Cloudcroft

History

In the 1890s, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, organized by brothers Charles Bishop Eddy and John Arthur Eddy, arrived in the newly founded town of Alamogordo intending to continue the rail line north to the mining town of White Oaks and beyond. This required a steady supply of timber. In 1898 the Eddy brothers sent a survey crew into the Sacramento Mountains to determine the feasibility of extending a line up the summit to harvest the forests. The crew reported that not only was it possible, but the area could attract visitors. The name of Cloudcroft – a pasture for the clouds – was suggested and work on the line soon began. By the end of the year, the rail line had been extended as far as Toboggan Canyon, and construction was started on a pavilion at the summit to provide accommodations for the anticipated tourists. It consisted of a dining room, kitchen, parlor, entertainment hall, and 40 tents set on wooden platforms. In May 1899 the railroad reached Cox Canyon As automobiles grew in popularity, the rail line began to lose money. Passenger service ended in 1938, and the last freight train ran in 1947. The extant Mexican Canyon Trestle of the now defunct rail line is located near Cloudcroft. In 2010, fire destroyed two downtown buildings and caused smoke damage to other businesses in downtown Cloudcroft.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land. Cloudcroft has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). It is the southernmost town area on the North American continent with a climatic continental subtype.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coult.

  Larrea tridentata (DC.) Coult. · Magnoliopsida
  1,914
• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,323
• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  1,158
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,144
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird

  Selasphorus platycercus (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  997
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  964
• eagle-claw cactus

  Echinocactus horizonthalonius Lem. · Magnoliopsida
  892
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  845

Largest nearby schools

• CLOUDCROFT ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · CLOUDCROFT · 165 students · 15:1 ratio
• CLOUDCROFT HIGH
  High · CLOUDCROFT · 113 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• CLOUDCROFT MIDDLE
  Middle · CLOUDCROFT · 101 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• HIGH ROLLS MOUNTAIN PARK ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · HIGH ROLLS · 19 students · 9.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-05-06
  6 km W of Nogal, New Mexico
• M 2.8 — 2025-01-03
  50 km NW of Tularosa, New Mexico
• M 3 — 2022-10-25
  2 km NNE of La Luz, New Mexico
• M 2.7 — 2008-04-16
  17 km W of Carrizozo, New Mexico
• M 3.5 — 2004-11-14
  26 km NW of Tularosa, New Mexico