You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
Our destination today is a former coal mining town, subsequent ghost town, presently an artists' community along the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway. It's an easy 40 minute drive down NM-285, jumping off southwestward on Rte 41 to Galisteo, then wildly westward on the Camino Los Abuelos, then south again on Rte 14 into the tiny town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid for some reason).
A brief pause along the way: Galisteo has a recorded population of 253, of whom on our brief look round we saw none.
The plaque by the door reads 'Iglesia Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, 1884'.
There's no suburban overcrowding here.
Our companions on this adventure are our daughter Alison and friend Ryan, now living in Socorro, home of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (founded in 1889) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, about an hour's drive south of Albuquerque.
Are they really contemplating putting in a bid for this fine property?
The Galisteo good news is that any number of movies have been filmed here or hereabouts -- Wikipedia mentions the following: 'The Cowboys, Silverado, The Hi-Lo Country, There Will Be Blood, Young Guns, Crazy Heart, 3:10 to Yuma, and In a Valley of Violence' (only one of which I've ever heard of).
And there's a formidable listing of artists, authors, two politicians and a diplomat, and one chef who've been residents here. And Burl Ives wrote a song about it.
But now we continue westward (-- Keep checking the gas gauge! ).
Actually the car's fully electric (-- Well, keep checking the battery!!).
Fairly grim surroundings, one would have thought, but clearly well-beloved by the right sorts of people.
Rte 14, here the Turquoise Trail, runs right through downtown Madrid, with a street blooming with artists' galleries and some popular vintage-style restaurants, accommodations, and historic oddities. Quite a few other residents live on small back roads nearby and some farther off. The population in 2010 was counted at 204.
At the north end of the main strip, we park the 'EV' and roam about for a bit in this mini-warehouse of regional artistic odds and ends, the Trading Bird jewelry store, and then . . .
. . . we proceed past the venerable Old Boarding House ('Grocery. Snacks. Gifts.').
The origin of the town's name is not entirely understood, but one suggestion is that it was named for Roque Madrid (c.1644-c.1718/1723), born in Santa Fe and evidently a prominent governing sort, who in 1705 led a military campaign against the Navajos, who'd been troublesome.
Unregulated coal mining began here in 1835, but was somewhat more organized in subsequent years, until in 1891 the Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad bought it all and, under the name the Cerrillos Coal & Iron Company, laid out the town and the mines, with a branch railroad six miles north to Waldo Junction (which is now only a memory) to meet the AT&SF main east–west line.
The Cerrillos officials, anxious to get a village up and running here for their mines, ordered up prefabricated wooden buildings for the miners and families, mostly from Topeka. They celebrated the 'founding' of their new village (of 2,500 residents) in 1895, though since it was owned by a corporation it was never duly incorporated as a town.
It was renamed Madrid in 1894, a sizable improvement over its former name, 'Coal Gulch'.
In the late 1940s, the market for coal began to decline (don't tell trump), superseded by natural gas and diesel trains. In 1954, Cerrillos ceased operations, and most of the residents moved away. The town remained as a near-ghost town for the next 20 years or so, but in the early 1970s a local owner began to rent out or sell abandoned miners' cabins to artists, craftspeople, and others who merely wanted to live 'off the grid'.
'The offer primarily attracted two wildly different groups: socially disaffected Vietnam War veterans and free-spirited craftspeople and artists, largely from San Francisco, Chicago, and nearby Santa Fe.' (source)
Cellphone-wise, Madrid was long literally 'off the grid' but presently all that seems to have been sorted out.
The hillsides round the village are covered with the detritus of the mines, and during a heavy rainfall a lot of it washes down arroyos between the cabins, flowing down and covering the roads, flooding the yards and basements. Steps have been taken to channel those periodic inconveniences, as here apparently.
The years 1970 to 1980s were spent renovating the homes, as the town became more and more widely known as an artists' colony and as a destination for fans of the artistic splendors of the regional culture.
And the present population certainly has a fine dash of un-maga.
We're toddling along the main drag, amusing ourselves with all the fun stuff as we're awaiting the advent of James and Amy to join us for lunch.
Ryan may be contemplating something.
What's a moonbow? Google says that it's a rainbow created by lunar rather than solar light. Okay.
-- Just go away!
The Ghost Town Trading Post: 'cheapest silver west of the Pecos'
-- What's a moonbow again?
That appears to be Tumbleweeds, the 'body piercing shop'.
Maggie's Diner is an anomaly here. It was built for the filming of the movie Wild Hogs (2007), and after the wrap the filmmakers gifted it to the town.
'Wild Hogs' (ouch!) featured John Travolta, William Macy, Ray Liotta, Marisa Tomei, amongst others, and earned a 5.9 rating from Imdb.
'An embarrassment of riches'
Always Oktober!! [Permanant Hallowe'en evidently]. Alison affects a certain amount of interest.
That would be the downside.
Sans paroles
One of the few prefabricated cabins that never made it into the modern era.
That's the famous Java Junction, where (we're told) all the old-timers gather for their morning coffee and bizarre tales from the past.
A cornucopia of weird stuff on display
We're near the southern end of the thoroughfare, and still awaiting Amy and James, and now . . .
. . . here they are. Time for lunch. The Mine Shaft Tavern and Museum is the highest-rated eatery in town, and much more (tavern, restaurant, and outdoor cantina, a museum (with an hour-plus descent 140m down into the mine), an old train, a theatre, and inn accommodations).
An part of the Mine Shaft establishment had a one-hour's wait for a table, so we were sent along the passage to another part, where service was immediate . . .
. . . and there was a nice view of the old train engine.
Our lunchtime party (without the camera person), Ryan, Amy and James (now living in Cedar Crest just east of Albuquerque, half an hour to the south of Madrid on NM-14). And our Alison of course.
I first met James in 1997 when Marlowe and I visited Alison in Socorro, where she, James, and Tim (who we've met fairly frequently in the DC area since) were sharing a house as graduate students at the university. James looks the same.
A little historical background whilst we're waiting for our orders.
After lunch, our promenade continues a bit farther, to the south end of town, and the 'Gypsy Plaza'.
-- Oh good, Tarot readings, and fresh local foods!
For a former librarian, that's a fairly sad photo.
Our party is splitting up a bit to get a feel for the Gypsy Plaza, on . . .
. . . both sides of Firehouse Lane.
Even the Little Chocolate Shop warrants a look in.
That's apparently a Fine Woodworking and Handcrafted Leather Goods shop (unless that's the one next door on the left).
Starting back north, more worthy attractions still be scrutinized
There, on the right side, is the Jezebel Studio, Gallery, and Soda Fountain.
A very careful look all round inside. So much to see!
Pretty amazing stuff, in fact, much of it.
(We'll have to come back sometime, when we can afford these classic items.)
However, by the look of it, there's something in this shop for everybody.
A festive contribution to the party, especially for those of us requiring some 'body piercing' (Tumbleweeds)
The Mad Antiquer Studios
The very red building
We're nearing the carpark after a rewarding few hours contemplating the regional arts.
And it's a parting of the ways now: James and Amy are heading back to the south, whilst we . . .
. . . are bound back to the north.
NM-285 heading back to Sante Fe and its environs, and . . .
. . . the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, and . . .
. . . finally the Apache Ridge Road.
Next up: Santa Fe's Plaza at night, and some local scenic views
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 16 February 2026.
