SLAVIN GULCH

LOCATION:  Slavin Gulch is located on the west side of the Dragoon Mountains.  The trailhead for the access trail into the gulch is located 2.8 miles north of Middle March Road on FR-687.

ABRIL MINE:  The trail follows the old haul road that was used to haul ore out from the Abril Mine, also known as the Dos Hermanos or Two Brothers Mine.  The mine was named after the Abril brothers, Manuel and J. S. Abril of Tombstone and was mined intermittently from 1914 to 1952.  During that period the mine produced some 30,000 tons of ore, primarily zinc and copper but also including lead, silver and gold with traces of molybdenum, bismuth, and lithium.  The higher-grade ore assayed out at 49% zinc and 4 1/2 % copper.  The majority of the ore was produced between 1945 and 1952.  In 1947, production was some 9,900 tons of ore which in addition to the zinc yielded 188,162 pounds of copper, 12,725 pounds of lead, 3,508 ounces of silver and 26 ounces of gold.  By 1953 the mine was abandoned with the exception of a few small workings.

The mine was operated at two main levels on the hillside. The five adits were located at the upper level and were accessed by a separate road off of Middle March Road.  The ore was transported down slope to the haul road by a series of wooden chutes and a cable car system, remnants of which can still be seen. 

A rare mineral was also found at the Abril Mine.  Eclarite {(Cu,Fe)Pb9Bi12S28}, which has been found in only two other mines in the world was found here.

Additional information can be found at the mindat.org website for Abril Mine.

COCHISE – HOWARD MEETINGS:  Slavin Gulch was the possible site of an historic event involving Cochise and the Chiricahua Apaches. After the “Bascom Affair” of 1860, Cochise had waged a 10-year war of revenge against the Americans in Southern Arizona. After a decade of struggle, both sides were weary.  In 1872 Tom Jeffords, a trusted friend of Cochise, arranged for General Oliver Otis Howard to meet with Cochise and discus a cessation of hostilities.  General Howard met with Cochise three different times. The initial meeting took place on 1 October.  The second session commenced on 4 October after Howard made a quick trip to Fort Bowie to order the Army to stand down on their campaign against the Apaches.  This session lasted until 10 October and resolved the terms of the peace agreement.  .  It is believed that the first two discussions were held either in Slavin Gulch or at the Council Rocks area near the West Stronghold.  An analysis of General Howard’s report indicates that Jeffords and Howard crossed the Dragoon Mountains via what is currently called Middle March Pass and then traveled up the west side of the Dragoons to the meeting place.  In his report, Gen. Howard described the meeting place as follows:  “Conceive yourself standing beneath a cluster of oaks on a plateau of grassland, facing westward, with a high mountain behind you, toward your right a wall of sandstone rock almost perpendicular, presenting somewhat the appearance of an old castle in ruins.  A few hundred yards in front a stream of water clear as crystal.  Beyond a series of ravines with mesas or tablelands between, mainly parallel to the stream and to the mountain range.  Six or seven miles distant, apparently much less, there arose a globular height 300 feet out of the plain entirely independent of other hills, beyond it the river San Pedro.”  Edwin Sweeney, in his book on Cochise feels that the first two meetings were held at Council Rocks. A presentation at the Amerind Foundation during their Apache Days indicated that they believe the meetings took place in Slavin Gulch.  Howard’s description of the meeting place seems to fit Slavin Gulch more than Council Rocks. The result of these two meetings and a subsequent meeting at Dragoon Springs on 12 October was the establishment of a reservation for the Chiricahua Apaches that included the Chiricahua Mountains, Sulfur Valley and the Dragoon Mountains.

Summary by T. Johnson from various web sites, the Account of Gen’l Howard’s Mission to the Apaches and Navajos published 10 November 1872 and the book Cochise by Edwin R. Sweeney.

Additional Material: GVHC Library Files 3 and 28