Ruidoso

History

Along the eastern foothills of White Mountain, retired army Captain Paul Dowlin built Dowlin’s Mill where the Carrizo Creek and Rio Ruidoso merge. He had served at nearby Fort Stanton. The Mill was also a general store, dance hall, and moonshine supply. San Patricio, New Mexico (in the Hondo Valley) was originally known as Ruidoso. In 1875, its name was changed in honor of a Catholic priest’s patron saint. Early Hispanos used the term “Ruidoso” to describe a noisy creek. Today’s Ruidoso grew up around Dowlin’s Mill. Will Dowlin survived his brother, after an employee shot Captain Paul dead. By 1885, with a general store, blacksmith, post office, cabins along the Rio Ruidoso, and proximity to the Chisholm Trail Ruidoso, NM was born. The Wingfield family operated a dairy and early post office. By 1914, cabins were being built in Upper Canyon. At Cedar Creek in 1935, a ski area opened on a sloping meadow. On July 16, 1945, the Trinity Test could be felt by local people like an explosion. By 1947, a race track was opened at Hollywood Park. Visitors played golf in the Gateway area. Finally, in 1963 the Mescalero Apaches purchased the ski area now known as Ski Apache. In December 2006, seven percent of eligible voters approved a $12.6 million bond issue to finance the expansion and modernization of the local wastewater treatment plant which was built in 1982. In 2011, construction was completed on a $36 million wastewater treatment plant. This state-of-the-art facility utilizes membrane technology to achieve discharge standards within regulatory guidelines. The plant was designed to accommodate future growth. The average daily volume is 1.6 million gallons. The plant can currently process up to 2.7 million gallons per day. Late at night on July 26, 2008, through…

Geography

Ruidoso is in southern Lincoln County, with elevations ranging from at the village's southeast corner in the valley of the Rio Ruidoso up to over at the village's northern end near Alto. Ruidoso's southern border and westernmost border follow the Otero County line. The village is bordered to the east by the city of Ruidoso Downs. U.S. Route 70 passes through the southeast part of the village, following the valley of Carrizo Creek upstream from the Rio Ruidoso. The highway leads east down the valley of the Rio Ruidoso and Rio Hondo to Roswell and southwest over Apache Summit to Tularosa. New Mexico State Road 48 passes through the center of Ruidoso on Sudderth Drive, the village's main street, and leads north to Capitan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which , or 0.12 percent are water. According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, Ruidoso has a Subtropical highland climate (Cwb) due to its moderate temperature ranges and precipitation throughout the year. Bi-modal precipitation falls as rain during summer monsoon and as winter snow. Snowfall varies highly by the year.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• RUIDOSO HIGH
  High · RUIDOSO · 532 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• SIERRA VISTA PRIMARY
  Elementary · RUIDOSO · 497 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• WHITE MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · RUIDOSO · 397 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• RUIDOSO MIDDLE
  Middle · RUIDOSO · 394 students · 14.1:1 ratio