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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. |
