The Legend of Ste. Noble

In 1541, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the Spanish governor of Nueva Galicia, set out from northern Mexico in search of the wealthy Seven Cities of Cibola to the north. The large expedition had nearly 300 well-armed horsemen and foot soldiers. Accompanying the conquistadors were nearly 1000 Indians and servants; approximately 1200 horses and pack mules; light artillery; droves of cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. The entourage set out in February from Compostela in northwestern Mexico to find Cibola.

After nearly five months of travel the Spaniards finally reached a Zuni village on the western boarder of New Mexico.  Coronado headquartered here for a time and sent out exploring parties.  One discovered the Grand Canyon.  Another traveled eastward to the Rio Grande and found more Indian pueblos.

Running out of food and supplies, Coronado decided to move his men to the Rio Grande valley for the winter.  It was here that Coronado heard tales of a land to the north, the kingdom of Quivira. Coronado was told that this was a land of enormous wealth.  An Indian slave, El Turco, spun marvelous tales of Quivira. There was a mighty river two leagues (nearly five miles) in width in which fish larger than a horse lived.  It was a land where all inhabitants drank from jugs made of gold. Eager to find this land, Coronado decided to take a small group of 30 mounted men; six foot soldiers; the Franciscan father Juan de Padilla and three other Franciscans; some attendants and extra horses and pack animals. The group left June 1, 1541.

Coronado never found the Seven Cities of Cibola, but Juan de Padilla and his fellow Franciscans found something even richer. Traveling north of present-day Hutchinson, Kansas in Walnut County, Padilla discovered vast salt deposits in the easily-mined hills. The salt was pure and brilliant white, which has almost the wealth of gold. Swearing his fellow Franciscans to secrecy, Padilla kept the secret of the mines to himself and vowed to return to develop the mines and provide religious witness to the indigenous native Americans.

Coronado and his men eventually returned to their Mexican province, and Padilla returned to Walnut County. Establishing a small friary named St. Noble, the monks developed the land, witnessed to the local population, and mined salt. While the original buildings and grounds have been reclaimed by the land, the ruins of the friary and the mine still remain, still shrouded in secrecy.

Noble Smokeworks Mine No. 1 is located at the legendary site of Ste. Noble in Walnut County, Kansas where the salt is still mined by hand. Or so the story goes…..