Queen 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 Eddy County in southeastern

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 ...

, in the southwestern United States. Although it currently has a population of around 50, it was formerly considered a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

.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 () 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 of which are located wi ...

, in the southern

Lincoln National Forest Lincoln National Forest is a unit of the U.S. Forest Service located in southern New Mexico. The Lincoln National Forest covers an extensive 1.1 million acres in southeastern New Mexico. Established by Presidential Proclamation in 1902 as the Li ...

, 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 Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

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.
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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