Discover the Spirit of the Old West in Luna County, NM!

Honoring Our Wild West Heritage

At Old West Heritage Days in Deming, NM, we celebrate the rich history of Luna County and the pioneers who shaped our vibrant community. Our event honors the legacy of the Wild West, marked by the completion of the second transcontinental railroad in 1881, bringing prosperity and adventure to our town. Join us as we revitalize the spirit of ranchers, cowboys, and outlaws, showcasing the heritage that built Deming into what it is today. We invite everyone to step back in time and experience the stories that define our past and inspire our future!

Camp Cody Theater

The theatre was the primary theater located within Camp Cody, a World War I Army training camp in Deming, New Mexico. It served as a key recreational outlet for the nearly 30,000 soldiers stationed at the camp between 1916 and 1919. Since local saloons were off-limits to the men, movies and live entertainment provided essential distraction and morale-boosting during their training.

After the war, the camp was converted into a tuberculosis sanatorium before most of its original wooden structures, including many recreational halls, were destroyed by a massive fire in 1939

Silver Ave, the Early Days

In 1881, a silver spike was driven into the railroad at Deming to mark completion of the second transcontinental railroad, which united the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads.

Deming is the county seat of Luna County and was founded in November, 1881. Named for Mary Deming Crocker, wife of a railroad magnate of the Southern Pacific Railway system the town was the result of railroad expansion to the West.