Cloudcroft, New Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cloudcroft is a village in Otero County, New Mexico and is within the Lincoln National Forest. The population was 749 at the 2000 census. Sitting 9,000 feet above sea-level in an otherwise arid region, the comfortable climate makes it a popular tourist attraction in West Texas and New Mexico.
The Village of Cloudcroft is one of the forgotten parts of the world, sometimes rediscovered on the pages of New Mexico Magazine or Texas Monthly. The back roads and sparsely settled periphery of Cloudcroft host communities with names like Weed, Lost Lodge, Sunspot, Mayhill, Piñon, and Timberon but collectively everyone is “on the mountain”, going to the same schools, churches, and events. The night's stars have a piercing clarity which many of the world’s astronomers take advantage of in nearby Sunspot. The rapid elevation causes environmental and ecological changes at almost every mile. The seasons are also dramatic with snow covering the ground most of winter and early spring, aspen groves turning in fall, and cool breezes in the summer. It is billed as the "Playground of the Four Seasons."
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[edit] Geography
Cloudcroft is located at (32.954680, -105.740500)GR1. Elevation is 8663 feet.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 749 people, 320 households, and 224 families residing in the village. The population density was 192.8/km² (500.2/mi²). There were 920 housing units at an average density of 236.8/km² (614.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.66% White, 0.80% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 3.47% from other races, and 2.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.49% of the population.
There were 320 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 31.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,795, and the median income for a family was $52,292. Males had a median income of $40,750 versus $27,083 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,301. About 8.7% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
In the 1890's the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad organized by the Eddy brothers, Charles Bishop Eddy and John Arthur Eddy, arrived in the newly founded town of Alamogordo with interests in continuing the rail line northward to the mining town of White Oaks and beyond. They realized the need for timber and railroad ties, and saw the nearby Sacramento Mountains as a possible source. A survey crew was sent into the area to determine the feasibility of laying a railroad line up to the summit. In the fall of 1898, the crew reported that such a line was not only possible, but the beauty of the region could attract visitors from a wide territory, and the name of "Cloudcroft" - a pasture for the clouds - was suggested. Work on the line soon began.
By the end of 1898, the line had been extended as far as Toboggan Canyon, and construction was started on a "Pavilion" at the summit, which would provide accommodations for the anticipated tourists, once the line was completed. It consisted of a dining room, kitchen, parlor, entertainment hall, and 40 tents, set on wooden platforms, for guest sleeping. In June of 1899, the Pavilion was formally opened by John Arthur Eddy and tourists, who rode the train as far as Toboggan and finished the trip by stagecoach. They were royally entertained on their arrival. Glowing reports of the new resort of Cloudcroft were in El Paso and other area newspapers, and people began to flock to the mountains. A resort, known as The Lodge was built in 1899 nearby as a more upscale alternative to the Pavilion. It burned to the ground in 1909 and was rebuilt at its present location in 1911. The Pavilion also burned down, two separate occasions in the 1920s, but was rebuilt each time to conform to original plans.
The railroad line finally arrived in Cloudcroft in early 1900 and construction of a depot was begun. It was located about 250 feet west of the Pavilion. The building was occupied in June of 1900, and "meeting the train" became a daily festivity in the Village. In the beginning, three trains a day arrived in Cloudcroft, some to haul logs down the mountain and others to carry mail and passengers.
The Lodge at its present location on Corona Place entertained the likes of Judy Garland, Gilbert Roland, Clark Gable, Pancho Villa and most-recently Sam Donaldson and New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson. In the 1930s the resort was managed by Conrad Hilton, who was born and raised in San Antonio, New Mexico. According to reports, Hilton was familiar with The Lodge and wanted to be closer to his family, while his own hotel chain slowly began its climb to prominence. The Lodge’s 47 rooms are still decorated with its unique Victorian antiques. Incidentally, The Lodge features one of the world’s tallest golf courses at 9,000 feet.
Because of competition from the increased use of automobiles and trucks, the train line began losing money. The last passenger train climbed the mountain in 1938, and the last freight train went down the hill in 1947. Since then, tourism in Cloudcroft has grown beyond The Lodge and into Burro Street near Highway 82 where many small shops and restaurants have sprung and summer street dances are hosted. The local population has not grown exceedingly in the past decades, sitting between 700-800 residents.
[edit] Events
Cloudcroft is home to three festivals, each taking place at Zenith Park. Various arts and crafts are sold from local and regional artists, live music and entertainment is provided, activities and competitions are held, and local civic groups and churches sell traditional fair food. May Fair is seen as the kickoff of the summer tourist season on Memorial Day Weekend. The weekend following 4th of July is the July Jamboree, the smallest of the three festivals but also the newest. In October, the third and final event, Octoberfest, is celebrated. It has an autumn atmosphere with the local aspen groves turning. Octoberfest is seen as a final outdoor event before the winter snow and the close of the traditional tourist season.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Nearby Towns & Cities
- Alamogordo, New Mexico, west of the town along U.S. Route 82.
- Roswell, New Mexico, northeast of the town
- Carlsbad, New Mexico, southeast of the town
- Sunspot, New Mexico, south of the town along Sunspot Hiway
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Cloudcroft's average temperatures
- Cloudcroft's average precipitation
Information
Recreation
