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BrilliantNM_1Unfortunately, there is probably little left to see, if any, of this once-bustling coal mining town in northern New Mexico.  You could perhaps view the location of the old town site if you shell out $450 per night to stay in media mogul Ted Turner’s hunting preserve.  The sites that were once the towns of Gardiner, Brilliant, Blossburg and Swastika (see my article about Swastika here) are all part of the Vermejo Park Ranch.  Most of the existing structures are said to have been bulldozed, although one might occasionally see an old coke oven here and there.

This article is no longer available for free at this site. It was re-written and enhanced with sources as part of an article entitled “Bullets, Barons, Boom and Bust:  The Ghost Towns and Storied History of Colfax County”, published in the July-August 2020 issue of Digging History Magazine.  Should you prefer to purchase the article only, contact me for more information.

I invite you to check out Digging History Magazine.  Since January 2018 new articles are published in a digital magazine (PDF) available by individual issue purchase or subscription (with three options).  Most issues run between 70-85 pages, filled with articles of interest to history-lovers and genealogists — it’s all history, right? ????  No ads — just carefully-researched, well-written stories, complete with footnotes and sources.

Want to know more or try out a free issue? You can download either (or both) of the January-February 2019 and March-April 2019 issues here:  https://digging-history.com/free-samples/

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