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Dawson New Mexico Association
528 N. First Street
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 Click here to view a panorama photo of Dawson (circa early 1950's)
Click here to view a drone video of the Dawson Cemetery in 2016 Click here to view a drone video of Dawson, Rail Canyon, and Capitan Hill in 2016 Click here to listen to a ballad by Rick Landers as a tribute to the Dawson miners who lost their lives in coal mine explosions of 1913 and 1923 |
Because of the COVID pandemic, two prior reunions had to be cancelled which disappointed all of us. The Dawson Association is now going forward with plans for the reunion in 2022. The reunion committee has received permission from the owners of the property to again hold the reunion at the location of the original Dawson townsite. Since the Dawson Elk Valley Ranch property is up for sale, we are not sure how long we will be able to hold the reunion at this location in the future. The association will be printing and mailing out copies of the "Miner's Pick" newsletter which will give more information on the reunion events that are planned. You can download a copy of the 2022 Dawson Association Newsletter and "Miner's Pick" by clicking here. Pietro Scarafiotti will be bringing his growing collection of Dawson memorabilia with more items that he has obtained since our last reunion in 2018. Pete's amazing collection and his in-depth knowledge of Dawson coal operations is always a special treat for reunion attendees. Some of these treasured items will also be available for the raffle that will be held. Pietro and Nick Pappas are also making plans to make presentations at the Raton Museum about Dawson's history and a miner's life in the mines. Nick is a well-known journalist whose book about Dawson is coming out in 2023 and will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1923 mine explosion. This year's Dawson Reunion looks to be one of the best held. You will want to mark your calendar for Labor Day weekend, September 3-4, 2022, and make your plans to attend. More information about the reunion will be posted here as it becomes available.
We will be contacting the commercial food truck company, "The Art of Snacks", to see if they will be available at the 2022 reunion. We hope that they will be there for both breakfast and lunch. Prices are still being estimated based upon costs, but all food items should be priced competitively. Menu items available are expected to be as follows: To see photos of some of these food items, click here.
The 2018 Dawson Reunion was a big success. There were 441 people who attended the reunion picnic at the original Dawson town site and 133 people who attended the Saturday night reception in Raton, NM. The Raton Museum had 122 visitors who enjoyed seeing the large Dawson collection of photos and archives. There was a special treat this year at the reception with the showing of a new Dawson documentary produced by Emily Fraser. Emily produced a beautiful documentary about the early history of Dawson with interviews of former Dawson residents. Thank you, Emily, for sharing your wonderful work and expertise with our group. A big thanks also goes to Roger Sanchez, Curator for the Raton Museum, who kept it open on both Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, this year the reunion picnic was cut short a few hours due to rain that afternoon. Everyone still had a wonderful time visiting with old and new friends and sharing Dawson stories. Mark your calendars for the next Dawson Reunion two years from now on Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, 2020. You can click here to see the reunion photos of the Saturday evening reception and the Sunday reunion picnic. A BIG THANKS goes out to Joe Bacca and his family and friends who just mowed and cleaned the Dawson Cemetery for the Dawson Reunion held on Labor Day weekend, September 1 and 2, 2018. This is a completely volunteer effort on the part of these folks and makes it possible to have the Dawson Reunion every two years. From left to right are Joe Bacca, Adie Bacca and child, Laney Smith, John Smith, Angelo Vialpando, Mike Vialpando, Ray Ann Bacca, and Billie Jo Bacca. Not in the photo are Bobbie Bacca and Hailey Bacca.  DAWSON SOUVENIRS! Did you like the free Dawson Picnic Handout that you received at the gate this year? Well, since the rain shut down the picnic early, the Dawson Association still has some left and Joe Bacca would like for you to have extras, however, you will need to pay the shipping charge of $3.00 for shipping to you. The Dawson Association also still has Old Dawson Photo CDs left which are $10.00 plus $3.00 for shipping. Folks, you do not want to miss out on the photo CDs there are approximately 200 old Dawson photos on it, The Bacca family worked with Roger Sanchez at the Raton Museum to photograph their old photo collection, you will not find a collection like this again. Remember, the sales proceeds from the CD's go to support both the reunion picnic and the cemetery fund. Joe Bacca's email contact is baccaj2000@msn.com One of our Dawson Reunion members, Tom Hay, has asked Joe Bacca to coordinate a donation drive to purchase a iron mule to be placed in the front of the coal mine pit car which is presently on display at the Dawson Cemetery. This will be in honor of the many mules that were used for years to haul coal from the mines. Tom Hay has started this project by donating $200 and Joe Bacca has donated $100. This way, the iron mule can be ordered and built by February 2020 and in place at the Dawson Cemetery for the reunion in September 2020. The total cost of the project is estimated to about $800. Below is a photo of a similar coal pit mule on display in Raton and at the NRA Whittington Center between Raton, NM and the Dawson Cemetery turnoff. Donations may be mailed to Joe Bacca, Dawson Association, 528 North First Street. Raton, NM 87740. If donations exceed the actual cost of the iron mule, the excess will be applied to future Dawson Reunion expenses  THE WINNERS OF THE 2018 DAWSON REUNION RAFFLE WERE: 1. Dawson Book: Chris Palomino 2. Wooden Box: Jay Romero 3. Wooden Sign: Linsey 4. Dawson Book: Alex Cruz 5. Placemat Set: Vanjie Martinez 6. Quilt: Agnes Gibson 7. Dawson Quilt: Lorraine Buttram 8. Stamp Picture of Dawson: Pete Scarafiotti 9. Map of Dawson: Sara Vega 10. Book of Dawson: John Antczak 11. Phelp Dodge Hat: John Antczak turned the hat back in 12. Black and red Dawson Wreath: John Antczak 13. Red Quilt: Terry Nighberr 14. Lantern: Kathleen Farley 15. Wooden Plaque: John Antczak 16. Quilt: Sara Vega Good News! In response to its proposal, the Dawson New Mexico Association received a grant from the Freeport McMoRan Foundation to make much-needed improvements to the Dawson Cemetery. The grant is covering the cost of building a strong, high game fence around the cemetery to keep elk and cattle out of the graveyard. These large animals have been breaking through the old barbed wire fence and roaming through the cemetery for years. This has resulted in serious damage to many of the headstones and other grave markers. The other immediate need at the cemetery was restoring the drainage system to protect the graveyard from stormwater erosion. During rainstorms in the past, water ran through the graveyard and over the gravesites causing erosion and washing away topsoil around many of the grave markers including the metal crosses that mark many of the Dawson miners' graves. To remedy this erosion problem, the diversion ditches above and around the cemetery have been re-established to divert stormwater around the graveyard. Photos of this construction may be seen by clicking here. The Dawson New Mexico Association would like to express its gratitude to Freeport-McMoRan, the company that acquired Phelps Dodge, for recognizing the importance of the Dawson Cemetery and acknowledging the rich history and heritage of Northern New Mexico. In particular, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to Harry Milton (Red) Conger, president and chief operating officer of Freeport-McMoRan. Red has a long and deep connection to Dawson from his days as a mining engineer and mine manager for Phelps Dodge. The Dawson New Mexico Association also extends its gratitude to Pietro Scarafiotti for his original idea and beginning the process to request, and ultimately secure, this grant. Pietro made several presentations to Colfax County and State of New Mexico government officials and the public to make them aware of this valuable historic site and the need for action to prevent further deterioration and complete destruction due to natural and environmental forces. Further thanks to Bruno Ridolfi, who became involved in this effort a few months ago and assisted in preparing the grant proposal and facilitating the funding process with Red Conger, Freeport McMoRan, and The Raton Museum. Last but certainly not least, many thanks to Joe Bacca, his family, and the Dawson New Mexico Association for directing and coordinating the construction and maintenance work that was needed to save the Dawson Cemetery. Thanks to the grant and the efforts of everyone involved, descendants of the residents, miners, and employees of Dawson, New Mexico will be able to visit their ancestors' gravesites at Dawson Cemetery for many years to come. This grant and the hard and dedicated work that have resulted in these much-needed improvements are a clear demonstration of the respect and admiration we hold in our hearts for those who lived, worked, and gave their lives during the time when Dawson was a booming coal mining community. The photo below is of a sculpture reproduction of a Native American Indian by Frederick Remington, famous artist of the early American West. This sculpture, purchased by the current owners of the Dawson property, was placed in 2016 on a nearby hill above the area which was the former town of Dawson, NM as a memorial to the original Native American Indians of this area. 
A special group photo was taken of all those who attended the 2016 reunion who lived or were born in Dawson, NM. If you took a photo of this group at the reunion which shows everyone, please send a copy to Joe Bacca at baccaj2000@msn.com .
Joe Bacca and his daughter have scanned over 800 old Dawson photographs taken over the years and place them on a CD. The photo CD is available for a $10 purchase by contacting Joe at his e-mail which is baccaj2000@msn.com . The proceeds from the sales of the CD will be used to offset expenses incurred in sponsoring the Dawson Reunion every two years. We were also pleased to hear that over 200 folks visted the Raton Museum and toured the Dawson exhibits.  We received an e-mail from Marty Tschetter from Greenville, NC stating that he recently came across an old 1924 Dawson, NM photograph at the Raton Museum. What makes this photograph so interesting is that it shows a Dawson coal miner writing the final score of the 1924 Baseball World Series on the side of a coal car that is going to be sent down into the Dawson coal mines to let the workers know the final score. You can see these two photos by clicking here. Marty has also sent copies of these photographs to the National Baseball Museum in Cooperstown, NY on behalf of the Raton Museum. A special thanks to Marty and to Roger Sanchez, Curator of the Raton Museum, for allowing Marty to scan these old photos and sending them to the National Baseball Museum.
There has been a special request made by Brian Beker, a documentary film producer, for anyone who might have information on early 1920 Dawson resident and aviation pioneer by the name of Jules "J. J." VanDersarl. The Raton Range newspaper published a short article on Mr. Beker's request on October 4, 2010. You can read this article by clicking here.
If you have any questions about future Dawson reunions, you may contact any member of the Dawson Reunion committee who is listed below: |
