YOU SAY QUEMADO...

You say toe-may-toe, I say toe-mah-toe...
You say poe-tay-toe, I say poe-tah-toe...

Most say KWAH-mah-doe...it's really KAY-mah-doe.

Que? (kay?)

However you pronounce it...In Spanish, Quemado means burned.

Taken from a posting on the internet it says that...

"Jose Antonio Padilla settled by a creek east of the present town in 1880, he found that the surounding brush had been burned by the Indians, so he named it Rito Quemado."

In its heyday there were three cafes, (only one is currently open) three motels, (only two appear to be in operation). There are currently two garages, (J&Y has 24-hour pay-at-the-pump) then there's the quaint Country Store (a nice selection of food),
the hardware store (closed as of Oct. 09) and the Post Office.

And in between those "landmarks" there is a hodgepodge of buildings...a hair salon, a thrift store of sorts, (which may be closed) a realty and title office. The Magistrate's office...a laundromat...a "convenience mart", under construction...

Off the main street there's the fire department, the forest service office, the water company, a Baptist church...the Senior Citizens Center....several quaint adobe buildings and homes, a few mobile homes, an RV campsite, the water company...several dogs...I think I saw some goats, and heard a rooster...

It is also home to the only high school in the northern part of the county (very nice, modern facility) which is located at the eastern end of town, near the area that is known as Old Town Quemado.

Old Town Quemado is a place we have yet to explore, but heard there's a herb shop there, run by a nice woman who is on the water commission. She helped us when it was time to get our water tank filled.

There is also a small, cut-stone Catholic Church at the east end of town, which is very peaceful and quaint, and has rosaries hanging from every pew.

Quemado is the nearest "town" for the surrounding ranching community, and it definitely has a laid-back lifestyle. It seems like they prefer to keep outsiders (those buying up land in the area) at arms length for a while, somewhat afraid that the outsiders are wanting to come in and change or "modernize" the town.

Their town works for them just the way it is, and I hope they can keep it that way. The local folks are always kind and helpful to strangers, and they become a little more open and friendly to the newcomers who, day-by-day, become a little more familiar to them.

Although the town doesn't come close to looking like Mayberry RFD, in its own way it has a certain charm and definitely has a unique history, one which I was able to read about in Ruth Brown's book titled: Quemado New Mexico - 250 friendly people and a few old crabs."

While Quemado is a tiny town, less than a mile long, it has managed to do okay for itself and for its residents, those who call it home, and for those of us who live 26 miles away.