Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway - New Mexico

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

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Baldy Mountain, September, 2008, Kathy Weiser

On the eastern rim of the Moreno Valley, Mt. Baldy dominates the horizon. Gold was discovered on its slopes in 1866 and the gold rush was on. Elizabethtown, to the west of the highway, built up quickly to accommodate the rush of miners, and was dubbed "E-Town" by the locals.

Elizabethtown has long since become a ghost town; however, at one time it was the county seat of Colfax County and the largest settlement in Northern New Mexico.

Early settlers and miners were "squatters" because everything that could be seen for miles was part of the Maxwell Land Grant, the largest ever recognized by the United States government. E-Town quickly became the epitome of the Wild West, complete with range wars, lynchings, claim jumping and land scams and was ripe for such characters as Black Jack Ketchum and Clay Allison.

Later, when a European company purchased Maxwell's Land Grant, they tried to sell parcels of "St. Louis of the Southwest" to easterners, picturing a Mississippi-style paddleboat on the tiny Cimarron River. Today, there are just a few original buildings remaining, but a small museum tells the story of its rich history.

Return to Eagle Nest by continuing on Highway 38.

Enjoy your trip!!!

View of Eagle Nest Lake from the top of Mt. Baldy,

June, 2006, Kathy Weiser. Get pictures.

Elizabethtown Museum, photo by Kathy Weiser, September, 2008.

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

Native American Photo Prints - Vintage photographs of famous chiefs, heroes, and Indian life in the 19th century.