Trail Dust: Ghost town was once ‘Sodom on the Mora’

by Marc Simmons

Military service on the Southwestern frontier was anything but a picnic. Most of the forts were placed in remote locations, for the purpose of controlling hostile Navajo, Apache, Ute and Comanche.

That meant that garrison life was filled with hardships and discomfort. At the same time, opportunities for recreation were few, and combating boredom was something soldiers confronted regularly.

There were exceptions, of course. Men stationed at Fort Bliss, El Paso and Fort Lowell outside Tucson had access to plenty of diversion in their off hours. Saturday nights in town made campaigning days under a blistering sun more bearable.

New Mexico’s largest post, Fort Union, was not so favorably situated, however. It was built upon a barren plain on New Mexico’s east side.

The closest town of respectable size was Las Vegas, more than 30 miles away. That was much too far for a trooper to go for an evening’s frolic.

Life at Fort Union was summed up by one soldier in a letter written home. “This place is about as exciting as a prairie dog town.” Probably every enlisted man there would have agreed with him, and the majority of the officers as well.

Actually, when Colonel Edwin V. Sumner established Fort Union in 1851, it was with the intention of creating a boring atmosphere. He transferred the departmental headquarters and troops out of Santa Fe to this isolated spot to remove them from the corrupting influences of the capital.

Indeed, the colonel referred to Santa Fe as “that sink of vice and extravagance.” He saw the founding of the new fort as the best way to improve Army morals, if not morale.

Men in uniform, nevertheless, will not be denied their favorite pleasures. And that is where the little farming hamlet of Loma Parda enters the picture.

It was perched on the banks of the Mora River about six miles southwest of Fort Union — still within walking distance of soldiers who might have a free evening.

That gave local resident Julian Baca an idea. He opened a saloon and dancehall, engaged a covey of girls and began serving a special liquor of his own called Loma Lightning.

Suddenly the village was no longer sleepy, but instead became a lively place of resort for Fort Union funseekers. Baca became wealthy and expanded his dancehall to operate 24 hours a day, by way of accommodating soldiers who had longer terms off-duty.

Another enterprising fellow launched a taxi service between the fort and Loma Parda, charging riders $1 round trip in his buckboard. Business was so good he had to hire extra drivers and add more vehicles.

 Indeed, the colonel referred to Santa Fe as “that sink of vice and extravagance.”

Some things in the West never change.

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