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The Dawson Elk Valley Ranch has a new owner – officially.
Five years after the Colfax County ranch was placed on the market, and one year after an agreement was announced, The Nature Conservancy has acquired the 50,000-acre property, once the site of the coal town of Dawson and two of the nation’s worst mine disasters.
The MIRR Ranch Group, the Denver-based company that brokered the sale, confirmed earlier this month that the global environmental organization had closed on the purchase.
“We appreciate the collaborative efforts of the seller and The Nature Conservancy’s team to navigate a complex process to arrive at a mutually beneficial result,” said broker Jeff Hubbard in a statement. “It is extremely gratifying to know this iconic wilderness property will now be protected in perpetuity under the stewardship of The Nature Conservancy.”
For its part, The Nature Conservancy confirmed the Dec. 15 purchase and said it is in the process of developing a management plan for the property.
Part of that plan is expected to be the sale of about 32,500 acres of timberland to the Forestry Division of the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The purchase would be funded at least in part by a $50 million federal grant the state received last year from the U.S. Forest Service.
Here is the story I wrote for the Albuquerque Journal, which was published in its print edition on Dec. 29.
Blog Archive
Angelo. Beniamino. Carlo. Dom. Egisto. Geriomine. Luigi. Petro. Pit Della. Raymondo. All emigrants from the same village in Italy. All coal miners. All among the 263 killed in the horrific Oct. 22, 1913, mine explosion in Dawson, New Mexico. All with the same family name: Santi. Ten in all. Of the 146 Italian miners to…
The unpaved roadway leading from State Road 505 to Dawson Cemetery, to be kind, is pretty remote. No businesses. No homes. No people. Not that I was surprised. I had read enough stories, seen enough photographs, and watched enough videos to prepare myself for my first visit to the historic cemetery, Or so I thought.…
I thought I was ready for pretty much anything when I began my research into Dawson’s history. But I never expected to run smack-dab into a “breaking news” story while writing about a coal town that hasn’t existed for 70 years. That’s what happened earlier this month when a Google News search led me to…
One of the first questions I’m asked when people hear I’m working on a book about Dawson is why? Why devote years of your life to researching and writing about an old New Mexico coal town that hasn’t been around for more than half a century? Fair enough. Here’s the back story: When my wife…
Crosses of Iron
by Nick Pappas
Now available to order from:
University of New Mexico Press
… and other booksellers.
Audiobook version available to order from …
… and other audiobook sellers.
