NM History: The Dead in Dawson

Only in Your State | By Jaymi Firestone

Cemeteries are supposed to be quiet, peaceful places where people go to remember loved ones who have passed. They are meant to be solemn, but some of the places where we’ve laid our loved ones to rest are not so peaceful and solemn. The cemetery in Dawson, NM is one of those…in fact, it is said to be haunted by hundreds of unsettled souls.

If you’ve never heard of Dawson, that is probably because the lonely, overgrown cemetery is basically all that is left in the tiny ghost town, located 17 miles north of Cimarron. It was founded in 1901 as a coal mining city. Homes were built for the miners and their families, and the town soon was bustling with newcomers in search of jobs. In fact, there were even amenities built such as a hospital, department store, swimming pool, movie theater, and a golf course. In total, Dawson was surrounded by 10 different coal mines, and the area thrived for nearly 50 years. Unfortunately, in 1950 however, the area mines were shut down by the purchasing corporation in part because of declining demand for product. Railroads branched out to other areas of the state, and Dawson was left as nothing but the framework of a once thriving town.

Since it’s shutdown in 1950, Dawson has been nothing more than one of the many towns in New Mexico that were left to rot. The cemetery rests in Dawson still, and at first glance seems like a quiet, peaceful place that has just been left with no upkeep. Most graves are overgrown with grass and weeds, which leaves the assumption that there is nothing there but old headstones. Many visitors beg to differ, however.

What history often forgets to mention, is that hundreds of men were killed in 2 separate mining explosions near Dawson. The New Mexico Inspector of Mines completed two days of inspection of the Dawson pits on October 20, 1913 and reported that Mine No. 2 in the area was totally “free from traces of gas, and in splendid general condition.”

The first explosion came just 2 days after the inspection, and was particularly deadly. Work went on as usual on October 22, 1913 until a little after 3 p.m. when the mine was rocked by a huge explosion that sent a tongue of fire 100 feet out of the tunnel mouth, shaking the homes in Dawson two miles away. 263 men were killed when the mine exploded, and 2 rescue workers were then killed from falling boulders while in the mine attempting to rescue the trapped miners. Mass funerals were conducted for the victims and row upon row of graves dug, making it necessary to extend the cemetery far up the hill. The cemetery was marked by white iron crosses and the burials continued for weeks. It was the second worst mine disaster of the century.

Tragedy struck again just 10 years later, on February 8, 1923. Another explosion rocked Mine #1 when a mine train jumped its track, and hit the supporting timbers of the tunnel mouth. This ignited coal dust in the mine and the explosion killed 123 men working there. Many women who lost husbands in the earlier disaster waited anxiously for their sons to appear out of the smoke. Early the next morning, two miners who had been in an isolated section of the mine, walked out. They were the only survivors. The cemetery was extended once again and more white crosses took their rightful place.

Over 350 white iron crosses in the Dawson Cemetery mark the graves of those who perished in the mining disasters. These silent grave markers, some with individual names and some unnamed, are poignant reminders of the tragic deaths of the victims and where they were laid to rest. Many say these souls are anything but restful, however.

Visitors to the long forgotten cemetery have reported seeing and hearing very strange activity. Some have seen lights bobbing around the cemetery, as though men wearing mining helmets were wandering among the gravestones. Low voices are carried in the wind, and moans are heard after dark.

It is said that some ghosts have even made themselves visible to visitors, who have reported seeing ghostly figures walking around. It is also said that some will appear to be visitors to the graves, but disappear into thin air when others approach.