NM History: The Abandoned Mine Town In New Mexico is a Gold Mine for Hauntings From The Past

Only in Your State | New Mexico | by E Jamar | Photos courtesy of Trip Advisor | Revised Jaymi Firestone

The Land of Enchantment is full of eerie ghost towns that shine a light on some of our darkest pieces of history.

Hidden deep in the plateaus of Northern New Mexico, just south of Navajo Nation, is an abandoned mining town that was once booming with business is now the shell of a failed venture and filled with bone-chilling remnants of what once was. It is also one of the few you can still visit freely since a portion of it is not on private property. Let’s peek into the hauntings of the past in this ghost town near Hillsboro.

Lake Valley used to be a popular mining town near Hillsboro, but now this little town has been desolate for years.

Back in 1876, this town was full of life and had more than 4,000 residents. When a prospector struck silver in one of the mines, Lake Valley instantly became a mining town and sold its goods for several years.

The “Bridal Chamber” was a tunnel completely lined with silver, and struck more than 78 tons of silver. Unfortunately, this bout of luck was never repeated and the mining town was also ambushed by the Apaches. By 1883, the residents’ luck — and the mines — were all dried up.

Besides a brief use of the mining town during WWII, the town was deserted and the last resident of Lake Valley left in 1994.

Now, part of the property that was once an incredible town is privately owned, but another part of it is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

You can visit this town freely, but only during the day as access has been restricted. The old schoolhouse and chapel have been restored, though the rest of the town has been left untouched.

A self-guided walking tour is available Thursday through Monday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.This Sierra County town used to be full of life, but now only you can decide if anything is still living amongst these empty streets.