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 when it was owned by the Shattuck Denn Mining Company.  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 is located at an altitude of approximately 6,600 feet and 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 from the adits to the haul road by a series of wooden chutes and a cable car system where it was loaded onto trucks. Remnants of the chutes and cable system can still be seen.  The remains of a building can be a short distance down the haul road. Judging from its location, it is presumed that this building was used as a control point to keep track of the trucks hauling ore from the mine.

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.

COCHISE – HOWARD MEETINGS: An analysis of General Howard’s report on his mission to the Apaches indicates that he may have stopped for the night in Slavin Gulch on his way to his second meeting with Cochise at Council Rocks. General Howard’s first meeting with Cochise had been held on 1 October 1872 at Council Rocks and Howard had made a quick trip back to Fort Bowie to order the Army to stop active operations against the Apaches while the treaty negotiations were in progress and to obtain additional supplies. He was returning to the meeting place by crossing the Dragoon Mountains via the Middle March Pass and then traveling up the west side of the mountains when the party was stopped short of the Council Rocks area by Captain Sladen and Tom Jeffords who had stayed behind with the Apaches. The Apaches had relocated their camp in a canyon to the south out of fear of a possible military attack. From General Howard’s description, this was probably Slavin Gulch. The following morning, 4 October, the party traveled on to the Council Rocks area for the second meeting with Cochise.

Summary by T. Johnson from various web sites, the Account of General 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