Blanchard Mine, New Mexico
Presentation by Erin Delventhal on the Blanchard Mine in New Mexico.
Description: The Blanchard Mine, located in the Hansonburg District in the northern portion of the
Oscura Mountains, Socorro County, New Mexico, has earned its place as a classic New Mexican
locality through the production of widely available, high-quality mineral specimens – most
notably the “Blanchard blue” fluorite (often associated with galena) as well as the discovery of
some of the world’s largest known linarite crystals. However, the rich mineralization at the
Blanchard Mine produces a suite of other minerals that appeal to many varieties of collecting
styles.
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Hahaha… Just kicked it off perfect. "First of all just want to let y’all know that New Mexico is a part of the United States." Haha F*** Yeah. Swear it’s like half the US don’t even know we’re a state.
Been there! And also the rock shop in Bingham. The whole area has fascinating geology.
Interesting talk; lots of great info. Thank you, Erin!
Having collected there twice, I was mesmerized by the presentation. I can’t for the life of me recall the exact date, but it had to be in the very late ’90’s to the very early 2000’s. There was a peculiar woman running the Bingham rock shop and thus the claims as well. I was wondering if you recall her name. I got quite a bit of some nice galena and the blue fluorite and searched desperately for some linarite, but to no avail.
Thank you for this enlightening presentation! Turns out I live an hour away from this place. If I wanted to go rockhounding, who would be the person to get in touch with to obtain permission to do so?
Great job!
Wow. Thank you so much. Great work.
Great presentation. Thank you to Thomas and Alex for arranging this and recording this. Thank you to Erin for taking the time to put this together. Keep up the great work!!
Great presentation Erin.
The outstanding specimens that have come out of the Blanchard Mine have boggled my mind. Some so delicate and some so colorful a description can be a mouthful. I am glad to hear that many have made it to museums so others can appreciate the beauty of the Blanchard rocks and minerals.
My family visited the Blanchard mine often back in the 1960s. Mom and dad always made sure Mrs. Blanchard had groceries and water. Our time spent with her, adventuring in and around her mines always went by too fast. As a child awkwardly entering my teen years I was in awe oh her, her strengths, toughness and bravery living there by herself. There were bullet holes in her house where unknown parties often took pot shots at her to remove her from her property. One night as Mrs. Blanchard turned over in bed, a bullet hit where her head had been laying just seconds before. I became very fond of Mrs. Blanchard, she taught me a lot. Yes, she was tough, she had to be, but she was also patient and kind. While my family went their way adventuring, Mrs. Blanchard and I would do some adventuring of our own. She showed me some of her favorite places to visit, always carrying her walking club which she used on occasion to gently lift out a unfortunate animal that had fallen into a deep crevasse filled with water. She taught me how to make a jim-dandy fire out of dried cow pies, a art that I fall back on to this day. As for those of you that wonder how she bathed,,,she didn’t waste water, she took a bar of soap out and washed when it rained. Now in my mid 60’s I still think fondly of her. With a lump in my throat I say, "I’m ready to go on another adventure Mrs. Blanchard, let’s enjoy the desert breeze , the aromas that it brings, impart your wisdom to me, I’m listening ".
Halley Patrick
Great job Erin! Very interesting and informative.
good stuff
Part of the U.S. and chile for every meal! 😂💚💚💚
Oh and wonderful presentation as well:-)
Was that snip about "New Mexicans" supposed to be funny?? Not laughing.
My friend Allison (a relative of Blanchard) owns the Rock shop at Bingham. I’ve stopped by there many times, but never visited the mines.
Oh my God I had no idea that this place was so famous! When I was little kid my dad would take us down to see Mrs Blanchard who was a friend of our families I was always scared to death of this crazy old woman but my dad idolized her and we still have some of the amazing specimens my dad was allowed to take home from her amazing mine. And my mom would always tell me a frightening story of when one night misses Blanchard rolled over in bed in a bullet pierce the pillow she was laying on narrowly missing her
so erin, as part of a younger uplift to the laramide orogeny would the intercontinental seaway had being in the same basic region,