Miniature towns, Ghost towns, and Historic towns seem to be our current adventure. While still in Albuquerque we drove the Turquoise Trail, a scenic trail with several small towns along the way. One in particular that we highly suggest to visit is Tinker Town Museum, a miniature town. This museum was a dream of Ross Ward and he spent over 40 years building the museum. He started carving miniatures while in the service. Today over 50,000 glass bottled form rambling walls that surround 22 room museum. Each room has it own theme and he carved all the miniatures in each room. As he traveled as a painter with a circus, he also collected assorted memorabilia that is also included in the museum. It is an unbelievable place to see.

Next we drove on to Elephant Butte which is located on Elephant Butte lake, which got its name from a mound in the middle of the lake that looked like an elephant …with some imagination. After setting up went to see Truth or Consequences which got its name from the TV show in 1950. Ralph Edwards MC of the radio show was looking for a town that would change its name to Truth or Consequences. Hot Springs, NM was one of the small towns that sent a letter to the radio show and the rest is history. On the tenth anniversary of the NBC radio show, April 1, 1950, the program was broadcasted from Truth or Consequences, NM. Neither town is very large but unique.

Next on our adventure, we drove over to see the historic town of Hillsboro, 1877. It was a mining town that was prosperous during its time but is now a ghost town with only the general store/café open. Other stores may open on the weekend or may be closed for the year.

Still seeking out historic towns, we drove to historic Chloride, a classic old west town. This town was started in late 1870s when a mule skinner, Henry Pyle, discovered the town was rich in chloride of silver (hence its name). Population grew to 3,000 during its heyday but started its decline in mid-1890s when gold was selected as the monetary standard. Currently the town is made up of 11 retired families. One retired couple bought a lot of the old town buildings and has restored two of them. The Old Monte Christo Saloon and Dance Hall is now a gift shop and gallery. Next door is the museum which was once the general store and post office. After being closed for over 70 years with ever thing still in the store, Don and Donna cleaned, refurbished and restored the store to look much like it did in its time. The antiques in the museum are in amazing shape thanks to this couples love and dedication. One thing we have never seen in our limited antique shopping is an old lawn mower.

From here we drove to Winston, population approximately 40, and stopped in an old general store. This was another interesting town with so many buildings in dilapidated shape but still occupied.

Next stop was Ruidoso, NM. The town reminded us of Colorado with the ski shops, mountains, evergreen trees and quaint shops. But there are many historic towns in the area.

Capitan, NM is known for Smokey Bear. Smokey Bear was an actual bear found (May 4, 1950) badly burnt, clinging to a tree in a forest fire in Lincoln National Forest in Capitan, NM.. The fireman originally named him “hot foot” because his buttocks and feet were so badly burnt, but he was soon to be named Smokey Bear. After he recovered, Smokey was flown to Washington, DC where he lived at the National Zoo. As known, Smokey the Bear became the symbol of forest fire prevention. He was so popular that at one time had to have his own zip code for all the mail he received. He retired at 25 years old which in bear life is 77 and the retirement age for fireman. He died the next year in 1976 and was returned to his birthplace in Capitan.

Now if you are in that area you have to drive over to Roswell and see the UFO Museum. The Roswell incident happened July, 1947. There are a lot of stories as to what happened that day – was it a UFO or weather balloon. One story is a funeral director, Glenn Dennis, who was also on contract for Roswell Army Air Field for ambulance and mortuary service. On that day he received calls from the base inquiring if he had children caskets and various questions about embalming. Later that day he received a call about an airman that was hurt in a motorcycle accident and he responded. When he arrived at the Air Force base there were three ambulances that he tried to see inside. He was escorted off the base and told quite harshly to talk to no one about anything he saw or thought may be happening on base or he and his family would be killed. Also before he was escorted off base, he saw one of the nurses he knew and she was extremely upset. He talked to her later that week secretly and she told him that she happened to be on base and was asked to assist the officers who were examining two mutilated bodies. The things she wrote and saw did not make sense. She later drew pictures of what she saw and gave those to Glenn to keep in safekeeping. She disappeared later that week to overseas assignment and he was informed crashed and killed. The pictures depict what we see today and spacemen. Another story was a photographer was shown some debris on an officers desk, went outside and when he returned the debris was replaced with pieces of a weather balloon. So the question is – was it a UFO or a weather balloon that crashed in July 1947 in Roswell, NM?

One more historic town, Lincoln, NM. Lincoln started as a little Hispanic farming community over 150 years ago. By 1878 it was once of the largest counties in the US. Now the population is approximately 35 people. Back then two competing mercantile stores were vying for economic and political control of the area. Open animosity between two merchants, the Tunstalls and the Murphreys broke out in gunfire. A young cowhand, who was a good shot and quick on the draw, William Bonney (Billy the Kid) sided with the Tunstalls. Before the Lincoln War, Bonney and Pat Garrett were good friends. He was captured later for supposedly killing the sheriff and jailed. Before he was to be hung he escaped, killing two deputies. In the Old Courthouse is the Courtroom, Sheriff office, and a Masonic room.