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Monticello:
( 25 miles north of T or C on NM142 )
was founded by ranchers and farmers in 1856 and as Canada
Alamosa (cottonwood canyon). The town was renamed by its
first postmaster, Ariside Borguet, in 1881. Once the
headquarters for the Southern Apache Agency, Monticello was home
to 500 Apaches in 1870. It was built in a square to
protect residents from attack. You can still see remains
of the old adobe town walls when you visit the historic
plaza. The cemetery has graves dating back to the
1700s. Mass is said at historic San Ignacio Catholic
Church, first built in 1867.
Placita: ( 2 miles south of Monticello on NM 142 )
was founded by the Sedillo family in the 1840s. San
Lorenzo Catholic Church was built in 1916. The
schoolhouse, a dance hall and some old homes still stand.
Placita means "little Plaza."
Cuchillo: ( 15 miles NW of T or C on NM 52)
was named for nearby Cuchillo Negro (Black Knife) Creek, which
took its name from a local Apache chief. The town was
established by ranchers and farmers in the 1850s and fourished
as a stage stop and trade center from the 1880s to the 1930s
because it was mid-way between the mines at Chloride and Winston
and the railroad at Engle. A few original buildings still
stand, including Cuchillo Bar and Store. San Jose Catholic
Church was built in 1907.
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Winston: ( 38 miles NW of T or C on NM 52 )
was called Fairview when it was settled by miners from nearby
Chloride in 1881. By 1884, it had 3,100 people, a school, bars,
a newspaper, horse races, and featured plays and songfests at
Cloudman Hall (named for the local butcher). Miner, businessman
and future state legislator Frank H. Winston came to town in
1882. He eventually owned several businesses and gave
credit to customers in bad times. When he died in 1929,
the town was renamed in his honor. Winston declined as
silver prices dropped. Today, only a few families
remain. Frank Winston's home and carriage house still
stand, along with the 1890 schoolhouse and other old
buildings. Winston store, Winston Bed & Breakfast and
Cafe (in the old post office) and the Diamond Bar are open to
the public.
Chloride: (about 2 miles SW of
Winston on Forest Road 226)
was founded in 1881 after Englishman Harry Pye discovered silver
ore nearby. Despite Indian attacks (Pye was killed by
Apaches a few months after filing his claim), the town grew
to 2,000 people. It had 8 saloons, 3 general stores, restaurants,
butcher shops, a candy store, a lawyer, a doctor, a Chinese
laundry and 2 hotels. There were 12 producing mines and
nearly 500 prospector holes in and around Chloride, including
the Silver Monument, the U.S. Treasury and the St. Cloud, which
is still in operation. The silver panic of 1893 wiped
out the town, but many original structures still stand, along
with the town's two cemeteries. The old Pioneer Store
is now a museum. The "Hanging Tree" on Wall
Street is 200 or more years old. About 20 people now live
in Chloride.
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Engle: (17 miles E of T or C on NM
51)
was founded in 1879 as a station on the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad. It became a thriving cattle town and
shipping point for ore from nearby mines. Construction
of nearby Elephant Butte Dam from 1911-16 raised the population,
but it declined after the dam was completed. Today, only
a few people remain. The headquarters of Ted Turner's
Armendaris ranch and an old schoolhouse are in Engle.
Trains still pass through town, although the train station has
been torn down.
Hillsboro: ( 32 miles SW of T or
C on NM 152 )
was born in 1877 when gold was found at the nearby Opportunity
and Ready Pay mines. Despite fierce Indian attacks, the
town grew. It became the county seat in 1884 and had 1,200
people by 1907. Area mines produced more than $6 million
in gold and silver. A slowdown occurred, however, and
Truth or Consequences became the county seat in 1938.
About 225 people live in Hillsboro today. There are gift
shops, restaurants, a bed and breakfast, galleries, the 120 year
old general store, the remains of the old county courthouse
where three men were tried in 1899 for the murders of Judge
Albert J. Fountain and his nine-year-old son, the Black Range
Museum, Union Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church.
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Kingston: ( 9 miles W of Hillsboro
on NM 152 )
was founded when Jack Sheddon discovered a rich lode of silver
ore at the Solitaire Mine in 1882. It grew rapidly to more
than 7,000 people and was the largest town in the territory, and
one of the wildest in the Wild West. Kingston produced $10
million in silver in the 1880s-90s. It had 22 saloons, 14
groceries, gambling halls, a brewery, three newspapers, and a
British Madam (Sadie Orchard), who had a brothel on Virtue
Avenue. Today, about 30 people live in Kingston. One
floor of the old Victoria Hotel remains. The Black Range
Lodge is built on the ruins of Pretty Sam's Casino and the Old
Percha Bank is a museum opened by appointment only. Jane's
Wind-Socks, the world's only officially licensed manufacturer of
wind-socks and flags for the Grateful Dead Corp., is located on
North Street. The Spit and Whittle Club, the nation's
oldest social club, dates to 1888 and is still active.
Lake Valley: ( 17 miles S of
Hillsboro on NM 27 )
was named for ancient lake beds nearby. It was founded
with the discovery of silver in the area in 1878. The town
moved twice before settling at its present site in 1882, when
the Bridal Chamber Mine was discovered. The subterranean
mine produced 2.5 million ounces of silver ore so pure it was
shipped unsmelted to the mint. A stage stop and railhead,
Lake Valley grew to 4,000 people, with 12 saloons, 3 churches, 2
newspapers, a school, stores and hotels. The 1893 silver
panic wiped out the town and a fire destroyed Main Street in
1895. Lake Valley is today a true ghost town, as the last
permanent residents left in 1994. You can take a walking
tour of the town. The schoolhouse, built in 1904, is
open to the public. A chapel and several old homes still
stand. The cemetery is across the highway from town.
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Courtesy Rural Economic
Development Through Tourism
(REDTT) Project
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service
575 646-5994
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