Richard G. Kyle

This is also called Guidebook 20 by the Austin Geological Society. It was written for a bus trip of tourists from Austin who wanted to see Spanish era mining remains in central Texas. This report is an update to the team effort investigating mining activity on Packsaddle Mountain in Llano county. An interim report is posted on a website under the title "Texas Beyond History" as well.

The team of archeologists and geologists did a good job in my opinion segregating out the three main eras of mining activity at that site.
Their results and photos are presented. Credit is also due to the landowner who by himself began researching the local history with local families who had worked the land for multiple generations, and with academic sources in both San Antonio and Austin, prior to this team effort

The unanimous conclusion of those who participated in the effort was that all three periods of mining efforts,are represented, Spanish era pre1836, late 1800s through 1825, and more recent efforts after about 1935. The guidebook arrives at the most important part near its end after discussing previous work on early mining activity.

Those who are familiar with archeological methods know the strengths of using multiple criteria for dating any artifact or record. This multiple criteria was used throughout the field efforts and the literature search. The team found about six sites that they believed were begun during the Spanish period, prior to 1836, and in this case, likely prior to 1756; and several other sites which appear to have been of more recent activity as well. A few sites are still listed as unknown age ending further study.

The same team published a more concise report conclusion on the website "Texas Beyond History", under "Los Almagres, the Lost Spanish Mine".

As a geologist and a member of the Texas Archeological Society, I am impressed by the thoroughness and what I see as a lack of bias in the historical research, and in the geological and archeological field work… (mehr)