When in the Southwest and in the southwestern part of New Mexico there are so many wide spots in the road to choose from. Hurley is one such wide spot in the road. When coming from Silver City, New Mexico traveling down the 180 towards Deming, if you get off the 180 in North Hurley and take North Hurley Road into Hurley, one can witness a town that time, history, and the economy have left behind. It looks pretty run down and time has not been kind. The town of Hurley is exactly 640 acres. Interesting as 640 acres is exactly one square mile. It seemed to me as if the mining company set aside one square mile or one section of land for the town. Note on the map the city is almost square. As a side note around Hurley were several locations for shooting scenes of the 2013 move Lone Ranger. A very minimal claim to fame. Now, you may ask ‘Charley what are you doing here?’ That is a good question. With relatives in Silver City, the world’s best chiles in Hatch, New Mexico and an excellent chili roaster in Hurley, I end up on the 180 several times a year. Lets face it – I love side roads, great chiles, and exploring everything. So back to Hurley. The once booming mining industry is now at a trickle and those who have chosen to stay are in, what appears to me to be, survival mode. As you make it into Hurley things are looking up, but not to far. There are many well tended homes and just a couple of blocks of ‘downtown.’ The Infant Jesus Shrine Catholic Church appears. It is a lovely little church, One of the nicest buildings in town. What caught my eye and piqued my interest was the big banner the first time I encountered the church. The banner said in big letters – Infant Jesus Shrine. What does this mean? I had to investigate. Well when anything gets the title shrine that means there have been miracle healings. I must investigate. After a long process, of which I do not know all the details, The Dioceses had made an official declaration of the Hurley Infant Jesus Shrine in September 2012. This is a big deal for this church and city. In ten years it can become a national shrine which is an even bigger deal. It is a very small shrine, but none the less a shrine. I always stop, and pray, and ponder, and soak up the vibes at locations such as this! Stop in if you are in the area. Maybe a miracle will happen for you, who knows?
About The Author
Charley is an avid locator of those slightly odd and a bit different places in our world. He can be found about the web on his family blog – charley.net, and his social media guide – Charley Carlin – Social Media Guide also via Reviews on YELP, Trip Advisor, and Google Maps