Raton
FOR HISTORY BUFFS
Thanks, Uncle Dick!
Raton Pass had been used by Spanish explorers and Indians for centuries to cut through the rugged Rocky Mountains, but the trail was just too rough for wagons on the Santa Fe Trail. In 1866, "Uncle Dick" Wootton, a mountain man and Indian Scout, recognized a chance to serve his fellow man and make a little profit at the same time. He blasted his way through the mountains, set up a toll gate and charged everyone who passed. What if they didn't want to pay? No problem, they could just turn around their team of oxen and take the detour 100 miles to the east. Traveling Indians didn't have to pay the toll.
Raton was founded at the site of Willow Springs, a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The original 320 acres for the Raton townsite were purchased from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1880. In 1879 the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad bought the toll road from "Uncle Dick" and established a busy rail line. Raton quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeast part of the New Mexico territory, to become the county seat and principal trading center of the area. The community, nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, enjoys pleasant summers, colorful autumns and mild winters. Mining is a major income-producing activity in the county. The tourism industry also plays a significant role in Raton's economic base. Drawn to a place where rolling prairies, rimrock mesas and alpine meadows come together, visitors find Raton an attractive year-round vacation destination.
Raton Museum
Revisit life on the rails, in the camps and on the range. The floor creaks with memories as visitors wander up a row of mining, railroad and ranching displays and down another row with artifacts from everyday life of Ratonians in the 1800s as well as of their American Indian neighbors. Thousands of photographs adorn the walls from front to back, such as the photo of the Mary and McCuistion School, the first public school in New Mexico, located in Raton in the 1800s. President Teddy Roosevelt's visit to Raton was captured on film and hangs in the museum, as do many photos giving visitors a then-and-now perspective. The museum itself once was a Coors building and housed beer kegs. Paintings from local and regional artists adorn the walls, including several works by Manville Chapman of Taos and some dark works by Meinrad Craighead of Albuquerque. Other items point out the big differences between then and now. For example, in the early part of the century, a visitor could have stayed at the Gate City Motel, located at 232 South First Street, for $1.25 a night! One favorite item is an old tinny piano, which still holds a tune after 70 years. The mining displays lead to information on the coming of the railroad, which had a symbiotic relationship with mining since one wouldn't have been here without the other. A map of ghost towns in the area is evidence of the many towns that saw their booms and then faded into memory. This museum also displays sheet music to the New Mexico March written by John Philip Sousa.
Winter hours: October through April Wednesday through Saturday 10am - 1pm and 3pm - 5pm.
Summer hours: May through September, Tuesday through Saturday 9am - 5pm
Free admission
Raton Museum
216 South First Street
Raton, NM 87740
505-445-8979
