Elizabethtown is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Colfax County,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, United States. It is located just off New Mexico State Road 38, between the communities of Eagle Nest and Red River. Elizabethtown is situated just east of the

Carson National Forest Carson National Forest is a United States National Forest, national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers (1.5 million acres) and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Serv ...

. The community is a former mining town and lies northeast of Scully Mountain and west of

Baldy Mountain There are a number of peaks named Baldy, primarily in the English-speaking countries of Canada and the United States. The popularity of the name ''Baldy'', at least for higher peaks, may be related to the tree line The tree line is the edge of ...

History

Elizabethtown began in 1866 when miners began placer mining and founded hard rock mines like the Mystic Copper Mine. It was New Mexico's first incorporated town. The town was founded by the Captain William H. Moore, the commander of

Fort Union, New Mexico Fort Union National Monument is a unit of the United States National Park Service located 7.7 miles north of Watrous in Mora County, New Mexico. The site preserves the remains of three forts that were built starting in the 1850s. Also visible ...

(north of

Las Vegas, New Mexico Las Vegas, often known simply as Vegas, is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas: West Las Vegas ("Old Town" ...

), and was named after his daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Moore. Nicknamed "E-Town," the town rapidly grew to from 1867 to 1869 during a regional gold rush. At its height of prosperity in 1869, Elizabethtown possibly had between 5,000 and 9,000 residents, making it the most populous place in

at the time, although the exact number is uncertain since no census was taken. In 1870, it was designated the first seat of the newly formed Colfax County. However, by 1872, the population had dwindled to about 100 residents as the gold rush subsided and the mines dwindled. Consequently, the county seat was moved to Cimarron. The town was somewhat revived when the

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at variou ...

passed nearby in the early 1890s, making mining feasible once again. The village was also part of the

Colfax County War The Colfax County War was a range war that occurred from 1873 to 1888 between settlers and the new owners of the Maxwell Land Grant in Colfax County, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The war started when the new landowners tried to remove the l ...

. However, a fire in 1903 destroyed the majority of the wooden town. As the mines declined, the town population dwindled, and by 1917, few called the Town home. Today, Elizabethtown consists of a small collection of ranch homes, built atop the once bustling city. Many of these homes are informal houses built over time with available materials. The only remnant of the original town is the stone wall of boarding house. Additionally, there is a large cemetery atop the hill, containing graves belonging to various individuals, primarily Hispanic.

Charles Kennedy

Serial killer Charles Kennedy lived between Elizabethtown and

Taos Taos or TAOS may refer to: Places * Taos County, New Mexico, United States ** Taos, New Mexico, a city, the county seat of Taos County, New Mexico *** Taos art colony, an art colony founded in Taos, New Mexico ** Taos Pueblo, a Native American ...

, luring weary travelers to dine and stay with him at his cabin; he may have killed 14 or more people.Story of Charles Kennedy
- at Legends of America Kennedy was killed by a group of angry vigilantes, led by the notorious

Clay Allison Robert A. Clay Allison, also known as Clay Allison (September 2, 1841 – July 1, 1887) was a cattle rancher, cattle broker, and sometimes gunfighter of the American Old West. He fought for the Confederate States of America, Confederacy in the ...

Major highways

New Mexico State Road 38

References

External links

Elizabethtown page @ Legends of America

{{authority control History of Colfax County, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in New Mexico Ghost towns in New Mexico Museums in Colfax County, New Mexico History museums in New Mexico Unincorporated communities in Colfax County, New Mexico Populated places established in 1866 1866 establishments in New Mexico Territory

History

Charles Kennedy

Major highways

See also

References

External links