City Tour of Chama


Chama's history includes lumber and logging, cattle ranching, sheep, and gold and silver mining. Today Chama is a town of about 1,250 people with Rio Arriba being the third largest county in the State. The average altitude in the area is 7,800 feet so, unlike many arid parts of New Mexico, there is a lot of snow. The entire area is part of what once was the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant.

The village of Chama itself dates back to the mid-1800s when settlers came into the valley after the civil war to begin logging the land. Bordered by the Carson, Rio Grande and Santa Fe National Forests, the Chama Valley was once covered by a thriving forest. Before the area was clear-cut of timber, the forest covered hundreds of square miles. It is said that the forest was so thick a person on horseback would have had difficulty riding through it. The Cumbres and Toltec Railroad, a remnant of the Denver and Rio Grande, drove the spike that connected Denver with Chama in 1880. The Cumbres and Toltec is still in existence, owned by both Colorado and New Mexico. It is an example of a narrow gauge track railroad. Unlike most railroads of the time, the narrow gauge tracks were built through the mountainous areas in order for the trains to move more easily at faster rates of travel.

During its early years, the town had its share of outlaws and miscreants. One of the gangs operating in Chama was the Charles Allison gang. During their reign they ran rampant through Chama, holding up saloons and gambling houses. They also robbed the railroad pay cars that carried the large construction camps payrolls. Lawlessness was certainly something the people of Chama thought about as can be seen from the following statement, published in 1893 in the local newspaper, the Northwest New Mexican. "Tramps and sneak thieves will probably in the future give Chama a wide berth. The rope is a desperate but sure remedy." Northwest New Mexican, 1893loafing and seem to take a special delight in firing off six shooters and Winchester rifles.


Chama Links
Chama Guide
Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce
Chama Valley School District