Lake Valley, New Mexico... A Look at the State's Mining History

The discovery of Silver

in 1878 brought miners

 & many others to the

booming town of

 Lake Valley.

Visitors can tour Lake Valley

from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Watch out for snakes.

About 4,000 people lived in this remote town during the silver strike.  The Panic of 1893 created a surplus of Silver, devastating the town.  A fire burned down Main Street in 1895.

A house on the edge

of town.

World War II created an increased demand for Manganese revived the town in the 1940s.  By 1959, major mining operations had ended.

Many buildings 

are...

... in disrepair.

There's not a soul here,
save Eric & me.

This brick shell is all that's

left of a small out building.

Lake Valley's Church

The Conoco Gas Station

reminds visitors of the

 town's 20th century

 history.

Some hardy individuals stayed on in Lake Valley...  for decades.  The last resident left
in 1994.

From 2005 to 2015 the New Mexico Abandoned Mines Lands Program's reclamation project shored up the 297 abandoned mines in the Lake Valley area.