Playas Siding

Historical marker location:

NM Highway 9, Playas vicinity, New Mexico

( west of Playas)

In 1902, Phelps, Dodge and Company built the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad to link El Paseo, Texas with the copper mines of Bisbee, Arizona, and eventually, with several other mining towns throughout the region. Highway 9, New Mexico’s “Border Route” between Columbus and Rodeo, parallels the old rail line, and actually utilizes a portion of the abandoned EP&SW railroad bed between Columbus and Anapra.

New Mexico was one of the last territories to become a state, gaining statehood in 1912. Before that, it had been part of the Spanish Empire, Mexico, and the United States Territory of New Mexico.