Magdalena, New Mexico is located 30 miles west of Socorro along Highway 60.  It was founded in 1884 and peaked around 1920.  It served the mining and ranching communities in the area.  In 1915, a spur line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad from Socorro provided easier access to markets in the rest of the country.  A walking tour brochure is available locally and online.

(Above) The Bank of Magdalena building dates to 1908 during Magdalena’s heyday.  It now houses an ice cream shop and café.

CLICK HERE for a 1919 Sanborn Fire Insurance map sheet of downtown Magdalena. (Library of Congress)  The tour passed through Magdalena in route to the Kelly Mine; however, some of the MHAers made an independent stop after the mine visit.

Although some frame structures have not survived the passing of time, many historic buildings are located throughout the town. Substantial brick structures (above and left) are at the corner of First Street and Main Street.

A branch line of the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in 1915 providing a vital link to the outside world.  The Depot building now serves as the town Library and village hall.  It is listed National Register.

Next to the Depot stands the Box Car Museum.  The unique reuse of a piece of railroad contains exhibits on local history. Sadly, it is closed Sundays, the day of the MHA Kelly Mine tour.

The largest historic building in Magdalena is the well-preserved Charles Ilfeld Company warehouse on Main Street.  It dates to 1913.  Through retail outlets, this mercantile company supplied ranchers with necessary goods on credit with accounts settled when sales of sheep and cattle were completed. The building is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Buildings.

While doing her Facebook series, “On the Way to MHA Socorro,” Cathy Spude got a pre-conference peak at the displays inside the Box Car Museum.

The most obvious relic of the mining boom days in Magdalena is an old mine hoist sitting outside the railroad station.

The nameplate on the hoist reads “Kennedy & Pierce M[a]ch[inery] Co[mpany, ]Denver Col[orado].”

Sometimes mining artifacts show up in surprising places.  A small jaw crusher (left) and a “Braun Pulverizer” (above) were spotted outside the Ortega Rock Shop in Magdalena.  They may have been used by small miners or assayers.