Mr.TinDC/Flickr Creative Commons
There’s something about ghost towns; something about standing on a street of a deserted town dating from who knows how many years ago, and wondering where everybody went. That’s usually the first question that pops into my head, “Where did everybody go? And why?” Can you imagine being the last resident in town, how lonely that must feel? Most of the ghost towns in New Mexico became that way because of the death of whatever industry supported the town. The mines closed, the rail road went somewhere else, cattle or wool prices dropped too far, the Army left, things as simple as that.
Lake Valley, NM was a silver town in southwest New Mexico. You can reach it from I-10 in Deming by taking Hwy 26 northeast until it intersects 27. Or if you’re headed north from Las Cruces on I-25, head southwest on Hwy 26 until it intersects 27. Lake Valley is now nothing more than a cluster of old buildings, derelict cars, and bottles The Bella Hotel still stands, sort of. Walking tours are available in daylight hours and the town is jointly privately owned as well as owned by the Bureau of Land Management. It’s off the beaten path, but it is a fascinating time capsule of what if’s.
Golden, NM was a gold town in north central New Mexico. You can reach it by taking Hwy 14 north from I-40 just east of Albuquerque. Golden has become somewhat re-inhabited as the 2010 census showed a population of 35-40. There is a beautiful old pueblo style church built in the 1830’s , and Golden is the site of the first gold rush west of the Mississippi, back in the late 1820’s.
These are but two suggestions located near interstates because that’s how the majority of us seem to travel these days, but there are literally hundreds of ghost towns speckled across New Mexico. Before you head out on the trail this driving season, please swing by PPL Motorhomes for any parts or accessories you might need on the road!