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.
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.
Today, Lake Valley is a mere shell of its former self.
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?
Lake Valley Historic Townsite is located approximately 32 miles west of Hatch, via NM-26 and NM-27.
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.
Website: Bureau of Land Management
Phone: 575-525-4300
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.
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