Colfax New Mexico Townsite – Ghost town
Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell March 2009
Colfax is another one of those towns that was highly promoted and short on delivery. The railroads and land promoters promised great farming, close to transportation (read the railroad) and mineral deposits in the early 1900’s. Coal mining was nearby at Dawson and Cimarron was not far away. A post office was opened in 1908 and closed in 1921. A short life for a town near the turn of the century.
The St Louis, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Railroads were the primary promoters. They laid out 2,000 lots each 25 by 140 feet and priced them at $140 each. They also offered a discount if you bought more than one. Initially the town was called Vermejo Junction. Some unsavory characters even sold lots they did not own and then promptly skipped town. They eventually built a hotel there but it went bust and is no longer visible. Likewise the elementary school is gone. Some ruins are visible and the outline and foundations of many buildings can be seen along with a bullet riddled auto.