La Iglesia de San José de Ávalos

From the Diocese of Chihuahua website, a brief introduction to la Iglesia de San José de Ávalos.
San José de Ávalos, en el transcurrir de Chihuahua by Raúl Sánchez K.
Era el año de 1905. Unos terrenos ubicados al sur de la capital del Estado, que eran una fracción del rancho de Ávalos, perteneciente al latifundio Terrazas, [...]

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“Trade follows the flag, but the flag follows the pick.” La Fundición de Ávalos Timeline

From Isaac F. Marcosson in Metal Magic: The Story of the American Smelting & Refining Company (1949), “Civilization has marched with mining. As an eminent historian of mining has pointed out, “Trade follows the flag, but the flag follows the pick.” Mining has founded financial dynasties, colonized immense domains, and opened up vast agricultural and [...]

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The Mexico City (not Chihuahua) Cathedral

From the Library of Congress, a photo of the Mexico City (not Chihuahua) Cathedral taken some time between 1909 and 1930. To access church records for the Chihuahua Cathedral, visit FamilySearch.org. Thank you to Gabriel Diaz-Montemayor for the correction!

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A moment in time…families living in the Ávalos Colony

I’m in the process of identifying the homes within the Colony and buildings around the smelter. If you have information you’d like to add or I’ve labeled something incorrectly, please let me know!
My Aunt Catina (Wilson Shupe) sent me the following description:
“The Club was outside the gate in front of the General Office, before the [...]

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Kids in the Colony

These two young girls are Helen Wildman and my mother, Flossy Wilson, taken sometime in the late 1940’s at the ASARCO Avalos Colony. In the background is the entrance into the Colony where the gateman stood guard. The girls were standing in front of my grandparent’s home, Quinta #21. They are standing in front [...]

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A View of Ciudad Chihuahua

From the George Grantham Bain Collection at the Library of Congress, a beautiful photo of Ciudad Chihuahua. Click on the photo for a larger view.

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George Zangwill with Friends at Ávalos

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Photos of Ávalos found on the Internet

In the “News” section of the blog, you’ll find photos of La Fundición de Ávalos that I’ve found on the internet. Here are some links that I’ll be adding to that page.

From sergio655 Flickr site
From rssfordead Flickr site
From elobse.com site
From David.Alonzo.Sanchez’s Panoramio site
From yankee17’s Panoramio site
From victorhg’s Panoramio site
From zerver’s Panoramio site
From verdo_iglesias’s Panoramio [...]

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Kids in the Colony – A Different View

A slightly different shot of kids in the colony which I originally posted on April 30, 2009. With the help of Coky Zangwill Bohanon, from left to right on the top row: Catina Wilson, Lilia Perez, Unknown, Charlie Alvarado, Andy Bradford. Bottom row, from left to right: Coky Zangwill, Flossy Wilson, Tiquis Avila, Unknown, Chayo [...]

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“De agreste cerro a gran fundición”

From El Heraldo de Chihuahua an article about the establishment of La Fundición de Ávalos in 1905. In the article, several people are mentioned that were involved in the development of the smelter:

Chihuahua Governor, Enrique Creel
Henry R. Simpson, ASARCO
General Luis Terrazas, Avalos landowner
William Morse, Vice-president, ASARCO
H. Icles, Manager, ASARCO
S. Austin, Division Superintendent, ASARCO
Juan Terrazas, [...]

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