A Tourist Town, Of Sorts

  Today, the economic mainstays for Lordsburg are the county government, the railroad, ranching, some mining and traffic on Interstate 10, which nourished travelers with a handful of motels, restaurants and gas stations. In spite of this, the population has taken a nosedive over the past half century and does not show any signs of recovery.
  However, Lordsburg should definitely be seen by everyone. Why? Because it is the anti-Santa Fe. it is a New Mexico town that is the complete opposite of Santa Fe. Lordsburg is about as far away from Santa Fe culturally, geographically and in terms of appearance among New Mexico cities and towns as you can get. Lordsburg is not beautiful, it is not prosperous, it is not wealthy, it is not thriving, it is not a center of power, it is not a tourist destination, it does not have a rosy outlook for the future, it does not ooze ancient Spanish culture. In fact the only adobe building to be found in Lordsburg is the library, located next to the Hidalgo County Courthouse and was deliberately built in the 'Territorial style' to make a statement that this is New Mexico, a state that looks different from any other state. It is most likely fake adobe plaster, but it still has the "New Mexico look" to it, which is an anomaly in this dying ranching and railroad town.
  The Hidalgo County Courthouse on South Shakespeare Street is an attractive, 2-story, red brick building. It, the library and the post office are pretty much surrounded by abandoned buildings.
  Lordsburg has two claims to fame. First, it has the oldest airport in New Mexico. Lordsburg Municipal Airport began operations in December, 1938 and the state song of New Mexico was written by a Lordsburg resident.
" O Fair New Mexico" was written by Elizabeth Garrett, daughter of famed Lincoln County Sheriff  Pat Garrett. Pat Garrett is one of the more famous people from the "Wild West" days. " O Fair New Mexico" was adopted as the state song by the New Mexico state legislature in March of 1917. New Mexico does have another state song, a Spanish language one. It is called " Asi Es Nuevo Mexico."