Historic Mining Town

Snow-covered slopes and a lift station at Taos Ski Valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

In 1955, ski pioneer Ernie Blake spotted a perfect mountain from his Cessna over the old copper camp of Twining, moved his family into a camper, and built Taos Ski Valley.

Read more about From Copper Camp to Ski Legend: Ernie Blake's Bold Vision That Became Taos Ski Valley

The swinging wooden doors of the Bull O' the Woods Saloon on Main Street in Red River.

A Main Street landmark since 1939, the saloon first opened as the Silver Spruce Tavern and took its Bull O' the Woods name from a legendary blizzard that struck in March 1989.

Read more about Bull O' the Woods: How a 1989 Blizzard Renamed Red River's Main Street Saloon

The historic Melson-Oldham cabin, a log home from Red River's mining era.

Mining-era Red River remembers Rebecca 'Aunt Becky' Coffelt for her magazine-papered cabin walls and a famous flower garden of towering delphiniums, columbine, and poppies.

Read more about Aunt Becky Coffelt: The Mining-Era Woman Who Made a Garden Bloom in a Gold Camp

A wooden mining flume carries water toward Elizabethtown across the mountainside above Red River in the 1910s.

Prospectors following placer gold uphill found the Aztec lode on Baldy Mountain in 1868, and the mine produced an estimated $1.25 to $1.5 million in gold in its first years.

Read more about The Aztec Mine: How Baldy Mountain's Million-Dollar Lode Sparked a Rush and Built a Town

The Complete History of Red River, New Mexico

Red River, New Mexico, is a picturesque resort town nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains within Taos County. With a population of 542 as of the 2020 census, it serves as a year-round destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering activities like skiing, hiking, fishing, and mountain biking.

Read more about The Complete History of Red River, New Mexico

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