Chama in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Chama
Population 1,199 - Elevation 7,850 ft.
Photographed by Maribeth Robison, June 6, 2014
1. Chama Marker
From a small crossroads town, Chama became an important site on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad after 1880. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a remnant of the San Juan Extension, a narrow-gauge line which once served the mining areas of southwestern Colorado.
Erected by New Mexico Historic Preservation Division.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 36° 54.167′ N, 106° 34.743′ W. Marker is in Chama, New Mexico, in Rio Arriba County. It is on Terrace Avenue (State Road 17), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 Terrace Ave, Chama NM 87520, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern New Mexico. It is also in the American Southwest, in the Mountain West, and at the Four Corners. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Denver & Rio Grande Railroad San Juan Extension (within shouting distance of this marker); The Chama Railyard (within shouting distance of this marker); Coal Tipple (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1881 Log Bunkhouse (about 800 feet away); Old Spanish Trail (approx. 1.4 miles away); a different marker also named Chama (approx. 3.1 miles away); Cumbres Pass (approx. 7.7 miles away in Colorado); Nurturing Forest (approx. 8.3 miles away in Colorado). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chama.
Also see . . . The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is another famous narrow-gauge tourist railroad in southwest Colorado and northwest New Mexico (Submitted on June 9, 2014.)
Photographed by Maribeth Robison, June 6, 2014
2. Chama Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 9, 2014, by Maribeth Robison of Moriarty, New Mexico. This page has been viewed 991 times since then and 27 times this year. Last updated on July 30, 2025, by Bill Wingate of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 9, 2014, by Maribeth Robison of Moriarty, New Mexico. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
