Old West El Paso

Celebrating El Paso's Old West Heritage

Shakespeare Ghost Town

Located 2 1/2 miles south of Lordsburg, NM Shakespeare Ghost Town has been many things over the years.  First it was a watering stop for 49ers heading to the  California goldfields.  Then it was a stage station for the Butterfield Overland Mail.  In 1870 silver deposits were discovered.  The town site was named Ralston City, in honor of the President of the Bank of San Francisco, which financed development of the mines.     The initial silver deposits soon played out. and another tactic was adopted.  Raw diamonds were seeded in the ant beds at the base of a near by peak.  Soon stock in the diamond mine was being traded on the New York and European exchanges.  This kept things percolating for another 18 months or so until the swindle was exposed The mines reopened in 1879 when the great English mining engineer, Colonel Boyle purchased two of the old claims.  Being fond of the Bard, Boyle renamed the town Shakespeare.  Folks conveniently forgot about the scandal, and returned to work the mines.The mines reopened in 1906.  This time copper was queen.  Most the folks living in Shakespeare were Mexican nationals fleeing the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution. It all came to a crashing end in 1932. In 1939 the Hills had a daughter, Janaloo.  She grew up on the ranch, surrounded by animals, the old buildings and the history.  After graduating from NMSU, Janaloo left Shakespeare to pursue a career in dance and modeling. A new chapter started in 1935 when Texas cowboy Frank Hill purchased the town site for his ranch headquarters.  He and his wife Rita didn’t have preservation in mind when they moved in, but Rita found old timers still in the area that remembered the mining booms, and shared their stories. With Frank’s health failing, Janaloo returned to Shakespeare, to run the ranch and assist Rita in the research/preservation work.  Rita and Janaloo also taught dance to the local girls.   With the loss of Frank Hill in 1970, it was just Rita and Janaloo.  It was during this period that Rita made national news when she faced off with the State of New Mexico over what is now I-10, running through the ranch. A fire destroyed the General Merchandise and black smith shop in 1997. It devastated Janaloo, but she persevered. Due to the efforts of her husband, Manny Hough, the black smith shop was rebuilt, and one day the General Merchandise will once again be the crown jewel of the town   

The Stratford Hotel

on Avon Ave

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