44th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2000

REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS TO WORK WITH THE OWNERS OF THE SHAKESPEARE GHOST TOWN AND ASSESS WHETHER THE GHOST TOWN SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS A NEW MEXICO STATE MONUMENT.

WHEREAS, the Shakespeare ghost town is the remains of a pioneer southwestern town; and

WHEREAS, from a small settlement on the stage and emigrant trail to California, by 1870 the ghost town grew to considerable size under the name of Ralston City or the Burro Mines; and

WHEREAS, in 1879, other mine promoters changed the name of the town to Shakespeare and, under this name, the town prospered as a mining camp until the 1893 depression; and

WHEREAS, during the 1908-1932 mining boom, the remaining buildings in Shakespeare were again occupied, and the events during this period added considerably to the town's reputation for lawlessness; and

WHEREAS, Shakespeare is older than any neighboring town and, with its highly publicized mining booms, attracted many people and so contributed greatly to the settlement of Lordsburg, New Mexico and the surrounding area; and

WHEREAS, the town site has been owned since 1935 by the Hill family, and they have tried to preserve the old buildings and history without commercializing the ghost town; and

WHEREAS, in November 1999, the Shakespeare ghost town grant house, general merchandise building, old mail station building and Shakespeare ghost town building fire protection system were designated by the national trust for historic preservation as official projects of save America's treasures; and

WHEREAS, in January 1999, the New Mexico heritage preservation alliance selected the Shakespeare ghost town to be on the list of New Mexico's most endangered places because it is a significant historic resource that is under imminent threat of being lost;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of cultural affairs be requested to work with the owners of the Shakespeare ghost town to assess whether the ghost town should be designated as a New Mexico state monument; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the state cultural affairs officer and to the owners of the Shakespeare ghost town.