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Word soon spread of the gold find and
within a year, a new mining camp, filled with tents was born. The camp
was called White Oaks after a small stream near the community that was
lined with white oak trees. In 1880 a post office was established and
permanent buildings began to replace the tents and rambling shacks.
The boom town quickly grew, supporting some 50 different businesses,
including four newspapers, two hotels, three churches, a sawmill, a
bank, an opera house, livery stables, and a number of the ever present
saloons and gambling houses.
In the meantime,
prospectors, Winters and Baxter founded two claims called the
Homestake Mine and the South Homestake Mine. The mountain where the
gold was found was called Baxter Mountain. Eventually, the two gold
miners sold their claims for $300,000 each.
Like other booming mining camps of the
day, White Oaks is filled with legends and lore, including that of a
"lady” by the name of Belle La Mar, who was more familiarly known as
"Madam Varnish.” Hailing from
Missouri, La Mar, made her way to the
New Mexico
mining camp that was "hungry” for the sight of women. There, she soon
established the Little Casino
Saloon, where she dealt faro, roulette
and poker. Quick to take the gold of the many miners in the area, she
earned her nickname when the miners said she was as "slick as
varnish.” Though many lost their hard earned gold at the Little
Casino, it was the reigning
saloon in town. Other popular stops for
the miners were the Star
Saloon and Opera House.
During White Oaks early days, the town was
also frequented by none other than the infamous
Billy the Kid.
Though
Billy's main
stomping grounds were in Lincoln, some
forty miles to the east of White Oaks, the Kid was known to hang with
other roughnecks in the thriving mining camp filled with
saloons,
gambling parlors and prostitutes.
After
the Lincoln County War was over,
Billy and his gang of "Rustlers” often targeted cattle in the White Oaks
vicinity and after one attempted theft, the citizens of White Oaks rose up
in protest, gathered up a posse, and went after the gang. Though they
caught up with the outlaws and a gunfight ensued, the thieves were able to
get away.
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