La Ventana - New Mexico Ghost Town

LA VENTANA

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

COMMENTS: Worth the trip
REMAINS: Many original structures

The town had its first start sometime prior to the 1870s by Spanish-speaking people who farmed the fertile land along the Rio Puerco. This was Navaho country and the Indians were reluctant to share it with their Spanish neighbors. Constant raids by the Navahos over a period of years forced abandonment of the town during the 1870s. La Ventana was resettled in 1914 and grew into a coal mining town during the mid 1920s to the early 1930s. The depression years brought an end to the town. Today La Ventana is a jumble of deserted buildings. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.	La Ventana Courtesy Kurt Wenner La Ventana Courtesy Kurt Wenner La Ventana Courtesy Kurt Wenner

The town had its first start sometime prior to the 1870s by Spanish-speaking people who farmed the fertile land along the Rio Puerco. This was Navaho country and the Indians were reluctant to share it with their Spanish neighbors. Constant raids by the Navahos over a period of years forced abandonment of the town during the 1870s. La Ventana was resettled in 1914 and grew into a coal mining town during the mid 1920s to the early 1930s. The depression years brought an end to the town. Today La Ventana is a jumble of deserted buildings. Courtesy Henry Chenoweth.

La Ventana
Courtesy Kurt Wenner

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