Pinos Altos (N.M.) -- History; Pinos Altos (N.M.) -- Social life and customs
and play among the rocks and then went back to combing their hair. The
miners called to them but they did not answer. Evening came when all the
miners returned to camp. The sight of the women so excited the men that
they forgot their camp chores and charged up the hill. At the same time
the mules were stampeded, hunting parties that had been out for game for
the camp were ambushed, and a volley of shots came from across the
canyon. Forty of the miners were killed or wounded. One hunter who
escaped the ambush reported that an overwhelming number of Apaches were
in the wooded hills. Apache like, they did not follow up their advantage
but withdrew. This episode and the War between the States caused more of
the Americans to leave. “They will come again,” said Mangas Colorado.
Word was sent by General Carleton at Fort Bowie to General Joseph West
to arrange for the capture of “the bloodiest of Apache chiefs”, to “take
him dead or alive, by force or strategy”. Captain Shirland, with the aid
of Jack Swilling, located Mangas Colorado in the Pinos Altos Mountains.
When told that General West wanted to have a peace talk with him, the
chief went willingly and without his warriors. On January 17, 1863, he
was taken as a prisoner, to Captain Shirland of the 1st California
Cavalry at Fort McLane. The official records say that “he was killed the
following day by a guard while attempting to escape.” The records in
Washington also stated that “the wife of Mangas Colorado was killed,
along with ten other Indians by Captain William McCleave, of the 1st
California Cavalry at the Pinos Altos Mines on January 19, 1863”.
The next year an enterprising young man, Pete Nest, left camp to go to
El Paso where he bought a barrel of whiskey. All went well on his way
back until he reached the creek east of camp where he had a breakdown.
He managed to get word in and the boys went down the trail with their
tin cups. Nest said that he netted about $800.00 in cash and gold. There
are many stories of how the creek got its name but this one is most
reliable. Many years later the good people ranching down the valley
petitioned the legislature to have the name changed. The bill was
introduced by the senator from this district. Some wag suggested
“Cedarbrook”, that being the senator’s favorite brand. The name was
changed to Arenas Valley but the people at this end prefer “Whiskey” to
“Arenas” (sand).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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