Silver City

Past
Silver City is the County Seat for Grant County, New Mexico. It's been called the "copper capitol of the United States". It's location marks part of the southern boundaries of the Gila National Forest.

Present-day Silver City was oiginally known as "La Cienaga de San Vicente" or "The Marsh of St. Vincent". Originally founded in 1870, it became the County Seat in 1871 and was incorporated in 1878. It's in the foothills of the Pinos Altos Range, an extension of the Mogollon Mountains. The valley and the marsh that became Silver City had been an Apache campsite. When copper ore was discovered nearby, the first Spanish miners made an agreement with the Apaches not to disturb their camps--but the English-speaking copper miners ignored this agreement.

The first of these settlers were William M. Milby and John M. Bullard, who named their community "Silver City". Within the first few years, many other prospectors were populating the area, along with merchants, bankers and other folks, and Silver City became a trading center.

Current

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