Cooney's Tomb

Alma, New Mexico

This monument in the Mogollon Mountains of southwestern New Mexico is a sobering reminder of the violent conflicts of the last days of the old west. James Cooney was a miner who was killed and scalped by Apaches in 1880. To make a tomb, his fellow miners blasted a hole out of this granite boulder; the entrance was sealed with ore from Cooney's own mine.

Directions: From the community of Alma, take Mineral Creek Road east. Take the left fork at 4.5 miles and go another 0.3 miles; the grave is on the right side shoulder of the road.

Last visited: July 2004.

Standard disclaimer: Sites are described for entertainment purposes only, as they were at the time of my last visit. I can not vouch for the current condition of the site or its accessibility.