Dry Heat Photography
  • Professional Services
    • Wedding Photography
    • Wedding Films
    • Family Portraits
    • Professional Headshots
    • Real Estate Photography
  • Meet DeAnna
  • Investment
  • Dry Heat Blog
  • CONTACT
  • Professional Services
    • Wedding Photography
    • Wedding Films
    • Family Portraits
    • Professional Headshots
    • Real Estate Photography
  • Meet DeAnna
  • Investment
  • Dry Heat Blog
  • CONTACT

The Ghost Town of Fierro, New Mexico

9/17/2019

5 Comments

 
Fierro, New Mexico

Fierro, New Mexico Was A Mining Town

     I visited Fierro, New Mexico in the fall of 2006. These images went missing for about ten years and then I found them again.
     "Fierro" means "iron" in Spanish and the town of Fierro is located a few miles north east of Silver City.  Fierro was founded in 1841 by a German immigrant. It was a mining town that went belly up during the great depression.
​     Those who were not killed in mining accidents moved away when the economy tanked, creating a ghost town and leaving behind a church with a lonely caretaker.
Fierro, New Mexico
Abandoned house in the ghost town of Fierro, New Mexico
the ghost town of Fierro, New Mexico
Abandoned house in Fierro, New Mexico
Don't go back there.
Abandoned house in the ghost town of Fierro, New Mexico
Some doors should stay closed.
Abandoned house in the ghost town of Fierro, New Mexico

St. Anthony's Catholic Church

     St. Anthony's Catholic Church was built by the miners of Fierro in 1916.  I don't know who would be attending church there nowadays, but I guess there's at least one person.
     While poking around the outside of the church I was approached by a woman who asked if I wanted to see the inside. Her name was Juana and I said, "yes, please!" Juana let me in and preceded to regale me with with her personal testimony of the power of the Christ. Keep in mind that this was a long time ago so I may have forgotten some of the finer points but I remember her saying, "It's in the blood, the power is in the blood", over and over again.
     Juana let me wander all through the church and shoot whatever photos I wanted. After a while she said, "I'm going home, bring the keys back to my house when you're done."  So I did.
St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Fierro, New Mexico
Juana is (was) the caretaker of the church.
St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Fierro, New Mexico

Juana's House

     It was close to Halloween and Juana had ghosts hanging from trees in her yard. I didn't take any photos inside her house because that seemed rude. I can tell you though, that the inside of her house was decorated like the gift shop of a southwestern ghost town. Every possible surface, both horizontal and vertical, was covered in do-dads, artifacts, photographs, and religious paraphernalia.
     Juana cooked tortillas from scratch and fried eggs over easy. All of it was delicious. She told a terrible story of how all the men in her family had been killed in the mine. Her father, her brothers, her husband, her son... all killed in mining accidents. She told me about making burritos as a child and selling them to "white people like you". 
Halloween decorations in Fierro, New Mexico
Ghosts in Juana's yard.
     Juana was the caretaker of the church and the only resident I remember encountering in Fierro. She was gracious and friendly but I wonder sometimes if she was real. 
5 Comments
Sonny Aguirre link
4/6/2021 10:01:13 pm

I grew up in Fierro I personally knew Juana. And everyone else in the Metropolitan town of Fierro lol. Thank you for mentioning the church san Antonio which I regularly attended as a child.


Reply
Anna M
7/31/2021 01:54:51 pm

My grandmother was born in Fierro in the early 1900’s Her father was a Dominguez and her mom was a Catano . Her father died in the mines when she was about 4 years old. I want to visit some day.

Reply
Christina Luera
9/27/2021 08:21:16 pm

My grandmother Julia Torres was born here in 1928

Reply
Dale Gonzales
10/1/2021 12:10:43 pm

When I lived in Grant County, I often walked around Fierro. It was so eerily silent. It felt like ghosts were hovering around me, wanting me to leave. All "ghost towns" & abandoned places can be "creepy", especially if one is open to these "vibrations." Fierro is the type of place especially given to "ghosts" because it is empty - there was nothing there but feelings of great sadness...

Reply
Amy Johnson
3/30/2022 10:05:29 am

Thank you for the brief insights into this small town. I ended up here due to searching for info about a jeweler named Juan Gallegos. However, there are many, many men named Juan Gallegos. I did find one after a quick Google search, and in his obituary, it said he was born in Fierro, NM. I'd never heard of Fierro until today. Anyhoo, I am glad I stumbled upon your blog with photos. Thanks. Love the bit about Juana, and the responses of those with connections to Fierro.
-Amy

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    I am DeAnna Vincent, fine art and portrait photographer in Los Lunas, New Mexico. These are the photos from my everyday adventures.

    Categories

    All
    Abandoned Places
    ABQ BioPark
    Albuquerque Artists
    Albuquerque Musicians
    Arizona
    Blogging Tips
    Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge
    Colorado
    Ghost Towns
    Historic Sites
    Hummingbirds
    Lensball Photography
    Maryland
    New Mexico Ghost Towns
    New Mexico Mountains
    New Mexico Skies
    New Mexico Wildlife
    Ohio
    Photography Tips
    Rio Grande River Bosque
    Route 66
    Salinas Pueblo Missions
    Sandhill Cranes
    The Dark Continent
    The-new-life-of-betsy-bus
    Time Lapse Video
    Turquoise Trail
    Urban Decay
    Virginia
    West Virginia
    Winter Trees
    Wisconsin

    Archives

    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

    RSS Feed

Website by Dry Heat Web Design
Home
Wedding Photography
Wedding Films
Family Portraits​
Engagements
​Headshots
Dry Heat Blog
​Investment
​​Contact
All images and content copyright
​DeAnna Vincent and
​Dry Heat Photography.