St. Joseph’s Church ~ Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Courtyard, Saint Joseph’s Church
Los Cerrillos, New Mexico
Los Cerrillos has always seemed to me to be the perfect example of a New Mexico boom town. Once the unofficial capitial of the state, it’s now a modern day ghost town on South 14, a few miles north of Madrid.
After the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1880, shipping the gold, silver, lead, zinc and turquoise from the 3,000 miners in the area no longer had to be shipped by wagon. Los Cerrillos grew to feature 21 saloons, 5 brothels, 4 hotels, several dance halls and a real honest-to-goodness Opera House. The construction of Saint Joseph’s Church on Main Street confirmed that civilization had truly arrived.
- Casa Grande Trading Post, Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum, & Petting Zoo
Today, the washboard streets and dusty storefronts are a mostly undisturbed reminder of Old West meets celluloid. 13 films have been shot in and around Los Cerrillos, including the 1972 John Wayne movie The Cowboys shot just outside of town. A remnant of the production of Young Guns lingers on a two-story stucco wall. The real Wortley Hotel (Motto: No Guest Gunned Down in Over a 100 Years) is in Lincoln, not Los Cerrillos.
- Los Cerrillos porch ceiling
On weekends, Mary’s Saloon and the Casa Grande Trading Post, Cerrillos Turqoise Mining Museum, & Petting Zoo swarm with tourists from the City Different stopping off on the Turquoise Trail. Several seasonal businesses open up with the return of the tourists, adding whimsical touches.
Several artists call Los Cerrillos home. Metal sculptures and eclectic murals are scattered though the tiny town. A few of the gritty, sandblasted storefronts now make it possible to walk under the stars as you stay out of the sun.
My connection with Los Cerrillos was very short-lived. My job working weekends at the Tiffany Saloon and Melodrama ended when, as usual, my confidence in British mechanics was misplaced and my 1961 Morris Mini-Cooper needed a new engine.
The Tiffany Saloon and Melodrama burned down in 1977 but you can still find traces of it, and other long-lost buildings, by looking for the metal yellow signs all over town.
Rebar Cross
Rebar Cross
Bernalillo, New Mexico
sebastian 2010
All across New Mexico, small town cemetaries are filled with handmade shrines and gravestones. This simple welded cross sits at the top of an unmarked grave tucked into the corner of the Our Lady of Sorrows graveyard in Old Bernalillo.
Field of Wildflowers Story Cross with Carnations
Lazy cows amble in a field of spring wild flowers in the water color center of this pastel Vintage Easter Cross. Story Crosses were designed to showcase scenic views including pastoral scenes like this one. The well drawn carnations give the feel of looking through the card into another world. Charming, but I’m still not sure what cows have to do with Easter.
This Free Country Story Easter Cross with Carnations Greeting Card Clipart is available at Cross of the Day Free Cross Clipart here.
Black Iron Cross with Tower
Black Iron Cross with Tower
Dave Siemer 2010
Vintage Lilac and Cross Easter Card
White and purple lilacs in the spring always make me nostalgic for my grandmother’s house. In the spring it was full of huge vases of lilacs. This vintage Easter Cross card is one of a series of 1900’s Easter Cards that reminds me of her.
This Free Vintage Easter Lilac and Cross Greeting Card Clipart is available at Cross of the Day here.
Looking for real Vintage Cards? Head to Etsy and start here.
Vintage Dogwood Easter Cross Card
Another of the wonderful handpainted vintage Easter cards that bring back memories of gentler days. This one comes from an antique German embossed Easter card.
Looking for real Vintage Easter Cross Cards? Head to Etsy and start here.
Cross of the Day 