History of Lamy, New Mexico
From Santa Fe, Lamy is reached by taking northbound I-25 to US 285. The exit to Lamy, just east of US 285, is seven miles from the freeway. A bus ride to Lamy has been Santa Fe's only railroad link with the rest of the world since 1926. In 1878 the main line of the Santa Fe Railroad bypassed Santa Fe, leaving the Ancient City connected by a spur line to Lamy. On October 1, 1926, service over the spur line was discontinued. Passengers, mail, and baggage had to be transported by busses, "Harveycars." The town grew with the railroad and was named to honor Jean Baptise Lamy, the first archbishop of the American Territorial period.
Bishop Lamy came to Santa Fe diocese in 1853 and labored prodigiously among Anglos, Mexicans, and Indians to reform a religious establishment which had been allowed to grow stagnant and corrupt. He removed several priests from their posts and unfrocked them; some were members of New Mexico's leading families. Vengeful politicians attempted to oust him, but he continued on. Willa Cather immortalized Bishop Lamy in her novel Death Comes for the Archbishop.
Roadside History of New Mexico, p.278-9
Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate
Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, 1989
General Information
| Lamy Township Plans |
| The Legal Tender as a General Store |
Printed Articles
| Lamy Railroad Junction | Dudley M. Lynch, New Mexico, October, 1966 |
| Howard Bryan, The Albuquerque Tribune, February 14, 1969 | |
| It Happened...in Santa Fe | Lorraine Carr, The Albuquerque Journal, January 1, 1969 |
| A Century in New Mexico | Marian F. Love, The Santa Fean Magazine, Vol. 8. No. 10, November, 1980 |
| All aboard - at Lamy Station | Paul Weideman, Santa Fe Real Estate Guide, December, 2005 |
Internet Links
El Ortiz Hotel
| New Mexico Harvey Houses | Fred Harvey Collection Exhibit |
| Fred Harvey Company |