Santa Fe Railroad Depot at Rowe, New Mexico

This is a picture of the Santa Fe Railroad Depot in Rowe, New Mexico. The Picture was probably taken in the 1930's, I do not really know for sure. But the depot was still there in the late 1950's and early 1960's. You are looking at the backside of the Depot.

The railroad was a big part of the town from 1800's when it arrived to the early 1960's when they did away with the section gangs. Working for the railroad was the job to have in Rowe. If you did not work there, you wished you did.

Back then there was the Depot, the Santa Fe Railroad representative's house, the section gang garages where they kept the speeder cars, the huge black water tank for the old steam engines and the embarcadero or stock pens which all belonged to the railroad.

The depot was staffed around the clock, so that took at least 4-5 people employed there. And there was the superindendant, and the section gang probably employed 10 to 15 people. No two ways about it, The AT&SF was the biggest employer in Rowe for the better part of 80 years. In fact, that is why the town came into being.

The town then, had three (3) stores, and a (motel?) the old Lucky Seven where you could rent a cabin. The old Rowe Elementry was just in front of the Catholic Church. It was first to the eighth grade. An all stone building that eventually burned down. There was also a sawmill in town. How things change.