photo by Arlyn Cooley
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Bill Evans Lake
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Mimbres Valley THE HISTORIC AND SCENIC FARMING VALLEY OF THE MIMBRES RIVER IS ACCESSED BY NM35 AND NM61 from City of Rocks State Park to the Continental Divide near Lake Roberts. The valley was inhabited by the ancient Mimbres Culture that produced the pottery on display at Western New Mexico University Museum. Today, the valley supports a growing population around the communities of Mimbres and San Lorenzo, while early farming families who first settled the area continue to tend their fields and orchards. Mission churches built in the late 1800s at San Lorenzo, San Juan and Faywood contribute to the natural beauty of the region, and Bear Canyon Lake offers anglers an isolated fishing hole. The Trail of the Mountain Sprits National Scenic Byway makes a dramatic entry to the Mimbres Valley on NM152 and then cuts upward through the valley toward Lake Roberts and the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
BILL EVANS LAKE, 35 MILES NORTHWEST OF SILVER CITY ON US180, IS UNUSUAL IN ITS LOCATION 300 FEET above the river that supplies it. Water pumped from the Gila River is impounded by the 62 acre man-made lake. There are picnic tables, fishing for crappie, catfish, bass and trout and an impressive view from the dam across the canyons of the upper Burro Mountains. A record 15-pound largemouth bass was caught in 1995. Bird watching is also prominent along the Gila River and at the lake itself, especially during the Spring and Fall migratory seasons. Travel south along the river past the lake turn-off and bring your binoculars to enjoy the Gila Bird Habitat. Open to the public and stocked by the NM Department of Game and Fish, Bill Evans Lake was made by the PhelpsDodge Corporation.
Silver City LIfe is now online!
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www.ziapublishing.com
THE SOURCE
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