With the arrival of the railway in 1901 and the discovery of gypsum and clay, the Ancho Brick Plant was established and began producing bricks. The plant eventually grew to 16 kilns. In 1906, the Ancho Brick Plant supplied several tons of bricks which were shipped by railway to San Francisco to help rebuild the city after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. When Highway 54 was paved and rerouted two miles to the west of town, the brick plant closed its doors for good in 1921. That was a fatal blow to Ancho's economy. The town then began its slow decline. In 1955, the Ancho School closed its doors. Four years after in 1959 the train station closed, and in 1969, Ancho's Post Office shut its doors. Today the remaining local residents have restored many of Ancho's remaining pioneer buildings including the school and train station.
Location
24 miles north of Carrizozo, Located west of the Lincoln National Forest 2 miles east of U.S. highway 54.
Getting There
Head south from Socorro on I 25, take the exit at San Antonio and head east on NM 380. At Carrizozo turn left onto NM 54, go 21.9 miles and turn right onto Co Rd 462. Ancho will be just ahead appx 3 miles.
Please Note:
Much of Ancho is on private property. Please do not attempt to enter the property without gaining permission first. Please be respectful of the owner's privacy.
Images Courtesy of John Mulhouse and City of Dust Blog (http://cityofdust.blogspot.com/)
