Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of New Mexico

Written by Robert C. Jones
Kennesaw, Georgia

jone442@bellsouth.net

Click here to purchase the booklet or DVD slideshow

See also my "Nevada Ghost Towns", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of Arizona", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of California: Bodie, Bay Area, Mojave", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of Mojave National Preserve" and "Ghost Towns of Death Valley"

1892 Courthouse at Hillsboro, NM

Published by Robert Jones

Copyright 2003

 Robert Jones
P.O. Box 1775
Kennesaw, GA 30156

Table of Contents

Introduction

Ancho

Cerrillos

Chama

Chloride

Columbus

Cuchillo

Fierro

Golden

Hanover

Hillsboro

Jicarilla

Kelly

Kingston

Lake Valley

Lincoln

Monticello

Old Fort Sumner

Old Hachita

Pinos Altos

San Antonio

San Pedro

White Oaks

Winston (Fairview)

Appendix – The Story of Billy the Kid

Sources

Purchase

Introduction

New Mexico is rich in old mining, ranching and railroading towns.  The ghosts of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, John Chisum, and even Pancho Villa, all players in New Mexico history, can be felt in many of the towns. 

Unlike Death Valley, or many of the ghost towns in Nevada and Arizona, there aren’t many “true” ghosts in New Mexico.  If a true ghost is defined as a once vibrant town that is now deserted, there are only three towns in this study that fit that description – Old Hachita, Kelly, and Lake Valley.  However, I’ve also included are a number of towns that are “ghosts of their former selves”, such as Fierro, Kingston, San Pedro and Chloride.  These towns today have a fraction of their peak “boom times” population.  Also included are some historic towns (still alive and well), such as Lincoln and Columbus.

Throughout this study, I have used a personal rating system (0 low; 10 high) to rank two categories in each ghost town.  These include:

• REMAINS: What is the quantity and quality of remaining boom-days structures in the town or area?
• EXPLORING: How accessible are the buildings in the town?  Are there interesting back roads to drive down?  Posted "No Trespassing" areas are rated low; open areas in National Forests are rated high.

Note that I’ve deleted the “Accessibility” rating that I used in my “Death Valley” and “Nevada” ghost town books from this study, as almost all of the towns herein are reachable by paved or graded dirt roads.

The photos in this portfolio were taken in New Mexico from 1993-1995.  Included in the appendix is a summary of the life and death of one of New Mexico’s most famous historical personages – Billy the Kid.

Robert Jones, Kennesaw, Georgia, January, 2003

Ancho

Background

Ancho (named after Ancho (wide) Valley) was originally founded as a stop for shipping on the El Paso and Northeastern railway, in 1899/1900.  Within two years, though, both gypsum and fire clay were discovered near the town, and by 1902, there was a thriving plaster and brick industry in the area.  By 1921, production in the brick plant ceased, and the town began its decline.  The town pretty much died in the 1950s, when the school closed, and New Mexico Highway 54 bypassed the town by 2.5 miles. 

An Ancho brick

The Ancho railroad station, built in 1902.  In 1993, it was the home of the My House of Old Things museum.

Depression-era schoolhouse, closed in 1955.  At its peak, it served over 140 students.

Cerrillos

Background

• Los Cerrillos means “Little Hills”

• Turquoise mining has probably existed in this area since 500 A.D.

•  Thomas Alva Edison once had a lab in the nearby Ortiz Mountains

•  The colorful main street in Cerrillos has been used is several westerns, including the Disney film The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, and, more recently, Young Guns II

The Simoni Store on Main Street.  At the time of this photo (1993), it had a  Wortley Hotel sign, a leftover from the filming of Young Guns II, when Cerrillos was turned into 19th century Lincoln.  The building on the left of the photo has an L.G. Murphy store sign, another leftover from Young Guns II.

Chama

Background

Chama exists today pretty much because of the existence of its major tourist attraction - the 64-mile narrow gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  The old mining railroad takes passengers into Colorado through the Cumbres Pass (Elevation: 10022 ft.) into the ghost town Osier.  The original railroad, the San Juan Extension of the Denver & Rio Grande, served the mining camps in the San Juan Mountains.

The old railroad yards at Chama contain a coal tipple (1924), roundhouse, depot (1899), a number of old steam engines, and interesting wooden rolling stock.

Chloride

Background

Chloride, often considered the sister city of Winston because of their proximity, is named after the ore mined there.  That ore was discovered in 1879 by an Englishman named Harry Pye.  He was killed by Apaches a few months after his discovery.

The town has two marvelous false-front stores on its dusty main street.

Columbus

Background

Columbus reminds me of my hometown, Kennesaw, Georgia, in the sense that it has lasting fame because of an historical event that occurred in one day long ago.  In the case of Kennesaw, that event was the Civil War Andrew’s Raid in 1862.  In the case of Columbus, NM, it is the site of the last land invasion of the continental United States.  On March 7, 1916, forces of Pancho Villa attacked the small town, resulting in 190 Villista casualties, 6-8 U.S. soldiers killed, and 8-10 civilians slain.

Why did Villa attack the United States, and why Columbus?  As to the former question, there are various theories, the most common one is that Villa was retaliating for U.S. Government support of Villa’s enemy (at the time) Venustiano Carranza.  As to the latter question, Columbus was right across the border from Mexico, and contained a hotel and store owned by a man that may have cheated Villa out of some money.

The raid, which lasted about three hours, commenced when a Villista force of between 182 and 500 soldiers crossed the border at around 3 a.m. (it is unclear whether Villa himself led the raid).  Facing them were 353 men and officers of U.S. 13^th Cavalry.  As indicated above, the raid was not a successful one for Villa, but it had longer-term ramifications for the United States.  Beginning on March 15, 1916, and lasting for almost 11 months, John “Black Jack” Pershing led almost 5,000 U.S. Calvary soldiers into Mexico, searching for Villa.  Pershing never found Villa, although he had several skirmishes with Villa’s men.  It was the last U.S. (horse mounted) cavalry action, and it served as a learning experience for Pershing, who would lead U.S. troops in 1918 in World War One.

Camp Furlong Recreation Hall.  Camp Furlong was the home of the U.S. 13^th Cavalry.

  The El Paso and South Western depot

Cuchillo

Background

Cuchillo was the name of an Apache chief.  The town was named after Cuchillo Negro (Black Knife) Creek.  Unlike many of the other towns described in this work, it’s economic focus is not mining, or railroading, but farming.  It began a slow decline after continued floods in the early part of the 20^th century wiped out a number of buildings (the 1907 St. Joseph’s Church pictured above is the 3^rd church built on the same site), and the mines of Winston and Chloride closed.

Old dance hall

Fierro

Background

Fierro (which means iron) suffered two blows in the 1920s/30s.  A fire in the early 1920s destroyed much of the town, and the mines closed in the 1930s.  However, there is still active mining in the district, and one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world is several miles away.

Golden

Background

• Originally named El Real de San Francisco

• The gold boom was over by the 1880s.  The Post Office closed in 1928

San Francisco Catholic Church, built around 1830, and restored in 1960

Remains of the old schoolhouse

Hanover

Background

Hanover, like nearby Fierro, is primarily a 20^th century mining town.  The main business was the Emerald Zinc Mine, built in World War One, but now long deserted.  There is still active mining in the area – both copper and zinc.

World War I-era Emerald Zinc Mine.  It was abandoned in the early 1970s.

Old Grocery Store.

Hillsboro

Background

• Once the County Seat of Sierra County.  Lost to Hot Springs (now Truth or Consequences) in 1938.

• The town got it’s name when miners drew names from a hat

• $6,000,000 in ore was extracted in the boom days

1892 Sierra County Courthouse

1892 jail

Power station

Jicarilla

Background

Jicarilla is named after the Jicarilla mountain range, named for the Jicarilla (basketmaker) Apaches.  Placer mining was conducted here as far back as the 1850s (Mexican miners).

The 1907 log schoolhouse, located slightly under a mile south of the town.  It remained in use until the 1930s.

Old Post Office/assay office

Kelly

Background

• Ore Extracted:  $30,000,000

• Origin of Name:  Named for Andy Kelly, an early claim-holder

• Kelly had to use Magdalena as its railhead, as the grade to Kelly was considered too steep for a railroad spur.  16-mule and horse teams were used to haul ore to Magdalena.

• Kelly received a second wind after the turn of the century, when smithsonite, used as pigment in paints, was discovered in the mine waste dumps.  Sherwin-Williams and the Tri-Bullion company bought up old mines in 1904, and began extracting smithsonite.  By 1931, the smithsonite was mined out; the Post Office closed in 1945.

The Kelly/Tri-Bullion mine.  Note the twin roasting ovens, brick on the left, and the newer concrete on the right.

Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist, still used on the feast day of  St. John the Baptist, June 24

Magdalena Inn, in nearby Magdalena

Kingston

Background

• The first church was built on $1,500 in donations collected from miners in the town's 22 saloons and brothels

• Located along Percha Creek, so-named, because wild turkeys used to perch in the trees along the creek

• One of the local hotels was named The Victorio, after the famous Apache chief.  Victorio attacked the town with heavy losses at least twice, and eventually gave up.

• The town is now located on a short spur off of New Mexico Highway 152.

The old Percha State Bank.  Notice the "Yes, we're open" sign on the front!  A 1960s photo shows the old town bell located in front of the bank.  It is gone now.

The Victorio Hotel, now 1.5 stories tall.  When constructed, it was 3 stories tall.

The old Assay Office, now a gift shop.

Lake Valley

Background

This lonely little ghost town, on the otherwise deserted road between Nutt and Hillsboro, is among my favorite in the Southwest.  It is the site of the richest single concentration of silver ever found - the Bridal Chamber, from which 2.5 million ounces of silver were taken.  The Bridal Chamber was located in a cavern the size of a living room. 

Lake Valley boomed from 1881 to 1893, when it was all but abandoned in the silver panic.  Some limited mining continued until the 1940s. 

Most of the town is on private property today, and can only be viewed from behind a gate.  The splendid stone gas station, though, is accessible to the public.  Viewable from a distance: a schoolhouse, and many abandoned buildings.

Schoolhouse, with the slopes of Monument Peak in the background.

Lincoln

Background

Lincoln (originally La Placita del Rio Bonito; named after President Lincoln in 1869) is a wonderfully preserved historic town.  And it is the heart (along with Old Fort Sumner) of Billy the Kid Country.  It was in Lincoln that the five-day Lincoln County War occurred, with Billy the Kid fighting on the (losing) side, the McSween-Tunstall faction.  And forever ingrained in our nation's psyche, the old Lincoln County courthouse was the site of Billy the Kid's daring jailbreak.

Pictured are sites associated with Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War

The famous Tunstall store, built in 1877 to compete with the unscrupulous Murphy-Dolan faction

The old Lincoln County courthouse, formerly the Murphy-Dolan store.  The taped area shows where Billy the Kid's jail cell was.

The James Dolan house

Monticello

Background

• Monticello is probably named after John Sullivan, from Monticello, New York.  He was the first Postmaster
• Originally named Canada Alamosa, it served as the headquarters for the Southern Apache Agency until 1874
• It’s most interesting feature is the town square, pictured below

 Old Fort Sumner

Old Fort Sumner was a U.S. Army fort from 1862-1878. It was used as a detention camp for Navajo and Mescaleros Indians, who were brought to the fort by famous scout Kit Carson.  The Fort site is now operated as a small State Monument. 

More famously, Old Fort Sumner was the site of the death of Billy the Kid, gunned down by Pat Garrett in the house of Pete Maxwell on July 14, 1881.  The house was long ago destroyed when the Pecos River changed its course, and started running through the middle of the old fort.

The grave of Billy the kid is located nearby.  The grave actually has two tombstones. The first one was erected in 1932 when Charlie Foor, a pallbearer at the Kid's 1881 funeral, erected a stone using his own funds. A second tombstone was erected in 1940 by J.N. Warner.

Grave of Billy the Kid, Old Fort Sumner, New  Mexico.

Close-up of the gravestone of Billy, Tom O’Folliard, and Charlie Bowdre

Reconstructed floor plan of Old Fort Sumner barracks

Old Hachita

Background

There was probably Indian turquoise mining here long before white miners came to the area in the 1870s.  Originally named Hachita (“Little Hatchet”), it became “Old Hachita” when the 1902 El Paso and Southwestern Railroad town site 7 miles away was given the Hachita sobriquet.  Mining continued here on and off until the 1920s.  The post office closed in 1898.  

Old Hachita is easily my favorite ghost town in New Mexico.  It meets all of the classic requirements of a perfect ghost town – it’s isolated, completely deserted, has many standing buildings, and is on public land. 

There are over 20 standing buildings, including some residential buildings.  Note that the town is in two parts separated by a ridge – the larger site is the one with the double cupola building.

Pinos Altos