HISTORY

About 23 miles north of Carrizozo, New Mexico is the ghost town of Ancho, a former railroad and ranching community. The settlement was established at the turn of the century when families began to settle the fertile valley, followed by a number of homesteaders who became the area’s first sheep and cattle ranchers.  Miners also roamed the local hills in search of precious metals.

In 1901, a gypsum deposit was discovered and the Gypsum Product Company’s plaster mill was established.  A settler by the name of Bosque came to the area from Iowa and established the Ancho Brick Plant in 1905.  That same year, the railroad pushed through town and the depot was built.

In 1906, after the devastating earthquake and fire in San Francisco, Ancho was busy shipping plaster and brick to the ravaged city.   In 1917, the brick plant was sold to the Phelps Dodge Corporation, who built a new sixteen-kiln plant at a cost of $150,000. However, the acquisition proved to be unprofitable, as the plant went bankrupt in 1921.  The town survived, supported primarily by the railroad and ranching industries.

In 1930, Ancho’s one room school house burned down and was replaced by the brick school that continues to stand today.  However, the town of Ancho was on a downhill trend.  The school closed in 1955, the train ceased service in 1959 and the post office closed in 1969.

MODELING ANCHO IN 1955

Ancho is modeled as if the brick company survived as a smaller operation.   Because of the large ranching population, the stock pen siding, which is modeled, continued to ship cattle until the Southern Pacific railroad cancelled service.

The town has a long lead from the mainline to the two spurs plus a short switching spur.   The town is serviced by two trains: the Stock Extra and a local freight.   Crews are faced with the challenge of switching Ancho without using the EP&NE mainline.

An eastward departure toward Capitan requires that crews check signal indications