Nutt is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

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 ...

, southern

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 ...

, in the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

. It is located nineteen miles southwest of Hatch on NM 26 at the intersection with NM 27.

History

Prior to the founding of the town, the area was the site of Lloyd's Ranch and Slocum's Ranch, and was subject to attacks by the

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

. The town of Nutt was founded in 1881 as a depot and water station on 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 ...

and was named after Colonel Henry Clay Nutt who served on their board of directors, and was instrumental in getting enabling legislation through the New Mexico Territorial Legislature for the southern spur of the railway. Wagon trains left Nutt for the mining communities in 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 ...

until the Santa Fe ran a spur line up to Lake Valley in 1884. After the spur was built, Nutt quickly declined. Its history as a town after 1884 is rather obscure. It has referred to itself as being the Middle of Nowhere. Its only claim to fame came in 1892 when

Tom Ketchum Thomas Edward Ketchum (known as Black Jack; October 31, 1863 – April 26, 1901) was an American cowboy who later became an outlaw. He was executed in 1901 for attempted train robbery. The execution by hanging was botched; he was decapitate ...

aka "Black Jack" and his brother Sam learned that an

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 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 and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

train was en route to Deming with a large payroll. The gang stopped the train just outside Nutt, holding it up at gunpoint, and made off with about $20,000. Nutt had a post office from 1881 until 1884, and again from 1899 until 1939.

Geography

Nutt is located on a rise between Los Uvas Valley to the east, and the Macho Creek Valley to the west. The rise is actually a pass through the remnants of the Good Sight Mountains, the tallest of which, Nutt Mountain at 5,940 ft., is 2.5 miles north of Nutt. Nutt Mountain is a volcanic plug composed of layered rhyolites, and has also been called Sunday Cone. The soil in Nutt is composed of eroded tuffs, andesites, latites and rhyolites.

Demographics

For the 2010 census, Nutt was part of the United States Census Bureau's Deming North CCD, Tract 5. In 2010, there were twelve people recorded for Nutt.In the 2010 census Nutt consisted of Census blocks 1005–1008, 1038–1042, 1045–1050, 1059, 1061, and 1062. Zero population was reported for all blocks, except 1007 with eleven people and 1047 with one person.

Notes

External links

* {{Luna County, New Mexico Geography of Luna County, New Mexico Ghost towns in New Mexico History of Luna County, New Mexico 1881 establishments in New Mexico Territory