MARCH 2023 UPDATE: I am beyond thrilled to be able to make available here one of only two known firsthand descriptions of life in Ricardo, New Mexico. This account, spanning from 1908-1916, is contained within Zorene Thompson's wonderful memoir, "OUR LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE." In addition, there's an ADDENDUM TO CHAPTER 5, which goes deeper into the story of Della Carley, who shot two people at the Ricardo post office in 1912. To download the PDF's, just right-click on the file names above and do the ol' "Save Link As..." trick. A big City of Dust thank you is due to Zorene Thompson's son, Ray Mack Thompson, for assembling his mother's rare story and making it available to all, a true labor of love! Thanks also to Jacalyn Carley, the granddaughter of Della Carley, for generously providing a chapter from her own family's history in Ricardo!
Ricardo, New Mexico, is yet another of the many towns that came to life seemingly overnight as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF RR) built the Belen Cut-off through the east-central part of the state. Located in De Baca County, a few miles south of Highway 60, the recorded history of Ricardo appears to be scant at best. The village’s name is thought to have been that of a railroad official, and Ricardo, right along the tracks, was an AT&SF RR section house and water station.
Sadly, on the night of May 6, 1908, a massive fire started in the large Grosh and Strayhorn store, spreading to the Ricardo Hotel, the barbershop, and most of the town. The Santa Fe New Mexican said that Ricardo was "reduced to ashes." However, rebuilding commenced, and the post office opened the same year, doing business until 1956, after which point the mail went to Fort Sumner. There was also a schoolhouse, which I’ve been told was comparable in size to the First Presbyterian Church of Taiban. In the late-1950s, the school was purchased and hauled away so the lumber could be reused. A vintage photo of the train depot would seem to indicate that Ricardo at one point had "the one and ONLY flower garden" in De Baca County.
While virtually none of Ricardo is as it was (the post office became part of a ranch home; a general store collapsed), one gem does persist—at least for now—and that is a wonderful and spacious two-story rock and plaster structure, which may have been contructed in 1908 as a tuberculosis sanatorium that never held any patients.
In the late 1920s, it's said that locomotive firemen who provided assistance shoveling coal to get freight trains up the long hill to Vaughn were briefly stationed here. It was headquarters to the adjacent ranch, as well. A later renovation for a family home was found to be impossible and now it is quite near collapse. However, having become the lone sentinel over this small part of the eastern plains, much of its old charm and majesty somehow remains. It’s not hard to imagine a family tending the stone walkway, or perhaps lounging on the porch of a fine spring morning, the wildflowers blooming way-off into the distance. If you’re quiet, beneath the prairie wind you can almost hear boots slowly climbing the shattered wooden stairs.
You don’t have to be quiet to hear cows though, a couple dozen of which may be quite excited to see you until they learn you have no food. Then they just seem vaguely hostile. I assume the concrete structure below was once used to water such cattle, but I’m not certain. Perhaps someone can provide some insight.
I should also mention that not only is Ricardo remote, it's on private ranchland. At one time I thought it might've been owned by the railroad, but that's not the case. So unless you have an invitation and a way with cows, it is best not to just show up on the porch of the last house in Ricardo.
And that's all I know about the ghost town of Ricardo. I would love to hear more from anyone that might have something to tell, so please leave a comment if you do. For now, “The Place Names of New Mexico” has the most to say, and I picked up a bit more info from some knowledgeable viewers of the City of Dust Facebook page. The short news piece, "Fire Wipes Out Ricardo," was published by the Sante Fe New Mexican on May 8, 1908. I got the vintage photo from NM ghost town photographer Beata Certo, but no one knows the original source. Anyway, thanks, folks!
Next time I believe we’ll visit Contreras, down in Socorro County.
22 comments:
You found a really obscure one this time. I’ve been up and down Hwy 60 many times and never even heard of this place. Then again De Baca County has a total population of around 2,000 including the metropolis of Fort Sumner, whose population is about 1,000 itself.
Piqued with interest as to which NM county had the least, with a little googling, I found that Harding County had even less, standing at 695 total with the county seat of Mosquero having 93 souls. There’s got to be some ghost towns there!
Oh yeah, CoastConFan, Ricardo is out there a bit. While it is south of Highway 60, and not far from Fort Sumner, really, you would never know it was there unless you were looking for it. And, heck, even then you might not find it. There is not exactly an abundance of signage to guide the way.
As for Harding County, your message is quite timely. There are indeed ghosts in them thar hills! In fact, no other part of New Mexico is demanding my attention more than Harding County. In particular, the towns along Highway 3 (such as Villanueva) and Highway 39 (around Roy and Mills, which are not far from Mosquero). I hope to be able to file a report from there soon.
Thanks for mentioning Harding County! I hope you're doing well! JM
Heya John,
THought I would cut and paste a U.S. Ghostown trip connecting a shitload of them. FYI http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/usa/ultimate-ghost-town-roadtrip-usa/?utm_source=hao&utm_medium=hoapage&utm_campaign=oiys
Hey, that's cool, Viacomclosedmedown on youtube! I'd love to take that trip, although I bet I'd get so distracted I'd never finish. Actually, that doesn't really sound like a problem!
Thanks for the link. Hope you're doing well! JM
My Dad is from Yeso and he has a world of knowledge about Debaca county's old places. he drove cattle to just about all of the railroad points at one time or another. I'll see if I can get some more background and pass it along.
Here's another shorter route right in Nevada: http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/atlas-obscuras-great-nevada-road-trip?utm_medium=am
Yeah, doing O.K.--hopefully the extreme record buying is starting to decline at the blog but still got 12 boxes or so to rip and listen to for the first time--been converting 20 vinyl per week since 2008 at the blog! I gotta get a life eh? Keep up the good work. Ta Ta
Pat Wright, I would *love* to hear anything about DeBaca County that your father has to share. Not only is Ricardo in DeBaca County, but two more of my favorite (semi-)ghost towns, YESO and TAIBAN!
Thanks very much for your comment, and please feel free to send anything you might learn our way! JM
Thanks, Viacomclosedmedown on youtube! That's a cool link. I was just talking the other day about exploring Nevada. In fact, I even have a book on US Highway 50, "The Loneliest Highway in America." Talk about an enticing road trip! I do indeed need to get to Nevada ASAP, and as I may end up job-hunting (again) within the next 12 months, I might just have some time.
Hey, you won't find me discouraging anyone from extreme record buying! I've overrun all my shelves and boxes and now records are spilling all over the floor. Keep up the good work yourself! JM
After reading about dusty cities i must say that you have to read Top 10 dangerous cities
Daniel, I have only been to one of those cities (Cape Town), but I really want to take a walking tour of Juarez. Seriously!
Thanks for the link! JM
My great grandmother is from Ricardo, so I thought I’d let you know that there was no hotel, the building you show as the hotel is actually a two two story home that was built and owned by the Michaels family. They had seven children that lived upstairs. It was also one of the first homes in the area to have indoor plumbing. The toilet was underneath the stairs adjoining the kitchen and parents bedroom.
Thank you for your message, Katherine Hicks. That is very interesting info indeed and it would make some sense for the building to be a home, although I've never seen a mention that didn't call it a "hotel." Still, errors do get propagated and propagated again. Ahem.
Have you ever seen it documented elsewhere as a house? Even in private photos? I'd love to have a paper source for future references.
Thanks again! JM
I grew up on the ranch that now encompasses ricardo.there are many different graveyards that are scattered throughout the area after small pox passed through the area. The two story home is in shambles but as a kid I remember pictures and various other items that were left behind.The old general store has since collapsed but the foundation is still there and many other interesting sights including another house about a mile to the west of the old town. The post office is now part of the ranch home that my grandfather built onto in the 50's next to the barn and tack sheds which used to be a shipping and livery depot from what I was told. Much of those structures are still standing originals with the old air hangar that was built early 1900's. It was quite the place to grow up as a kid and learning the history behind it has been fascinating.
Thank you very much for that comment, Unknown! It brings up many questions. First, do you know anything about that two-story house? Who might've lived there or when it was built? I'd first heard it referred to as the Ricardo Hotel, but I think that it's now clear that it was not a hotel. Also, where was the general store? Perhaps next to the house? There is what appears to be a foundation nearby. I would've really loved to get some photographs of the store before it collapsed. Heck, I'd just like to *see* a photograph of it. Finally, are you saying that your grandfather lived in the post office after building on an addition? That's really great! I'd love to see a photo of that, too. Oh...and an old airplane hangar is also out there somewhere?!
Anyway, thanks again for leaving your recollections. It's hard to get much information on Ricardo and I don't come across many (any?) firsthand memories as vivid and detailed as yours! Best, JM
My grandmother, Mable Reed Todd said the family moved from Indiana to Ricardo. She was born in 1902 and my great grandfather, James Oliver Reed worked for the railroad. She said they lived in a small house in Ricardo and she and her siblings would take a basket and gather cow chips that were used to heat the house and for cooking. She said Ricardo was always a small town and they lived there until 1911, when the railroad moved her father to Bridgeport, Oklahoma. I took my grandmother back to Ricardo in 1976 and there was not much left and she pointed out where the house was located but nothing was left. She said she had memories of Ricardo as a little girl, but not were good.
Thank you for sharing that family history, Unknown. Life on New Mexico's eastern plains was indeed difficult and the region remains sparsely populated. In fact, it is becoming more so. It's always wise not to romanticize the "simpler times" of the past too much! Heating and cooking with cow chips was common, but surely less than ideal.
It sounds like your grandmother would've lived in Ricardo when they had a major fire on May 6, 1908, which spread throughout most of the town. That must've been harrowing, and is only one among a number of reasons why little of Ricardo could be found when you visited in 1976.
Thanks again, and take care! JM
My dad rode the rails and worked his way from Oklahoma to California during the 1930 Census for Ricardo, De Baca, NM. He was staying in a railroad furnished home on Arguello Street. Thank you for your dedication and your choices. It is difficult some times to fill in the gaps from a census.
Thank you for your comment and kind words, ksgrdn. Would that be Arguello Street in Ricardo? I'm not sure I've ever come across a street name from the village previously, so that is very interesting. Your father must have had quite a journey, that's for sure.
It does get very difficult indeed to fill in the gaps!
Thanks again! JM
My mother was born in Ricardo, New Mexico in 1931 I have told her about this information and she is going to go through her photos to see what she still has. Her and her siblings went to school in Ricardo until 1942 when they moved to Ft. Sumner New Mexico.
Sorry forgot to mention that the two story house was owned by The Mitchells who did have 7 kids.
Kandy Brazell, thank you for getting in touch! There is so little historical documentation of Ricardo that any photos at all would be incredible to see. A man named Ray Thompson is about to publish his mother's recollections of growing up in Ricardo, although I believe his family--the Todd's--would've left the area before your mother was born.
In any case, if your mother turns anything up, I can be contacted via email at jmhouse(at)cityofdust(dot)(com). Also, if you'd like to read Mr. Thompson's book about homesteading in Ricardo, you can get in touch with him at the Ricardo New Mexico Homesteads Facebook page, if you haven't already.
Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon! JM
Se suicidó un español en Ricardo, N. México
ALBURQUERQUE, Enero 28.— Mariano Uca es el nombre de un individuo de origen español, que se suicidó arrojándose bajo las ruedas de un tren en marcha, en Ricardo, hace tres días.
Personas que presenciaron el hecho dicen que Uca caminaba al lado de la vía del ferrocarril, mientras un convoy de pasajeros se acercaba a toda velocidad; que Uca se lanzó a la vía en los precisos momentos en que el tren pasaba, siendo terriblemente despedazado.
El suicida, que según informaciones estaba radicado en este país desde hace algunos meses, se hospedaba en un hotel de Ricardo; y según el decir de algunas personas, se sospechaba que no era dueño de todas sus facultades.
Entre sus ropas se encontraron una libranza por $1500 contra un banco español y cuarenta pesos en moneda americana.
No se sabe si habrá dejado deudos en este país.
(La Prensa, San Antonio, Tx., 29-I-1918 p. 8)
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