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Silver City
A typical western country town. Lots of antique shops etc. SILVER CITY, NM
Took a little side trip to Silver City, which is just 50 miles north of here. There are signs that Mimbres culture were in this area long ago and were mining copper and turquoise for centuries before they, like a lot of the indigenous native people, disappeared. The Apache Indians were in the area and mining copper when the Spaniards came along. Silver City is a very interesting little place, named of course because they found silver and started mining it in1870. Unlike a lot of these silver rush/gold rush towns however, the town’s founders decided Silver City would be built to last and that it would not meet the fate of many mining towns which often burnt to the ground over night. The tents and shacks that initially housed the miners were replaced by houses built with local BRICK! Wouldn’t Wal have been impressed?
Unfortunately, a series of devastating floods at the turn of the 20th century washed away the original Main Street and all but one of the handsome 1870’s brick buildings. But no trouble to these folks; they just finished the job the storm had started, dug a channel where Main Street formerly stood and called it “The Big Ditch“. It lies 55’ below street grade and is the watercourse for San Vicente Creek--I guess the folks downstream weren’t feeling so lucky!!
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Al
non-member comment
Sunny and hot.
It sure looks sunny and hot. A change from the rainy West Coast. Good beer drinking water hole methinks. That pink building looks like it could house a bar. Now I have to look on the map to see where Silver City is and the location of the place 50 miles South. Take care and don't pick up hitch hikers. Al