Lake Valley, NM

Lake Valley, NM, where there is no lake, was a mining town created with the discovery of silver deposits in 1876. Mining operations began in 1878, and in 1882 a huge deposit of silver just 40 feet beneath the surface caused the town to grow rapidly. The large deposit yielded 78 tons of silver but, as with many other mining towns, the silver played out rapidly, and the town declined after 1893, when silver was also devalued. All of the buildings along the main street burned in 1895.

There were brief periods of revival for Lake Valley in the 1920s and during World War II into the 1950s when the area was mined for manganese ore. The last residents, Pedro and Savina Martinez, left in 1994. Today the area is partially owned by private owners and partially by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which has implemented a program to protect the area. Most structures are collapsing, but the schoolhouse, built in the 1920s and reinforced in the 1960s, is the most well-preserved.

There is also a cemetery about 1/2 mile from the town.

Photos taken June 23, 2013.