_by_ Paige W. Christiansen
When driving across New Mexico or when visiting some part of the state,
one should be aware of the wealth of history that is always close at
hand. Many people, when faced with what seems like endless miles of
empty country, fail to realize that the very emptiness is one of the
charms of the state. They also do not recognize that in the vast
expanses of mountain and desert, people of the ancient past or a recent
past have lived and worked and died. Sometimes the fruits of their labor
are clear and evident and live on in cities and towns. In many
instances, however, the mountains and desert have reclaimed their own
and the works of man have succumbed. A mental picture must be cast over
the landscape on which great historical events took place but which is
almost empty of signs of man’s efforts. If travelers are fortunate,
there may still be some sign—a ghost town, a ruined ranch, some old
artifacts—to tell the story; if not, imagination must be given rein. The
search is the adventure, and to give aid in that search, the following
might suffice as a faint guiding light.
To simplify the descriptions of these reminders of the past, New Mexico
is divided into seven geographical regions which a traveler might well
visit:
1. _North from Santa Fe_, including U.S. Highways 64, 285, and 84, and
connecting state highways.
2. _The northeast_, including U.S. 85 from Santa Fe to Raton, U.S. 66
east from Albuquerque to the Texas line, U.S. 56 from Springer to the
state line, and connecting state highways.
3. _The northwest_, including U.S. 66 west from Albuquerque to the
Arizona line, U.S. 666 north from Gallup to Colorado, and State
Highway 44 from Bernalillo to Farmington.
4. _East-central_, including U.S. 60 east from Bernardo, U.S. 380 east
from San Antonio, U.S. 70 from the Mescalero Indian Reservation to the
Texas line, U.S. 285 from Clines Corners to Roswell, U.S. 54 from
Three Rivers to Santa Rosa, and connecting state highways.
5. _West-central_, including U.S. 60 west of Socorro, U.S. 180-260 and
State Highway 12 in Catron County, U.S. 85 from Los Lunas to Elephant
Butte, and connecting state highways.
6. _Southeast_, including U.S. 70 from Las Cruces to the Mescalero
Indian Reservation, U.S. 54 from El Paso to Three Rivers, U.S. 62 from
Hobbs to the Texas line, U.S. 285 from Roswell to the Texas line, and
numerous state roads.
7. _Southwest_, including U.S. 85 from Truth or Consequences to El
Paso, U.S. 180 north from Deming to the Catron county line, U.S. 70-80
west from Las Cruces to Arizona, and state roads.