Raton, NM: historic downtown with ale, coffee, and big plans
March 2023: Raton is historic town along I25 on the south side of Raton Pass, which has historical importance as part of the old Santa Fe Trail route. Raton is less than 10 miles from the New Mexico-Colorado border and is the It is the county seat of Colfax County.
Raton – A Brief history
Raton Pass has provided a route though the Rocky Mountains for Native Americans, then Spanish Explorers much as it does today. A post office named Willow Springs (later named Otero) was built south of the pass and renamed once again to Raton in 1880 as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. It quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeastern part of the New Mexico territory.
By early turn of the century, a large number of businesses evolved to support the variety of early industries and travelers into what today is known as the Raton Downtown Historic district. This district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and contains 95 significant buildings.
A unique geological feature of Raton is that it is one of the sites for viewing the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (K-T Boundary) which contains evidence of the large meteorite impact that end the Cretaceous and killed off most species of dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The K-T boundary is represented by a 1cm thick clay layer which has been found to contain anomalously high concentrations of iridium.
Downtown vibe / walkability
We arrived into Raton on a Saturday evening and stayed a cool place called the Raton Pass Motor Inn “The Home of Vintage Cool”. This 50s/60s era motel has beautifully renovated rooms each with a fun theme, so even though not located downtown – they deserve a shout out!
Our next stop was downtown where we visited the Colfax Ale Cellar. We enjoyed a delicious stout and pretzel (even though the kitchen was officially closed… Nice!). This place has a pleasing décor just right for an old historic downtown business. The vibe was calm and fun – a great place for us to wind down and locals to meet up with friends!
We rounded out our evening with a dessert stop at the Gate City Craft Bar located in a historic old hotel building, also with a beautiful historic bar and fun décor. A band was playing, and the mood was festive.
The next morning, we found a scenic hike and then drove back around downtown to see it in daylight. Our goal was a coffee shop called 111 Park – Espresso Bar & Café and were disappointed to learn it was closed on Sundays. But still worth a shout out as it looks pretty cool and gets very high reviews.
By daylight one can see the many beautiful and historic buildings. It didn’t look like there was much activity on a Sunday morning so it was hard to tell which were open for business and which were not. I was eager to get home and do some research!
More to Explore!
Rotan Downtown Historic District was listed in 1977, enlarged to include additional buildings in 2015, and now includes 95 buildings in its registry. The city website showcases a downtown development plan which looks amazing. Having driven through the downtown, the significant historic building stock is readily apparent. The historic downtown area is approximately 6 blocks long and nearly 3 blocks deep.
Local annual events include
- a Sun Valley Summer carnival (at the Raton High School) in June
- International Santa Fe Trail Balloon Rally (at La Mesa Airfield) in July
- historic downtown 4th of July celebration
- Music Festival (located at Old Pass Gallery, within the historic downtown district) in September.
