Paddy Martinez
Encyclopedia
Patricio "Paddy" Martinez (1881-1969), American prospector
and shepherd, discovered uranium
at Haystack Mountain, near Grants, New Mexico
in 1950. This was the first discovery in the Grants Uranium District, and led to a uranium boom that lasted almost 30 years.
Martinez's discovery, on Santa Fe Railroad land, was developed into the Haystack mine. He was hired by the railroad and Anaconda Mining Company as a uranium scout for $400 per month, a good salary then.
Martinez, a Navajo
of Mexican descent, and native New Mexican, became famous for his discovery. He was the subject of feature articles in Time, Life, True West and Reader's Digest magazines. Martinez was fluent in the Navajo
, Laguna (Keresan
), Spanish and English languages. He was a medicine man and a leader in his community.
His tombstone at Grants Memorial Cemetery simply reads, 'Paddy Martinez 1881 - 1969 Uranium Pioneer.' He rests a stones throw from Paddy Martinez Park, where children play. He was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame
in 1992.
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
and shepherd, discovered uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
at Haystack Mountain, near Grants, New Mexico
Grants, New Mexico
Grants is a city in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 9,182 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Cibola County....
in 1950. This was the first discovery in the Grants Uranium District, and led to a uranium boom that lasted almost 30 years.
Martinez's discovery, on Santa Fe Railroad land, was developed into the Haystack mine. He was hired by the railroad and Anaconda Mining Company as a uranium scout for $400 per month, a good salary then.
Martinez, a Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
of Mexican descent, and native New Mexican, became famous for his discovery. He was the subject of feature articles in Time, Life, True West and Reader's Digest magazines. Martinez was fluent in the Navajo
Navajo language
Navajo or Navaho is an Athabaskan language spoken in the southwestern United States. It is geographically and linguistically one of the Southern Athabaskan languages .Navajo has more speakers than any other Native American language north of the...
, Laguna (Keresan
Keresan languages
Keresan , also Keres , is a group of seven related languages spoken by Keres Pueblo peoples in New Mexico, U.S.A.. Each is mutually intelligible with its closest neighbors...
), Spanish and English languages. He was a medicine man and a leader in his community.
His tombstone at Grants Memorial Cemetery simply reads, 'Paddy Martinez 1881 - 1969 Uranium Pioneer.' He rests a stones throw from Paddy Martinez Park, where children play. He was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame
National Mining Hall of Fame
The National Mining Hall of Fame is a museum located in Leadville, Colorado, USA, dedicated to commemorating the work of miners and people that work with natural resources...
in 1992.