Capt. M. Cooney and the Campaign to Bridge the Gila
The Mogollon World of Captain Cooney
Louis and San Francisco. [8][4] A community had taken root: the Cooney school district, No. 45, held public exhibitions and, in July 1890, raised what its organizers believed to be the first flag ever flown over a schoolhouse in New Mexico. [11] By August 1891 the school’s honor roll listed pupils named John Cooney, Robert Carmichael, James Kerr, George Maxwell, Kelly Shelton, George and Mattie York, and John Vingoe. [2][10] Prospectors such as John Hogan, who had survived a close encounter with Geronimo’s band, worked out of the camp, and Jo E. Sheridan served for years as justice of the peace at Cooney. [7][9][16] Harvey Cooney, for a time the proprietor of the stage line between Pinos Altos and Silver City, sold his interest in that business to Jeff Christian in early 1890. [5] The camp also had its tragedies: in 1889, John Kelly, a saloon keeper at Cooney, drowned while trying to ford the Frisco River, even though his companions — the eldest daughter of the late Pat Kelly and a Mexican man — were saved by heroic spectators. [12][14] Into this bustling but dangerous landscape stepped Captain M.
The Petition for a Gila River Bridge
Cooney arrived in Silver City and spent several days circulating a petition that called on the Grant County commissioners to build a bridge over the Gila River. [3] Interviewed by the *Silver City Enterprise*, Cooney declared the bridge “an absolute necessity” that “should by all means be built this spring.” [15] In his opinion, the only practical site lay opposite the ruins of old Fort West, where solid rock foundations stood on both banks and the river was narrow. [15] He estimated the cost at $1,500, noting that excellent timber could be cut on the Sagatone and hewn into lumber with relatively short hauling distances. [15] Cooney also offered a pointed critique of an earlier commission, which had failed to agree on a location because, he claimed, its members were “all interested, and were cat-hauling each other”; he urged the appointment of a new commission with no personal stake in the riverfront. [15] The petition itself was a straightforward request for public works, but it reflected a larger tension: without a reliable crossing, travellers and freight wagons faced the unpredictable Gila, a river that could rise quickly and isolate the Mogollon communities from the county seat.
Movements and Wider Context
He arrived from the Frisco valley and departed on the Tuesday coach for Socorro, again traveling the corridor that linked the Mogollons to central New Mexico. [1] His appearance in the newspaper record is brief, but it places him within a network of routes that defined everyday life in Grant County: from the camps along Mineral Creek down to the Frisco, across the Gila to Silver City, and onward to Socorro.
Cooney, a miner killed by Victorio’s Apaches on April 29, 1880, at the age of 40. [6] In April 1891, the *Enterprise* noted that “a strange fatality seemed to follow many of the old time miners of the Mogollons,” and listed “Jim Cooney” among those killed by Indians just as he was about to close a large sale. [13] Whether Captain M.
Downstream Consequences
Sources
- Captain Cooney, of the Mogollons coun-… (1891)Captain Cooney, of the Mogollons coun- try, arrived from Frisco valley enroute to So- corro on last Tuesday’s coach.
- Honor Roll Of Cooney School (1891)Honor Roll Of Cooney School John Cooney, Robert Carmichael, James Kerr, George Maxwell, Kelly Shelton, George and Mattie York and John Vingoe.
- A Bridge Wanted (1890)A Bridge Wanted Capt. M. Cooney, of the Mogollons, has been in the city for some days past, and has been circulating a petition asking the county com- missioners to bridge the Gila. When interviewed the captain …
- Francisco, Cal… (1889)Francisco, Cal.; J. Thompson, Lindsley, St. Louis, Mo.; M. Downey, Hachita, N. M.; J. C. Daly, Santa Fe, N. M.; H. Donelly, Cooney, N.
- Harvey Cooney, for a year past the genial… (1890)Harvey Cooney, for a year past the genial and accommodating proprietor of the stage line between Pinos Altos and Silver City, has sold his interest in the business to Jeff Christian.
- Chilcote_Collection_no_ ↗ · detailsChilcote_Collection_no_ Notes: Sepia image of a grave site. The tombstone is made from a large bolder which has been carved out in the center. A rock cross has been placed in the cavity along with a plaque identifying the grave as " J.C. …
- A Hit For Hogan (1888)A Hit For Hogan John Hogan, a Cooney Prospector, left here a few days ago for Riverside, California. A paper comes to hand from that city describ- ing the miner and stating that he is the owner of a $20,000 blo…
- Bassett_Collection_no_ ↗ · detailsBassett*Collection_no* Notes: Black and white image of a mining operation situated in a rugged mountainous canyon. Below image, written in black ink; "Camp Cooney on Mineral Creek 1/2 mile below Queen Mill. Showing Residence property of Qu…
- Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1888-04-13 (1888)A Hit For Hogan John Hogan, a Cooney Prospector, left here a few days ago for Riverside, California. A paper comes to hand from that city describ- ing the miner and stating that he is the owner of a $20,000 …
- Silver City Enterprise — 1891 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1891-08-14 (1891)s and family, Mrs. W. H. Kane, Frank Jones, Bob Steele, C. E. Leonard, Fred Michael, SamEckles, Jr., John Morehead, and a number of others. All of the rigs in the city were engaged for the occasion. The …
- To the Editors of the Enterprise: (1890)To the Editors of the Enterprise: You would accommodate us very much by announcing through the columns of your “little sheet” that on the 4th of July the public school this district, No. 45, will have a gran…
- John Kelly, who for several years past has… (1889)John Kelly, who for several years past has been keeping a saloon at Cooney camp, was drowned while attempting to ford the Frisco last week. He was in company with the eldest daughter of the late Pat Kelly, a…
- Silver City Enterprise — 1891 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1891-04-24 (1891)een lode to eastern capitalists for a large sum, re- ceiving a forfeit of $3,000 down. A strange fatality seemed to follow many of the old time miners of the Mogollons. Jim Cooney was killed by Indians when …
- Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1889-03-08 (1889)astimes, but here was a new tribe of blood-spillers from the Pacific slope who could discount them all. They used to say this was the place I have been hunting for a long time. New Mexico, Texas and Mexic…
- Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1890-02-28 (1890)it will be many years before they again come into possession of other people’s property. The deputy sheriff and the three citizens who effected the capture deserve some recog- nition and consideration from th…
- In the afternoon the commission made… (1888)In the afternoon the commission made another effort and succeeded in catching two grand jurors. Jo E. Sheridan is foreman, and is well qualified, having for years been justice of the peace at Cooney. H. H. Be…