writers, ranchers and miners. It’s also the only place between the interstate and Silver City where you can rustle up some grub. We tied into burgers and en- chiladas (both excellent) at the General Store Café, which is equal parts of both
road but easy to miss because Highway 152 skirts the original town site and the turnoff to Main Street is flanked by a dead end sign that discourages the less intrepid traveler. There’s an old hotel, an assay office and a nicely restored bank that proudly displays its original teller windows. Truth is, there’s not much left from the town’s heyday in the 1880s when the population soared to 7,000, providing a solid customer base for its 27 saloons. Minimalist campers might enjoy a stay at the Forest Service’s primitive campground near the intersec- tion of Main Street and Route 152. As Route 152 winds up into the Black Mountains, the views become increas- ingly majestic, providing panoramic hints of why this route is part of the Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway. The fearsome Apache leader was native to the Gila, and during his epic standoff with the U.S. Army he and his warriors took refuge in the region. Dense forest and frequent switch- backs make for slow going. About 8
miles west of Kingston, 8,828-foot Emory Pass marks the route’s apex. There’s a viewpoint and parking area that will handle all but the largest rigs and from which you can catch a glimpse of Kingston and the twisting road you’ve just traversed. Plying the Camino Real, or King’s Road, which linked Mexico City with its colonial capital of Santa Fe, the Span- ish regularly passed through the region along the nearby Rio Grande but never established a permanent settlement in
As Route 152 winds up into the Black Mountains, the views become increasingly majestic, providing panoramic hints of why this route is part of the Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway.
and features a sign near the entrance that reads: “If you can’t find it here, we can tell you how to get along without it.” Kingston is about 9 miles up the
the Gila. The Spaniards did engage in some copper mining just east of pres- ent day Silver City, although their op- erations were constantly thwarted by Apache raids. It wasn’t until a rich silver strike in 1870 that aptly named Silver City sprang to life, transformed from a tent camp to a city of fine buildings, nearly
Resembling a Western movie set, the Pinos Altos Historic Museum unearths gold nuggets of information. Right, Silver City’s vibrant galleries and cafés rival Santa Fe’s.
17 COAST TO COAST Spring 2013
Spring 2013 COAST TO COAST 17
Made with FlippingBook Annual report