ready, aim, fire

 

Can you spot the white buffalo without a telescope?  The target, not the sign!  This is the rifle silhouette range at the Whittington Center.  The white buffalo is 1,123 yards up the hill, in the clearing even with the head of the sign buffalo.  Those other black spots down range are silhouette targets for chickens at 200 meter, pigs at 300 meters and rams at 500 meters.

 

NRA Whittington Center

Raton, New Mexico

8.21.2016

 

jeans so stiff they stand alone

 

Evidently there weren't enough cowboys to keep this motel/restaurant/laundry in business because the place is closed.  Ever order your jeans with "rodeo starch?"  Ironic to find Texas style starch in New Mexico.

 

Crystal Motel

Raton, New Mexico

summer shower over the stock pens

 

Raton sits on the New Mexico side of the Raton Pass with Trinidad on the Colorado side.  The thunder in the Sangre de Christo Mountains was an awesome sound today.

 

Highway 64

Raton, New Mexico



flowers in the window

 

 St. John Methodist Episcopal Church

 Johnson Mesa, New Mexico

8.13.2013

utilities

 

If you arrive in Raton aboard the Southwest Chief at the 1903 train station and wish to stretch your legs during the stop, you can cross First Street (beware of construction) and catch a bite at the only place to eat in the historic downtown district before boarding again.  Except for the thousands of Boy Scouts bound for the Philmont Ranch camp, not many passengers have Raton as their final destination. 

 

Historic Downtown

Raton, New Mexico

5.22.2015

next door

 

The pointing finger tells the shopper to go next door for groceries, hardware, even beer and wine.  Alas the store next door as well as the adjacent clothing store have been closed since 1988.  The store stands as if the owner closed up and will return in the morning, with merchandise gathering dust.  Tony Marchiondo came from Italy and settled in Raton because the weather was similar.  He opened his business June 1, 1913 (says so right on the door) and the store closed in 1988 - probably when there wasn't a family member to run it.  The windows are a tribute to Tony's family and his patriotism.  Seven sons served at the same time in World War II; three daughters worked in the business. The Marchiondo Building, erected in 1882, houses the New York and Golden Rule Stores and is a contributing building to the Raton Downtown Historic Building.  My fears that this neat place might just deteriorate were lessened when I discovered that Marchiondo Stores is now a non-profit corporation, whatever that means.

 

7 sons served in WWI

3 daughters worked the store

 

Marchiondo New York and Golden Rule Stores

120-124 First Street

Raton, New Mexico



the back of the building

 

Often, the rear of a structure has more character than the streetside.  This is the case of the former ice house in Raton.  The building has been around since 1903 when the Raton Crystal Ice and Cold Storage Company was started.  Over the years it has been a feed store, an oil distribution hub and in 2000, it opened as the Icehouse Restaurant -- currently it is a BBQ place.  Since the ice house was near the railroad tracks, its early business was probably the rails cars transporting foods.  Regardless of its occupants, the barred windows and bricked-up openings, the rear of the building retains the ghost sign of the original business.  Don't just journey down the main drag, explore the alleys and by-ways as well--the backside may be more interesting.

 

Raton, New Mexico

8.18.2013

mountain flowers

 

 

Thanks to the recent rains the usual drab landscape of Raton is lush with green grasses and acres of sunflowers.

 

NRA Whittington Center

US 64

Raton, New Mexico

deja vu all over again

 

I've passed the old gas station on Raton's main drag many a time, but today I thought "wow I just photographed this place."  It is an exact replica of the Sinclair station in Houma, Louisiana.  (See blog posts August 6 and 7).  While the Houma location is still a working service station, the Ration building now houses 1950s memorabilia including a life-size Elvis.  There is no indication of whether the place is ever open to the public.  One difference is that the restrooms are switched to opposite sides.  The room with the "gentlemen" sign (as opposed to "men" in Louisiana) boasts of "sanitary seat covers."  Women evidently don't have that assurance but our room is "locked for your security."  I wish I could learn more about these stations with green tiles, a circular design and round service bays -- a piece of the past worth preserving.

 

Raton, New Mexico  

robin hood

 

The Mother Road, Route 66, gets all the press but Route 64 through Raton also reflects some of the 1950s culture.  Raton still has some motels with individuality -- unique names, neon signs advertising amenities and swimming pools.  US 84 through northern New Mexico is known as a great motorcycle road.

 

US 64

Raton, New Mexico

(from the archives)

skoal

 

Never, in my annual Memorial Day trips to Raton, have I visited Schwede's.  "Skoal" here is probably the chewing tobacco, not the Swedish toast.  There's not much nightlife here-- just acouple of bars that are usually just open on weekends.  Maybe next time I'll be more adventurous  and buy a beer from Schwede.

 

Schwede's Saloon

US Route 64

Raton, New Mexico

5.30.2010

rest in peace

Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery

Raton, New Mexico

5.24.2011

now i lay me down to sleep

Tonight I sleep in a king-size bed at the Budget Host.  It was originally built as the Melody Lane Motel in 1945 on the main highway connecting Raton and Trinidad, Colorado -- over the pass.  Each decade saw subsequent additions, including in-room steam baths.  Marge has owned the property the past 17 years; her cousin owns the Raton Pass (formerly the Capri) down the road.

self titled

Raton, New Mexico

5.27.2010