#somewhereinthewest

Somewhere in the West

Continuing my month long series of posts with images made in New Mexico with the Great Divide as my focus or jumping off point: two views made in Bayard and little north of town.

This town (and the huge mine to the north) lie on a branch line of the Santa Fe Railway. Doesn't seem like the line sees any traffic at all at this stage, which is a shame as the mine is certainly still in operation. More on that in a subsequent post. I love the color combination the ATSF used on their wooden depots (first image); that spot with the "S" curve on the line show up as Gold Gulch on Google Maps.

Somewhere in the West

Continuing my month-long series of posts on New Mexico and the Great Divide: here's two images taken in Fort Bayard, just east of bit of Silver City. Here's some history of the place...

Founded in 1866, Fort Bayard at first provided security (mainly by African-American “Buffalo Soldiers”) against Native American attacks on settlers during the settlement of the region in the 19th century. It was then converted into the army’s first tuberculosis sanitarium, and later became a VA hospital. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2004 (source).