Chloride, Sierra Co., NEW MEXICO

CHLORIDE

Southwestern New Mexico is one of those unique places in America in which any road you travel on leads either to adventure or another great little ghost town. One of the greatest of New Mexico=s ghost towns is the little silver mining town called Chloride. Chloride is far enough off the beaten path that you have to purposely drive to it.

At the time of our visit in July 2003, Chloride had a collection of around 25 buildings and 14 people. It is located on Forest Road 226, 2.5 miles south of Winston, about 35 miles northwest of Truth or Consequences in southwestern New Mexico.

A few occupied cabins vie for attention with the remains of the past. A pair of rustic wooden false fronts, anchored by the much-photographed General Store grace almost every book and article about New Mexico ghost towns, and this article is no exception! The store was owned and operated as the APioneer Store Museum@. Please note that all property in town is privately owned. Please respect the rights of the owners.

Chloride is at the mouth of Chloride Creek Canyon and is hemmed in on three sides by the colorful ridges of the Black Range. This 1880s boomtown began when rich silver ore was discovered by Harry Pye in 1879. Yes, that was his real name! After having the rich silver chloride ore assayed, Pye returned to the area with several friends, and claims were staked. Word got out, and a mining camp popped up near the Pye Lode. Pye didn’t enjoy his discovery, as he and a few other settlers were killed by a band of roving Apaches just a few months after they set up camp in the canyon.

In early 1881, the town established and surveyed, and there are claims that lots were given lottery numbers, and tickets with the lot numbers were put into a hat and drawn. Anyone interested in purchasing a lot would bid on the number drawn from the hat.

Despite scattered attacks by the Apaches as late as 1887, Chloride continued to grow and in August 1881 was a full-on boomtown with 300 people. By 1883 it was even larger, claiming 100 buildings, including assay offices, bakery, blacksmiths, boarding houses, butcher shops, doctor, general stores, hotel, laundry, livery stable, lumber yard, millinery store, newspaper, post office (1881-1956), restaurants, saloons (including the Monte Cristo), school, stage lines connecting it to the outside world and Saturday night dances. Population estimates vary depending on the source, but most place it from 500-3000 at its peak. The local newspaper, The Black Range, advertised places like: Corson=s Hardware Emporium, James Dalglish=s store (Meat Market, Groceries, Fruits & Confectionary, Tinware and House Furnishing Goods), office of E. F. Holmes (Real Estate Broker and Notary), The Gem Saloon and The Bank (saloon).

Despite its isolation, Chloride was a reasonably well-behaved mining town, where an occasional Ahappy@ miner or cowboy might shoot up the town on a Saturday night.

In 1893, silver was demonetized, killing the silver mining industry, and hundreds of silver mining towns throughout the American West. Chloride fell victim to this economic hiccup, fading quickly. By the early 1900s the site was nearly abandoned. However, since a few folks did linger, Chloride never became a truly abandoned ghost town. Many of the 1880s era buildings remain, albeit some are ruins.

At the entry into town, several adobe-walled ruins and a handful of standing, unused buildings greet you. Even with its few folks, Chloride looks like a ghost town is supposed to look like! Chloride affects people in a positive light. My reaction when we first hit the east end of town and looked down the main street was: “WOW!”

Chloride, New Mexico is what I like to see in a ghost town. It is filled with personality, photogenic old buildings, and a proud sense of its past with a promise for its future. You can=t ask for anything better!

This is one of the towns featured in my newest book, GHOST TOWNS: Yesterday & Today^TM^.

This was our featured Ghost Town of the Month for Nov/Dec 2008.

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FIRST POSTED: November 14, 2008

LAST UPDATED: January 02, 2009