Sugarite Canyon State Park is located just east of Raton Pass where Colorado crosses into New Mexico. The park holds the source of Raton's water supply and the ruins of a coal mining camp. The camp was founded around 1894 and continued to operate until 1941. The camp produced coal for domestic use.
The camp was actually a substantial community, housing up to 1,000 people, with school, post-office, baseball teams, household gardens, and the company store. Miners were immigrants from Italy, the Balkans, Japan...and local Hispano families. Their houses were substantial...impressive ruins of house foundations neatly line the hillsides. To the east of the canyon, small farms and ranches supplied food stuffs, meat and other produce to the mining families. It was hard, dangerous work...to cut down on the coal dust, a cause of explosions, water was sprayed in the mine. The water was cold...men often worked while standing in cold water up to their knees...at least five were killed during the time the mine operated...those who got injured simply lost their jobs, but the company had a doctor on site.
It helps to be reminded of how difficult life has been for so many people.
Of course part of the reasons for closure may also have been that the coal was marked under the Swastika brand....a brand name most unfortunate in a country about to go to war with Hitler. "High in heat, low in ash" just didn't cut it. Where were the advertising mad men when we needed them?
