Steins Ghost Town, New Mexico
Taken with a Kodak 7440, adjusted with PhotoPlus

Steins really was a town in New Mexico, and it really was right here where it is today. It was a railroad town which once housed about 1300 people. Many of them lived in wooden boxcars which they remodeled into homes. This was the spot where steam trains loaded water. Unfortunately, there wasn't any water in Steins, so it had to be hauled in for the trains. This eventually led to the demise of the town when steam trains no longer travelled the rails. In the 1960s, most of the town burned, leaving the shell that's there today. It was bought and is run today as a museum, gift store, and home to the owner. They have drilled a well, but it takes about an hour and a half to get enough water for one shower. They have a reservoir where they pump all the water, so it is constantly filling as it is sparingly used.

It is $2.50 for a tour of the old town behind the fence. It was a sunny, but cold, day, so we did not take the tour. Looking around outside the fence is free, and the Mercantile comes equipped with a fine wood stove to warm one up between looks. I hope you enjoy this virtual tour.

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Old Adobe Walls






I have no clue what this is, but I liked the symmetry of it
and the look of it against the corrugated, rusty metal wall.


Steins Mercantile


Care to rock on the front porch?


People from all over the world have signed and stapled dollars to the wall. Most are American dollars, but there are bills and coins from other countries.


Again, I don't know what it is, but rusty equipment seemed artistic on this cold day in January.


Now this, I know! My Grandmother had one like this, minus the rust, and sitting in the kitchen instead of outside in the Prickley Pear.