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Gallup,
New Mexico
is surrounded by ghosts -- not the spooky, "raise the hair on the back
of your neck" type ghosts, but rather, more than a dozen
ghost
towns. While some have a few buildings, perhaps a mine shaft
and some ruins, other have been totally obliterated and taken over by
the sagebrush, leaving nothing more than their memories and a few
rolling tumbleweeds.
What happened
to all of those towns? Why did they begin and why did they end?
For the first
half of the 20th century, McKinley County was largely supported by
plentiful coal mining. In fact, for a while,
Gallup
was called "Carbon City." Much of the early population
were those European, Oriental, Mexican and westward-seeking American
workers who sought employment in the mines, as well as building the
rails. Many of these early towns were coal mining company towns,
with little more to support their economies other than the mining
itself. In many cases, the town's banks and stores were owned by
the mining companies. So, when the mine shut down, so did the town.
Though McKinley County was created in 1889
and named in honor of President William McKinley, many of these towns
didn't begin until after the turn of the century. Even Gallup,
the largest city in the county, was not incorporated until 1891. In 1901,
Gallup became the county seat.
Camp Heaton,
New Mexico
in the early 1900s. Hard to believe a camp this size has
absolutely disappeared from the face of the earth. Photo
courtesy Denver Public Library.
Heaton, New Mexico
Heaton, also called Camp Heaton, was a coal-mining
company town in Heaton Canyon, about 3 miles northeast of
Gallup. Its post office
opened in 1909 and closed in 1922. The coal mine at Heaton was
operated by the
Gallup American Coal Company.
The community was founded in the early 1900's, and was abandoned when
the mine closed. Nothing remains of Heaton today as its
buildings were moved to nearby
Gamerco, which was also ran by the
Gallup American Coal Company.
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McKinley County Ghost
Towns Some Remnants:
Gamerco
Mentmore
Totally
Gone:
Clarkville
Heaton
Navajo
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Route
66 Signs 
