Most People Have Long Forgotten About This Vacant Ghost Town In Rural New Mexico
By Monica Spencer|Published June 30, 2020
×
Monica Spencer
Author
Monica is a Diné (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com.
Stumbling across a ghost town isn’t a difficult feat in New Mexico. The state is home to dozens upon dozens of sunbaked mining towns, military forts, and other relics of its Old West past. While some locations are more notorious than others, there is one spot in southwestern New Mexico that tends to escape notice.
Lake Valley, though parched and crumbling, stands as a testament to time.
Located approximately 35 minutes west of Hatch and 45 minutes north of Deming, Lake Valley was a mining town that is today managed and preserved by the Bureau of Land Management.
The town was originally founded in 1878, shortly after a nearby rancher located silver deposits in the area.
Within a couple more years, the area was sold to mining companies and swelled to a boomtown that boasted a population of over 4,000. The largest silver chamber bore millions of ounces of silver until 1883. By then, the chamber was depleted and the town's population slowly died out.
Advertisement
The town saw a fleeting moment of life during World War II, however.
During this time, the mines were re-opened to extract manganese for the war efforts. Lake Valley was only briefly alive again until 1955, when then post office finally closed its doors. In 1994, the last resident departed what was left of this fading town.
The ghost town is slowly returning to nature, with most buildings standing sunbaked and decrepit in the desert. In some buildings, you can spot evidence of the town's heyday, whether it's in the remaining vestiges of Victorian-era wallpaper...
...or the preserved buildings and rooms that showcase a piece of life in Lake Valley.
Today, you can partake in a self-guided walking tour of the town to see what's left. The schoolhouse and chapel have been preserved to show what they would have looked like during the town's heyday.
Have you had a chance to visit this ghost town before? If so, what was your experience like?
The townsite is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is accessible year-round for self-guided tours. It is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and visiting is free of charge. For additional details, visit the Bureau of Land Management website.
Want to read about another ghost town that appears frozen in time? Mogollon is another old mining boomtown located just a short drive from Lake Valley and Silver City. Read more about exploring this old relic in The Ghost Town Hike To Take In New Mexico If You Dare.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
