Catron County New Mexico
New Mexico's most beautiful


Cooney Cemetery
(Contains Cooney's Tomb)

Cooney Canyon
Mineral Creek


Photo courtesy Sharon Linneer



Photo courtesy Cheryl Harris

Copy of email from Cheryl Harris, 20070517:
"This very small graveyard is found in an isolated area east of the town of Alma, NM.  Located in the southern part of the county, in the Mogollon Mountains, it is named for James C. Cooney, sergeant of the 8th U.S. Cavalry, who came to Fort Bayard in 1870.  While on duty as a scout, he discovered silver-bearing rock, but said nothing about it.  After his discharge, he came to the area in 1876 with two companions to work the claim.  He was killed by Victorio's Apaches.  His brother, Captain Mike Cooney, and friends carved a sepulcher out of a rock in the canyon where he was killed and buried him there, sealing the tomb with the silver-bearing ore taken from the mine he discovered.

The GPS is  33 deg 24.767'N, 108 deg
50.248'W.  It is approximately 7 miles east of Alma on County Road 7."


Location:  About 15 miles northeast of Glenwood, NM off US 180.
 

J. C. Cooney 
Killed by Victorio's Apaches
April 29, 1880
Aged 40 years

Jack Chick      Died 29 Apr 1880 
Mr. Buhlman   Died 30 Apr 1880

All above were horribly mutilated & killed by Victorio, the Apache Chief,
and his warriors. The men were riding to warn settlers of an impending
Indian Attack. Their bodies were later found &  buried in a tomb carved
out of a large boulder. 

Also buried there:

John D. Cooney     Born  Aug. 20th, 1880   Died Dec. 15,  1891
Hugh C. Cooney    Born  Oct 3, 1898           Died Jan. 7,  1900

Graves behind Cooney's Tomb

1.      Unmarked
2.      Charley Clark   2 Oct 1868   -   28 Aug 1910
3.      Unmarked
4.      Elza May Clark, Daughter of Charley Clark , 29 Jun 1896 - 5 Sep 1905
5.      Unmarked


David Minton sent in an article from the 2/26/1915 Lovington Leader newspaper.

Body of Prospector Cooney Found Socorro. Word was received here of the finding of the body of Capt. M Cooney, 76 years old, who left here October 26 with a pack train for the wilds of Mogollon mountains in search of a lost mine. The body was found in a canon by his son and former mounted Policeman Robert Lewis after a search of two month or more. Cooney, a well known old-timer and prospector, was evidently overtaken by heavy snow storms and died of exposure. The body was so badly de- composed that it had to be buried where found. Cooney, whose father, a Socorro County pioneer, was killed by indians, was a former county treasurer, former mayor of Socorro, and former member of the Legislature. He is survived by a widow and one son.

More Links, courtesy of Steve Conroy:  VIVA! New Mexico ghost town article;  an account of the Alma Massacre.  Steve is going to keep us posted regarding the reconstruction of the vandalized plaque at Cooney's Tomb. 
Thanks, Steve!