New Mexico Tourism | Western

Ghost Towns: Alma, Cerrillos, Chloride, Clairmont, Elizabethtown, Golden, Lake Valley, Loma Parda, Madrid, Mogollón, Shakespeare, Steins, Winston
Movie Sets: Bonanza Creek Ranch, Cerrillos, Madrid, Cook Ranch & the Silverado Set, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Eaves Movie Ranch, White Sands National Monument, Zia Pueblo

Golden

Central region of New Mexico Golden was inhabited by Native Americans and Spaniards long before American settlers came to the area. However, it began to boom when gold was discovered in 1825. Years before the California and Colorado gold rushes, the site of Golden became the first gold rush west of the Mississippi River.

Placer gold was first discovered on Tuerto Creek on the southwest side of the Ortiz Mountains and in the late 1820’s two small mining camps developed as a result of the mineral finds -- El Real de San Francisco and Placer del Tuerto. The area remained quiet for decades until several large companies began to put money into the mines, bringing in numerous workers, and followed by many individual prospectors. It was shortly after these mining camps were formed that the San Francisco Catholic Church was built around 1830.

Just south of Tuerto, a new town called Golden was being formed, which soon absorbed both El Real de San Francisco and Placer del Tuerto. Officially formed in 1879, Golden was selected as the center of the new gold-mining district and soon grew to support several saloons, businesses, a school, and even a stock exchange. In 1880, the post office was opened.

The expectations of Golden's miners were deflated by 1884, as the gold was already beginning to dwindle and people began to leave the area. By 1928, the population was so reduced that the post office closed and Golden officially became a ghost town.

Today, Golden has seen a small rebirth as new residents have moved into the area, building new homes and restoring others, but still it remains a sleepy village with vivid reminders of its more robust past.

Golden is located along the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway, Golden is about ten miles north of the Sandia Park junction on NM 14.