PINOS ALTOS
If I had a time machine and could journey to any time and place I wanted, I'd pick a fateful day in 1860 when three 49ers, Thomas Birch, Colonel Snively and another guy named Hicks, stopped to take a drink in Bear Creek and discovered gold. Birchville, later Pino Alto, later Pinos Altos, was born.
QUICK STATS
- COUNTY: Grant
- LOCATION: 7 miles northeast of Silver City on NM 15
- POST OFFICE: 1867-1964
- NAME ORIGIN: Named for the tall pines in the area
- RATING:
- GNIS Info & Map
You can't describe Pinos Altos without using the word "nestled," because it is, on the hillside up from Silver City. The museum is a must-see, full of so much memorabilia you'll think you've actually found that time machine. The small store in the same building houses the best collection of New Mexico books I've yet come across, and the store owner is happy to converse on the topic too.
