National Back Country Byway

—From Riches to Ruins —

Why is it called Lake Valley? The town was originally located north of here, and during the 1870's derived its name from nearby relic lake beds. At that time it was just a small stage stop. That location was flooded, and the small settlement was moved about a mile to the southwest. It was moved again in 1882 to the present location after the discovery of an amazingly large and pure silver ore body. The deposit was christened the "Bridal Chamber" because of the sparkle from its crystal encrusted walls.

Lake Valley during the 1880's and early 1890's had a population up to 4,000 people, over a dozen saloons and newspapers, general stores, businesses, and hotels. After the bust of 1893, it became a virtual ghost town. Then, in 1895, the Main Street business district burned.

An influenza epidemic in 1918 dealt a further blow, only to be followed by the Great Depression of the 1930's. As part of the nation's Work Projects, a road, now abandoned, was built from Lake Valley due east to the Rio Grande River. Beginning in the 1920's, and as recently as the 1950's, manganese, an ingredient necessary to make high quality steel, was mined at Lake Valley.

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Show me all markers in:  Hillsboro, NM  |  Sierra County  |  88042  |  New Mexico  |  United States of America

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