Continental Divide – Lordsburg, NM

Lordsburg http://www. newmexico.hometownlocator.com/nm/hidalgo/lordsburg.cfm

Lordsburg is a city in Hidalgo County, New Mexico that was founded in 1880 on the route of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In December 1938, the Lordsburg Municipal Airport began operation and was the first airport located in New Mexico. For many years, Lordsburg has been a popular rest stop for people traveling to and from the West Coast by car on Interstate 10 and its precursor highway. At just over 600 miles from Los Angeles, Lordsburg can comfortably be reached by car in less than one day. Shakespeare, a ghost town 2 miles south of Lordsburg, was a stop on the famous Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route. In 1927, Lordsburg was one of the stops on Charles Lindbergh’s transcontinental “Spirit of Saint Louis” air tour.

Nearby Locations

Silver City – 45 miles http://www.silvercity.org

Silver City is a vibrant community in Grant County, New Mexico, nestled alongside more than 3 million acres of the Gila Wilderness. With historic ties to mining, ranching and agriculture, the community has grown into a modern town with friendly people, growing businesses, and a terrific year-round climate.

Deming – 60 miles http://www.cityofdeming.org

Deming is located in the Southwestern part of New Mexico, 33 miles north of the Mexico border, a land of an ever-present sun and flowing desert rocks and cacti. Deming has been named a “Rock-Hunters Paradise.”

You will find this Southwestern corner rich with history, atmosphere, and sunshine, all in great abundance. The desert with the Florida Mountains in the background offers spectacular views year round. The state parks are diverse from one end of the desert to the other and into the mountains of the Black Range. The water and the agricultural influence make Deming an oasis in the desert.

Willcox, AZ – 74 miles http://www.cityofwillcox.org

The City of Willcox was founded in 1877 and, at that time, it was known as Mahley’s Camp. In 1880 the Southern Pacific Railroad built the Railroad Depot and when the first train stopped in the small camp with General Orlando B. Wilcox on board, those spectators recognizing the General began chanting “Wilcox! Wilcox! Wilcox!” A reporter from Tucson went back and reported in the Arizona Daily Star about the new railroad town known as Wilcox. In 1885, the town had a population of 500 residents. The City of Willcox was incorporated in 1915.

Las Cruces – 120 mile http://www.las-cruces.org

Nestled in the fertile Mesilla Valley between the majestic Organ Mountains and the meandering Rio Grande, Las Cruces, New Mexico is quickly becoming a popular southwestern destination. An ideal location at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and 25 brings visitors into contact with 72 holes of spectacular year-round golf, unique special events, historic attractions such as Old Mesilla - not to mention world-class Mexican food! Las Cruces also blends a unique variety of attractions, culture, historical sites and superb year-round weather with 350 days of sunshine per year!!
In addition, Las Cruces, has received several awards including rankings from Money magazine as one of the “best college towns to retire” and from AARP as one of their “dream towns” to retire. Las Cruces has also been ranked by Forbes as one of the best small metro areas for business and careers.

Area Attractions

Gila National Forest http://www.stateparks.com/gila

In the abundance of the Gila National Forest, in southwest New Mexico, nature provides a rich diversity of life. From the high spruce-fir reaches of an eleven thousand foot peak in the Mogollon Mountains where golden eagles play with the wind, down to the semi-arid four-thousand-two-hundred-foot elevation, vibrant with antelope and Chihuahuan and Upper Sonoran desert cacti, there are six distinct “plant communities.”

With three million three hundred thousand acres, the Gila contains more publicly owned land than any other national forest outside of Alaska. Within the Gila Forest is the largest wilderness in the southwest, the Gila Wilderness. This superb example of pristine mountains, forests, range land and protected desert is the first-ever designated wilderness area in the world. In 1924, Congress authorized the U.S. Forest Service to establish the wilderness, largely due to the persistent lobbying efforts of Aldo Leopold, a former Forest Service employee who devoted most of his adult life to preserving our nation’s wild places for future generations to enjoy.

The San Francisco, Gila, and Mimbres Rivers, the Catwalk, Pueblo Park Campground, Gila Cliff Dwellings, Mogollon Baldy, Castle Rock, Eagle Peak Mountain, Emory Pass, and the Burro Mountains are among the many islands of beauty on the Gila. Other areas of interest include Cooney’s Tomb, El Caso Lookout Tower, Beaverhead, Reed’s Peak, Frisco Hot Springs and Cherry Creek.

Gila Cliff Dwellings http://www.nps.gov/gicl

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse into the homes and lives of the Mogollon people who lived in this area over 700 years ago.

Catwalk National Recreation Trail http://www.americaswonderlands.com/Gila.htm

The Catwalk follows the path of the pipeline built in the 1890s to deliver water to the mining town of Graham. Workmen who had to enter the canyon by crawling atop the narrow pipeline named the route the “Catwalk.” In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps rebuilt the Catwalk as a recreation area for the Gila National Forest. The Forest Service built the metal walkway in the 1960s. Parts of the trail have been rebuilt several times since then due to the flooding of Whitewater Creek. The canyon was used as a hideout by both Geronimo and Butch Cassidy.

Steins Ghost Town http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/steins.html

Steins Ghost Town is a former mining and railroad town named for Capt. Enoch Stein, a U. S. Army officer who participated in the Apache Wars. First called Doubtful Canyon because of threats from Indians, the town survived because of the railroad, with its post office open from 1888 through 1944.

The first stagecoach passed nearby in 1857, en route between San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California. In 1858, the Butterfield Overland State started running here along the route commonly called the Butterfield Road. The town was established in 1860 when the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived.

Today, the remains of Steins are open to the public and can be seen just off Interstate 10 in Southwestern New Mexico. The town consists of about a dozen buildings, including a few decaying adobe structures. Fans of ghost towns usually rate Steins as one of the better ghost towns in the area.