High Lonesome
Down in the bootheel of southern New Mexico, somewhere out in the vast expanse south of Old Hachita, near the Mexican border and in the shadow of Big Hatchet mountain is an old wellhead and windmill from the early 1900’s named High Lonesome. Next to it, the bullet hole riddled water tank with High Lonesome haphazardly painted on the side. Nearby, amidst the century plants, creosote, an occasional tumbleweed, and sunbathing horn toad is the abandoned and defunct turquoise mine. Now but a minor scar, slowly receding into this barren land, not so high, but very lonesome.
Nowhere is a turquoise mine more appropriately named based on its’ location than the High Lonesome, at least the lonesome part. This turquoise was mined for more than thirty years up until the late 80’s by a fella name Ray and his crew. About 50 miles south of the much more famous and ancient Hachita mining district, this turquoise shares a lot of similarities in color and character. This very hard turquoise can vary from light hues of lime green to the deeper dark hues of the forest flora, with some rare hues of cerulean blue, and varying degrees of chocolate to golden-brown fractal matrixes. High Lonesome is very rare, unique and stands out to the discerning eye. While not very sought after on the retail market it is a favorite for the collector due to its unique color, matrixes, and extreme rarity.
In my youth I spent many a day exploring these hills and mountain ranges. Several of my favorite turquoise mines are in this area, the bootheel of New Mexico. Hachita is 50 some miles northeast, Johnny Bull is 60 some miles northwest with many, many more nameless and forgotten mines in between. I have fond memories of finding pottery shards and arrowheads, exploring caves with petroglyphs and pictographs. For the explorer that doesn’t mind hot, dry, and very arid conditions, this very lonesome part of the southwest offers lots of adventure with endless opportunities to explore.
I was very fortunate to find some of the last High Lonesome not in a private collect and was able to source a very large (42.5 ct) cabochon for a cuff bracelet project.
This is a very representative piece of High Lonesome Turquoise worthy of the Smithsonian. Deep green hues and rich tan to light chocolate matrix.
Below are a handful of cabs from my personal stash of High Lonesome.
