White's City
Mike Smith
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How would you like to own a piece of New Mexico history? And not just New Mexico history, but American history? And not just American history, but pretty much geological history, seeing as how the thing I’m talking about you potentially owning is located right at the entrance to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park?
Oh. No? Not so much?
You’re not alone. The world collectively sighed and shrugged its shoulders upon learning that the entire town of White’s City, NM would be put up for sale to the highest bidder. No one on eBay ponied up a single dime in the auction that ended on July 11th, even though the Buy It Now price was a mere $5 million.
But perhaps you, and everyone else, have just been biding your time. Starting at 11am on Monday, July 14th, 2008, the whole thing’s going on the block again in eleven chunks of vintage southwestern goodness. Ten of the parcels are basically vacant lots that will be sold “absolute,” which is fancy auctioneer jargon for “we’ll take whatever you give us.” The prime real estate, however, is White’s City proper (parcel #1), which contains such attractions as two motels, a restaurant, an RV park, a museum, retail shops, and a gas station.
If land isn’t your thing, Higgenbotham Auctioneers Intl., Ltd., Inc. will also be separately auctioning off the contents of the Million Dollar Museum. (That’s right. I said A MILLION DOLLARS.) This mecca of dilapidated typewriters, two-headed taxidermy, “apothecary items,” creepy dolls, wall-mounted steer horns, and mummified human remains will offer its wares to the world over the course of three days beginning in the afternoon on July 14th.
White’s City, located at the junction of US 62/180 and the Carlsbad Caverns Highway , has been in the possession of the White family ever since Charlie L. White staked out a homestead claim on a spot of land near “the much talked about bat cave” in 1926. He began building on his 120 acres in 1928, but had to dig thirteen wells before discovering water. (The 460 acre-feet of water rights are part of the real estate auction on July 14th. Quick, buy ‘em now, before the price of gas sends society into a Mad Max-like tailspin of chaos and anarchy. You’ll be glad you did, assuming you survive the apocalypse.) White’s descendants, rather understandably squandering their heritage, say that they’d like to pursue other interests, though you have to wonder how exciting life could be after owning and operating the premier tourist destination of southern New Mexico.
The fruits of my labor at the Los Griegos Library. It's a picture of Charles L. White and his wife. In a book!
More information is available on the auctioneers’ website, http://www.higgenbotham.com/, including, supposedly, bidders’ packets. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did; neither of my two attempts at registration resulted in my being emailed the site password I was promised. Still, if you want to buy land, or you want to buy stuff, this may be your best chance for quite awhile!
—Lisa Barrow
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