Along the eastern foothills of White Mountain, retired army Captain Paul Dowlin built Dowlin’s Mill where the Carrizo Creek and Rio Ruidoso merge. He had served at nearby
Fort Stanton. The Mill was also a general store, dance hall, and moonshine supply. San Patricio, NM (in the Hondo Valley) was originally known as Ruidoso. In 1875, its name was changed in honor of a Catholic priest’s patron saint. Early Hispanos used the term “Ruidoso” to describe a noisy creek. Today’s Ruidoso grew up around Dowlin’s Mill. Will Dowlin survived his brother, after an employee shot Captain Paul dead. By 1885, with a general store, blacksmith, post office, cabins along the Rio Ruidoso, and proximity to the
Chisholm Trail Ruidoso, NM was born. The Wingfield family operated a dairy and early post office. By 1914, cabins were being built in Upper Canyon. At Cedar Creek in 1935, a ski area opened on a sloping meadow. On July 16, 1945, the
Trinity (test) could be felt by local people like an explosion. By 1947, a race track was opened at Hollywood Park. Visitors played golf in the Gateway area. Finally, in 1963 the Mescalero Apaches purchased the ski area now known as
Ski Apache.
21st century In December 2006, seven percent of eligible voters approved a $12.6 million bond issue to finance the expansion and modernization of the local wastewater treatment plant which was built in 1982. In 2011, construction was completed on a $36 million wastewater treatment plant. This state-of-the-art facility utilizes membrane technology to achieve discharge standards within regulatory guidelines. The plant was designed to accommodate future growth. The average daily volume is 1.6 million gallons. The plant can currently process up to 2.7 million gallons per day. Late at night on July 26, 2008, through July 27, 2008, the town and the river were hit by devastating
flash flooding. The remnant circulation of
Hurricane Dolly passed over the area and brought as much as of rainfall. Hundreds of tourists, campers and residents were evacuated and the storm caused damage at the
Ruidoso Downs Race Track. approximately 900 persons required rescue, approximately 500 structures were damaged, and initial damage estimates for Ruidoso were in the range of $15– 20 million. In March 2016, the village of Ruidoso entered into a
Sister City relationship with
Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico. In April 2022, large parts of Ruidoso were threatened by the
McBride Fire; over 200 structures were destroyed and two people were killed by the blaze, fueled by intense dryness and strong winds.
The Christmas Classic (2023), with
Malin Akerman and
Ryan Hansen, was filmed at
Ski Apache, Alto, and Rio Ruidoso. In June 2024, following the rapid spread of the
South Fork Fire and
Salt Fire, all 7,000 residents were ordered by officials to evacuate the village. Two people have been confirmed dead. As of July 3, 2024, the fires were at 87 percent and 84 percent containment respectively. Following the fires, regular
floods led to further evacuations, but members of the village have returned to rebuild the community. ==Geography==