Ruby is a mining ghost town 4 miles north of the Mexico border. Along with the early miners were merchants who supplied them and the nearby ranchers with food and durable goods. George Cheney first opened the Mercantile in the late 1880's. In 1897 it was purchased by Julius Andrews who ran it until 1914. It was his wife who gave her maiden name, Ruby, to the new post office in 1910. The Andrews eventually sold to Phil Clarke who ran the mercantile until 1920, he sold the store to John and Alex Fraser who were killed by bandits within a month of opening for business. Seven months later, the new storeowner, Frank Pearson, was killed by a group of robbers. The last private owner was a man named Worthington who operated for a few years. All this took place before Eagle Picher re-opened the mine in 1926, bringing with it company stores, a school, infirmary, and jail. In it's heyday, Ruby employed more than 300 miners and there were probably 1200 people living in town. Today Ruby is owned by a group of families that is interested in restoring the town.