The Best Ghost Towns in New Mexico to Visit
New Mexico is home to hundreds of ghost towns, including White Oaks, Shakespeare, Little Beaver Town, and Cuervo.
Written by Melanie Mergen
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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New Mexico
is home to hundreds of ghost towns, including White Oaks, Shakespeare, Little Beaver Town, and Cuervo. As you visit them, learn about New Mexico’s history and take in scenic views across the state. Each of New Mexico’s ghost towns has its own story. Many were mining towns, some were ranching communities, or essential railroad stops. One of these was even a former amusement park. Some still boast the buildings that stood during the town’s former glory, while others have hardly any remnants at all.
These towns hold a whole lot of New Mexico history just waiting to be rediscovered. While some ghost towns are privately owned or otherwise closed to the public, some encourage visitors to stop through and take in what once was. Keep in mind, some towns are more remote or dangerous than others, so do be sure to do your research before adding just any old ghost town to your road trip.
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White Oaks
What is the story of White Oaks?
Before White Oaks was established, the Piros, a Native American Pueblo people, used the area—teeming with game—as their hunting grounds. Later, the Apache people would claim the area for themselves and do the same.
In the 1500s, Europeans on Don Juan de Oñate's expedition noted the landscape’s lava flows.
The latter half of the 1800s ushered in a new era after news spread that gold was discovered in Baxter Mountain. Before long, miners were flocking to White Oaks.
By the 1880s, White Oaks became the second-largest city in New Mexico (the largest being Santa Fe). The town had more than 50 businesses at its height. White Oaks once hosted saloons, churches, an opera house, and brothels. Apparently, it was also a well-liked spot of Billy the Kid, who is said to have frequented its gambling houses.
But the town withered after all the gold was mined. When the potential for a railroad to pass through town arose, locals tried but failed to get two interested companies to bid competitively for right-of-way properties. Instead, the railroad ended up running several miles to the west. With no railroad, White Oaks continued to dwindle into the early 1900s.
White Oaks was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s.
What makes White Oaks special?
Here’s what you can expect to see when you arrive at White Oaks:
- Some of the town’s historic buildings and houses are still standing and well-preserved, including the Victorian Hoyle House.
- Other remaining buildings include a two-story brick schoolhouse and the Exchange Bank Building.
- At rest in the town’s Cedarvale cemetery are some notable former White Oaks residents, including “Cattle Queen of New Mexico” Susan McSween Barber and former New Mexico Governor William McDonald.
How to visit White Oaks
White Oaks lies about three miles north of Carrizozo on U.S. Highway 54.
To get there from Santa Fe, take US-285 S for 75 miles. Turn right onto NM-3 S for 14.5 miles, then take another right onto US-54 W for about 62 miles. Turn left onto County Road 349 for 7 miles. Then, turn right onto Lincoln Ave. for 0.3 miles and continue onto Pine St. for 0.2 miles until you arrive.
Some previous visitors have noted getting to White Oaks isn’t too difficult of a drive, although the roads apparently get bumpier as you approach the town. While some roads in and around town just consist of dirt or gravel, the road where you’ll find the No Scum Allowed Saloon is paved.
Shakespeare
What is the story of Shakespeare?
In the 1850s, before it was Shakespeare, this town was named Mexican Springs at its founding because of the area’s landmark spring.
This spring was a vital water source for all who passed through the area, including wildlife, the Apache, and various settlers—especially those with plans to continue deeper into the desert. The spring also made it a significant railroad stop.
The town would go on to have a few more name changes after Mexican Springs. It was renamed Grant for a time. Then, in 1870, rich silver deposits were discovered and the town was renamed Ralston City for a new financier, William Ralston, then-president of the Bank of California.
Word spread of the area’s promise and the town grew to 3,000 people, many of them miners hoping to take advantage of the silver. But it didn’t take long for that silver to run out, which caused many to lose their desire to stick around.
Sometime later, rumors began circulating that diamonds were discovered in the area, but that was found to be a hoax in 1872.
In 1879, Colonel William G. Boyle renamed the town Shakespeare in an effort to rebrand the town and distance it from that diamond scandal. For a time, the town saw a brief revival as Boyle founded Shakespeare Gold and Silver Mining and Milling Company.
One last blow to Shakespeare was the construction of a railroad that missed the town by just a few miles. Then, in 1893, economic depression forced the mines to close, and most of the town’s residents emptied out by the early 1900s. The town was abandoned by 1929.
Shakespeare was purchased in 1935 by Frank and Rita Hill, who reestablished the town and its structures as a ranch. Today, it’s maintained by the
Shakespeare Foundation
.What makes Shakespeare special?
Today, Shakespeare is privately owned, but it’s occasionally open to visitors.
- General admission is $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6-12.
- There are various times throughout the year that living history reenactments are presented
- Rumor has it that a young Billy the Kid once washed dishes in Shakespeare’s Stratford Hotel.
- Shakespeare also gets to boast that it’s listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and has been since 1973.
How to visit Shakespeare
Shakespeare lies about 3 miles south of Lordsburg. It’s important to note that today, Shakespeare is privately owned. So, before you go, make sure you’re going at a time that’s open to visitors.
Arranging your visit to Shakespeare ahead of time isn’t just a matter of convenience or politeness, it’s also about your safety. Shakespeare’s surrounding area has a lot of dangerous wildlife, including venomous rattlesnakes, as well as mine borings and shafts that could injure or kill you if you stumbled across one unknowingly. “There is also the current danger of drug mules walking from the Southern Border to I-10. You do not want to come across or stop any person walking on the range,”
Shakespeare’s website warns
.Keeping that in mind, here’s how to get there:
From Albuquerque, via I-25, driving to Shakespeare should take you a little over four hours. (If you have an hour or two more to spare, there’s also a more scenic route that will take you through Gila National Forest.) First, take I-25 S for about 183 miles, then take exit 41 to I-10 W, continuing until you reach exit 22 toward Lordsburg, following the signs for “Shakespeare Ghost Town.” Continue about 2.4 miles on NM-494 S/Main St. to Ghost Town Road.
Little Beaver Town
What is the story of Little Beaver Town?
Established in July of 1961, Little Beaver Town opened as an “old-west”-themed amusement park as an idea from Howard Hull, a retiring Standard Oil employee. The park got its name from the once-popular comic strip Red Ryder after its supporting character, a Native American child named “Little Beaver.”
The comic was created by Fred Harmon and Stephen Slesinger and ran from the late 1930s into the 1960s. (That notorious Red Ryder BB gun from A Christmas Story? Named after this comic.) Like much “Wild West” entertainment of the era, though, elements of its portrayal of Little Beaver fall into the offensive realm of casting Indigenous people as caricatures.
The comic reached considerable popularity by the 1940s, but by the late 1950s, it began to wane. Still, Hull worked with Harmon to turn his idea for a theme park into reality.
At its initial opening, Little Beaver Town welcomed a promising crowd of more than 5,000 people. That success would not be long-lived, however—attendance would gradually wane until it closed just three years later.
What makes Little Beaver Town special?
More than sixty years later, very little remains at the site of Little Beaver Town, but here are some things to know about the site:
- Guides and community members have led tours on occasion.
- The land was purchased by the city of Albuquerque to more easily access the public space of Tijeras Canyon.
- TheAlbuquerque Historical Societyboasts upcoming events and general information about Little Beaver Town.
How to Visit Little Beaver Town
Little Beaver Town is near Albuquerque, just off Route 66. Take I-40 E and take exit 167 toward Central Avenue/Route 66. About a mile in, you’ll find the Route 66 Open Space area where Little Beaver Town once was.
Cuervo
What is the story of Cuervo?
Cuervo got its start in 1901 after the construction of a railroad. Cuervo is the Spanish word for “crow,” and the name’s thought to have been derived from the nearby Cuervo Hill.
Cuervo was a rural ranching community. Just a decade after its establishment, its future was already growing uncertain when trains ceased making stops in town.
By a stroke of luck in 1926, Route 66 would end up passing through Cuervo, which helped keep the town active.
Its peak population reached about 300 in the 1940s.
However, Interstate 40 was constructed straight through the town in the 1960s, splitting it in two, and Cuervo suffered considerably.
Still, Cuervo didn’t disappear completely. While it’s dwindled over the years, the area has managed to hang onto some residents, and it kept its post office up until 2011. Cuervo became unincorporated following the post office’s closure.
What makes Cuervo special?
Considering it was halved by the construction of an interstate, this ghost town is one of the easier ones on this list to spot and access.
- Cuervo still has several houses and other buildings standing. Improvements have been made to some over the years, though most are in various states of disrepair.
- One of the better-preserved buildings in Cuervo is a small stone Catholic church.
- An operational gas station still remains.
- Some people have claimed to have had paranormal experiences when visiting Cuervo.
How to visit Cuervo
Cuervo is about 17 miles northeast of Santa Rosa.
To reach Cuervo from Santa Rosa, take I-40 East and stay on for about 16 miles, then take exit 291 onto Cross Road.
Taking I-40 East from Albuquerque (west of Santa Rosa) to Cuervo is about a two-hour drive.
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