Baldy Town, New Mexico

Baldy Town, New Mexico is a former mining town in the Baldy Mining District in Colfax County, New Mexico. Baldy Town was established in 1868 to service mining prospects on the East side of Baldy Mountain, notably the Aztec Mine. After Baldy Town's initial boom from 1868 to 1870, Baldy Town suffered a series of booms and busts as investors and prospectors searched for profitable lodes. The town was originally a conglomerate of miner's homes and services in Ute Meadow. Then in 1894, Baldy Town's core was moved to a strip of services just above the Aztec Mill. The new town grew to accommodate hundreds of residents with a store, stables, saloons, boarding houses, a church, a small school, and post office. It's likely that Baldy Town had its largest population right after its boom in 1867, as bachelor prospectors lived in temporary housing. However, the largest official census taken at Baldy Town showed a population of 263 people in 1920. Multiple ambitious and extensive expeditions were made from 1870 to 1936 to discover additional gold veins, but only a select few found substantial lodes. By 1941, Baldy Town had been deserted and a majority of its infrastructure sold. In 1963, the eastern half of Baldy Mountain, including former Baldy Town, was donated to the Boy Scouts of America by Norton Clapp. Today, Baldy Town operates as a staffed camp at Philmont Scout Ranch providing a Metallurgical assay program regarding mining as well as logistical support like food resupply for hikers