New Mexico State Road 27 (NM 27) is a paved, two-lane
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in
Sierra and
Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin
* Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon
Luna may also refer to:
Places Philippines
* Luna, Apayao
* Luna, Isabela
* Luna, La Union
* Luna, San Jose
Roma ...
counties in the U.S. state of
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
. It travels south-to-north over the eastern flank of the
Black Range
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
.
The southern terminus of NM 27 is at intersection with
NM 26 near a ghost town of
Nutt Nutt is an English surname.
List of people surnamed Nutt
*Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), British publisher
* Alfred Young Nutt (1847–1924), English architect and artist
* Commodore Nutt (1844–1881), American dwarf who worked for P. T. Barnum
*Danny ...
. The northern terminus is in
Hillsboro where it intersects
NM 152.
NM 27 is a part of
Lake Valley Back Country Byway.
Route description
The highway begins in a ghost town of
Nutt Nutt is an English surname.
List of people surnamed Nutt
*Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), British publisher
* Alfred Young Nutt (1847–1924), English architect and artist
* Commodore Nutt (1844–1881), American dwarf who worked for P. T. Barnum
*Danny ...
. Formerly this was the point at which the spur left the main trunk of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison, Kansas, Atchison and Top ...
railroad and headed north to a mining community of
Lake Valley. For the first NM 27 runs concurrently with
Luna County
Luna County is a List of counties in New Mexico, county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 25,095. Its county seat is Deming, New Mexico, Deming. This county abuts the M ...
CR A027. The road passes through the Chihuahuan grasslands between the Nutt and Round Mountains. At 12.9 miles NM 27 reaches a former mining town of
Lake Valley. The town is a preserved ghost town most famous for its silver mining. Silver was first discovered here in 1876 and for the period from 1878 through 1931 5.8 million ounces or 180 metric tons of silver was mined. At 17.3 miles the road crosses Berrenda Creek with a few agricultural fields in the vicinity. Shortly after, the road passes by North and South Sibley Mountains named after a confederate general
Henry H. Sibley. After passing a 22-mile mark, the highway crosses the Tierra Blanca Creek, and at 23.5 miles Oak Spring Creek. The road then turns further northwest and continues on for the next 5.2 miles before taking a turn to north-northeast right before reaching
Hillsboro. At 30.2 miles NM 27 reaches its northern terminus at
NM 152.
History
NM 27 was initially a part of the original Route 26 created in 1905 by the Territorial Legislative Assembly. The old Route 26 ran from
Deming, through
Nutt Nutt is an English surname.
List of people surnamed Nutt
*Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), British publisher
* Alfred Young Nutt (1847–1924), English architect and artist
* Commodore Nutt (1844–1881), American dwarf who worked for P. T. Barnum
*Danny ...
,
Hillsboro,
Truth or Consequences
''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–1957) and later on television by Edwards (1950–1954), Jack Bailey (1954–1956), Bob Barker (1956–1975), Steve Dunne (1957–1958), ...
to
Engle. The stretch from
Nutt Nutt is an English surname.
List of people surnamed Nutt
*Alfred Nutt (1856–1910), British publisher
* Alfred Young Nutt (1847–1924), English architect and artist
* Commodore Nutt (1844–1881), American dwarf who worked for P. T. Barnum
*Danny ...
to
Hatch was designated as Route 27. In 1930s the Route 26 was shortened with the northern terminus shifting from
Engle to
Hillsboro. During early 1940s Route 26 was re-routed towards
Hatch, and the road to
Hillsboro became Route 27. The road was considered a secondary state route from its early days and remained either "graded" or "gravel" until it was paved some time in 1960s.
Major intersections
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
027
Transportation in Sierra County, New Mexico
Transportation in Luna County, New Mexico