Buffalo

Jayhawk

Golden Calf & Golden Treasure

Purkapile



Bunkerhill



Nashville Claim

Bitter Creek

Pioneer Canyon

Black Copper Canyon

These mines are found along the West Fork of Placer Creek, just beyond the Jay Hawk Mine, and a little more than three miles up the Placer Creek road. They were located on claims owned and operated by the Oldhams.

The five Oldham brothers had come west with their father in 1874 and first settled near Trinidad, Colorado. It is noteworthy that for the father, Richard Oldham, this was the second trip to New Mexico over the Santa Fe Trail. In 1846 during the Mexican-American War, he had served in the Army of the West and had taken part in the long march from Missouri to Santa Fe which had resulted in the American conquest of the Southwest.

The Oldhams soon moved from Trinidad to Raton and near there they opened a large ranch operation. Over the next few years they were employed in a variety of ways - working the ranch, as cowboys for other ranchers, operating a livery, and various jobs on the railroad. When news of the gold strike in the Red River Valley spread over northern New Mexico, three of the Oldham brothers - Rich, Read, and George - decided to seek their fortune and set out for Red River City. On arriving, they traveled up Placer Creek Canyon and staked several claims. The Golden Treasure and the Golden Calf mines were soon opened.

A number of buildings were constructed. The Oldham cabin (living quarters) was situated in a small meadow south of the mines and several shaft houses were put in place. A large log building intended to serve as an assay office was begun but never completed (the "Unfinished Cabin"). George Oldham designed and the brothers built a large overshot water wheel which powered an arrastra (a crude device for grinding the rock ore into sand). Water to power the wheel was brought from Goose Creek through a two mile ditch which led to the wheel. This water wheel was one of three which were built by the Oldhams in the Red River area.

Initially, ore from the Golden Treasure assayed at $2,000 a ton. Although the ore later proved to be somewhat inconsistent, over the years this mine produced a fairly good return and was considered one of the better mines in the area. This, in spite of the fact that water in the mine was an ongoing problem. By contrast, the Golden Calf was never as profitable as the Golden Treasure.

The Oldham brothers continued to work the mine although as they grew older, it became more difficult to spend the winter in the isolated cabin at such an altitude. Around 1920, after the Red River Pass Road had been completed, Rich and Nathan purchased the Tom Melson property at the foot of the pass to be used as winter headquarters for the mining. Soon after this, the gold began to play out and it became clear that Red River was becoming a destination for summer tourists. The Oldhams built a fishing lake on the property and a few fishermen's cabins and thus began Tall Pine Resort which is still a popular tourist resort.