New Mexico's Turquoise Trail

New Mexico's Turquoise Trail

Explore three significant and historical town on the Turquoise Trail of New Mexico – Cerrillos, Madrid and Golden. Each offers a glimpse into the heady days when mining for gold, silver and other precious metals, as well as hard and soft coal, made this region wealthy. Today, each is virtually forgotten, although not officially ghost towns. Madrid is being resurrected as an artists’ colony; Cerrillos is still a little sleepy village;; Golden, with only 10 families, is but a blip on the map.

49 Comments

  1. Clyde Peppin on July 28, 2021 at 11:15 pm

    I remember my Dad telling me Madrid used to go all out decorating for Christmas. So much that Frontier pilots would sometimes veer a bit to fly over Madrid in December.

  2. Leo Chavez on July 28, 2021 at 11:22 pm

    Grounded have fun with curfew no damn littering and no elbows on table. Sterilization….for all us land

  3. Edward Jones on July 28, 2021 at 11:22 pm

    Aptly named the land of enchantment!! In my past travels I love that state. Honestly think that Nov and Dec are ideal for visiting the northern parts of New Mexico, including Santa Fe and Taos and the native American pueblos there and statewide.The snow accented Adobe Structures can easily captivate any tourist!! Every place is unique there!!

  4. Darren on July 28, 2021 at 11:23 pm

    Cerillos not changed in 40 years

  5. Basil BCF on July 28, 2021 at 11:25 pm

    We live not far from the Turquoise Trail and make the drive up to Madrid regularly. By the way, the town of Madrid is where a lot of the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed. There is even a Wild Hogs cafe there now.

  6. Leo Chavez on July 28, 2021 at 11:26 pm

    Or clean ur yard

  7. lobohoops on July 28, 2021 at 11:26 pm

    Love the 505

  8. Tta K on July 28, 2021 at 11:27 pm

    In regards to the comment, "one of the recent galleries to open in 2005" (ref: Chumani Gallery), is not true. The gallery opened in 1999.

  9. Sprouting Jugs on July 28, 2021 at 11:27 pm

    You should seriously consider changing the name of this video. I’d love to have the fifteen minutes I wasted watching this back but that’s not possible. I hope to save other people from the egregious error of viewing this.

  10. Bonnie Garber on July 28, 2021 at 11:28 pm

    What!?🙆… No Dollar General?

  11. iLikeTigerz101 on July 28, 2021 at 11:29 pm

    Suprised you didn’t find a hippie.

  12. lillian padilla on July 28, 2021 at 11:30 pm

    I visit there often all of my ‘Dads family was born in the village of Los "Cerrillos, and my "Grandpa Juan worked in the mines, he is ‘buried in "Santa fe, ‘my grandmother is buried in arizona. my dads cousins and uncles alot of them worked in the madrid mines under ‘harsh conditions. back in old times.

  13. Brenda Ortega on July 28, 2021 at 11:31 pm

    I think my great grandfather lived here, his name Hilario Branch.

  14. Dale Kundtz on July 28, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    Thank you for the historic tour and education of an area of New Mexico. There is beauty in the state.

  15. Chrispy D on July 28, 2021 at 11:32 pm

    Sra. Padilla,
    Mil gracias for all you do and your stories!

  16. Greg Warner on July 28, 2021 at 11:34 pm

    You missed the Mineshaft Tavern. Great food in a fine bar. In Madrid.

  17. Timothy Hurley on July 28, 2021 at 11:35 pm

    I have drove this part of villiage of Golden, Madrid and beautiful Cerrillos.
    That was back in 1971 we were ride old step van with my sister, my baby brother and my sister lover boy and we carry motorcycle inside stepvan from Sarasota,Fl..
    That was a long trip to get here in Madrid,Nm.
    It took us about 3 days trip from Sarasota,Fl. to Madrid,NM. non stop in 1971.

  18. Tim Scoggins on July 28, 2021 at 11:36 pm

    great vids I would love to spend a lot of time checking out nm.

  19. Bonnie Silver on July 28, 2021 at 11:38 pm

    My family and I owned a one room chaco canyon style stone house in Cerrillos,NM in the 70s..We had no power or running water, we jerked beef and cooked on a one burner wood stove..It was a very interesting learning experience…

  20. Arctic Gummibear on July 28, 2021 at 11:38 pm

    Well done video…your silence adds to the quietness of the region and is loneliness.

  21. Mr. Jetson on July 28, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    What about the Golden Inn ? That used to be THE place to party!!  I’m from Tijeras. Sure miss N.M. The vibe is not the same here in Maryland!   HOMESICK!!!!

  22. Rusty Nail on July 28, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    A Very nice video. thanks.

  23. Cate on July 28, 2021 at 11:40 pm

    Don’t know if anyone remembers, but during the early 1970s the band, "The Family Lotus" played at the annual summer Cerrillos Fair which was a fund-raiser for the Turquoise Trail Fire Department (all volunteer). We played our music on Main Street where the dust sometimes swirled, the children played at the park, the home-made food was sold by local vendors and other bands like "Red Dirt" & "Last Mile Ramblers" filled the afternoon with good folk rock that made the dancers in the dirt street real happy.

  24. Tawdry Galaxy on July 28, 2021 at 11:42 pm

    I lived in New Mexico my entire life

  25. Charles E. Terry on July 28, 2021 at 11:42 pm

    WW WH BEUTIFULSECERY

  26. Ojo Felix NM on July 28, 2021 at 11:43 pm

    One of my favorite drives for the last sixty years. New Mexico is a beautiful state. Fall is the best time of the year.Wish I still lived there. Madrid looked like a real ghost town in the forties with most of the old mining company houses falling apart and the entire town in a state of advanced decrepitcy. If I recall correctly, the old stone coke ovens were still to be seen in Golden.The road from Golden to Cerrillos wasn’t paved until sometime in the late fifties. The road was New Mexico 10 until changed by the state to NM-14. Don’t really know why the state did that. Give yourself plenty of time if you plan to explore New Mexico. There is much to see and experience.

  27. pat goff on July 28, 2021 at 11:43 pm

    Thank you for taking us on vacation with you

  28. Carolyn Meehan on July 28, 2021 at 11:44 pm

    Great job!

  29. Bonnie Garber on July 28, 2021 at 11:45 pm

    This has been a wonderful video…thank you for sharing

  30. Leo Chavez on July 28, 2021 at 11:45 pm

    #51 cow dance and alligator dance

  31. Leo Chavez on July 28, 2021 at 11:46 pm

    Lol……no digital or satellite television. No electric….NOW ITS Y2K
    Y
    2
    KIDS
    ANSWER…..I.DEES

    GO EAT LUNCH WITH RUDY AND OMAR BYE

  32. Mike Paniora on July 28, 2021 at 11:46 pm

    a place to retire in hmm

  33. Kathy Peterson on July 28, 2021 at 11:47 pm

    As a New Mexican, I loved seeing all the places I have been. Was really surprised to see the Murphy/Dolan sign on the Wortley Hotel name on a building in Cerrillos! I didn’t know their business and influence went that far north during the Lincoln County War days.

  34. Justin Hadley on July 28, 2021 at 11:47 pm

    This is great. Thank you for sharing.

  35. Dave Silverman on July 28, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    Video didn’t mention the railroad museum and ampitheatre in Madrid or the Golden Inn in Golden, a well known road house where many well known musicians preformed and many other landmarks along N.M. 14 in the stretch between Tejeras Canyon (where I-40 and 14 intersect)and the village of Madrid. I lived in Madrid for a couple of years before the artists arrived in one of the old company houses when this place was a true ghost town. There were perhaps a dozen others there at the same time. That was in the middle of the 70’s. The feel of the place has completely changed. While it’s good to see Madrid lived in again it’s nothing like it is in my memories. Sad.

  36. pat goff on July 28, 2021 at 11:52 pm

    It was an honor to go with you

  37. 49LivingtheDream on July 28, 2021 at 11:53 pm

    I lived in Albuquerque for about six years, and traveled to this area often. I took a visitor to Madrid and Golden, where we sat for church services. In my retirement, I hope to be able to visit many ghost town areas in our country, particularly in the west.

  38. Leo Chavez on July 28, 2021 at 11:55 pm

    One =100
    2= 1000
    X7
    X7
    X7

    U lost ur country golfing. Amazing. United States the bully of all bullies is now owned by 6 flags…..
    Those damn cowboys…..congrats u own United States….thank spm
    God bless

  39. Tom Marks on July 28, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    A wonderful video…. we are thinking of moving to New Mexico after our long stay in Arizona…. It is compelling how beautiful it is… thank you

  40. Greg Warner on July 28, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    That trip we flew to Albuquerque in April. As we arrived early we decided to drive up the east side of the Sandia ridge. Halfway up we were driving the rental on snow! We flew all that way fron New Hampshire to drive on snow. Great fun and no problem as we had been driving on the stuff for decades. Start of another great visit to New Mexico.

  41. Tim Scoggins on July 28, 2021 at 11:58 pm

    great vids I would love to spend a lot of time checking out nm.

  42. Tiger Alderman on July 29, 2021 at 12:05 am

    I retired here in New Mexico 5 month ago, love it here, not sure i would wanna earning a living here though.

  43. sss on July 29, 2021 at 12:07 am

    gosh i can’t wait

  44. Cynthia J Candelaria on July 29, 2021 at 12:09 am

    Wortley Hotel…..can’t digest that name. They do not belong to the architecture of my lands!

  45. Jacque Howard on July 29, 2021 at 12:09 am

    I use to live in Cerrillos when I was kid! My brothers and I loved to explore!! They shot parts of the Movie John Carpenters Vampires while I lived there and it was cool to meet some of the cast and watch them film.

  46. Ben Gomez on July 29, 2021 at 12:10 am

    If you do, don’t wait a moment longer to start your new life in Jesus Christ. Remember, this prayer is not a magical formula. You are simply expressing your heart to God. Pray this with us: "Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life and forever In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen." Prayer of Salvation – I’ve Prayed It; Now What? If you’ve prayed this prayer of salvation with true conviction and heart, you are now a follower of Jesus. This is a fact, whether or not you feel any different. Religious systems may have led you to believe that you should feel something – a warm glow, a tingle, or some other mystical experience. The fact is, you may, or you may not. If you have prayed the prayer of salvation and meant it, you are now a follower of Jesus.  Welcome to the family of God! We encourage you now to find a local church where you can be baptized and grow in the knowledge of God through His Word, the Bible. http://www.allaboutgod.com

  47. sigwart on July 29, 2021 at 12:10 am

    When I lived in albuquerque, I frequently headed up 14 to sandia peak dr
    to hike the east side of the sandia peak but I never went north up to Santa Fe.
    Until one day after some sales calls in the city different I decided to take the
    scenic and long way home back down this mysterious highway. I must say that
    this video doesn’t even come close to doing Madrid justice. It was busy when I
    drove thru it and it seemed like there was commerce everywhere. It totally looks like a town out of a novel. There is no other state in our nation mysterious, haunting and historically rich as new mexico. It’s a lonesome and hard place
    to make it but i’ll never regret the life enriching 4 years I lived there.

  48. Leo Chavez on July 29, 2021 at 12:11 am

    Father Terry ? Hello

  49. Juan Manuel Perez on July 29, 2021 at 12:11 am

    These is Mexico 🇲🇽

Leave a Comment