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What
to See and Do
| Where
to Stay
The
former and present mining town is one of the great
undiscovered places of the Southwest. It's a picturesque
little community with a history, lying next to one of the
most remarkable primitive areas in the country, the Gila
Wilderness in the Gila National Forest.
Silver
City is a stop on a favorite loop tour of southwestern
New Mexico, with the Gila Wilderness (north of the town)
as the prime destination. The community is at an
elevation of 5,850 feet, 44 miles northeast of Lordsburg
and Interstate 10. If you're traveling from Lordsburg,
take New Mexico Route 90. This is the most direct route
from the freeway. From Texas, Silver City is about 3
hours from El Paso, and 40 miles from Deming, New
Mexico.
Tourism
is just beginning to catch up with this early silver
mining center which began its existence in the 1880s. The
silver boom lasted only ten years but the state Normal
School, built to train teachers and later becoming
Western New Mexico University, was established by the
time silver mining became uneconomical. Cattle ranching
and lumber helped save the community. The discovery of
large copper deposits south of town gave new life to
Silver City.
The
town has an historic business district and close to
downtown is a collection of Victorian houses and other
buildings which are on the chamber of commerce
self-guiding tour.
The
town information center is located at 1103 N. Hudson
Street (call 505-538-3785). There are a few places to
stay in town including a couple of chain motels. There
are two RV parks, and forest campgrounds are located
north of town.
Piños
Altos, a few miles north of Silver City, is smaller, and
in the midst of the Gila National Forest. History jumps
out at you in this old gold mining town, and visitors
come here not only to enjoy forest hiking, but to cycle,
eat, and take in the local melodrama theater
scene.
What
to See & Do
In
Silver City
There
are two museums that provide information on the early
mining days in this area as well as displaying art and
artifacts. The Western New Mexico University
Museum is at 12th and Virginia Streets and has
collections of African folk art and Indian pottery and
jewelry, as well as photographs showing life in the old
mining camp. The Silver City Museum (312 W.
Broadway St., downtown) is a preserved 1881 silver
magnate's mansion that holds exhibits on the history of
the mining town of Tyrone. There's a recently built annex
that houses other exhibits on the region.
Gila
Cliff Dwellings National Monument
This
remarkable
historic site,
44 miles north on N.M. Route 15, offers a glimpse into
prehistoric Mogollon Indian life. Seven natural caves
hold more than 60 rooms built by the Mogollon about ad
1200. A 1-mile self-guided trail leads to the cliff
dwellings from a trailhead a short drive from the
monument visitor center.
There
are two campgrounds and trails lead to two hot springs
located along the west fork of the Gila River. The Gila
Wilderness that surrounds the monument is one of the most
pristine and beautiful natural areas in America.
Information -- on accessing the trails (including those
that will lead you to the hot springs and others that
lead into the Gila Wilderness) -- is available at the
visitor center.
Piños
Altos
This
village is 7 miles north of Silver City, on the way to
the Cliff Dwellings. It became a gold mining camp in 1860
and was the first county seat. The main street is a
gallery of original buildings. Santa Rita del Cobre Fort
is a three-quarter-scale scale reconstruction of a fort
that sat at the Santa Rita copper mine in 1804 to protect
the operation against hostile Apaches.
The
Pinos Altos Opera House is a replica of an 1860's
opera house and is part of the Buckhorn Saloon (circa
1860) and Opera House. It is complete with opera boxes,
cabaret seating and full bar service. In its fourth
season, the Pinos Altos Melodrama Theatre performs
hilarious spoofs every Friday and Saturday at 8pm,
February through November. Audience members of all ages
are encouraged to boo the evil villains, cheer the
stalwart heroes and throw popcorn to their heart's
delight. The comedy troupe has spoofed everything from
science fiction to Dracula with Sherlock Holmes and Burns
and Allen falling somewhere in between. The Opera House
contains an extensive artifact collection. For melodrama
reservations, and information on the area, call (505)
388-3848
For
atmospheric dining, try Buckhorn Saloon. It's the
premier dining experience of the area and many theater
goers choose to dine before the show. Reservations are a
must for this restaurant as it definately is the place to
eat. The saloon and dining rooms contain a pictorial
history of the area. It's open daily except Sundays.
Steaks are the focus of this historic adobe restaurant
from the 1880s, with fireplaces and a perfect pioneer
ambience -- with class.
Many
visitors come to the area just to get away and try their
hand at gold panning. After a rain, gold can be found in
the streets and Bear Creek and Cherry Creek are always
sources of many hours of gold panning pleasure. Pinos
Altos also plays host to the last day of the Tour of the
Gila, an annual mountain bike race that brings world
class cyclists from all over the world.
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