The Palace Hotel was built across First Street from the Raton Railroad Depot in 1896 in the Romanesque Revival style. The elegant brownstone hotel was the most luxurious hotel in Raton until WWII when the popularity of La Mesa horse racing track eclipsed its location and popularity. The Hotel has Read more…
Constructed 1880. The original 320 acres for the Raton townsite were purchased from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1880. In 1879, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad bought a local toll road from famed frontier entrepreneur “Uncle Dick” Wooton and established a busy rail line. Raton quickly developed as Read more…
Constructed 1910. The former Well Fargo Express Freight Office at the Raton Rail yard is now the home of the Raton Arts and Humanities Council and the Old Pass art gallery. The building has been handsomely rehabilitated and offers high quality art shows regularly throughout the year. 145 So. First Read more…
Goat Hill is considered a cultural landscape for its association with the Santa Fe Trail. From the hill’s expansive overlook, the lower end of Railroad Canyon, the Raton group of mesas and multiple volcanic peaks can be seen. This includes a ten-mile portion of the Mountain Route of the Santa Read more…
Constructed 1930. This little theater is a gem. Constructed as an Atmospheric style theatre, in the style of a medieval Spanish castle, the building was designed by the Albuquerque, New Mexico, architectural firm George Williamson, Inc. It was built for the partnership of Dr. L.A. Hubbard and Thomas F. Murphy. Read more…
Constructed 1936. The 1936 Art Deco style Colfax County Courthouse is a five-story blond brick building embellished with glazed tile cornices and bas relief metal panels. The larger bas reliefs depict farming, mining, and cattle raising, the main industries of Colfax County. The motifs on the embellishments include cattle brands Read more…
This building was originally the Raton Post Office and was built during the WPA era. Paintings by various well known New Mexico artists can be viewed in the library. 244 Cook Ave. Raton, NM 87740 | (575) 445-9711 openmon: 1-6pm | tue: 10am-6pm | wed: 10am-6pm | thu: 10am-9pm | fri: 10am-6pm Read more…
Constructed 1909 The Union County Courthouse was built just three years before statehood and is an excellent example of Neo-Classical architecture in New Mexico. The building incorporates some of the classical details made popular by the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. 100 Court St. Clayton, NM 88415 | 505-374-9491 Image by Read more…
Rabbit Ear Mountain is part of the iconic landscape visible from the Town of Clayton. The hills are remnants of volcanoes and part of the larger Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field. The mountain is named for the great Cheyenne Chief, Orejo de Conejos who was killed in a bloody battle with the Read more…
Constructed 1942. A WPA stamp in the sidewalk can be found at this address and along Main Street. The downtown sidewalks will soon be replaced in a NM Department of Transportation construction project, but the WPA stamps will be preserved and placed in the new sidewalks. 10 Main St. | Read more…