Silver City, NM

After almost three months around Denver it was time to hit the road and head for warmer weather. We were very fortunate to spend a lot of time there during Mia's first 11 weeks. We headed south on I-25 and decided to go all the way down to I-10 and stay a couple of nights in Deming, NM so that we could drive up to Silver City. We really wanted to go to the Gila Cliff dwellings also but decided to save that for another trip because of the time it would take.

The one house that survived

The Big Ditch

We were hoping for a little more out of historic Silver City. There were some old buildings from the 1880's but there wasn't much of a wow factor. The most interesting thing about the town was learning about the Big Ditch and how it was Main Street when the town was first built. The short story is that a big flood went right down the street wiping out all but one building and gouged out a gully. In spite of efforts to save the street, subsequent floods just kept making it deeper and wider. It eventually became known as the Big Ditch, and with reinforced sides, it still flows with every rain. Part of the ditch now has a city park in it proving that the residents have embraced the Big Ditch.

Interpretive sign that says it all