4. Lake Valley, New Mexico
Some say that mining is all about luck. This may just be the case for a blacksmith named John Leavitt who took a lease on a claim and two days later discovered the most fabulous deposit of silver the world has ever known. Called the “Bridal Chamber”, this large hollow carved out of an unassuming hillside contained walls of solid silver so pure that it was shipped unsmelted to the mint. When all was said and done total production from the “Chamber” exceeded 2.5 million dollars.
The town of Lake Valley quickly sprung up near the mine in the late 1870s. A stage stop and railroad depot made the town accessible, and Lake Valley rapidly grew to 4,000 residents with 12 saloons, three churches, two newspapers, a school, stores, hotels, stamp mills and smelters.
Unfortunately, the boom was short lived and only a few years after its establishment the silver panic of 1893 devalued the town’s main source of income. A couple years later most of the main street burned down, and the town seemed doomed to ghost town status.
There were a few brief periods of revival during the 1920s and again during WWII when the area was mined for manganese ore. But it wasn’t enough to renew interest in this remote corner of New Mexico. The post office closed in 1954, the last remaining residents left in 1994, and with only a single caretaker who lives on site, Lake Valley is officially a ghost town.
Lake Valley is currently managed by the BLM who have taken measures to preserve the historical significance of the town. There is a self-guided walking tour that takes you past derelict homes, abandoned water towers, a church, a gas station, and bits and pieces of mining and railroad equipment.
Push the buzzer at the old schoolhouse and the caretaker will let you in. Here you will find a museum of sorts with memorabilia and old relics providing a glimpse into life in a rural ghost town in the 20th century.
There is no cost to visit Lake Valley, and the town site is open year round, except Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For more information visit: blm/gov
