Millions of years ago, fingers of molten rock deposited the copper, silver and gold that would make this one of the Southwest’s richest mineralized areas. Early Indians mined turquoise, and by 1804 the Spanish were digging for copper east of what came to be called the San Vicente Ciénega (today’s Silver City).

In the spring of 1870, the news reached Pinos Altos of a big silver strike at Shakespeare, near today’s Lordsburg. Captain John Bullard and his men rode south to investigate. After exam-mining the ore, one of the men said, "Boys, if this is what silver looks like, we have plenty of it at home." They hurried back, and began to dig one half mile west of the present courthouse. Ore from the Legal Tender assayed as high as 100 ounces of silver per ton, a real bonanza. News of the "Ciénega Mines" quickly spread

In ten short months, Silver City grew from a single cabin to over eighty buildings, and in 1871, Silver City became the county seat. During the early years of development, all of southwestern New Mexico was harassed by Apache raids. The nearest railroad terminal was in Colorado. The county included what is today’s Deming and Lordsburg all the way to the Mexico border. In spite of the crude methods, Silver City mills were producing $16,000 of bullion a week by 1875. It soon became the supply center for the booming industry. By the end of 1872, a local brick plant enabled solid, well-built businesses and houses to be built. In 1875, the first fire engine in the NM Territory made it possible for a volunteer fire department to be formed. When the government telegraph line reached Fort Bayard in 1876, local citizens furnished the materials to connect Silver City with the outside world.

In 1878 Silver City was granted a territorial charter under which the town operates today, one of the oldest of the few territorial charters in the U.S. The city was one of the first to establish a public school, and in 1882, became the first independent school district in New Mexico. The Southern Pacific Railroad reached Deming in 1881, inspiring local citizens to build a branch line to Silver City. Telephones were first installed in 1883.

An electric light plant was completed the following year—only two years after New York City installed its first electric system.

In 1893 the bottom dropped out of the silver market. Mines closed down. Silver City paused, caught its breath, and then moved ahead. The use of brick was encouraged by an 1880 fire ordinance which prohibited frame construction, saving Silver City from the destructive fires of many western towns. Perhaps its sturdy brick architecture helped it defy a ghost town’s fate. Maybe it was the populace of Hispanics and Anglos, determined to make this their home. The cattle industry was well-developed with some large holdings extending as far south as Mexico. At the turn of the century, Silver City’s high, dry climate made it a haven for invalids and tubercular patients. One of the state’s first teaching schools prospered. Eventually, with new mineral discoveries, the town stabilized as the leading metal producer in the state.