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Dust in the Wind -

A Guide to American Ghost Towns

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New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment has been fascinating ghost town chasers for many years.  New Mexico’s European history dates back nearly 500 years, as the Spanish settled many communities (especially in the Rio Grande Valley) here as early as the 1600s.

Gold, silver and copper mining began in earnest in the mid 1800s, with some claims as early as the 1820s.  However most of these old Spanish settlements are forgotten.  Our focus will be on the American period, which dates to the mid-1800s.

Like the other western states, ghost towns abound here.  Even though we have over 1000 locations in this state in our files, we will only explore a few on these pages.

If you have visited any of the ghost towns in the Land of Enchantment that are not listed here, or know of different information or current statuses of any of the listed towns, please contact us at Ghost Town USA. 

PLEASE NOTE: 

Where photos are indicated thusly (PHOTO!), please use your browser’s “BACK” button to return to this page.  More photos will be added over time.

ANTON CHICO

Guadalupe Co.

Four miles to the west of Dilia, which is on US 84, 26 miles south of Las Vegas, is another near ghost town fading on these high plains.  Anton Chico had a 1940 population of 500, and by 1990 had only 50 or so people.  Founded in 1872, it is a former stock raising center, and supply center for upland game hunters.

BARD

Quay Co.

At one time the class D community of Bard had 195 people, but by 1980, that had been reduced to ten.  In the 1940s it was a trading center for local ranchers and consisted of a “few shacks and houses about a store and filling station.”  In 1997, a number of abandoned buildings were visible off I-40 at EXIT 361, east of San Jon.

BUDVILLE

Cibola Co.

Located on the Laguna Indian Reservation, north of I-40 at EXIT 104, then west on Old Route 66 (now SH 124).  This old town was named after H. N. “Bud” Rice when he started it in 1928.  Remaining buildings include an old motel, the Budville Trading Co, Dixie Restaurant and. Several of the older commercial buildings have been converted to residential use.  At the west end of town is the Midway Bar and Grill and a junkyard, as well as a couple of crumbling adobe structures.

CHLORIDE

Sierra Co.

This old silver mining town is located 2.3 miles southwest of Winston, which is on SH 52, northwest of Truth or Consequences.  The main street of this town still has a number of picturesque adobe, wood and stone buildings.  The silver mines were originally worked in 1879, and by the mid 1880s, some 400+ people lived here.  In 2003 only 14 remained.  Be sure to visit the museum when you come to town. 

See PHOTOS of the Bank Saloon, Monte Cristo Saloon, old Post Office and the Pioneer Store Museum.

CORRERO

Valencia Co.

Located on SH 6, about 15 miles west of Rio Puerco and two miles south of I-40 at EXIT 126 is the site of Correro.  During Route 66's heyday, the town consisted of a cafe, gas station, general store, post office and tourist cabins.  Today all that remains is rubble, and the old highway fading off into the desert.

CUERVO

Guadalupe Co.

This old road-town straddles I-40 at EXIT 291, 18 miles east of Santa Rosa and 41 miles west of Tucumcari.  With a 1990 population of 75, and about 25-30 abandoned buildings mixed in with a dozen occupied structures, Cuervo is a near-ghost town worth visiting.  It was established around 1902, and was a major stopping point along old   US 66.  Today, I-40 bisects the decrepit business district of mostly unused structures.  Some of its more interesting buildings include the rock Catholic church, and 1930-1958 era school.

Cuervo was part of the Ghost Town of the Month for July 2003.

DILIA

Guadalupe Co.

Located on US 84, 15 miles north of I-40 at EXIT 256.  Here Route 66 originally angled to the north towards Santa Fe, then back down the Rio Grande Valley to Albuquerque.  In 1990, this tiny roadside town had a population of 75. 

ELIZABETHTOWN

Colfax Co.

Also known as E-Town, gold mining began around 1866. E-Town quickly grew, incorporating in 1868.  Some of the businesses included three dance halls, two hotels, post office, seven saloons, five stores and the Colfax County seat (1870-1872). It had several thousand people and over 100 buildings.  It began to fade by 1871, and from 1875-late 1890s E-Town was nearly deserted.  From 1900-1905 gold dredging brought new life, but in 1903, a devastating fire destroyed most of E-Town.  The post office closed in 1931, and by 1942 the town was a ghost. It is located about a quarter mile west of SH 38, at a point five miles north of Eagles Nest.

ENDEE

Quay Co.

In 1950, 187 folks lived in ENDEE, which according to the 1953 edition of the WPA Guide to New Mexico was “...a blow-off town for cowpunchers in the early days of its existence, (and) is now a sun-baked ruin of dilapidated shacks and frame buildings.…”  It was located 4.7 miles west of the state line on Route 66.  That would place it at or near I-40 at EXIT 369.  Nothing is visible from I-40.

FORT UNION

Mora Co.

The wonderful adobe ruins of this old military post entice visitors to drive the eight miles northwest of Watrous on SH 161.  Now a National Monument, Fort Union dates to 1851, as protection for travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.  It relocated after the Civil War, and was occupied until 1890.  It was the largest American military post in the West at that time.   PHOTO!

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for October 2005

GOLDEN

Santa Fe Co.

This class D-gold mining town is located on SH 14, 38 miles northeast of Albuquerque.  It was formed from the consolidation of two neighboring mining camps called Placer del Tuerto and San Francisco de Real.  The camps date possibly as early as 1828.  American companies put money into the mines, and when the two camps merged the combined town was called Golden.  From 1887-1892, Golden peaked with the normal assortment of mining town related businesses.  After 1910, Golden faded.  Many ruins and abandoned buildings remain tossed haphazardly among the few occupied structures that comprise this sleepy community of 100 or so people.

HILLSBORO

Sierra Co.

This class D semi-ghost is located at the junction of SH 27/152, 18 miles west of I-25 at EXIT 63, this silver-gold mining town dates to 1877.  By 1879, the community had 300 people and the usual assortment of mining camp businesses.  In 1892 the population had climbed to 700, and it was the Sierra County seat, and had a brick church and a nice courthouse.  Hillsboro’s fortunes fluctuated with the mines, and finally in 1938 the county seat was transferred to Hot Springs (now called Truth or Consequences). 

KELLY

Socorro Co.

This class C-silver/lead/zinc mining town is located a little more than three miles south of Magdalena on the flank of the Magdalena Mountains.  Kelly is an old mining town that dates from the 1870s through the early 1900s.  At one time it had 3000 people, and the normal assortment of mining town businesses, including seven saloons.  Today many buildings remain in various conditions.

LAKE VALLEY

Sierra Co.

Despite the serene name, Lake Valley was one tough little silver mining town.  From c1880-1893 this boomtown had several thousand people and a goodly assortment of mining town businesses designed to entice the money from the miners.  It is claimed there were three churches, hotels, two newspapers, 12 saloons and a number of stores. In 1895, a fire destroyed many of the businesses.  The Bureau of Land Management manages the town now and a walking tour is available.  Quite a few buildings still remain.

MONTOYA

Quay Co.

Just north of I-40 at EXIT 311, which is 21 miles west of Tucumcari, this class C, shipping center was founded in 1902.  Today, Montoya consists of two crumbling brick and rock stores, a two-story cut rock building that looks like it may have been a hotel, and a cluster of structures straddling the Southern Pacific Railroad.  They include an old combination store/gas station and another roofless building advertising "Cold Beer".  PHOTO!

Montoya was part of the Ghost Town of the Month for July 2003.

NEWKIRK

Guadalupe Co.

Located just off I-40 at EXIT 300, Newkirk is a faded has-been.  Some of the buildings in town include an active, Phillips 66 Gas Station/food market/post office; a badly cracked plastered adobe church; mobile homes, cabins and shacks in all states of repair; some occupied homes and a single-story, white-washed plastered adobe motel now used as an apartment.  Some of the commercial building remains include what appears to have been a combination gas station/store, another store and a gas station.  South of the freeway, are some adobe structures.

Newkirk was part of the Ghost Town of the Month for July 2003.

PUERTO DE LUNA

Guadalupe Co.

Seventeen miles west of Cuervo is the junction with US 84.  Ten miles south and then two miles west, takes you to Puerto de Luna.  Founded in 1862, this railroad town and former Guadalupe County seat had a population of over 500 at its peak in the 1890s.  A century later only 130 folks still called it home.

RIO PUERCO

Bernalillo Co.

Off I-40, west of Albuquerque, at EXIT 140, Rio Puerco consists of a Chevron gas station, a combination Stuckeys/Citco/Dairy Queen, two closed gas stations, a closed restaurant and a mobile home.

SHAKESPEARE

Hidalgo Co.

This silver mining town is located several miles south of Lordsburg.  Dating to the 1880s, it grew rapidly after the silver ore was discovered.  It soon had a population of several thousand.  In 1882, its list of business ventures included an assay office, hotel, three saloons, and school.  The 1893 silver panic killed the town, and in 1914 renewed activity created a rebirth that lasted until the mid 1930s.  In 1935 the site was purchased as part of a ranch and the town has many buildings and ruins remaining.  PRIVATELY OWNED.

STEINS

Hidalgo

Along the SP Railroad and bordering the north side of I-10 at EXIT , just three miles east of the state line and 19 miles southwest of Lordsburg.  It is PRIVATELY OWNED, and tours of the buildings are given for a minor charge.   Steins was our Ghost Town of the Month for November 2004.

VILLA DE CUBERO

Cibola Co.

Located on old Route 66, west of Cubero and Budville (EXIT 104), the famed, adobe Villa de Cubero Café, which has been shown in so many Route 66 books and calendars, has been renamed “Country Villa Café” and is now an unoccupied residence.  Other remains include an active Conoco Gas Station/Food Store across the street, and the “66” Saloon and Eatery.  Just west of the saloon and café is an abandoned motel. 

Historians estimate that there may be as many

as 50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. During the next five years, Gary B. Speck Publications will be publishing unique state, regional, and county guides called

The Ghost Town Guru's Guide

to the Ghost Towns of *** ™

These original guides are designed for anybody interested in

ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind them, they will be a welcome addition to any

ghost towner's library.

Thank you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail!

For more information on the ghost towns of NEW MEXICO,

contact us at:

Ghost Town USA

E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer open any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc.  If you do send E-mail asking for information, or sharing information, PLEASE indicate the appropriate location AND state name, or other topic on the “subject” line.  THANK YOU!  :o)

IMPORTANT

These listings and historical vignettes of ghost towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in NEW MEXICO above are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites.

If the reader of this guide is a metal detector user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic hunting, it is the READER'S responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners. Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or local laws restricting the same.

When you are exploring the ghost towns of NEW MEXICO, please abide by the

Ghost Towner's Code of Ethics.