Cuervo, New Mexico
"City of Dust"
Established 1902 - Abandoned 2011
Visited June 29, 2019
Michael was doing some research about abandoned trains, buildings and ruins. He really likes to see the remnants of what was. He came across Cuervo. It wasn't in our original plan, but only added an hour or two to our trip and it seemed worth it to visit.
Located off of Route 66, this was once a tiny, bustling railroad town. When Route 66 was created, it became a convenient filling station and offered to those that lived here, everything you would want in a small town. The businesses had customers and the town was complete with schools, doctors and schools. When I-40 came along, the town started to clear out. Customers became hard to come by and eventually, the town was abandoned. This is our journey to visit the town of Cuervo.
After spending several days in Albuquerque, we began the road trip portion of our trip through New Mexico. We left early in the morning to beat the traffic... And that we did. Not a thing, house, outbuilding, person, car or animal in sight.
and 50 miles later.... Still nothing. We were driving and joking about how you can look in all directions and see absolutely NOTHING. No cars, no buildings, no fences, NOTHING.
As funny as that was, it did occur to me that in the middle of nowhere, with no cell coverage and 100 degree temperatures, this could get real ugly if we had car trouble or a flat tire, etc.
Thankfully after an hour, we did begin to see signs of life. An occasional cell tower that brought our cell phones back to life and the all too few cars. Funny that we were trying to beat the traffic and we certainly did!
We drove for 2.5 hours and finally made it to Cuervo!
We were able to drive right through town on the rustic dirt roads.
We began to look around and wished we could peak in a window or two. Nearly all were boarded up to keep them from being vandalized.
This is the school house, which was built in about 1930.
Many of the early buildings are crumbling.
An old car with another old house in the background.
At one point, this was a bustling small town with a railroad depot. Not sure if this building was part of the railroad, but it resembles that to me. It could also be one of the small hotels that was located in the town when it was in the height of its life.
This is one of the only buildings that we were able to look into.
Getty Memorial Baptist Church
The church has been very well taken care of. It's fenced off, so we didn't try to get much closer. I'm sure it would be interesting to look inside, but we are trying to respect the city and it's history.
Located next to the church is a building that has been painted and vandalized. There are accounts that satanic symbols have been painted inside the church and other buildings. Probably why the church is now fenced off.
Across the highway, the Cuervo businesses are located. This was an old grocery store.
Auto Repair Shop
Across the highway stands the last of the businesses and the Cuervo Gas Station is still open for business.
Don't try to stop there to use the restroom unless you're carrying cash. The sign on the window says it's $2 to use the bathroom.
Cuervo Hill. Hard to see here, but the word "Cuervo" is spelled out on the hillside.
There is one final resident who has a home at the base of this hill. They have it all fenced of and didn't seem friendly to visitors. We kept our distance, but I can't imagine living in an old abandoned town.
We are so glad we made the detour to Cuervo. It is a cool place to see and worth the trip.
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