Loma Parda, NM is located on the banks of the Mora River. It became known as the "Sodom on the Mora".

The town is located seven miles from Ft Union. This once farming community became a retreat for the soldiers stationed at the fort. It has been described as a home of gamblers, drinkers, con artist and prostitutes, all looking to capitalize from the nearby soldiers.

"A considerable prostitution operation was located not in the village itself, but in caves near the fort where, as early as 1852, street prostitutes from Santa Fe traded sex for goods stolen from the fort's warehouses. In a six-month period, the army lost 9,379 pounds of bacon, 5,254 pounds of clear sugar, 4,303 pounds of coffee, and similar quantities of soap, candles, and dried peaches. Prominent in these cave-centered transgressions were Maria Alvina Chaireses (AKA "Black Sus"), and Maria Dolores Trujigue y Rivale. The post physician had noted sixty cases of venereal disease associated with these female troglodytes and their sisters in sin."

- Excerpt from article titled:

Loma Parda
Sin City or Pastoral Paradise?
Thomas P. Lowry

In order to deter the soldiers from visiting the prostitutes, a captain tried to end the practice by capturing the women and shaving their heads.

Another remnant of Loma Parda.

The building looks like it was two-story at one time. Possibly a hotel.

Ft Union was abandoned in 1891, but the town continued on until World War II. The lure of better jobs and the young not returning resulted in the demise of Loma Parda.

Loma Parda slowly returning to the land

Stone building covered with adobe walls.

Portal to another time