Swastika - New Mexico Ghost Town

SWASTIKA

NAME: Swastika
COUNTY: Colfax
ROADS: 2WD
GRID #(see map): 3
CLIMATE: Mild winter, warm summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT:Spring, winter, fall

COMMENTS: Not a whole lot to see
REMAINS: Rows of concrete foundations.The following towns: Gardnier, Swastika, Brilliant, and Blossburg are now part of Vermejo Park Ranch owned by Ted Turner and are now private gated property. You can no longer visit them unless you have premission and you probably won't as it is a hunting reserve with no less than a $450 per night stay. Ted Turner believes in reclaimation work and has taken it upon himself to bulldoze many of the exsisting structures of some of the towns and you will be luckily to find even stones of said previous structures. I believe some of the old coke ovens for Gardnier may be viewed from the Raton golf course, but that's as close as you will probably get. In addition, Turner is not a preditor hunter and the bear and coyote population have skyrocketed.
It's not uncommon to find grizzly or black bears at these locations. If you can get in a 4 wheel drive is good, but the road is in fairly good condition and is regrated often by another property owner who lives at the top of the canyon. You will have to make it through severial posted and locked gates however. You need to up date these towns so folks will not be dissapointed when they arrive to find them locked.

The Swastika Fuel Company was organized at the end of World War I to open new coal deposits south of Brilliant. At the time, the name Swastika was not inappropriate so that became the name of the town. The outbreak of World War II required the town change its name as Swastika was no longer appropriate. The original town of Brilliant had ceased to exist giving Swastika the opportunity to adopt the name, which it did. It was originally called New Brilliant but in time the New was dropped. The town's population reached a high of five hundred residents in 1929. While the town did exist, it's residents enjoyed a family atmosphere with homes provided by the company, education for the children, company sponsored activities and events for everyone's enjoyment. The site today is reduced to rows of concrete foundations and black mine dumps. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.

The Swastika Fuel Company was organized at the end of World War I to open new coal deposits south of Brilliant. At the time, the name Swastika was not inappropriate so that became the name of the town. The outbreak of World War II required the town change its name as Swastika was no longer appropriate. The original town of Brilliant had ceased to exist giving Swastika the opportunity to adopt the name, which it did. It was originally called New Brilliant but in time the New was dropped. The town's population reached a high of five hundred residents in 1929. While the town did exist, it's residents enjoyed a family atmosphere with homes provided by the company, education for the children, company sponsored activities and events for everyone's enjoyment. The site today is reduced to rows of concrete foundations and black mine dumps. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.

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