Editing Silver City, New Mexico (section)

==Points of interest==
[[File:Ft. Bayard.jpg|thumb|Ft. Bayard post hospital in 1890, a building listed on the [[NRHP]] ]]
[[File:Silver City New Mexico City Hall.jpg|thumb|City hall]]
The [[Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument]] is about {{convert|44|mi|km}} north of Silver City, via the winding [[List of highways in New Mexico|NM 15]]. At the monument, the remains of Indigenous inhabitants within five caves in a cliff can be found. They were built sometime between 1275 and 1300 AD by the [[Mogollon culture]]. In addition to ancient ruins, there are plenty of places to camp, hike and fish within the [[Gila Wilderness]].

The Catwalk is a trail enclosed by a metal walkway that suspends {{convert|25|ft|m}} above the Whitewater Canyon hugging the canyon walls. It follows water-pipe routes built by miners in 1893. When the pipes needed repair, the miners walked on them. Visitors can explore the walkway and trail, picnic, and enjoy the river. It is located {{convert|70|mi}} north of Silver City on [[U.S. Route 180]] near [[Glenwood, New Mexico|Glenwood]].

There are several lakes in the area. Lake Roberts covers {{convert|72|acre|m2|adj=on}} about {{convert|27|mi}} north of Silver City on [[List of highways in New Mexico|NM 15]] near the [[List of highways in New Mexico|NM 35]] junction. Other lakes in the Silver City area include Bill Evans Lake, Snow Lake, Wall Lake, Bear Canyon Dam. Anglers have a choice of brown and rainbow trout, catfish, and bass. In addition, several mountainous rivers can be found nearby. Some of note are the [[Gila River]], Negrito Creek, [[San Francisco River (central Arizona)|San Francisco River]], and Willow Creek.

The Kneeling Nun is a natural rock formation located about {{convert|20|mi|km}} to the east of Silver City along [[List of highways in New Mexico|NM 152]]. Several legends have developed explaining its origin.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://southwestcrossroads.org/record.php?num=929 |title=Southwest Crossroads— The Kneeling Nun |website=southwestcrossroads.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southernnewmexico.com/Articles/Southwest/Grant/KneelingNunlegends.html |title=Southwestern New Mexico: Kneeling Nun Legend. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606090844/http://www.southernnewmexico.com/Articles/Southwest/Grant/KneelingNunlegends.html |archive-date=June 6, 2009}}</ref>

Nearby is [[Fort Bayard Historic District]], about eight miles east of Silver City, off of US Highway 180. The District was the location of Fort Bayard, which was established in 1866 to station soldiers of the US Army in proximity to mining camps in the region. In later years the fort was converted to an Army hospital, specializing in the treatment of tuberculosis. In the early 1920s it became a US Veterans Hospital under the Veterans Administration. The property was sold to the State of New Mexico in 1965, which used the facility as a State Hospital. With the construction of a newer hospital in 2010, the property was vacated. Fort Bayard then became home to a museum, maintained by the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society. The museum personnel offer tours of both the building and the grounds on a regular schedule.