THE CENTRAL RIO GRANDE VALLEY 41 



range, Sandoval county, has shown high values in copper and a large 

 reduction plant has been constructed there. The district also carries 

 extensive coal deposits. The Placitas district on the northern slope of 

 the Sandia range has been extensively prospected and several good prop- 

 erties located. Vast deposits of almost pure marketable sulphur are 

 found in the vicinity of the Jemez and Sulphur Springs in the Jemez 

 mountains, here a small sulphur refinery has been established. 



At Hagan, Sandoval county, are the most important coal deposits in 

 Central New Mexico. This is a good steam, coking and domestic coal and 

 will soon be on the market, a branch of the New Mexico Central railroad 

 being under construction to the mines, while another branch, under con- 

 struction to Albuquerque will give the whole central valley a cheap fuel 

 supply. Coal is encountered along the Rio Puerco in Valencia county 

 and in Western Bernalillo, while large deposits have been marked out 

 by surface indications in Western Valencia county. Enough prospecting 

 has been done to insure for Sandoval county a future as one of the great 

 mineral producing counties of New Mexico, and to a lesser extent de- 

 velopment has established high values in Bernalillo county, the chief 

 districts being in the canyons of the Manzano and Sandia ranges east of 

 Albuquerque where in Tijeras, Coyote, and Hell conyons placer gold has 

 been found, while thick veins of high grade lead ore are now being de- 

 veloped with every indication of large and profitable production. 



Valencia county, while rich in minerals, is thus far the least developed 

 portion of the region. Gold, silver, copper, and iron ores are known to 

 exist in large bodies, while sulphur, lithographic stone, gypsum, fire clay, 

 pumice stone, ochre, cement, salt and coal are found in almost limitless 

 quantities. The county is a veritable storehouse, waiting only for capital 

 and transportation to open its doors. The whole region is one offering 

 alluring invitation to the prospector and investor. 



THE lumber industry is the growth of the past few years, dating 

 from the purchase of the Mitchell tract of 300,000 acres of white 

 pine timber in Western Valencia county by the American Lumber 

 Company, manufacturing the product at Albuquerque. In addition to 

 this tract, which it holds in fee, the company has acquired the right to cut 



timber on a considerable extent of ad- 

 THE LUMBER INDUSTRY joining land lying chiefly in the Zuni 



mountains and it has standing timber 

 sufficient to keep its Albuquerque mills running at present capacity, for 

 thirty years. Seevral smaller mills are in operation in this regi6n and 

 the industry has become one of the most important in New Mexico. 



In the Jemez mountains of Sandoval county stands a vast area of the 

 finest timber in the West. Much of it is within the Jemez national forest. 

 Timber marked for cutting, however may be obtained and several large 

 contracts have already been made, a large saw mill having been estab- 



