Reach New Heights !
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Angel Fire New Mexico Relocation Guide Picture provided by Greg Countryman Angel Fire Cabin and Condo Reach New Heights ! Angel Fire Facts 4 Transportation 15 History of the Moreno Valley 5 Trash Service 15 Aura of Angel Fire 6 Vehicle Registration/Drivers License 15 Activities in and Around Angel Fire 8 Veterinary Services 15 Moving to and Living in Angel Fire 9 Visitor Center 15 Accommodations 9 Voting 16 Accommodations – RV Parks 9 Water 16 Accountant Services 9 Weather 16 Apartments/Homes 9 WIFI/Internet Computer Access 16 Automobile Rental 9 Youth Organizations 16 Aviation Services 9 Building a Home 9 Attachments Building Contractors and Dealers 9 Angel Fire Visitor Assistant Building Permits 9 Angel Fire Chamber Member Directory Building Services and Suppliers 10 Magic Bus Schedule and Map Business Licenses 10 U.S. Census Bureau Demographics Profile/2000 Cable/Satellite Service 10 Angel Fire Visitors Guide Chamber of Commerce 10 Childcare 10 Churches 10 Community Organizations 10 Culture 11 Demographics 11 Electric Service 11 Emergencies 11 Financial Institutions 11 Getting Here 11 Groceries, Spirits and Gasoline 11 Internet Service 12 Local Government 12 Medical Care 13 Mobile Home Rentals 13 Motor Vehicle Department 13 Newspapers 13 Police /Fire Emergencies 13 Police/Fire Non-Emergencies 13 Post Office 13 Propane Service 13 Public Library 13 Public Transportation 13 Real Estate 13 Recreation Areas 13 Recycling 14 Registering a Business 14 Restaurants 14 Schools and Registration 14 Senior Services 14 Shopping 15 Solid Waste 15 Taxes 15 Telephone Service 15 Estimated population of town : 1,045 permanent residents per US Census in year 2000; and approximately 800 seasonal. Many of the seasonal residents rent their houses or condos to visitors during the time the owners are absent. General location of Angel Fire in State : Northeast section of NM; as the crow flies, about 50 miles from the Colorado Border and 160 miles from the Texas Border. Main Industry : Tourism Uniqueness about Angel Fire today : Angel Fire Ski & Golf Resort was started in 1965 by the Roy Lebus family. A community was built up around the ski area, and was incorporated as the Village of Angel Fire in 1986, so Angel Fire is a relatively young village facing the challenges of a rapidly growing community. Angel Fire is a high-altitude haven nestled in a valley 8,382 feet above sea level between mountains ranging from 11,086 (Mount Baldy) to 13,161 (Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain in New Mexico). Spectacular sunrise and sunset colors gave Angel Fire its name long ago when Ute Indians observed the glowing skies and called it the “fire of the angels.” (This story reportedly being concocted at a local bar one night) Angel Fire’s climate is enjoyed by most residents and visitors. Winter temperatures are generally moderate, averaging mid-thirties daytime and mid-teens in the early morning. Average annual snowfall is 140” in the valley and over 210” in the ski area. Spring and summer offer an average annual precipitation of 7” with moderate temperatures varying from early morning lows in the mid-forties to mid-afternoon highs of 75 degrees with very low humidity levels. Angel Fire is a photographer’s delight – wonderful scenery, magnificent wildlife, exquisite cloud formations, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, wonderful aspen color change in the fall, and glorious wildflowers during spring and summer. Wildlife viewing is a year-round amazement – birds, elk, deer, coyotes, squirrels, chipmunks, and an occasional bear (when not in hibernation from late November through mid-March). Summer activities include birding, golf, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and ATV riding. Winter activities include skiing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, tubing, snowboarding, snowskating, snowmobiling, horseback riding, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. Sportsmen enjoy lake and stream fishing. Winter ice fishing also occurs as Eagle Nest Lake conditions permit. The area is also known for big game hunting, primarily elk and mule deer. Bear and wild turkey are also local game A number of annual events attract visitors and locals, including Memorial Day events at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park, Missoula Children’s Theater, 4th of July events in Eagle Nest, Music from Angel Fire, Angel Fire ArtsFest, the Biennial Quilt Show, Living History Days, and the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve torchlight parades and fireworks. New events are added every year. To keep best informed, see the online calendar at: www.angelfirechamber.org/EventCalendar.pdf . The Angel Fire area and the Moreno Valley were within the range of some of the most ancient peoples in t he Americas – Folsom Man roamed to the Northeast of Angel Fire near Raton. Approximately two thousand years before any Anglos arrived in the Angel Fire area, the Moache Ute Indians (a fierce, nomadic, constantly warring tribe) migrated to the Angel Fire Area and claimed it for their summer and fall camps – their sacred ceremonial area is still known as “Valley of the Utes.” Spaniards visited the area as early as 1540 when Coronado was searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. The Moreno Valley was once part of the Mexican Government Land Grant issued to Carlos Beaubein and Guadalupe Miranda of Taos. Beaubeins Son-In-Law, Lucian Maxwell first settled on the Grant in Rayado in 1847. Rayado is east of the present day Angel Fire Resort. Maxwell established a profitable ranching business in Rayado supplying goods to the US Army and eventually gained control of the entire Land Grant – over 1,600,000 acres. Many ranchers and farmers settled on Maxwell’s property in return for a portion of their crops. He moved his home to Cimarron in 1857 after the Rayado Creek began to dry up. The United States gained control of the New Mexico Territory after the Mexican-American War in 1848. US Soldiers were assigned close by to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail which passed through Cimarron and Rayado. Fort Union, about twenty-five miles south of Rayado, became the largest US Army supply post west of the Mississippi River. Lucian Maxwell often hosted travelers and soldiers at his ranch. He also supplied local Indians with food goods and supplies. In 1867, gold was discovered on Baldy Mountain and this lead to an influx of prospectors and miners to the region. Maxwell allowed the miners on his property in return for a percentage of their findings. This policy made Maxwell wealthy. Eventually more than six million dollars in gold was mined from Baldy. Maxwell added more property to his ranch with the acquisition of a portion of the Sangre de Cristo Grant in Southern Colorado. At the time Maxwell was the largest private landowner in the US Territories west of the Mississippi. In 1870, Lucian Maxwell sold the Land Grant to an English land company that became known as the Maxwell Land Grant and Railroad Company. Many farmers and miners who had settled on Maxwell’s land tried to continue their occupation. The resulting conflict became known as the Colfax County Wars. Frank Springer, a local lawyer, defended the Maxwell Land Grant and Railroad Company’s claim. He won the claim before the US Supreme Court in 1874. The Company gave him a portion of the property for his legal services. Despite winning their claim, the Maxwell Land Grant and Railroad Company was not able to control the land and sold the property. Today the Maxwell Land Grant property is owned by a number of large landholders. Angel Fire Resort occupies 80,000 acres on the southwest corner of the Grant. The Vermijo Ranch owned by Ted Turner is over 500,000 acres located between Cimarron and Raton. The CS Ranch owned by the Davis Family, descendents of Frank Springer, is over 200,000 acres on the north side of Angel Fire. The UU Bar Ranch to the east of Angel Fire is 130,000 acres. The Philmont Scout Ranch to the northeast of Angel Fire is 138,000 acres. The State of New Mexico and the US Forest Service also control large tracts in the area. The area residential and small agricultural plats are resulted from larger tracts being subdivided. Sunlight and silence – mountains shrouded in autumnal haze: such are the days of late fall and Indian summer in the Sangre de Cristos of northern New Mexico. Two centuries ago, before the arrival of the European in these mountains, this was the time of year of celebration for the Moache Utes, a nomadic people who gathered to renew their ancestral ties with the Great Spirit. From such an autumnal celebration during the 1780’s, so the legend goes, came the name and event called “Angel Fire.” Early on the first morning of the ceremonials, three young braves who had been on a hunting trip returned to the camp with news of a strange glow at the tip of the peak now named Agua Fria. The Utes were uneasy as they gazed at the mysterious tongues of red and orange flickering in the northern sky. One of the elders broke their awed silence: “It is an omen – the fire of the gods – blessing our annual celebration.” The Utes, though still awed by this sign, accepted the explanation. From that time on, the Moreno Valley was a sacred place and whenever the rosy glow appeared above the mountains, it was called the “fire of the gods”. Following the trails of the mountain men who searched for the abundant beaver, Franciscan friars entered the Sangres searching for converts. These learned gentlemen of the church were quick to understand that they could most easily explain Christianity to the Indians by using old legends, substituting Christian terminology for native phrases.