The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico, with Ellen Rippel

Coffin handle from infant’s grave.

In April I did a guest column for Southwest Armchair Traveler and mentioned my search for “grounded” topics.  These pursuits have led to my involvement in diverse subjects, the most important of which was documenting the 1972 discovery of a century-old lost cemetery in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The Southwest is filled with fascinating, old graveyards but this particular one was, and still is, very special to me.

In October of 2013 I wrote Outlaws & Outcasts: The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico.  A re-write of my 1979 history thesis from N.M. Highlands University, it was something I had put off doing for over 30 years. (I was good at procrastination, and had successfully raised it to an art form.) Here’s an excerpt from the book, recounting when the graveyard was first discovered by a backhoe operator in 1972:

The quarrying got underway right after Labor Day. The driver of a large backhoe began removing the grasses and top layer of soil, revealing the stone that he would soon crush into gravel. He glanced down while he was working, and something caught his eye. He looked more closely at the area he had begun to clear. 

The surface was sprinkled with bones, coffin fragments, and what appeared to be parts of a human skull – unmistakably all items associated with a burial. He guessed from the deteriorated condition of the objects that the grave was not a recent one.... The driver climbed down from the backhoe to get a closer look. He realized he was seeing the contents of not just one grave, but several graves.

Thus began the mystery of the Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

This is what the area around the quarry site probably looked like in 1972 –
hilly terrain, pinon trees, and lots of rock, but no hint of a cemetery.

The paupers’ cemetery in Las Vegas, NM was of particular interest to historians because it was known to have included famous outlaws – hanged or shot by lawmen and vigilantes during the early railroad days in the late nineteenth century.  But the exact location of “Boot Hill” became forgotten over time.  When the graveyard was accidently uncovered in 1972 only a small portion of it was archaeologically retrieved. Seventeen bodies were found, but conceivably as many as 25 or more additional bodies were needlessly destroyed.  And with that destruction, a large part of Southwest history was forever lost.  

Desecration of cemeteries, not just in New Mexico, but throughout the U.S., is not uncommon.  Sometimes folks who lived close to a cemetery – maybe a non-active one, maybe one that held people with different beliefs than theirs – would take a headstone and use it for a step in front of a doorway. This pilferage (and the fact that grave markers in a paupers’ lot were often handmade of wood scraps) makes it understandable how a cemetery might disappear in a brief period. 

Celluloid collar and silk tie from one of the better-preserved graves.

A major motivator for writing Outlaws & Outcasts was when I discovered the forgotten cemetery was the pauper’s graveyard dating back to the 1800s. The people buried there had been discounted as being poor, disreputable or insignificant. What troubled me was that an infant’s grave was one of the 17 uncovered.  I wondered what a baby might have done to justify that kind of oblivion. At least now I can rest easy knowing that my book – recounting the facts of the discovery of the Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas – will help assure the people buried there are not forgotten, and that one of the mysteries of the Southwest has been solved.


Ellen Rippel is the author of Outlaws & Outcasts:  The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico. For those who love history, archaeology, or quirky stories from the Land of Enchantment, the book is an intriguing summary of the unearthing of an unknown century-old graveyard in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1972. Outlaws & Outcasts is filled with stories of early outlaws and fascinating historical insights, including examinations of historical burial practices and customs, and a search through the scarce literature on events specific to the existence of the cemetery. 

The Deming Rockhound Roundup, with Ellen Rippel

Decades ago an astrologer studied my natal chart and observed that it was utterly devoid of earth. She told me I had to find ways to “get grounded” to balance out my other elements: air, fire and water. So I began a quest for “earthy” endeavors, and, happily, New Mexico has been the ideal place for me to contemplate subjects like archaeology, paleontology, cemeteries, pottery, rock hounding and rock collecting. 

A favorite rock-related pursuit for me has been attending the annual Rockhound Roundup, celebrating its 50^th anniversary earlier this year. Sponsored by the Deming Gem and Mineral Society (DGMS), the Roundup is held on several acres at the Southwestern New Mexico State Fair Grounds in Deming. With free admission, free parking, over 100 indoor and outdoor vendors, and near-perfect weather, it’s easy to see why thousands of visitors attend the four-day show.

One of the more popular areas at the Roundup is the geode-cutting booth. Geodes are volcanic, spherical (usually) hollow rocks, and many contain multi-colored crystals in their interiors. The regions around Deming, with dormant volcanoes silhouetting the four compass points, are peppered with thousands of geodes.  There’s a genuine sense of treasure-hunting involved in trying to choose the “right” geode (on the outside they’re bumpy and drab) from a box of 40 or 50, and then watching it be cut open, exposing material formed eons ago. 

In addition to other events, the DGMS also schedules two auctions during the show, one of them silent.  The “silent” auction tends to be just the opposite – exceptionally noisy – with over 100 people darting around long tables covered with varying sizes and qualities of rocks. Every piece being auctioned has paper and pen nearby so participants can write down a bid in list format. Each bid must be an increase over the previous one. Normally participants move around the tables quickly, bidding on numerous items. The process reminds me a little of musical chairs – minus the chairs and music. If, for some reason, you’ve found the rock of your dreams and don’t want to lose it, you stand your ground right next to it, glaring at anyone who attempts to outbid you.  After a few minutes of controlled chaos an official shouts, “Time’s up!”  The results are tallied and a new round begins. 

Events aside, my favorite activity at the Rockhound Roundup is simply walking around, absorbing the ambiance, and talking with enthusiastic vendors and other rock collectors. It gives me that “grounded” feeling I was told to grab on to many years ago. Purchasing a few more rocks to add to my collection doesn’t hurt either.

For more information about the annual Rockhound Roundup visit the Deming Gem and Mineral Society:

Ellen Rippel is the author of Outlaws & Outcasts:  The Lost Cemetery of Las Vegas, New Mexico. For those who love history, archaeology, or quirky stories from the Land of Enchantment, the book is an intriguing summary of the unearthing of an unknown century-old graveyard in Las Vegas, New Mexico in 1972. Outlaws & Outcasts is filled with stories of early outlaws and fascinating historical insights, including discussion of historical burial practices and customs, and a search through the scarce literature on events specific to the existence of the cemetery.