Queen 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 ...
in
Eddy County in southeastern
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, Ke ...
, in the southwestern United States. Although it currently has a population of around 50, it was formerly considered a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...
.
[Pearce, T. M. (1965) "Queen" ''New Mexico place names; a geographical dictionary'' University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, p. 128, ][Julyan, Robert (1998) "Queen" ''The Place Names of New Mexico'' (revised edition) University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico, pages 280-281, ] Located in the foothills on the east side of the
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains ( es, Sierra de Guadalupe) are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both ...
, in the southern
Lincoln National Forest
Lincoln National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service located in southern New Mexico. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 as the Lincoln Forest Reserve, the forest begins near the Texas border and contains lands in parts of ...
, it flourished in the early 20th century as a ranching center. Queen is located alongside
NM Route 137, about 27 mi (50 mi by road) southwest of
Carlsbad.
History
The area was originally settled by the agricultural and hunter gatherer
Jornada Mogollon people about 200
CE whose suzerainty ended with the influx of the Apache and other plains raiders around 1450. Two Mogollon archaeological sites are located in Queen, Archeological Site No. AR 03-08-03-195 and Archeological Site No. AR-03-08-03-232.
The recent community was founded in 1905 by entrepreneur J. W. Tulk who contracted with the local Queen Ranch (now Womack ranch) for water and land, and built a store and negotiated for a post office.
As part of the bargain, the town was named Queen.
The post office lasted from 1905 until 1920,
when ranching in the area had declined. For a while the only landmark was a single chimney,
but the community began to repopulate in the late 20th century.
Attractions
Near the center of the community is the ten foot stone memorial to Frank A. Kindel, The Flying Paper Boy Of The Guadalupes, a pilot who crashed here in 1964. Nearby is the Last Chance Canyon Apache/Cavalry Battle Site, a New Mexico Registered Cultural Property. Sitting Bull Falls is a popular day hike and an attractive picnic spot.
Dog Canyon Campground, a part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, is 20 miles southwest at the end of NM Highway 137.
Economy
there is no gas station in Queen.
[ ]
Clipping of first
an
of second page
from Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
(showing illustrations)
References
External links
"Queen - New Mexico Ghost Town"
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in New Mexico
Ghost towns in New Mexico
Unincorporated communities in Eddy County, New Mexico