Minstrel
Hero Member
I just heard this weekend that the ghost town of Bland New Mexico might be for sale--on private property--trying to contact agents in that area to find out if true. Here is some info on the town:
BLAND
NAME: Bland
COUNTY: Sandoval
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 2
CLIMATE: Cool winter with possible snow, warm summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:Spring, summer, fall COMMENTS: On private property.
REMAINS: Unknown.
Bland's post office was established in 1894, and eventually discontinued in 1935. Named for Richard Parks Bland, who had fought against the demonetization of silver, this town was really a boom town. As soon as gold was discovered in the area, there were more people than places to sleep and it is rumored people slept in the streets as new buildings were built. Three thousand people called Bland home at the turn of the century and the mill ran 24 hours a day seven days a week. Bland had the typical red light district , saloons-a-plenty, and more. The town was laid out in a narrow canyon only 60 feet wide. One home owner was forced to build his outhouse in the middle of the front yard. Soon, the mines played out and Bland succumbed to its ghosts. Today, it is on private property.
The early 1890s saw the beginning of a gold and silver mining town named after Richard Parks Bland of Missouri whose fight against the demonetization of silver had gained him national fame. Bland's most amazing feat was its location. Tucked along a narrow canyon aperture only sixty feet wide, the town had over fifty buildings including four sawmills, two banks, a newspaper, a hotel, stock exchange, opera house, a school, a church, over a dozen saloons and miscellaneous stores. Bland was a lusty, booming, hell-raising, hard working metropolis of over three thousand people until 1904 when production began to show signs of weakening. Soon thereafter, Bland's boom had passed. The town is now deserted and stands on private property closely guarded under lock and key.Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.
BLAND
NAME: Bland
COUNTY: Sandoval
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 2
CLIMATE: Cool winter with possible snow, warm summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:Spring, summer, fall COMMENTS: On private property.
REMAINS: Unknown.
Bland's post office was established in 1894, and eventually discontinued in 1935. Named for Richard Parks Bland, who had fought against the demonetization of silver, this town was really a boom town. As soon as gold was discovered in the area, there were more people than places to sleep and it is rumored people slept in the streets as new buildings were built. Three thousand people called Bland home at the turn of the century and the mill ran 24 hours a day seven days a week. Bland had the typical red light district , saloons-a-plenty, and more. The town was laid out in a narrow canyon only 60 feet wide. One home owner was forced to build his outhouse in the middle of the front yard. Soon, the mines played out and Bland succumbed to its ghosts. Today, it is on private property.
The early 1890s saw the beginning of a gold and silver mining town named after Richard Parks Bland of Missouri whose fight against the demonetization of silver had gained him national fame. Bland's most amazing feat was its location. Tucked along a narrow canyon aperture only sixty feet wide, the town had over fifty buildings including four sawmills, two banks, a newspaper, a hotel, stock exchange, opera house, a school, a church, over a dozen saloons and miscellaneous stores. Bland was a lusty, booming, hell-raising, hard working metropolis of over three thousand people until 1904 when production began to show signs of weakening. Soon thereafter, Bland's boom had passed. The town is now deserted and stands on private property closely guarded under lock and key.Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.
