Cuervo, New Mexico

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Cuervo might not be a ghost town just yet, but it’s getting close.  Interstate 40 cut through the middle of town, leaving plenty of photogenic ruins on both sides of the highway.

If you’re following Route 66 westbound, you’ll see the northern side of town first.  There’s an old gas/service station along the side of the road.  There’s also a church, but I couldn’t find a way to reach it.

Cross over to the south side of the interstateand you find plenty more ruins along the roadside.  This (above) is Cuervo’s Catholic church.  I’m not sure whether it’s abandoned now, or not.  There are some signs that it’s been maintained, and it’s certainly in better shape than some of its neighbors…

… which are boarded up, and falling apart.

The town’s former water supply?

I didn’t wander into any of these houses, although at most of them, there’s nothing stopping you.  The only thing that stopped me was the feeling that this town wasn’t as abandoned as it seemed.  I didn’t encounter a single person as I explored, but there are still a few people living in mobile homes and a few old houses nearby.

At Cuervo, the westbound Route 66 traveler has two choices.  You can either hop onto Interstate 40 for the drive into Santa Rosa, or attempt an early alignment of Route 66, that cuts southwest from town.  The second choice is a dirt road, and in EZ-66, author Jerry McClanahan says it’s not recommended.  I must not have been in the mood for adventure, since I did not give it a try.

Note: This trip was first published in 2008.

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