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Dawson, New Mexico Main Street, 1916
Main Street, 1920's, Carol and Dwight Myers
Collection, NMSU
When the mines were developed
the Dawson Fuel Company in 1901, the town
quickly began to grow as the company built about 100 houses for the miners
and businesses began to move in. By 1905, the town boasted post office, a
liquor store, a mercantile, a school, a newspaper and a large hotel.
But, it was after Phelps Dodge bought the
property in 1906, that it really began to grow.
Sparing no expense, the company determined to make
Dawson a
model city and the ideal company town. They quickly built spacious
homes for thier miners and supplied the community with water from the company's water system. They
also built a four-story brick building which housed the Phelps Dodge
Mercantile Department Store which sold virtually anything the townsfolk
might need -- food, clothing, shoes, hardware, furniture, drugs, jewelry,
baked goods and ice from its own plant. A modern hospital was
built which maintained a staff of five doctors and was complete with a
laboratory, surgery and x-ray equipment. For their leisure time, the
miners enjoyed the use of the company built movie theater, swimming pool,
bowling alley, baseball park, pool hall, golf course, lodge hall, and even
an opera house.
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Phelps Dodge also supported two churches, one
Catholic and one Protestant. Children attended either the Central
Elementary School in downtown
Dawson or the Douglas Elementary School on
Capitan Hill. A large high school building was built that eventually
employed 40 teachers and their athletic teams won many state
championships. The company also built a steam-powered electric
plant, which powered not only
Dawson, but also the nearby towns of
Walsenburg, Colorado, and Raton, New Mexico. Providing good-paying jobs for the
residents, the extra features of the company town helped keep the
employment stable and under the new management
Dawson's population
eventually grew
to some 9,000 people.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated October, 2008
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