Gila, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gila, New Mexico
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 Gila, New Mexico
Location in New Mexico
Gila, New Mexico
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Grant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.39 sq mi (24.33 km2) |
| • Land | 9.36 sq mi (24.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,620 ft (1,410 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 285 |
| • Density | 30.44/sq mi (11.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
88038
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| Area code(s) | 575 |
| FIPS code | 35-17-29160 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2584102 |
Gila is a small community in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It's about 48 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Silver City, the county seat. In 2020, Gila had a population of 285 people.
This community is located in the green valley of the Gila River. It is surrounded by hills and mountains in a mostly dry area. For a long time, the Gila River valley has been a popular place for people to live because the river provides a reliable source of water.
Gila was home to different groups of people over the years. These included the Apache people, Spanish and Mexican settlers, and American mountain men. Later, it became famous as the headquarters of the huge Lyons & Campbell Ranch. This ranch was one of the biggest in the United States. Its main building is now a protected historic site.
Contents
History of Gila
The Gila River valley was a great place for people to settle because the river offered a steady water supply in the dry southwestern United States. In the 1700s and 1800s, the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache lived in the Gila valley. Some historians believe that the famous Apache warrior Geronimo might have been born near Turkey Creek Hot Springs. This spot is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Gila, within the Gila Wilderness.
In 1792, Spanish rulers from Mexico created a small settlement called a rancheria in Gila. This was part of a plan to keep peace with the Apache. The Spanish built a ten-room building made of adobe bricks there. Around 1829, American mountain men built a "frontier hacienda" in Gila. This was a large house used for trading with the Apache and for fur trapping. This hacienda was quite big, with 12 rooms, a central courtyard, and a wall around it. It even had a 30-foot-deep well for water.
In the 1830s, conflicts between the Apache and the new country of Mexico caused the Mexicans to leave their settlements in the Gila River area. The last known Apache activity in the area happened in May 1885. A small group of Apaches, led by Chihuahua, crossed the Gila River near Gila while trying to escape.
The Lyons & Campbell Ranch
The famous Lyons & Campbell Ranch, based in Gila, was started by Tom Lyons (1850-1917) and Angus Campbell (1844-1892). Tom Lyons was born in England and grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the late 1870s, he came to Silver City and started a mining business with Angus Campbell.
In 1880, they sold their mining businesses and bought the White House Ranch. This ranch was about 15 kilometers (9 miles) north of Gila. In 1890, they moved their main ranch office south to where Gila is today. Angus Campbell passed away in 1892. Tom Lyons and Campbell's widow, Ida Runyon Campbell, then owned the ranch together. Tom Lyons and Ida later married.
In the 1890s, the Lyons & Campbell Ranch, also known as the L.C. Ranch, was enormous. It controlled over 400,000 hectares (about 1 million acres) of land and owned 60,000 cattle. The ranch stretched from near Silver City in the east to the Arizona border in the west. It also went from near Mule Creek, New Mexico south along both sides of the Gila River. The ranch had many wagons, riding horses, work horses, and cowboys. It also had many Mexican families working on its farms.
At Gila, Tom Lyons built his main headquarters. He used the existing 12 rooms of the old frontier hacienda for his home and office. He added 15 more fancy rooms for guests and parties. The ranch headquarters also included a stable, barn, bunkhouse, store, post office, jail, foreman's house, and a saloon. Lyons even had a secret trapdoor in his bedroom where he could hide if he felt he was in danger.
Tom Lyons passed away in 1917. After his death, parts of the ranch were sold off. Today, only a small 2-hectare (5-acre) piece of land with the original headquarters buildings remains. In 1978, this property was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site.
Geography and Climate
The community of Gila is located in the middle of a narrow strip of irrigated land. This strip is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) long and runs along both sides of the Gila River. Upstream from Gila, the river comes out of the large and wild Gila Wilderness area. Downstream, the river flows into a rugged landscape that is mostly empty. The nearby community of Cliff is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) east of Gila.
Climate
Gila has a semi-arid, cold steppe climate, also known as a BSk climate. This means it's generally dry with cool winters. About half of the yearly rainfall happens in July, August, and September. April and May are the driest months. Gila gets a lot of sunshine, with about 291 sunny days per year. This is much more than the average for the United States.
| Climate data for Gila, New Mexico. Station is 1,488 metres (4,882 ft) above sea level | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
28.2 (82.8) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.6 (92.5) |
32.0 (89.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
24.5 (76.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
13.2 (55.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
16.6 (61.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
13.9 (57.0) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
13.3 (55.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
0.8 (33.4) |
5.1 (41.2) |
10.3 (50.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.1 (50.2) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
3.1 (37.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 26 (1.0) |
24 (0.9) |
20 (0.8) |
9 (0.4) |
9 (0.4) |
14 (0.6) |
69 (2.7) |
72 (2.8) |
43 (1.7) |
32 (1.3) |
18 (0.7) |
29 (1.1) |
365 (14.4) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 285 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the 2020 United States Census, Gila had a population of 285 people.
Community Services
Gila offers several important services to its residents. These include:
- a post office
- a library
- an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and medical clinic
- a community center
- a senior center
- several churches
The Gila Valley Library has over 4,000 books. It lends out about 6,700 items each year and serves about 800 people living in or near Gila and Cliff.
Transportation
Major Roads
You can reach Gila by taking NM 211 from US 180, which is north of Silver City. Also, NM 153 provides access to Turkey Creek.
See also
In Spanish: Gila (Nuevo México) para niños
