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Capitan

Capitan The village of Capitan didn't exist in Billy the Kid's time. Railroad magnate Charles B. Eddy platted the townsite in 1894; its first lot was sold in 1900. Eddy, meanwhile, built the El Paso & Northeastern Railroad along the east edge of the vast and arid Tularosa Basin in 1899. He intended it to haul coal. In the meantime, Eddy had also purchased tracts in the nearby Salado coal deposits (a mile or so northwest of what soon became Capitan), then sold them to investors. He also built a 21-mile spur from White Oaks Crossing (Carrizozo) east to Salado's Coalora mining camp, but the coal field (1899-1905) didn't pan out. Capitan (elevation 6,450 feet or 1,966 meters) slumbered until 1950, when a forest fire atop the nearby Capitan Mountains yielded an orphan bear cub who went on to enduring fame as the fire-fightin' Smokey Bear. After his death in 1976, the black bear's remains were brought back to Capitan and buried in his namesake state park. Capitan has one motel, one bed and breakfast, three restaurants, and two museums. Fort Stanton is seven road miles (11.3 kilometers) away, Lincoln 12 miles (19.3 km) away, Ruidoso 19 miles (30.6 km) away, Carrizozo 20 miles (32.2 km) away, and Roswell 69 miles (111 km) away.

Capitan Chamber of Commerce
433 W. Smokey Bear Blvd., Capitan, New Mexico 88315
(575/354-2273) www.villageofcapitan.com
capitancoc@aol.com