Want to see a cool and fairly intact ghost town? One of the best is Lake Valley, NM, which is just north of Deming, NM. Gringo miners came into NM in the late 1800s and one of them found a huge silver lode in this mountain basin. Others followed and the town grew. From the official website:

“With a stage stop and railhead, Lake Valley grew to 4,000, with 12 saloons, three churches, two newspapers, a school, stores, hotels, stamp mills and smelters. The 1893 silver panic wiped it out and a fire destroyed main street in 1895. The post office closed in 1954 and the last residents left in 1994. The Bureau of Land Management watches over the town-site today and has set up a walking tour. The schoolhouse, built in 1904, is open to the public. A chapel and some old homes and railroad buildings still stand.”

Before I headed north this week, my friend from the RV Ranch, Ron, and I took an all-day trip from Deming to Lake Valley and into Hillsboro, a sweet, artsy small town in the Black Range. We walked through the Ghost town first, then picnicked at a winery in Hillsboro. Perfect day trip for anyone in Southern NM or just passing through on I-10 or I-25. 
Our route:

From Deming NE to Nutt. Left to Lake Valley and then on to Hillsboro. A perfect day trip.

These photos are teasers There is much more to see, and a walking tour has signage with great information on the town’s history.

Don’t forget to drive all the way to Hillsboro for wine, a picnic, and cigars if you are so inclined. Hillsboro is also part of the mining history in this region, and as we drove the back streets we found the remains of an ancient jail.

Further Information:

Lake Valley Ghost Town, NM

Hillsboro, NM