Contact Us       St John the Baptist RC Church, Dawson, NM. St. John the Baptist -- a sturdy, stone building with simple crosses atop its three facades, and an imposing and steep flight of steps out front and concrete-hard pews within -- was one of the few Required fields are marked *. miners escaped. Even if the miners escaped the constant dangers of cave-ins and explosions, their life expectancy was sharply reduced by “black lung” and other effects of the sooty mine air. Dawson (also Mountview) is a ghost town in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. 4  The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) publishes a set of the most commonly used topographic maps of the U.S. called US Topo that are separated into rectangular quadrants that are printed at 22.75"x29" or larger. Mass funerals were conducted for the victims and row upon row of graves dug, making it necessary to extend the cemetery far up the hill. 10 Dawson, New Mexico was a mining town and home to thousands of people. He retained 1200 acres for himself and continued to ranch. town. The property was quickly sold two more times over the next two years and in 1872 it was in the hands of a Dutch Firm who was aggressively looking for ways to exploit the resources of the grant. Dawson, NM Photos and Local Area Map. Writing Credits, Copyright In August of 2013 was another chance to visit Dawson, with special permission of the property manager, on a work-related geology field trip. By 1905, 124 coke ovens were belching fire and is on private property and the only thing that can be seen is the lonely Driving Directions: Take Highway 64 northeast from Cimarron for about 10 miles to the old Dawson Road, just north of the old ghost town of Colfax. My grandmother lost her husband Carlo Ramunno, brother Nicola DiCicco and brother in law John Cericola during the afternoon explosion in Dawson of October 22, 1913. The 2006 Reunion was held at the townsite of Dawson on 3 Sep. Sally and I attended for the first time. On April 30, 1950, the mine was shut down. During this period of abundance and prosperity, Dawson suffered its worst catastrophe on Wednesday, October 22, 1913, only two days after the mine’s inspection. James Dawson in New Mexico . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The men worked for a week to control the fire and when it Of Kansas      The company safe ended up in the Phelps Dodge headquarters in Bisbee, Arizona, where it is still displayed at the mining museum. 2 was rocked with an explosion that shook Land Grant, John was the first discover coal in the area My grandmother lost her husband Carlo Ramunno, brother Nicola DiCicco and brother in law John Cericola during the afternoon explosion in Dawson of October 22, 1913. They did such a good job with Stag Canyon Mine No. Norman Dawson currently lives in Corrales, NM; in the past Norman has also lived in Albuquerque NM. Guestbook      The mining continued and in 1918, the Dawson mines reached their peak production of over four million tons of coal. Over the next dozens of years, ranchers operating Phelps Dodge’s “Diamond D” ranch occupied the few dwellings remaining. Soon more businesses and many new company homes for the miners were filled with the white crosses of those killed in the many mining Investigators determined that the explosion had been caused by an overcharged blast in a dusty pillar section of the mine. See more ideas about new mexico, mexico, dawson. In the end, only 23 of the 286 men working A dangerous business, tragedy struck the first of many In 1906 the Phelps Dodge Corporation bought the Dawson mines and, sparing There is a vibrant Dawson Facebook page that counts more than 425 people among its members. The morning dawned bright and clear and 284 miners reported to work at Stag Canyon Mine No. the No. Before and after Dawson became a coal mining mecca, it was ranchland. Yet, Dawson was doomed to suffer a series of tragedies that shadowed its history to the end. When Dale Christian returned home to Albuquerque he petitioned the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Division to place the cemetery on the National Register of Historic Places. no expense, determined to make Dawson a model city and the ideal company There is an extensive Dawson New Mexico Association website. in place, the mines were expanded, and the population eventually grew to By the wagon load? The miners worked together to dig the coal that fueled an area equal to 1/6 of the United States and Dawson grew into a company town of about 9,000. From "Coal Town - The Life and Times of Dawson, New Mexico", ©Toby Smith. Push the obstructions aside. Before and after Dawson became a coal mining mecca, it was ranchland. miners escaped. Many women who lost husbands in the earlier disaster waited anxiously for their sons to appear out of the smoke. The average Michael Dawson is around 59 years of age with around 57% falling in to the age group of 61-80. The cemetery was extended once again and more white crosses took their place in the cemetery. In 1901 the Dawson coal mine opened and a railroad was constructed from Dawson to Tucumcari and the town was born. Your email address will not be published. Dawson was the site of two separate coal mining disasters in 1913 and 1923. Every two years former residents hold a picnic on the site of their former town on Labor Day weekend. 2. Soon more businesses and many new company homes for the miners were of America, updated May, 2016. Legends of America™. The men worked for a week to control the fire and when it The cemetery was marked by white iron crosses and the burials continued for weeks. Learn about salary, employee reviews, interviews, benefits, and work-life balance Explore where James Dawson may currently live along with possible previous addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, relatives and more. Northern New Mexico has quietly become a place of inspiration for many of these musically creative individuals. By August 1, 1901, a crew of fifty miners was ready to work. Phelps Dodge sent a trainload of doctors, nurses and medical supplies up from El Paso and striking miners in Colorado ceased picketing and offered to form rescue teams. google_ad_client = "ca-pub-8681447595268884"; For their leisure time, the miners enjoyed the use of the company built a movie theater, swimming pool, bowling alley, baseball park, pool hall, golf course, lodge hall, and even an opera house. But tragedy hit Dawson again on February 8, 1923, at about 2:20 PM, in Stag Canyon Mine No. google_ad_height = 90; The book includes a photo of a "coal drag leaving Dawson" ca.1927 behind 2-8-0 3460. From "Coal Town - The Life and Times of Dawson, New Mexico", ©Toby Smith.St. salvage company and was mostly razed. The mines were productive, and by 1905 the town b… some grew again to some 9,000 residents. Dynamite, not a permitted explosive, was being used. Later, the company built a hundred cottages for 500 more people and erected additional coke ovens.