Moments of Enchantment; 108; San Marcial, New Mexico

At the turn of the century, San Marcial, New Mexico was considered one of the garden spots of the Rio Grande Valley. Its avenues were lined with rows of cottonwood trees. Its park boasted a fountain and a bandstand. But this idyllic village had known tragedy before and would face it again more in a moment. San Marcial was established in the 1860s as a service community for nearby Fort Conrad and Fort Craig. When the Santa Fe Railroad arrived in the 1880s, San Marcial became an important business community with large shops, a Harvey House, even a skating rink. 1,200 people inhabited the town in its heyday. Tragedy struck first when the wooden buildings of the town were destroyed twice by fire. But the prosperous citizens quickly had them rebuilt. Flooding was another problem.

The railroad construction between the town and the Rio Grande Valley provided some protection, but as the river meandered directionless, especially after the construction of the Elephant butam, more dikes and levees were needed. In August 1929, after three days and nights of rain, the aroyos near San Marcial flooded. The floodwaters were trapped by the railroad bed and the dikes and levees broke. The water ran through the town and San Marcial was buried under a sea of silt. This once prosperous community has been called the Pompeii of New Mexico, after the Roman town that was buried under lava and ash from a volcano 2,000 years ago. Only the cemetery and two crumbling Adobe buildings remain of that garden spot on the Rio Grande. To learn more about historic sites in New Mexico, contact the Historic Preservation Division of the Office of Cultural Affairs. Unites of Enchantment brought to you by the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs. For Moments of Enchantment, I am David Griffin.