps, and to run a saw-mill. The waters of the creek will be gathered in large reservoirs, twelve feet in depth, constructed by means of thick embankments. Buildings will be put up for the accommodation of the superintendent of the mine and the reducing establishment, and for the engineer and other employees. A laboratory for assays will also be annexed to the works. The ores will be carried from the mine to the reducing establishment by a railroad, for the building of which Mr. R. Jones, Jr., has already taken the preliminary steps. Finally for the accommodation of laborers, numbering from seventy to eighty, and for the inhabitants on the frontiers of Sonora, a large store will be opened for the sale of all sorts of provisions and merchandise. The expenses to be incurred this year to put in operation the different projects in view will exceed the sum of $60,000. "Such is the history of the mine, which I intended to relate to you with details, because within a short space of time it is called upon to rank among mines of the first class. Even now, in the neighborhood, by the abundance and richness of its ores, the facilities for extraction, and reduction, and the convenience of the locality, it is considered one of the best in Arizona. Its importance would be greatly increased if a project in which rich capitalists of the East are actively engaged, is put in execution, which is to build a railroad between Guaymas and El Paso, in Texas, which would connect with the Pacific Railroad. This road, following the ridge of the Sierra de Santa Cruz, would run at a distance of only ten miles from Mr. Mowry 's mine.
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