The following pages you’re about to read are based upon period correct experiences of the authors of this site. They have both compiled, sorted, read, recollected, and relived their very own experience in the beginnings of White Oaks and their families and have kindly documented it for the kind reader.
In 1882 the authors were living in Pinos Altos New Mexico running the buckhorn saloon. Our pictures are above . Most of our relatives went to white oaks to seek their fortune not Steve and Rob (the authors). They were way too lazy to do ranch and mining work and preferred to while away the days talking to anyone that would listen in their own little world of un reality in the bar in Pinos Alto
It was a great world they had made ,making friends daily whooping and hollering whenever they felt like it, sleeping in the back room it was perfect in every way. Not a single spec of reality ever came close to the buckhorn. The locals would describe us to newcomers off the stage or range riders passing thru as: “That Robert is a whiskey drinking skirt chaser But he is harmless ,usually Steve is the roughest man ever pooped between two boots that I know. It must be that Samoan blood Steve has running in him that makes him like that “ Or I heard they hang out with Dallas Stoudemire and James westly Hardin when they go to El Paso on a French holiday. We are old men now and past all that foolishness. We just sit in our rocking chairs on this here rickety porch smoking cigarettes and drinking beer all day.
Talking about the days from long ago. Well in spring 1884 we get a letter from our folks over in white oaks it reads:”You two boys need to get out of that there hog wallow , make yourselves presentable if you can remember what that means and carry yourselves over here for May Lee’s birthday hoot an any middle part of next month.” Says Capt john lee
Steve tells me “I’ll double guarantee you that means we are going’ I agreed when the Captain told you to do something you better get to doing it unless you wanted a pop knot on your dang head from that war club. Well neighbor we were both ass holes over elbows ,skurring around getting ready for the family visit getting ourselves and our rigs shiny like a $20 gold piece.
It was about a fifteen day horseback ride over there the birthday was in a month from now, so we decided to take the train and spend 20 or so days taking a well deserved vacation along the way. We figured we would have a day maybe two to spare as long as no self inflicted problems occurred along the way. We left at dawn straight from the good bye party still going on from yesterday but as I was mounting Petey my horse I could not find my saddle. Turns out James w Ivey whom was known around here as stronger than 7 acres of Texas onions was using my saddle as a pillow behind the bar. Well I kicked him off it he rolled over muttering something about G d sob ,saddled Petey and started out for silver city to catch the next train whenever that was. Steve was on his horse Sheba. a high spirited but well commanding.
Sure enough it was raining like a tall cow pissing on a flat rock we did not give a damn. We each packed a bed roll with a suit of Sunday going to meeting clothes, 4 hard biscuits, ten cartons of cigarettes, and five gallons of our favorite whiskey “old bust head”
Rob carries a Winchester 73 44 caliber long barrel rifle Steve has a 1871 sharps 52 caliber. We share a sawed off 12 gauge double barrel shotgun sling mounted on your back. We do not carry hand guns. Rob and Steve had $286 gold between us which us near $8 000 today. We moseyed on down to silver about 15 miles or so and checked into Ruthanne’s Copper Penny Gentleman’s Hotel. Yes they had red lanterns outside so you could find your way anytime
We stable the boys indoors with double order of oats and a good brushing. Yes we love our horses. Don’t care much about mist people but love our horses. At dawn we set out for Lordsburg nm 44 miles south to catch the train
There is no real trail south from silver but we have been in these parts plenty of times. About 10 miles in town an unnamed Arroyo we find a slab of native copper in the dry bed sticking out of the sand. Digging it out its about a foot square and 2 inches thick pure it’s too heavy to take with us. We note the location and vow to come back. Over the next 20 years we looked for that dang Arroyo and never found it . Twenty years later the t own of Tyrone New Mexico began at a large copper deposit. Phelps dodge open pit copper mine on the spot we were on long ago
After 20 miles or so we set up camp Steve had shot a rattler from 12 rods away using his Sharp 52 and a Jack rabbit about a rod away, good eats indeed. We don’t hobble the horses just set up a rope corral one strand the boys know they are safe behind the rope. The corral connects with the camp fire and we never had even a coyote bother the boys out on the trail. Up at dawn 20 or so more miles and there is Lordsburg on the horizon
