NOTE: Most of the mines listed here are on PRIVATE PROPERTY -- explore with respect. 

SAFETY: Do not enter shafts or tunnels - most are extremely fragile and hazardous due to flooding, dangerous gases & lack of oxygen.

Exploring or rock hunting on the mine dumps, tailings, or stock piles is generally allowed.

Have photos?  If you have photos of the Kelly mining district or of family that worked the mines you'd like to share, please let us know here and we'll add them to these pages.

   The Nitt mine is within 1,000 feet of the Graphic mine. It was owned by the Tri-Bullion Smelting & Mining Co. and comprised several claims on 115 acres. The mine was leased to the Ozark Smelting & Mining Co., owners of the Graphic-Waldo mine, from 1914-1923. Shortly after the Ozark Smelter closed in 1921, the mine was operated 1923-1930 by J. A. Macdonald of Kelly, who shipped ore to outside smelters rated at about 20% zinc, 2% copper and 2 ounces of silver to the ton.

   The mine consists of a shaft 300 feet deep with 4,000 feet of drifts and crosscuts over several levels between 200 and 350 feet to reach the ore, two levels connecting to the Graphic-Waldo mine.

   The Juanita mine was the first claim of "Old Hutch" Hutchison in 1866, and thus the oldest claim in the Kelly region.  It was purchased by attorney and former Senator T. B. Catron in 1915 upon settling the estate when Old Hutch died in 1914.  Catron, in turn, leased it to Mines & Metal Co. of Kelly 1915-1928.  Others worked the mine until closed in 1937.

   The Juanita was an active mine throughout Kelly's mining days. In spite of rather extensive underground workings, it was not an especially profitable mine with modest output of lead and zinc, though did produce 23,352 ounces of silver 1905-1937.

   The South Juanita mine, also known as the "Juanita Extention," is located about ¼-mile south of the Juanita mine.  Production was reported in 1907, 1912, 1918-1919, and 1928-1929 producing lead, zinc and some silver. The mine sat idle in the other years with some sporadic operation 1930-1939.

   The mine consists of a 200 ft. vertical shaft that accessed three levels. Most of the ore came from a stope about 100 by 270 feet along level 1, and a few small pockets of ore on level 2.  The dominant ore mined was lead carbonate with minor quantities of zinc carbonate. The adit entry to the mine has collapsed, burying the portal.  The main shaft is still open.

 

   The Mistletoe mine started in 1906 by the Mistletoe & Magdalena Tunnel Co.  A mill to process the ore was built in 1908. The Mistletoe tunnel reached 1,050 feet in length when it struck water and flooded in 1915. Another mine was immediately started nearby called the Black Cloud mine. In 1926, the mines were reorganized as the Black Cloud Mining & Milling Co. consisting about 400 acres.  The consolidated properties were often called the Helen Cross group of claims.

   The Mistletoe mine was connected through an aerial tramway to their mill at the mouth of the tunnel. The mill was overhauled by the new owners

in 1927 in response to the closure of the Graphic Mill that same year, leaving the Black Cloud the only mill left in the Kelly region. Many mines in the region closed in 1928-1929 era due to the higher grade ores being exhausted, forcing the Black Cloud mill to close in late 1928 for lack of sufficient business to operate the mill -- the last mill in the area to close.

   The Mistletoe mine was closed in 1929 when the lower levels and the stope being worked again flooded. The Black Cloud continued to operate until 1938 producing lead, copper, and only 214 ounces of silver.

   In spite of the extent of the two mines and their own mill, mining problems and several episodes of flooding prevented the mines from being a large producer of lead, zinc or silver the owners had hoped.

Kelly, NM was once the leading producer of lead and zinc in the state of New Mexico and a major mining district in the Southwest. It remains well known today due to the impressive remains of the Kelly Mine and the Tri-Bullion smelter.  However, the Kelly Mine was not the only mine in the area as the accompanying map shows  ... the nearby mountains and canyons are peppered with several dozen other mines, some of which were also major mining operations and mills, while others were smaller yet profitable 

producers -- and some just hopeful prospects.

 

The map to the right shows the locations and names of the dominant area mines.  Clicking on a mine name with a link takes you to a thumbnail history of the mine and photographs or other information where available.

 

These pages are intended to present the general history of the area and the individual mines for education and archival purposes.  It is not meant as a rock collecting guide.

 

MINE SAFETY: Kelly and the Kelly mine has become a popular attraction as one of New Mexico's best ghost towns.  If you visit Kelly and the mines, do so with safety in mind.  Do not climb the old structures or enter any mine shaft or tunnel.  Most mines and structures have been abandoned since the 1920-30's and are very fragile and hazardous, some flooded, others contain toxic gases or a lack of oxygen.  The shafts and tunnels of many mines have been sealed for safety -- but many are not.  Keep a lookout for exposed shafts or other hazards.  Keep a safe distance from open mine shafts.  One slip or a crumbling edge is certain serious injury or death.

   H. W. Russell & Co. developed the Young America claim in 1907, located east and higher up on the mountain from the Linchberg mine and tunnel.  In 1909, 22 tons of crude ore was shipped of which 22,520 pounds of lead and 220 ounces of silver were recovered.  Ownership passed to C. T. Brown in 1911 and to the Empire Zinc Co. in 1915.

   TheYoung America and Imperial mine workings consisted of several small tunnels running east, at 8,570 feet elevation, to connect to north running drifts to lead and copper carbonate ores, and south running drifts that accessed two ore bodies of high grade zinc.

   The Enterprise mine is located a few hundred yards south of the Young America and Imperial claims.  The northeast running Enterprise tunnel connected to south running drifts that followed a streak of lead carbonate. The north drift struck a mass of high grade galena that contained an unusually high content of silver, though quickly mined out.

   The Enterprise and Young America were well worked mines, but their ore bodies proved to be limited.  It appears none of the mines were worked after about 1920.

   The Enterprise tunnel has been sealed at the portal and no longer accessible.