What To Do About All The Vacant Buildings In New Mexico?

May 21, 2014

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In my week long road trip that took me through northern New Mexico I ran across way too many vacant buildings. Not only did I traveled through small towns in New Mexico but also in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. I went off the interstates to visit the heart beat of this great Country! I found a vibrant rural America for the most part, despite hard economic times and drought in many areas. From Meade, Kansas through Oklahoma and Texas on Highway 54 into New Mexico it looked like it had not rained since Lincoln was President! And I know that it is not funny, we need a call to prayer in this Country! I love history, I stopped in Meade, Kansas to visit the Dalton Gang museum. ( Yes, I know many of you do not know anything about the Dalton gang, google it!) They told me interest is dying in the area and in America for history. Now one thing that bothers me is that in New Mexico I see way too many vacant buildings across the land. It makes me sad, I think of who built that building? who started that business? Why did they close? How did they feel when they had to close their business? All sorts of questions run through my mind. Then I ask, why are not these buildings kept up? Why are they allowed to “rot” ? Why do we leave them? Should we preserve them? If not, they should be torn down. We used to call that back home a “sore eye” for the community. When I was traveling back home I drove into New Mexico on Highway 54 into Nara Visa, New Mexico, my heart broke….so much I could not take pictures, this little village, or what is left of it, it’s about vacated and buildings “rot”. Then I went through Logan,
New Mexico..these pictures are from Logan. I went through Raton, New Mexico at the start of my trip and that community is riddled with vacant buildings. I did not find this in other states! They must tear them down, So what’s up with this New Mexico?