The Lost Otero Mines
Region: Pima County in the Santa Rita Mountains
Story: It was in 1779, along the Santa Cruz Valley near Tucson, that the Otero family began work on rich silver and gold mines within the Santa Rita Mountains. Being one of many wealthy Spanish Ranching & Mining families within Pimeria Alta (Spanish Arizona), the Otero's had relatives all throughout Old & New Spain and even had relatives within the kings court of Carlos III and therefor very influential.
Garrison rosters of Presidial soldiers stationed at Presidio San Augustine de Tucson, as well as the Presidio of Tubac had soldiers from the Otero family.
Being a Presidial soldier normally wasn't enough of an income to support ones own self, let alone a family. So, soldiers often took up work on local ranches as vaqueros (origin of the modern cowboy) as well as the local mines which were often owned by the same ranching families.
When the Otero family began mining in the Santa Rita Mountains there was only really one problem, the Apache. Spanish settlement of what we now know as Arizona was always turbulent with near constant attacks and raids from the nearby Apache. This prevented much mining and prospecting from taking place. So, the Otero family hired relatives, friends, friends of friends and native laborers to work, supply and protect the mines.
Starting initially with 16 mines and over the span of just three months they had sealed and abandoned 14 mines, not because of the lack of production by any means.
But due to almost daily raids, attacks and harassment by the Apache. Over 60 persons were said to be employed, stationed or supplying the workers of these mines and over 20 were killed.
At one mine all 4 of the workers were killed, at another the Apache trapped 3 men inside for two days while a captured worker was horribly tortured to death by fire and after the captured man’s death the Apache set fire to the mouth of the shaft where 2 men died and one escaped. At another mine a priest was killed as he was making his way to give a service to a sick man at on elf the mines. All the mines were attacked but two, and these were said to be hard to get to and easily defended and these were the ones that stayed active for many years because of their defensibility.
The two remaining mines being a Silver mine & the other a Gold mine.
Most workers, soldiers and family members thought it to dangerous to continue working at least for the time being until a military enterprise could rid the Santa Rita's of the relentless Apache. These two remaining mines were worked by the Otero family until 1848 when the Mexican American war came to a close. There is no material or reference to these mines after that date.
These mines are very real and waiting to be re found.
If these mines could be located and re-opened one would not only be stepping into the past but also might have quite a hefty payday as each of the mines were known producers of both silver and gold.
Acknowledgement: The Arizona Treasure Hunter (Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/AZTreasureHunter/posts/1275550489254852?__tn__=K-R