Black Range Tales

Sixteen stories by “Uncle Jimmie” McKenna, who came west in 1877 to mine silver — prospecting, Indian fights, exploration and town life in the Black Range, the Mogollons and the Gila country.

Context: Wilson-Erickson, New York, 1936; 500 copies, each signed, with woodcuts by Howard Simon. McKenna lived 1853–1940.

Why it’s on the list: First-hand on the mining boom that opened this country — the economy that put cash and freight into the Mogollons before the ranches took over.

Where I saw it: Named in Part 2 of Debbie Lee’s four-part Catron County Centennial History, posted publicly by the Catron County Historical Society in April 2022. It is part of the Catron County reading list assembled for the Luna novel research — the county Kyle’s family town sits in.

Connections

• James C. Cooney — the 1880 Mogollon silver strike and the raid that killed him
• Water in Catron County — the mining settlement wave
• Ranches of Catron County — Mogollon and Cooney