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VAN HORN MOUNTAINS.
The Van Horn Mountains begin nine miles southwest of Van Horn
in southeastern Hudspeth County and stretch sixteen miles southeast,
across southwestern Culberson County and into northwestern Jeff
Davis County (their center point is 30°42' N, 104°50'
W). The highest elevation in the Van Horn Mountains is 5,565 feet
above sea level. The surrounding rugged terrain is surfaced by
shallow, stony soils that support post oak, live oak, piñon,
juniper, chaparral, and grasses. The mountains, like the town
of Van Horn, were named after Lt. James Judson Van Horn,qv who commanded a garrison at nearby Van Horn Wells from 1859 to
1861. The Van Horn Mountains have been fertile ground for minerals.
The Hazel Mine, opened in 1856 by Thomas Owen or Owens, yielded
over a million pounds of copper between 1891 to 1947 and more
than two million ounces of silver over a similar period (see
COPPER PRODUCTION and SILVER MINING). When the price
of silver rose in the early 1970s, exploration began near the
old Plata Verde mine, but it ceased in the early 1980s when the
price of silver dropped again. A mica quarry operated briefly
in the Van Horns in the early 1980s.
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