Local Attractions & Events

History
Attractions
Events

History of the Area

Mongollon Indians occupied this area more than 800 years ago. By the 1200s, the Mongollons no longer lived here and the Pueblo dwellers occupied the area. And while the Pueblo dwellers also lived in the open as did the Mongollon Indians, they also lived in five of the seven caves above the stream level. By about 1300, the Pueblos moved on and abandoned the cliff dwellings. Much later, the Apaches used the area until the American homesteaders arrived. The last Apache who lived in the Gila area had left by1900.

Geronimo was born at the headwaters of the Gila river, near the cliff dwellings in 1829. He was a member of a small group of the Chiricahuas, the Bedonkohes.

Karl Friedrich May (February 25, 1842 – March 30, 1912) was one of the best selling German writers of all time, noted chiefly for books set in the American Old West. In the books set in America, May described the characters of Winnetou, the wise chief of the Apache Tribe, and Old Shatterhand, the author's alter ego and Winnetou's white blood brother.

Billy the Kid (William H. Bonney or Henry McCarty) was one of the most notorious bad boys of the Old West. History is not clear when he was born or his birth name. No actual accounts exist on how many men Billy the Kid killed or how old he was when he died. He lived in Silver City during a time when life was dangerous, and without a doubt became the infamous Billy the Kid.

Hole in the Wall Gang worked for The WS Ranch as ranch hands under assumed names during the time they laying low after robbing many trains. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were members of the Hole in the Wall Gang. Butch used the name of Jim Lowe, and it was alleged that the gang made good cowboys who did their job well.

Silver City, New Mexico was founded in 1870, as a tent city when gold and silver was discovered locally. Here you can find Billy The Kid's family cabin, his mother's grave, and the Star Hotel where Billy The Kid once worked.
While visiting Silver City, other points of interest are, The Silver City Museum, Fort Bayard (just east of Silver City), art galleries, shopping, and restaurants.
Silver City is located about one hour south of Lake Roberts.

Local Events
 

Links to Local Attractions

Gila Cliff Dwellings:
The Gila Cliff Swellings National Monument lies approximately 44 mile north of Silver city on NM 15. There is a one-mile loop trails that runs to and through the dwellings and climbs 180 feet above the canyon floor. It can be strenuous, but you can view cliff dwellings just ¼ mile in the canyon bottom. The monument is 533 acres and is surrounded by the 558,000 acre Gila Wilderness Area.. This is all part of the 3.3 million acres of public forest and range land in the Gila National Forest. The cliff dwellings were built by the Mogollon peoples.

Gila National Forest:
The Gila National Forest is one of the  nation's largest and most scenic year round recreation and natural areas, approximately 3.3 million acres. It is comprised of canyons, valleys, and mountain vistas.

The Catwalk and Whitewater Canyon:
A metal walkway suspended 25 feet above Whitewater Creek, known as the Catwalk, lets visitors explore the 250 foot canyon walls. It is a great hiking and picnicking spot. It is located 70 miles north of Silver City along US Hwy 80.

City of Rocks State Park:
Looking like a city made of rocks, this park features giant volcanic boulders formed over a million years ago. It is located 34 miles south of Silver City on US HWY 180.

The Santa Rita Copper Mine:
The Santa Rita Copper Mine is an open pit mine and is the oldest continually operated copper mine in the United Sates, as well as one of the largest pit operations which is part of the Phelps Dodge Mining Company. Visitors can view the open pit.

Mimbres Valley & Bear Canyon Lake:
Once the territory of the Apache and Ancient Pueblo Indians, then the Hispanic and Angle settlers, the Mimbres Valley is now peaceful farms and orchards. Nearby Bear Canyon Lake offers superb fishing, birding and butterfly watching. The man-made lake has a boat ramp, several fishing areas and the shoreline  is easy to reach by foot. The Lake has largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass.

Fishing: Besides Lake Roberts and Bear Canyon Lake, there are 500 miles of streams that are continually stocked. Regular fishing reports on the lake are available from the New Mexico Game and Fish Department.

Kneeling Nun:
This is a natural rock formation that can be seen just off highway 152 east of Silver City.

Silver City Chamber of Commerce:
A great source of information about Silver City and Grant County attractions and museums.

New Mexico Cycling:
The Annual Tour of the Gila takes place from April 30 to May 4, 2008. For more information, click here.

Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide Trail is 3100 miles long traveling through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. It crosses through five ecological life zones, and users can take in the topography, climate, vegetation and wildlife of the Rocky Mountain West. The trail's southern node is the Mexican border near Antelope Wells, New Mexico. The trail shoots north through the desert into the Gila National Forest and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness.

Silver City Museum:
Housed in the restored 1881 Mansard/Italianate H.B Ailman House, the museum collection resource materials include some 20,000 objects relating to the peoples and history of southwest New Mexico.

Fort Bayard:
Buffalo Soldiers given the responsibility of keeping the Apache under control were stationed here. It is now a National Historic Landmark and has a National Cemetery, a wildlife refuge and a veterans hospital.

Hot Springs in the Gila National Forest:
In the 1860's the geothermal hotsprings on the West Fork of the Gila River attracted the Cliff Dwellers, Apaches and early settlers. In the 1880's buffalo soldiers were stationed there, resulting in a small homestead, bath house and saloon.

Trail of the Mountain Spirits:
The Trail of the Mountain Spirits is a National Scenic Byway. Silver City is the gateway to this Byway and about half of the byway is located in the Gila National Forest. The Trail passes through the old mining town of Pinos Altos, the Gila National Forest, the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the Mimbres River Valley, the Santa Rita Copper Mine and Fort Bayard.