Famous Mineral Localities: The Erupcion/Ahumada Mine: Los Lamentos District Chihuahua, Mexico

We had very big loads and the going was slow climbing over the big boulders in the slope fill. As I did not want to risk a broken ankle at this stage, I refused to jump lightly off the big rocks. I sat down and slid cautiously off until I had a firm footing. This gave Gregorio, who was behind me, a lot of fun. Each time I did this I could hear him laughing heartily. That was all right with me.

Upon reaching the incline we had a short rest and then started the long climb. It was much worse than before, in fact I staggered rather than walked. The Mexicans went right along and were soon out of sight. After what seemed years of wearily placing one foot before the other we saw their lights way off in the upper distance. They had been out and shed their loads and were coming back to help us. When they relieved us of our bags we were only about halfway up the incline.

We finally made it and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the bright sunshine packing our specimens. As we looked at each other we burst out laughing. We were a sight. Referring to my diary I find the following:

"We leave early in the morning and I hope will be able to get a bath soon. The three days in the mine have coated us from head to foot with the red iron oxide. I am red-headed for the first time in my life. Our clothes are stained and torn and I am using a piece of rope in lieu of suspenders. We will throw away the clothes we wore and I am not sure we shouldn't throw ourselves away too."

As our guide was anxious to get back to his job we said goodbye to Los Lamentos at 7 a.m. and three hours later were in Villa Ahumada where we bid farewell to Gomez, a swell guy, with much hugging and back-slapping. We then headed for Juarez and crossed the border into El Paso, Texas, at 2 p.m.

A hot shower took off some of the dirt and revealed sundry cuts and bruises. But as the red iron oxide of Los Lamentos disappeared down the drain it took with it all the weariness of a long, hard trip and left us elated at our success and busily planning our next expedition.

By April 1943 the locality was being referred to as a "famous old mine" in the Rocks & Minerals ad for the mineral company of Hugo Wiener (1888-1947) in Tucson; the ad offered "Los Lamentos Wulfenites-not in plates like other wulfenites, but in large crystals of cubic or pyramidal habit-3 x 4 inches." Wiener also offered "Descloizite from Los Lamentos; entire matrix covered with rosettes of small, beautiful black crystals; 2 x 3 inches" (January 1946).

Since that time the Los Lamentos mines have been worked periodically, reportedly by a miners' cooperative in the 1950's and 1960's, resulting in some occasional production of lead ore and wulfenite specimens. The local miners have long been aware of the value of mineral specimens and there have rarely been any restriction on collecting by the miners, while under the cooperative. In the late 1950's and 1960's the mine manager for the cooperative at Los Lamentos, a Scandinavian by the name of Holted, used to sell specimens for 80 cents a pound out of his house in Villa Ahumada. Gene Schlepp remembers acquiring a particularly large pocket of hundreds of fine wulfenite specimens from him. And Holted wasn't the only person in Villa Ahumada who sold specimens. Gerry Blair (1970) wrote about his visit: