Elizabethtown, New Mexico – Gone But Not Forgotten
Nestled within the vast landscapes of Colfax County, New Mexico, lies a place where the echoes of a vibrant past resonate – Elizabethtown. Today, it exists as a ghost town, a silent testament to a bygone era of mining booms and frontier dreams. Yet, for a brief but significant period, Elizabethtown stood as a beacon of progress, the first incorporated town in the Territory of New Mexico.
Imagine, if you will, a bustling settlement teeming with life, overflowing with ambition, and pulsing with the energy of over 7,000 residents. This was Elizabethtown in its prime. Now, only sparse remnants remain, weathered structures that stand guard over the picturesque Moreno Valley, their gaze fixed on the imposing silhouette of Baldy Mountain. The stark contrast between what was and what is now fuels the allure of this forgotten place.
The story of Elizabethtown begins in 1866, a mere year after the close of the American Civil War. The narrative unfolds with an encounter at Fort Union, located northeast of Las Vegas, New Mexico. A group of Ute Indians approached the fort, seeking to trade "pretty rocks" for essential supplies. Among the stationed officers was Captain William H. Moore, who recognized in those stones a valuable resource: copper.
Captain Moore’s connection with one of the Ute Indians proved crucial. Years prior, Moore had rescued the Indian, providing him with water and shelter, nursing him back to health within the walls of Fort Union. In gratitude, the Indian gifted Moore with several of the "pretty rocks." The rocks, rich in copper ore, originated from the upper slopes of Baldy Mountain, situated on the western edge of the expansive Maxwell Land Grant. The Indian, reciprocating Moore’s kindness, led the captain and a contingent of soldiers to the source of the ore. There, they discovered sufficient quantities to stake the first claims, marking the genesis of what would become a significant mining operation.
As the men continued their exploration, a fateful event occurred along the banks of Willow Creek. One of the men, idly sifting through the creek gravel with a gold pan, let out a resounding shout that shattered the evening calm. Drawn to his side, his companions were astonished to see the sparkling flakes of gold nestled at the bottom of the pan. Instantly, their focus shifted from copper to the more alluring promise of gold. For days, they meticulously explored the area, panning the creek and chipping away at the surrounding rocks.
However, the season was turning. With October upon them, the harsh winter months were looming over the high slopes of Baldy Mountain. Recognizing the impending challenges, the men decided to keep their discovery secret. As a testament to their pact, they carved the words "DISCOVERY TREE" into the bark of a prominent Ponderosa Fir near their camp. Then, they descended the mountain, embarking on the long journey back to Fort Union.
The weight of their secret proved too heavy to bear. Over the long winter months, their pledge began to unravel. Whispers spread, and by the time the snow melted in the spring of 1867, the men found themselves at the forefront of a veritable stampede. Fortune seekers flooded the area, eager to stake their own claims and unearth their share of the newfound riches.
Lucien B. Maxwell, the owner of the Maxwell Land Grant, including the Moreno Valley and Baldy Peak, keenly observed the influx of prospectors. Realizing that he couldn’t stem the tide, Maxwell, ever the shrewd businessman, decided to capitalize on the situation. He welcomed the newcomers, charging fees for land usage, placer and quartz claims, and levying tolls for the use of the improved road he commissioned. Miners were charged $1 per month for a 500 square-foot parcel, $12 per year for a placer claim, and a percentage of the proceeds from lode claims. While some miners dutifully paid, many did not, setting the stage for future conflicts between Maxwell and subsequent investors who acquired the land grant.
By July 1867, seventeen companies were operating within an eight-mile radius of Baldy Mountain, collectively holding 400 claims. Maxwell himself became involved in mining activities, acquiring several placer claims. In 1867, he partnered with Captain Moore and other entrepreneurs to establish the Copper Mining Company, which soon struck the first lode of gold.
Meanwhile, in June 1867, Captain William Moore and his brother, John Moore, established a general store southwest of Baldy Peak to cater to the growing influx of miners. Settlers gravitated to the area surrounding the store, pitching tents and constructing cabins. It quickly became apparent that the general store would serve as the nucleus of a burgeoning town. Moore promptly began construction on the first house in the rapidly expanding settlement.
The following year, Moore and other businessmen formally platted a townsite, incorporated the village (the first in New Mexico), and began selling lots for prices ranging from $800 to $1200. The town was named in honor of Captain Moore’s four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Moore. However, the locals affectionately nicknamed it "E-Town." Elizabeth Moore later became the first school teacher and spent her entire life in Elizabethtown.
By the end of July 1868, Elizabethtown was home to approximately 400 residents. In addition to Moore’s general store, a sawmill and several other stores sprang up, along with the ubiquitous saloons and gambling houses characteristic of Old West towns. Dancing, dining, and drinking were popular pastimes, and a red-light district, consisting of several cabins, quickly emerged. Some women plied their trade in second-floor rooms connected to the saloons, where drinks were delivered to their patrons via dumb waiters.
Lucien B. Maxwell, envious of Elizabethtown’s rapid success, decided to establish a competing townsite just six miles away. In partnership with several business associates, including Territorial Governor R.B. Mitchell, they laid out a new townsite and named it Virginia City, after Maxwell’s eldest daughter. However, Virginia City was too far removed from the center of activity and failed to gain traction.
The mines attracted a diverse population, including settlers from Texas who brought herds of cattle, establishing livestock raising as another major industry in the county. E-Town continued to grow, and the initial crude structures were replaced by five well-built stores, a drug store, seven saloons, three dancehalls, two hotels, a brewery, and a flour depot. The saloons were particularly impressive, boasting dance floors, gaming tables, and bars that stretched for 100-200 feet.
The sawmill operated at full capacity, providing lumber for commercial buildings and private homes. By 1869, E-Town had approximately 100 buildings. Later that year, as families joined the miners, a schoolhouse and a Protestant church were established, followed soon after by a Catholic parish.
In 1869, Scranton and Aken launched the first newspaper, the Elizabeth Lantern, which was later sold to William D. Dawson, who renamed it the Railway Press and Telegraph. Dawson was known for his strong opinions, which he expressed freely in his newspaper.
Mining activities were severely hampered during the harsh winter months. E-Town’s population fluctuated with the seasons and the erratic nature of mining discoveries. When new gold deposits were found, the town would boom, only to decline as interest waned. Those hardy settlers who remained faced challenges such as drunks, outlaws, Indian raids, and the brutal winter weather.
As the mining boom intensified, it became clear that the area’s creeks were insufficient to meet the water demands of the mining operations and the town’s residents. Maxwell, Moore, and other entrepreneurs sought a solution. The "Big Ditch" was constructed to divert water from the Red River through a complex system of ditches, pipes, and trestles, spanning 41 miles (though only 11 miles in a straight line). The project cost a staggering $280,000. However, due to leaks, seepage, and evaporation, only about one-tenth of the water that entered the system reached its destination. Despite its shortcomings and the need for constant maintenance, the Big Ditch remained in use until 1900. A subsequent lawsuit ultimately banned the diversion of water.
In 1870, Elizabethtown boasted 7,000 residents, seven saloons, three dance halls, five stores, a school, and two churches. The Mutz Hotel, one of several hotels in town, was built by Herman Mutz, a local rancher and cattleman. That same year, the territorial legislature recognized the area’s rapid growth and created a new county, named after Vice President Schuyler Colfax. Elizabethtown was designated as the Colfax County seat.
Like many frontier towns of the West, Elizabethtown had its share of dark tales. One particularly gruesome story involves Charles Kennedy, a large, bearded man who owned a traveler’s rest stop on the road between Elizabethtown and Taos. Kennedy would kill travelers who stopped at his rest stop, stealing their valuables and disposing of their bodies by burning or burying them. These events remained hidden until Kennedy’s wife, terrified, fled from him in the fall of 1870 and confessed his crimes.
The woman recounted a horrifying story of how Kennedy had lured as many as 14 travelers into his cabin, murdered them, and disposed of their bodies. One day, after Kennedy had enticed another traveler inside, the guest asked if there were many Indians in the area. Kennedy’s son replied, "Can’t you smell the one Papa put under the floor?" Enraged, Kennedy shot his guest and bashed his son’s head against the fireplace. He then threw both bodies into the cellar, locked his wife in the house, and drank himself into a stupor. The woman waited until Kennedy passed out, climbed through the chimney, and fled to tell her story.
Clay Allison, a local rancher known for his gunfighting skills, led a group in search of Kennedy. The search of Kennedy’s property revealed partially charred human bones in the fire and two skeletons beneath the house. A witness to one of the murders also came forward. Kennedy was quickly apprehended and given a pre-trial hearing on October 3, 1870, where the witness testified against him.
The court ordered that Kennedy be held for action by the grand jury. However, rumors began to circulate that Kennedy’s lawyer was going to bribe his way to freedom. Three days later, Allison and his companions seized Kennedy from the jail, dragged him by a horse up and down Main Street until he was dead, and buried him outside the Catholic cemetery boundaries.
Another infamous resident of E-Town was "Coal Oil Jimmy" Buckley, who led a gang of outlaws in a series of stagecoach robberies on the road to Cimarron in 1871. Buckley’s career was cut short when the town posted a $3,000 reward for his capture, dead or alive. Two of Buckley’s associates pretended to join his gang, and then, at the opportune moment, shot Jimmy and his partner, returning to E-Town with their bodies to collect the reward.
After five years, mining operations began to decline, and the fever cooled as mining costs began to exceed the value of the ore produced. Most residents moved on, seeking better opportunities elsewhere. The settlement dwindled to approximately 100 residents and lost its status as the county seat to Cimarron in 1872.
In 1901, the Oro Dredging Company began constructing a massive dredge named the Eleanor. In its first year of operation, the Eleanor paid for herself and cleared $100,000, mining a remarkable one-quarter of all the gold found in New Mexico that year.
In 1903, a fire destroyed most of the buildings in Elizabethtown. At about the same time, the owner of the dredge mortgaged Eleanor to finance a similar venture in Colorado. The dredging operation finally ceased in 1905, and Eleanor was left to rust and sink into the sands of Moreno Creek.
By 1917, E-Town’s lifeblood was nearly drained. The mines no longer produced profits, and the town’s residents had moved away, abandoning their homes.
Alice Bullock took a teaching post in Elizabethtown in the 1920s, teaching in a one-room classroom of the old school. However, her position lasted only a little over a month when the Red Bandana Mine re-opened and hired the fathers of her pupils. The families moved, and her job ended. She was the last teacher in E-Town.
The Moreno Valley produced five million dollars in gold in 75 years. In 1956, the old schoolhouse was sold for salvage. A camper set a fire in the old Mutz Hotel, further destroying its remains. Vandals destroyed the Catholic Church and many of the other remaining remnants.
Today, little remains of this once-thriving town. The stone ruins of the Old Mutz Hotel have been reduced to just a few low walls and a scattering of stones. Froelick’s Store still stands.
The Elizabethtown Cemetery is located about a mile up the road from the ruins and overlooks the valley. Elizabethtown is located 4.8 miles north of Eagle Nest on NM 38; turn left (west) on B-20, a dirt road, then 0.3 miles to the buildings from the turnoff.