Dawson Cemetery

Dawson, New Mexico

Dawson, New Mexico. Once you visit, you will never forget it. Named after John B. Dawson, who purchased 23,000 acres, 14 miles northeast of Cimarron, from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1869, bought the acreage originally for ranching land. In 1895, coal was discovered on the land, and the first coal mine on Dawson's ranch opened in 1901. That same year, the Dawson Fuel Company was organized, and a railroad was built from Tucumcari to Dawson.

The increasing markets for coal made the town grow, supporting a population of around 9,000 people. Phelps Dodge Corporation then purchased Dawson in 1906. To keep up with its rise in importance, a large number of modern homes were built, as well as luxuries. The town's growth boasted such establishments as a hotel, theater, grade and high school, a bank, the Dawson News: the towns newspaper, a new mercantile store, a modern hospital, with 5 doctors on staff, even an opera house, and on the religious side, a Catholic church was built, as well as a Protestant Union Chapel.

With hard work, the residents of Dawson created a community that anyone would be proud of. Dawson, New Mexico was to be the ideal company town, but the town's prosperity wouldn't last. The first blow to the mining town's contentment happened on October 22nd, 1913. At 3:10 pm, an explosion from the mouth of Mine No.2 was caused by an incorrectly placed charge. Moments later, 15 men stumbled from the tunnel, too dazed to know what had happened.

Rescue efforts began. Phelps Dodge sent a trainload of doctors, nurses, and medical supplies from El Paso, and other miners in Colorado stopped picketing to form rescue teams to help the injured. But there was little need for anything except caskets. 263 men died in one of the worst mining disasters in United States history. The dead were buried in a special section of the cemetery, each with a small iron cross. The small town picked up the pieces, and painfully carried on.

Almost a decade would go by, slowly recuperating from the town's loss. Many of the current miners lost their father's in the past explosion. Then, on February 8th, 1923, at 2:00 pm, a mine train jumped its rails, crashing into the supporting timbers of Mine No.1. An explosion followed. Many women who lost husbands in the earlier disaster waited anxiously for their sons to appear out of the smoke. Unfortunately, this mine disaster would be horrifying similar to the last one. History repeated itself in Dawson, leaving 123 men dead, bringing the special section of the cemetery to 386 iron crosses. Phelps Dodge ceased mining operations, sold the town to National Iron and Metal Company in Phoenix, who agreed to dismantle the town. The people of Dawson were given a 30-day notice to leave to the town they had worked so hard to build. The town was scrapped, and scattered around the country, thus making final Dawson's cessation. The land is now a private, working ranch. All that remains to see is the Dawson Cemetery.

The V.S.I. Investigation:

Dawson Cemetery, Dawson, New Mexico

January 30, 2003

I had visited the Dawson Cemetery alone, once before, during an investigation at the St. James Hotel. It was daytime, around 3 or 4 pm when I drove up. I walked onto the private ranch, and asked one of the ranch hands that I had heard about Dawson's history, and I had come to pay my respects.

The ranch hand said nothing, pointing to the hill over my shoulder. Before I could say thank you, the ranch hand was gone. I approached what was left of a mineshaft entrance, listening to the past. I could hear the picks swinging, men talking, the squeaking of the wheels, as the coal carts rolled down the tracks, coming toward the entrance. A huge, split second "bang" instantaneously erupted, and then all was calm. A dead silence came upon the area. I fell to my knees crying uncontrollably. I was given a glimpse of the tragedy and what had happened. I then remembered all the men who died, families destroyed, in a horrifying moment. As I got up, I saw the faint image of a miner was going into the mine, disappearing into the darkness. I never spoke or wrote about this experience till now.

My next visit was with the V.S.I. team on January 30, 2003. This time, it was a clear night, not a cloud in the sky, nothing but the stars overhead. There is no lighting in the cemetery, with pitch-black conditions. Armed with flashlights and my camera, we set out into the cemetery. This cemetery was not like any other I had seen. After all, how many cemeteries do you know where 85% of the dead passed away in two days? Sadly, I know of several.

These men lives were all taken unexpectedly, as "a thief in the night". Sound familiar? Their spirit world came in an instant, transporting them into the "human" ghost dimension. I heard so many voices of the spirit. It was like trying to listen to one person, when 500 were talking at once. Very hard. We took 220 pictures. The air was so spiritually intense; we knew that we were the minority, and guests on the miner's land.

So many spirits trapped in time. Frank, one of my investigators became so weak, he couldn't stand, an experience he had never felt before. The night held a lot of surprises, and all of us left Dawson cemetery with a new respect for life.

The Spirit Life.