Mogollon, New Mexico

Mogollon, in Catron County, is about 11 miles northeast of Glenwood. In the early 1900's, Mogollon was a roaring mining town. Today (1999) some buildings have been saved and there is a museum. You'll find the road uphill to Mogollon steep and narrow!

In the 1870's Sergeant James C. Cooney, on a scouting expedition from Fort Bayard, found a rich ledge with gold bearing float. He kept his discovery secret until his hitch was over and then confided in men he could trust to form a partnership to explore the possibilities of his find.

Cooney's gold and silver deposits were in the Mogollon (pronounced "muggy' yohn") mountains, home to hostile Apaches. Cooney's first trips into the mountains were attacked so often that his prospecting parties retired to Silver City to augment their defenses.