We do not often think about the people and events that took place before our time. As I drive around New Mexico I often think about the immigrants, Indians and soldiers who may have camped in the same arroyo (a natural gully between hills) I just sped over on the Interstate or traversed the wide open plains in the blistering sun on their way to places like Santa Fe, Magdalena, Chloride, Fort Seldon, Cochise, Tombstone and on Westward.
Dotted throughout the state of New Mexico are literally hundreds of communities that existed for a time and purpose but once that purpose ceased to exist the people that made up the community faded away and the town with it. We call these places Ghost Towns.
Chloride is just one of those places. In the late 1870’s “chloride of silver” was discovered in an out of the way scrape of ground a days ride north of Las Cruces. This was in the days before “gold” became the standard for our monetary system and silver had more value. The word got out that there was a rich silver strike, and by 1880 miners had flocked in and a tent city sprang up. By late 1881, Chloride had eight saloons, three mercantile stores, two butcher shops, a hotel, boarding houses, an assay office, livery stables, a candy store, a drug store, a law office, a Chinese laundry and a millinery store. During its heyday 3000 people called it home.
Chloride started its decline in the mid-1890's, when the US government selected gold as the monetary standard. Silver-mining towns all throughout the West began an immediate decline because the price of silver dropped so low it wasn't worth hauling out.
In 1923 the General Store closed for good. The owner boarded up the windows and walked away.
Well fast forward now 70 plus years to the mid 90's. A retired couple looking for a place to call home made a wrong turn on their way to someplace, ended up in Chloride and decided to stay. They bought the General Store, took the boards off the windows, chased out the bats and rats and spent the next 3 years scraping away guano and picking up debrise and putting items back on the shelves from which they had fallen. When you enter that General Store today you are stepping back to 1923.
They are also restoring what was once an old dance hall. The work goes on.
After walking around Chloride and listening to a great presentation by the daughter of the owners we had a picnic lunch and then walked around the local cemetery.
It was a beautiful day.
On the way home we drove on backroads most of the way home.
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