Native Americans mined turquoise in the hills which now surround the tiny town of Cerillos. In more recent times, miners have also found gold, silver, copper, lead and coal in the area. An early Spanish explorer commented on the mineral wealth in these “little hills”, which gave the town its name. While all of the things that are mined in the area are valuable, it was the 1879 discovery of gold which really put Cerillos on the map. The railroad came through the following year and the town boomed. The town’s population grew to over 3,000 and it supported 21 saloons, 4 hotels, 3 churches, an opera house and several newspapers. At one point, Cerillos was even in consideration to be the capital of New Mexico and was visited by Teddy Roosevelt. With every boom comes a bust and by 1930 most of the big mines had closed, although turquoise is still mined nearby and is considered some of the finest in the country. The dirt roads and old buildings of Cerillos have made it a great Western filming location with Walt Disney's Nine Lives of Elfego Baca and Young Guns being two of Cerillos’ most famous productions. I’ve probably seen Young Guns several dozen times, so Cerillos felt familiar as I walked the streets and when I saw the faded Murphy-Dolan Store sign on the side of the old Wortley Hotel it really made me smile. Cerillos is a great little turn-off from the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway which connects Albuquerque and Santa Fe and I definitely enjoyed my visit. I hope you enjoy these photos from the old mining town of Cerillos.