Maggie Shipp

The Town of Ide

Against the morning sunlight in 1853, Jesse rode his horse through the modest town of Ide, its slow and steady stride quietly kicking up plumes of dust. In the town of Ide, not much went on. Nestled in a mountain valley in the New Mexico Territory, it boasted a population of around 300 people—mostly elderly. For decades, during its better days, Ide was successful in coal mining until their production started to dwindle and eventually stop. Since then, to make a living, some people raised whatever livestock they could, others were craftsmen, but most did not much of anything at all—making Ide a place where dreams came to die. Because of this unfortunate reality, most young people who wanted to build a future for themselves left…or at least tried to leave. Hope of escape for most young people lied in the Caldwell Train system. Delivered in 1848, about 10 years after the collapse of Ide’s coal mining industry, this special train rolled through town about once every two years. Many speculated as to where exactly the train went, but most didn’t know and didn’t care to find out—as long as it was leaving town and going far, far away. With tickets usually costing upwards of $20,000, the hope of leaving Ide and having a future was reserved for a few wealthy families, those who had the right connections, or those whose families sacrificed everything for one of their children to go.