High Rolls, New Mexico facts for kids

Quick facts for kids High Rolls, New Mexico
High Rolls General Store
High Rolls, New Mexico Location in New Mexico
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
County	Otero
Elevation	6,750 ft (2,060 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
GNIS feature ID	2584111

High Rolls is a small community in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. It's not an official city, but a special kind of community called a census-designated place. High Rolls is tucked away inside the beautiful Lincoln National Forest. It sits at the very southern end of the Sacramento Mountains.

This community has a general store, a post office, and an elementary school. You can also find two churches and sometimes a local bar. High Rolls is known for its fun events. It hosts two yearly festivals: the Cherry Festival and the Apple Festival. Both are put on by The High Rolls/Mountain Park Lions Club.

Exploring the History of High Rolls

Early Settlers and Water Rights

In the mid-1880s, Mexican families came to the Tularosa Basin. They got rights to use water for their cattle in the fertile canyons. These canyons were part of the Sacramento Mountains. By the 1880s, new settlers, called homesteaders, found the area. They bought the water rights and started their own farms.

Founding Families and First Structures

Many families moved to the High Rolls area. David M. Sutherland arrived in 1883. Francisco Maes and Cipriano Tefoya came from La Luz in 1884. They settled in the Mountain Park area. Other early families included the Nelsons, Tuckers, and Karrs, who moved there in 1885.

These early settlers worked hard. They built ditches to move water from Fresnal Canyon to their crops. They also built the first dirt road from Fresnal to La Luz. Fresnal, later called Wooten, had the first post office. It opened in 1894.

The Arrival of the Railroad

The railroad changed everything for High Rolls. It arrived in 1898. This made it easier to send goods to markets. It also helped the tourist business grow. By 1899, trains went as far as Toboggan Canyon. From there, people took stagecoaches to Cloudcroft.

Freight depots and Wells Fargo offices were built. They were in both High Rolls and Mountain Park. The railroad ran regularly until World War II. It finally stopped operating in 1948.

How High Rolls Got Its Name

The name "High Rolls" was first officially used in 1901. That's when the post office moved from Fresnal (Wooten) to High Rolls. The name likely came from the area's shape. It has rolling hills and is higher up than other places. Sometimes, the name was even spelled as one word: Highrolls.

Mountain Park's Development

Mountain Park got its name from Edgar Cadwallader. He arrived in 1903. He wanted to grow fruits and vegetables. Other people settled there too. Their orchards became very successful. They grew apples, cherries, peaches, pears, cauliflower, and cabbage. Because it was so successful, the post office moved there from High Rolls in 1904.

Local Businesses and Industries

The High Rolls/Mountain Park area had many businesses. There was a poultry farm and a sawmill. A blacksmith shop helped fix tools. A shingle mill used water from the Fresnal stream. The Courtney Mine, located south of High Rolls, shipped copper ore.

The first store was the High Rolls Mercantile Store. It was built in 1905. You can still see it today on Railroad Drive in High Rolls.

Schools and Churches in the Area

The first school was a log cabin built in 1889. A school in Haynes Canyon was built in 1908. The rock school in Karr Canyon was built in 1922. It even used some wood from the old Haynes Canyon school. Indoor plumbing was planned for the Karr Canyon school. However, it wasn't installed until 1944. Some school board members thought it wasn't needed.

The first church building was made of logs in 1888. In 1906, the Fresnal Baptist Church was built. It is now the High Rolls/Mountain Park United Methodist Church. It is also a state historical site.

The High Rolls Development Company

The High Rolls Development Company started in 1909. They built a large hotel with 25 rooms. It opened in 1912. The company also built about 50 small guest cottages. These were for summer visitors.

Over the years, the hotel was used for different things. It was a place for people with tuberculosis to get well. Later, it was a quiet retreat for priests. Eventually, the hotel was taken apart. Some parts became a private home. Other parts were used to build homes in Alamogordo. Only about six of the original 50 cottages remain today. They have been updated and added to.

Skyline Ranch and Famous Residents

The Skyline Ranch of the YMCA was a well-known place. It started in 1908 as Camp Mescalero. It was a large 160-acre property. It was sold in the 1980s and became private land.

One of the most famous people from this area is Bill Mauldin. He was a nationally recognized cartoonist. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his wartime cartoons. These often showed characters named Willie and Joe. Mauldin was born and grew up in Mountain Park. His first cartoon appeared in the Alamogordo High School newspaper.

Over the years, High Rolls and Mountain Park have continued to grow. In 1956, the High Rolls/Mountain Park Post Office was created.

Education

Students in High Rolls attend schools run by Alamogordo Public Schools. High Rolls/Mount Park Elementary is the local elementary school. For middle school, students go to Chaparral Middle School. The main high school for the district is Alamogordo High School.

The La Luz School District joined the Alamogordo district on July 1, 1959.