Madrid is a small but lively town on the Turquoise Trail. It was the first thing that came to mind when I suddenly wanted to get out of the house for a day. And this was, indeed, a beautiful October day in Santa Fe. Skies were bright. The air was slightly crisp with a hint of what was to come in November and beyond to winter. Madrid is not far from Santa Fe but a completely different experience. If you have time when visiting Albuquerque or Santa Fe, New Mexico, and have a day, an afternoon, it is worth the drive out there. Take Hwy 14, also known as the Turquoise Trail. Find information on the Turquoise Trail here: https://www.turquoisetrail.org/
Madrid was first brought to life by mining for gold and silver and later, more successfully, for turquoise. While gold and silver were not a great success it was later revived and brought to life again by coal. Madrid’s location was not far from the main railroad line that carried coal out of the area. It started out with a few shacks (you can still see them). You will find the town so different from Santa Fe and the predominance of adobe homes.
This little town grew and bustled with the success of coal mining. Seems like the townspeople really stuck together. At Christmas they would decorate the whole place with Christmas lights. Getting their energy from the local coal there was no problem in lighting up their town with 150,000 little Christmas bulbs. I read or heard somewhere that the airline TWA would deviate from their usual flight pattern so passengers could witnessv from above the little town ablaze with light
The successful thriving of Madrid went on for the first half of the 20th Century. With the slow demise of coal it then became no more than a ghost town again. Then in the 1970’s a new genre set their eyes on the lands of New Mexico. Madrid was once again reborn, now with artists, craftsmen and the discontented. They moved into the old homes and hotels and revived the little town with boutiques, restaurants, the occasional hotel and bed and breakfast. It is a thriving little town now that I will suddenly remember and visit again. I even occasionally pass through Madrid when I pick up family from the airport and take the Turquoise Trail home.
