Meerschaum: Past and Present

 

(Pipes Magazine) … Let’s go back in time over a hundred years ago to 1907.  Turkey, like today, controlled the worlds purest and best meerschaum which was used for pipes, and as a natural insulator for heat, cold, and electricity.
We stumble across a hard to reach mine in the mountains near Silver City and Pinos Altos in South Western New Mexico. As an aside, 1907 was before we had automobiles everywhere -  this was train country and the horse still reigned supreme when it came to local transportation.  Not too far from the mine, only 26 years earlier, Billy, the Kid was shot dead. Continued