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Orogrande, Jarilla Mountains, NM, southwest United States
Orogrande is in Otero County, New Mexico, southwest United States.
It's on US Highway 54, the road from El Paso, Texas, to Alamogordo--
almost half way between these two cities. It's about the only settlement
along Highway 54. "Orogrande" means "big gold" and was a place where many
miners arrived to find work in mines in the Jarilla Mountains. The community
was first named Jarilla Junction, but in 1906 a gold rush was
underway in the Mountains and citizens thought it wise to change the
name to "Orogrande".
By 1906, Orogrande had nearly 2,000 residents, and a weekly newspaper.
Oliver M. Lee piped water to the town from the Sacramento Mountains.
(The Oliver M. Lee today honored by the "Oliver Lee Memorial State Park"
near Alamogordo--see pages on this web site about the State Park--click
link on the home page.) Ultimately the ore deposits faded as did Orogrande.