Gold and silver were first discovered in
the Mogollon Mountains of New Mexico by James C. Cooney, who was born in 1840
and came to the U.S. from Ireland to escape the potato famine. He joined the
Army and was a sergeant in the 8th U.S. Cavalry when he was posted to Fort
Bayard, near Silver City, New Mexico in 1870. He was scouting in the Mogollon
Mountain’s Mineral Creek Canyon, north of Mogollon and east of Alma, when he
discovered rich gold and silver deposits. Cooney kept his discovery a secret
until his military discharge in 1875. A year later, he began working the claim,
called the Silver Bar Mine, with his partner Harry McAllister. The mine proved
itself to be the richest claim in the new district, and Cooney’s little mining
camp became a town. Although it was no more than a handful of tents, log cabins
and rough wooden buildings, it, and but it and Cooney Peak, rising up in the
distance, must have made the ex-cavalry sergeant very proud as well as rich.
Cooney wouldn’t live long enough to
enjoy his prosperity. In the early evening of April 28, 1880, Chiricahua Apache
warriors led by Victorio struck Cooney’s silver mine, killing two miners and
wounding a third. After dark, Cooney and another man, William Chick, rode down
the canyon to warn local settlers of the danger. The next morning, believing
the raiders had moved on, Chick and Cooney decided to ride back to the mine. A
couple of miles up the canyon, the Apaches caught and killed them both. The
warriors then spread out, targeting shepherds and their families. According to The
Weekly New Mexican, "one hundred thousand head of sheep...were scattered
or killed," and at least 41 people were murdered in what came to be known
as the Alma Massacre. The violence continued until U.S. Army troops from Fort
Bayard, forced Victorio and his warriors to withdraw from the area.
Cooney’s older brother, Captain Michael
Cooney, collaborated with fellow miners to create a tomb near the site where
the miner was massacred. They used black powder explosives, drills, and hand
chisels to create a cavity large enough to accommodate Cooney's coffin in a
large boulder. The miners then sealed the entrance with a mixture of cement and
local ore sourced from Cooney's own silver claims, protecting him from scavengers,
floods, and further raids. Located north of Alma along Forest Road 701, the
tomb is now a historical landmark, protected by barriers and marked by a plaque.
It is a testament to practical frontier
ingenuity and group solidarity among prospectors operating in lawless terrain.
The Alma Massacre remains one of the
deadliest single raids in the Apache Wars, illustrating the brutal reality of
frontier conflict where civilians bore the heaviest casualties. However, the
threat of violence was not enough to keep miners from the area. By 1887, the
Mogollon/Cooney district had become the largest producer of gold and silver in
New Mexico, yielding somewhere between $5 and $7 million in gold and silver
over the next decade. By 1889 the town of Cooney had grown to 600 residents, a
school, a church, and two hotels. But silver prices collapsed in the 1890s, and
the town’s population began to dwindle. A disastrous flood that scoured the
canyon in 1911 finally put an end to the town.
By John Phelan - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10535924
Last weekend I gave another of my lectures on the Civil War on Route 66. This time, the venue was the Gutierrez Hubbell House. My only regret is that I didn't go there much sooner.
The Gutiérrez Hubbell House is a historic, territorial-style hacienda in Albuquerque's South Valley, in the village of Pajarito. Although there was a house on the site that dated back to the 1820s, when the property was part of a 40,000 acre estate owned by Clemente and Josefa Gutiérrez, most of the existing structure was built in the 1850s and 1860s, after James Lawrence Hubbell married their great-granddaughter and heir, Julianita.
Hubbell came to New Mexico in 1846 as part of the American Expedition into Mexican territory led by General Stephen Watts Kearny. The twenty-two year old captain was born in Connecticut to an Anglo father and a Hispanic mother. Evidently, he liked the country and its inhabitants, for he resigned his commission and married Julianita Gutiérrez in 1849, when she was just sixteen years old.
Julianita came from a prominent ranching and trading family. The Gutiérrezes were related to the Baca family and the Chaves clan, both powerhouses in New Mexico politics. Her paternal grandfather was among the first governors to serve New Mexico when it was still under Mexican rule.
Santiago may have resigned his commission after the Mexican American War ended, but he rejoined during the Civil War, when Confederates threatened the territory. He organized and commanded a company of New Mexico Mounted Volunteers, called "Hubbell's Cavalry Company" or Company B of the 5th New Mexico Infantry Volunteers. As their Captain, Hubbell led his men in the front lines at the Battle of Valverde, defending the McRae Battery when it suffered a frontal attack. From a company of seventy-four men, thirty-nine (53% of the total company) were killed, wounded, or missing in action. The Confederates were able to overrun the battery and take possession of six guns. After the battle, Captain P.W.L. Plymptom, a US Regular Army officer, sent in a report explaining that his battalion had failed to save the guns from the Confederate charge because New Mexican Volunteers had broken from their position. Hubbell contested this report and was unhappy with how his volunteers were treated by regular army.
After the war, Santiago and Julianita continued to build onto their house with the help of their twelve children. Located along the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro,the oldest continuously used European roadway in North America, which runs north from Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo), north of Santa Fe, the house was a natural stop for travelers and became one of the important parajes, or camp locations, along the trail. It was used as a stagecoach stop, a trading post, and a post office in addition to being a private home. Trading must have become second nature to the Hubbells . The third of Santiago and Julianita's children, Don (John) Lorenzo Hubbell, established the famous Hubbell Trading Post located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Ganado, Arizona.
The house, which has existed under three national flags, (Spain, Mexico and the United States) is listed on the State of New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties as a symbol of the blending of Spanish, Native American and Anglo cultures and traditions, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is managed by the National Park Service and offers a traditional garden and a heritage garden as well as walking trails along the acequia madre (mother ditch) and around the property, and cultivated farm plots for visitors to enjoy. I was charmed by the displays within the house, which included a room with an extensive timeline, the room where the young sons slept, a room that served as a general store, and the main living room. The thickness of the walls, the vigas in the ceilings, and the territorial trim around the windows was impressive.
Click here to download a pdf of the guide to this historical site.
Click here to download a self-guided tour of the veterans interred in Fairview Cemetery. click here to see trails in the south valley area.
Dark Treason: An American Revolution Spy Thriller is the
fourth book in Robert J. Skead’s American Revolutionary War Adventures,
a middle grade historical fiction series intended for readers between the age
of 8 and 12.
The series begins with Patriots, Redcoats & Spies,
set in 1777, when twin boys John and Ambrose Clark are 14 years old. After their
father is shot by British soldiers, the boys discover their father is part of
the Culper Spy Ring. They decide to fulfill their father’s mission of getting a
secret message to General George Washington, a trip filled with danger and
intrigue. The series continues into 1778 with Submarines, Secrets & A
Daring Rescue, in which the twins help transport gunpowder to the patriots,
man one of the first submarines, and attempt to rescue one of their older
brothers from prison. In book 3, Links to Liberty, John and Ambrose help
defend the Great Chain that stretched across the Hudson River at West Point,
blocking British war ships in 1779.
Now it is 1780, and John and Ambrose are seventeen-year-olds.
Ambrose is training to join the dragoons, while John is studying at Yale to
become a preacher. Both become involved when Benedict Arnold, the hero who captured
Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and was wounded in the 1777 Battle of Saratoga, traitorously
tries to give his present command post, West Point, to the British through
their master spy, Major John André.
Skead has done an excellent job of integrating his fictitious
characters among a host of historical ones that young readers should know. Especially now, when the nation is celebrating
its 250th year, this series helps readers understand both the tragedy
and triumph events that shaped America. Well grounded in real events and
peopled with real people, including Patriots George Washington and Benjamin
Tallmadge, and those on the other side, including Major John Andre, Benedict
Arnold and his young wife, Peggy, young readers are encouraged to enhance their
understanding through the historical letters and biographical information in
the back of the book. There are also discussion questions and a glossary. Additional teacher materials are available on his website.
The book ends with hints that a fifth book will further explore
the role of the Culper Spy Ring, especially Agent 355, a mysterious woman who
lived in New York and may have played a significant role in gathering
information for the Patriots.
Robert Skead lives in Wyckoff, NJ, and frequently visits
classrooms to visit with his readers. You can learn more about him and his
books at his website.
Last October I published Perspective, a middle grade novel set in Duluth and Isle Royale during the Great Depression.
It's the story of a twelve year old girl who wants to grow up to be an artist. Genevieve lives a comfortable and quiet life with her mother, a high school English teacher. Their Duluth apartment isn't fancy, but it has all the modern comforts made possible by electrification and indoor plumbing.
When Genevieve's mother dies of lung cancer, her whole world comes apart. She is sent to live with her Aunt Gertrude, Uncle Edwin, and their two spoiled sons, and in spite the fact that Uncle Edwin drives a fine DeSoto and Aunt Gertrude wears a mink coat, they announce that they simply cannot keep Genevieve once they discover that they will not be able to put their fingers on her money. Aunt Gertrude buys her niece a one way ticket to Isle Royale, where she is to live with the father she's never known.
Genevieve must adapt to a much more rustic way of life. She learns to appreciate the beauty of the island even if she finds its seclusion difficult at times. But just as she's finally beginning to understand what destroyed her parent's relationship, she discovers that she may have to leave Isle Royale. Genevieve must learn that perspective is not just a theory in art, but a way of seeing the world through the lens of forgiveness and patience.
Once Perspective was published, I intended to give away some related books. Some were resources I used while writing my own books. Others are books I came across and set aside because I thought they were similar to mine and would be of interest to my readers.
But I forgot. Don't ask me how. Just recently I looked at one of my bookshelves and there were the books I'd intended to give away.
So here I am, months later, offering books related to the Great Depression and Isle Royale. Leave a note in the comments if you'd like me to send you one of them. And if you'd like a copy of Perspective, I can offer that, too!
Not Lucilleby Mike Steele (published by Creative James Media, June 24, 2025, EAN/UPC 9781965648070)
Ten-year-old Lucy Contento can't seem to control her impulsive behavior, blurting out in the classroom and doing things without thinking. When she's assigned to the rigid disciplinarian Miss Gillingham's Fifth Grade Class, it seems she's destined to spend every afternoon in after school detention, sitting with the teacher who insists on calling her Lucille and making her write with her right hand even though she's a Leftie. One afternoon she sneaks onto the campus of the Deefies, what the neighborhood kids disparagingly call a nearby school for the Deaf, and makes a friend of Florence, a profoundly deaf girl who doesn't mind Lucy's flaws. From there, the story of friendship and acceptance blooms. Lucy learns to advocate for both herself and for Florence as she comes to terms with the quirks that everyone has, even the straight-laced Miss Gillingham and her grumpy neighbor Mrs. Ricci. This is a sweet and empowering book that will melt your heart and give you hope. The author provides an afterword that helps today’s readers understand how very different the world was in the 1930s.
The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez (published by Tu Books, October 30, 2018, EAN/UPC 9781620147801)
Ten-year-old Margaríta Sandoval's family leaves New Mexico, where they have deep and traditional roots, to move to Fort Steele, Wyoming when her father finds a job with the railroad. She misses living among Hispanics, especially her beloved Abuelita, and feels so rootless that she fears the wind might blow her away. Margaríta meets Evangeline and is pleased to have a friend her own age, but soon encounters prejudice and misunderstanding. Things get really tense when the Sandovals learn that Abuelita might lose her land and the family's ancestral home unless they can pay off her tax bill. This lovely, gentle story is sprinkled with Spanish dichos, wise sayings that will ring true in any language. It teaches about a culture that few understand was here and thriving for centuries, and continues today.
Diaries of an Isle Royale Fisherman by Elling Seglem (Published by Isle Royale Natural History Association, November 15, 2002, ISBN-13: 978-0935289138)
Elling Seglem was a Norwegian immigrant, who lived in Chicago, where he worked as a photographer during the winter. He had a summer home on Isle Royale and each summer between 1920 and 1932 he fished the waters of Lake Superior. This book has reproductions of his journals, in which he tells of the hard work and simple pleasures of island living. It also includes his correspondence, much of it in newspaper-format letters sent home to his family in Chicago.
Seglem's sense of humor and attention to detail make his writing a delight to read, and the drawings, cartoons and historic photographs really add to our understanding of what life was like for him and the other people who lived on the island.
In 1932, Dorothy Simonson got a job teaching the six children of the Johnsons, a family who lived on Isle Royale. Her students were between 18 and 5, and she taught them in the school house in which she and her young son, Bob, also lived. This book is the transcribed diary of heer eight months on the Island, and in it she shows how she faced both the joys and the hardships of an isolated winter with honesty and humor.
A lot of the details in Perspective—things like the name of the boat on which my character travels and how long it took, what people ate and what they missed from the mainland—come from this book.
This book is a collection of stories and photographs about the people who made a life on Isle Royale, both before it became a National Park and after. These interviews share the voice and recalled memories of the people who've lived and worked in a beautiful and sometimes deadly environment.
Often my husband and I don't have time to make breakfast, but we want a good, filling, high protein meal without all the additives that come with prepackaged food. For instance, we usually start Tuesdays with a swim. The public pool opens at 6 am, and it takes 45 minutes to drive there. We don't eat before we leave, and when we return home, we are famished and want food immediately.
That's when meals like Sheet Pan Eggs come in very handy. I make up a batch the night before and store it in the refrigerator. When I want to eat, a short wait as it microwaves is all it takes to have a hot, healthy meal.
Sheet Pan Eggs are great to make if you're serving brunch for a crowd, or it's a good way to stock up your freezer with healthy breakfasts. Plus, the recipe is adaptable so you'll be able to vary it to your own tastes, provide variety to your meals, or use up leftovers.
Sheet Pan Eggs
Preheat oven to 350° Grease a large rimmed baking sheet.
This Christmas, one of my sons gave me a new, very old cookbook.
It was a very welcome gift for several reasons. First, I love books! They are the best gift I could hope to receive because they are entertaining and enlightening, giving me many pleasurable hours while teaching me things I don't know. (and learning new things brings me huge joy.)
Second, I love anything that puts history and the past into focus. I can often use tidbits I read in books such as these in my own books, making my writing more true to the spirit of the age.
The Art of Cookery was a landmark book. Published in 1747, it
contained 972 recipes, covering everything from Yorkshire puddings and pies to cheesecakes and jellies, and was the first cookbook ever to give a recipe for mashed potatoes. It was one of the first designed for normal people, for servants, and middle-class cooks, and its easy-to-read conversational style made it a bestseller in both Britain and America for over a hundred years.
In addition to traditional dishes, The Art of Cookery introduced new ones like curry and piccalilli, making it a key text for understanding the changing tastes of the 18th-century as Great Britain became a world power and colonialized distant lands.
Despite its origins in England, the cookbook remained popular in America. A New York memoir from the 1840s declared that "We had emancipated ourselves from the sceptre of King George, but that of Hannah Glasse was extended without challenge over our fire-sides and dinner-tables, with a sway far more imperative and absolute". The first American edition of The Art of Cookery, published in 1805, included two recipes for "Indian pudding" as well as "Several New Receipts adapted to the American Mode of Cooking", such as "Pumpkin Pie", "Cranberry Tarts" and "Maple Sugar". George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned copies, and while he was in France between 1776 and 1785, Benjamin Franklin, hungry for good English/American cooking, translated some of the recipes into French.
The first edition of the book was published by Glasse herself, funded by subscription, and sold, to non-subscribers, at Mrs. Ashburn's China Shop. At least 40 editions followed. Despite its popularity, no one was sure who authored this book for quite a while. The book did not reveal its authorship, except with the signature ‘By a Lady’. Even that attribution was questioned. Many people, including Samuel Johnson, could not believe that a woman could write a book, even a cookbook.
Even to those who accepted that the author could be a female, Hannah Glasse was an unlikely candidate. Born on March 28, 1708, in St Andrews, Holborn, London, she was the illegitimate of a landed, though not noble man named Isaac Allgood. She grew up in Allgood’s home at Simonburn near the Northumbrian town of Hexham. Despite of being an unwelcome presence in her father’s home, she witnessed good living and gained a taste for good food. When she was 16, her father and his wife died, leaving her alone and without support. She married a soldier of fortune named John Glasse, with whom she had 10 children. She wrote The Art of Cookery to help raise money to feed her family.
The subtitle of The Art of Cookery is Made Plain and Easy. Glasse explains in her note "To the Reader" that she has written simply, "for my Intention is to instruct the lower Sort." Either even the lower sort was more literate than I am, or cooking and its vocabulary have changed much in 300 years, for I found myself confounded as I read through this book's pages. Consider her directions for making a trifle, and English dessert that remains popular today:
COVER the bottom of your dish or bowl with Naples biscuits broke in pieces, mackeroons broke in halves, and ratafia cakes. Just wet them all through with sack, then make a good boiled custard not too thick, and when cold pour it over it, then put a syllabub over that. You may garnish it with ratafia cakes, currant jelly, and flowers.
Naples biscuits? Ratafia cakes? Sack? And making a good boiled custard? All this is beyond me.
Luckily, we have Jon Townsend, a living historian, YouTuber, and the manager of Jas. Townsend & Son Inc., a company founded in 1973 by his father, James. The company sells 18th- and 19th-century clothing, tools, and, most notably, food items for reenactors, and Jon hosts a popular YouTube channel named Townsends Journal. It features historical cooking, recipes, and insights into 18th-century daily life and has frequently discussed Glasse's recipes.
The Art of Cookery made Glasse a very wealthy woman. Her success, alas, was not to last. She declared bankrupt and was sent to debtors’ prison. Before she was incarcerated, she sold the copyright of The Art of Cooking. After she was released, Glasse published two more books: The Servants’ Directory and The Compleat Confectioner. Neither attained the popularity of her first book. Hannah Glasse died in 1770 at the age of 62, but her book keeps her memory alive.
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