JICARILLA
County: Lincoln
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Year Established: 1892
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Year Abandoned: 1942
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Location: Twelve miles Northeast of White Oaks
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About: Jicarilla is a ghost town in Lincoln County, New Mexico, that was once a small but bustling mining community.​ Gold was known to be in the Jicarilla Mountains even before the 1820s, with Spanish and Mexican miners, and often enslaved Native Americans, extracting it. The name "Jicarilla" itself is Spanish for "little basket" or "little gourd," referring to the small baskets used for panning gold.
The community of Jicarilla became a boomtown in 1892 following significant gold and coal discoveries. A post office was established in 1892, which also served as an assay office and general store. The town's population peaked around 300 during the Great Depression (early 1930s) as people, desperate for work, flocked there to try their luck at gold mining. Miners could reportedly earn up to $7 per week. However, as the economy improved and mining became less profitable, the population dwindled. The post office closed in 1942, marking the effective end of Jicarilla as an active town.
Jicarilla is a true ghost town, with only a few structures left standing. The most notable remains include the Jicarilla Schoolhouse. Built in 1907, this one-room log schoolhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a prominent surviving structure. It also served as a church and community meeting place. The Old Store/Post Office/Assay Office, A false-front building that once housed these essential services still stands.
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​Remains: Old schoolhouse, post office and a couple of structures
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Jicarilla Schoolhouse
The Jicarilla Schoolhouse, a one-room log schoolhouse, was built in 1907 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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May 2006
May 2006
An old false front building, that was formerly the store, post office, and assay office
May 2006
May 2006
Unknown Structure
