Truth or Consequences was formerly known as Hot Springs for the hot waters that flow beneath the city. The town is located just east of Interstate 25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces. There are a number of health spas where visitors can relax in the hot springs. The name was taken from the radio program, of the same name, which had a live broadcast from the town in 1950.
Callahan's Antique Auto Museum in Truth or Consequences is New Mexico's first auto museum, with a large collection of antique cars from the 1920s through the 1960s.
The Geronimo Springs Museum in Truth or Consequences is named for the Apache warrior who used the hot springs as a gathering place for his followers. Visitors can drink or bottle the water, which flows from a fountain, at no charge. Exhibits within the museum highlight mining, ranching, military and local cultural exhibits.
Hours:
9am-5pm; Sun:11am-4pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), American Independance Day (July 4), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Ralph Edwards Park is situated along the Rio Grande in Truth or Consequences. It is named for Ralph Edwards, who helped change the town's name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences in 1950. There are picnic tables, a gazebo, a playground and horseshoe pits.
The ghost town of Chiz was named for the Apache leader Cochise. Located 23 miles from Truth or Consequences, the town has only one family and the remains of the Church of St Gregory, built in 1919-22.
Forty miles northwest of Truth or Consequences in Sierra County is the ghost town of Chloride. During the silver mining boom, there were almost 2,000 people living in the town. Today there are 20.
Five miles north of Truth or Consequences is Elephant Butte Reservoir, the largest lake in New Mexico. It was created by a dam across the Rio Grande built in 1916. The lake covers 36,500 acres, providing opportunity for water sports and fishing.
Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico.
Address: Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Box 13, Elephant Butte, NM 87935-0013, United States
Phone: 1 (505) 744-5421, Fax: 1 (505) 744-9144
There are only a few buildings and residents left in the town of Engle, which was founded in 1879 as a railroad station and cattle town. There is also an old schoolhouse.
A few buildings still stand in the ghost town of Grafton, seven miles northwest of Chloride. After a boom in the 1880s, the town quickly began to decline from a peak population of 300 people.
Located 30 miles west of Truth or Consequences, the abandoned town of Hermosa was founded by miners in 1883, only to be wiped out by a flood in 1889. All that remains today are a cemetery and ruins of the old post office and hotel.
Kingston is an old mining town on NM 152, nine miles west of Hillsboro. The town was founded in 1882, and became one of the wildest places in the old west, with more than 7,000 residents and 22 saloons. Today only 32 people live in the town, which has ruins of many old buildings, a cemetery, and the oldest steel deck truss bridge in New Mexico.
Lake Valley was founded in 1878 after the discovery of silver nearby. At one time there were 4,000 residents, 12 saloons and three churches. The last residents left in 1994, and the ghost town is now administered by the Bureau of Land Management. There are walking tours which include the old schoolhouse built in 1904.
Address: Bureau Of Land Management Las Cruces Field Office, 1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, NM 88005-3371, United States
Phone: 1 (505) 525-4300, Fax: 1 (505) 525-4412
Las Palomas was once the largest town on the Rio Grande, but was relocated following the construction of Caballo Dam in 1938. There is still an active church built in 1945.
Fewer than 100 people now live in the town of Monticello, a ranching and farming community established in 1856. There is a cemetery on a hill northwest of town, and a historic plaza with an old church.
On the Canada Alamosa River, two miles south of Monticello, is the town of Placita. There is a church dating from 1916, a schoolhouse, and some other original buildings.
A ranching community founded in the mid-19th century, San Miguel is located southwest of Cuchillo on Palomas Creek. The coffin-shaped San Miguel Church was built around 1910 on a hill overlooking town.
Winston is a ghost town, west of Truth or Consequences. Originally called Fairview, the town was renamed after its founder Frank Winston died in 1929. There was once a population of 3,100 people, but only a few families remain today. Buildings include a church, general store, school and the old Winston family home.
Read Less
Read More
Read More
Chloride - Pioneer Store Museum
Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Truth or Consequences
