Chloride, New Mexico

Roger and I both enjoy visiting "off the beaten path" ghost towns and historic sites. After an enjoyable road trip to the Santa Fe area of New Mexico that included Abiquiu and Taos, we caught sight of a ghost town named Chloride on our way to our hotel in Truth or Consequence.

Chloride, New Mexico is a tiny ghost town located just beyond Gila National Forest and an hour's drive from Truth or Consequences.

It was a scenic drive into Chloride off I-25 that we both enjoyed. However, check out this "hairpin turn"!

History of Chloride

Beginning as a tent city in 1880, when silver was found in the canyons and mountains to the west, Chloride's population soon grew to 3,000 people.

A robust boom town, by late 1881, Chloride had eight saloons, three mercantile stores, two butcher shops, a hotel, boarding houses, an assay office livery stables, a candy store, a drug store, a law office, and Chinese laundry, and a millinery store.

Chloride New Mexico 1884 photo courtesy of Western Mining History

Chloride and the surrounding area began to decline with the silver panic of 1893, when the country went on the gold standard and silver prices dropped about 90 percent.

Many of Chloride's original buildings are still standing today. Below I'm including a few photos I took during the day: the Monte Christo Saloon, the Pioneer Store, the Grafton Cabin, adobe miners cabins now renting as vacation cabins, the Chloride Bank, the Star Saloon building, the Judges office that later became the post office, and the original fort.

We enjoyed our day in Chloride and what a great surprise it was! The family that took over the renovation of the town was welcoming and informative. There is so much history and in a place I have never heard about.

For more information about the renovation of Chloride visit Chloride New Mexico (sierracountynewmexico.info)