Category: City of Dust

Pie Town, New Mexico In the pinon-juniper woodland west of Socorro, New Mexico, just east of the Arizona line, is

Cross Road Blues Back around 2013, Vaughn, New Mexico was probably best known for its police force, which consisted of

Paying a Visit to the Williams It’s time to head south out of House, New Mexico, drop down off the

On the Edge of the Staked Plain The more I learn about the Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain, the massive

A Lively and Energetic Place The first thing that strikes one about Pep, at least before visiting, is its name.

Hitting the Bricks Lincoln County, New Mexico is Billy the Kid country. The Kid gained his reputation in the Lincoln

Where Crows Flew When it comes to ghost towns, it doesn’t get much better than Cuervo, New Mexico. Its condition

After the Depot I spend a lot of time on US Highway 60. Not only do I travel the road

The Bridal Chamber Let’s check out Lake Valley, site of the famous Bridal Chamber Mine. Lake Valley lies in the

Way Down in the Mines It’s dark as a dungeon and damp as the dew; Where the dangers are double

Little Place on the Prairie The Homestead Act of 1862 was an attempt by the U.S. government to entice citizens

From what I can tell, people who read City of Dust are pretty much split between those who enjoy the

The Roots of Paris Hilton Around the turn of the 20th Century, a boy would walk from his father’s mercantile

The Last Hanging Crime Someday I’ll tell you a tale of a town that didn’t owe its very existence to

Life (and Death) by Railroad Most of the ghost towns I visit have been written about by Philip Varney in

Cool Water The hike from the Dripping Springs Natural Area visitor center to a cluster of lovely old ruins tucked

Pat Garret Really Should Have Stayed the Night Organ, New Mexico isn’t really a ghost town these days, but I’m

Whiskey and the Devil Taiban is known for its old Presbyterian Church, a lonely, gutted house of worship visited by

Pinto Beans and Singing Conventions Claunch’s position in central New Mexico put it firmly within the pinto bean empire of