Chloride

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Pioneer store museum exterior, Chloride New Mexico.
museumgift shoplodging

The dozen-or-so residents of Chloride New Mexico live in what’s essentially a former ghost town. It sprung up in 1880, two years after Briton Harry Pye chanced upon silver ore, a discovery he initially kept secret. Word eventually got out, prompting a boom.

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Chloride, in its heyday, had nine saloons, a general store, a dry goods store, a millinery shop, a restaurant, a butcher shop, a candy store, a pharmacy, a Chinese laundry, a photography studio, a school, and two hotels. The Black Range newspaper was printed in Chloride from 1882 to 1896.

The demise of Chloride began with the Silver Panic of 1893 and was hastened by the presidential election of 1896, which resulted in a drastic decline in silver prices.

Today, many of Chloride’s original structures still stand. The old Pioneer Store is a museum; next door the former Monte Cristo Saloon and Dance Hall houses a gift shop and gallery featuring work by local artists. Both are open five days a week from 10am-4pm, closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Apache Kid RV Park offers 5 spaces with hookups nearby, and there are 2 vacation rentals: Pye Cabin, named for the man who first chanced upon silver ore in the area, and the Miner’s Cabin. The Pye Cabin was home to a succession of miners through out the silver boom period, then housed ranch hands and their families up into the 1940s. It was used as a hunting cabin on occasion, but mostly stood empty and unused for about fifty years. It has now nbeen completely refurbished into a modern two bedroom vacation cabin.

Other landmarks in this tiny town include the 200-year-old Hanging Tree (damaged in a 2020 winter storm but still standing) and the Doodle Dum (on the NM List of Cultural Properties), the workshop of longtime resident Cassie Hobbs (1904–1989).

Cassie Hobb's Doodle Dum - Chloride New Mexico - photo by moshe koenick
photo of the Doodle Dum by Moshe Koenick

Among the many mines established near Chloride, the St. Cloud mine is still in operation, though no longer mining silver.

Location

Chloride is located 2 miles southwest of Winston on Forest Road 226.

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Meeting / Group / Event Planning Info:

The ghost town of Chloride is a picturesque and quiet setting for a wedding or other ceremony.

Meeting capacity:

150