Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the old Dawson, New Mexico Cemetery holds not only the remains of the many men and women who lived in this now empty coal camp, but also hundreds of white crosses commemorating the town’s many mining disasters. Coal mines were first developed here in 1901 and really began to be developed after Phelps Dodge bought the property in 1906, developing a company town and many businesses for the some 9,000 people that called Dawson home. Quickly, it became a mecca for miners from all over the world with immigrants arriving from Italy, China, Poland, Germany, Greece, Britain, Finland, Sweden, and Mexico.

But, from the beginning, Dawson was stepped in tragedies. The first mining disaster occurred on September 14, 1903 when fire broke out in the No. 1 Mine, followed by several explosions. With the grace of God, 500 miners escaped. The men worked for a week to control the fire and when it was over three were dead. Unfortunately, this was just a "prediction” of what was yet to come.