New Mexico

Ghost Towns: Alma, Cerrillos, Chloride, Clairmont, Elizabethtown, Golden, Lake Valley, Loma Parda, Madrid, Mogollón, Shakespeare, Steins, Winston
Movie Sets: Bonanza Creek Ranch, Cerrillos, Madrid, Cook Ranch & the Silverado Set, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Eaves Movie Ranch, White Sands National Monument, Zia Pueblo

Madrid

The town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid) has a rich history, dating from the early 1800s. The town has transformed from a mining town to today's distinctive artist community. Because of the unique geology of the area, hard and soft coal were mined here with shafts as deep as 2500 feet, a phenomenon found in only two other mines in the world. The area was booming in its heyday, supplying coal for the Santa Fe Railroad, local consumers and the U.S. government. The company town became famous for its Fourth of July parade, lighted Christmas displays and minor league baseball games in the first lighted stadium in the West. When coal use declined, the town fell into a silent ghost town.

In the early 1970s, artists and craftspeople arrived in Madrid. They converted old company stores and houses into quality shops and galleries. Madrid has a mining museum, an original tavern, and in the summer, there is melodrama in a theatre created in the engine house, blues concerts at the ballpark, and walking tours. The Fourth of July parade and Christmas celebrations (the first two weekends in December) have been revived by Madrid's current residents.

In recent years, Madrid has also become used as a movie set. 2007 saw the release of Wild Hogs filmed throughout New Mexico but primarily in the Madrid/Cerrillos area.

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