Sunday, February 28, 2016

Get the Motor Running: Highway, New Mexico



After last month’s epic 1,600 word post on the bayside ghost town of Drawbridge, California, let’s make some concessions to time and ADHD with a snack-sized post on the tiny dot on the map of eastern New Mexico known as Highway. Located on NM Highway 206 between Pep and Milnesand, perhaps 12 miles from the Texas line, Highway got its name because...well, it's located on a state highway. Locals will tell you it should be "Hiway," but NMDOT has other ideas. There isn't a post office and I don't think there ever was one, although there are a few inhabitants.

The building pictured above is probably the most prominent in Highway (or Hiway!), and was a welding and mechanic shop for many years. At first, the construction had me thinking it might’ve been a church or school. Oscar "Pouch" Lott lived and worked here most of his life and still maintains the reputation of having been the best blacksmith in the area. The precise function of the structure pictured below remains obscure, but if I had to guess I’d say it was something to do with water.

Hiway (or Highway!) is in Roosevelt County, on the very western edge of the mighty chunk of flat land known as the Llano Estacado, and you can read a bit more about that legendary feature in previous posts on the nearby towns of Pep, Causey, and House.



Everything I could learn about Highway came courtesy of Robert Julyan’s “The Place Names of New Mexico” and helpful viewers commenting on THIS post and THIS post on the City of Dust FACEBOOK PAGE.

Soon we’ll visit the twin ghost towns of Acme and Frazier, New Mexico, perhaps 50 miles southwest of here as the crow flies, and not too far from where that flying saucer crashed in Roswell.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

There was once a one room school house there. It was 1st thru 6th grade, then the kids went to Dora for school. My Mom went to school there then transferred to Dora. The school house was eventually moved to Dora and is still there as far as I know. It is located behind the gym near the softball field.

jmhouse said...

That's a great little tidbit! I had no idea there was ever a school in Hiway, let alone that it had been moved to Dora. I'll have to see if I can find it next time I'm through and get some photos.

Thanks very much for your comment, Anonymous! JM

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. Makes me homesick. Any chance you can do a post on Arch?

jmhouse said...

Glad you like City of Dust, Anonymous! Thanks for the kind words.

You know, I have been very close to Arch but have not actually been to Arch. I'll try to make a swing past next time I'm near Portales. My understanding is that nothing remains of the original community, which was 2 miles east of where Arch is currently. Do you know if that's true? JM

hwallace said...

I was born in 1936 near Milnesand NM and went to school at Hiway. There was a store across the road from the school.
The school had grades from 1-12 grades 5 & 6 were in the same room. In 1949 the school close and the students were bused to Dora. I was in grade 6 at the time. My parent move to Oregon in 1949 so I have no knowledge of what happened after 1949.