Grants

Historical marker location:

I-40 business loop, Grants, New Mexico

( east side of Grants in the Quality Inn parking lot)

Located just north of the great lava bed known as the malpais, Grants began as a coaling station for the Santa Fe Railroad. Around 1880 it was known as Grant’s Camp, after the Canadian bridge contractor Angus A. Grant. In 1950, the area’s vast uranium deposits were discovered. Population–11,451, Elevation–6500 ft.

In the early 1800s, New Mexico became an important center for trade along the Santa Fe Trail, which connected Missouri to Santa Fe. The trail was used by traders, trappers, and settlers to transport goods and supplies across the frontier.