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History of Melvin Mills and the Mills Canyon Orchard
The history of Melvin Mills and the namesake canyon and orchard is a saga of frontier ambition, political power, and a dramatic fall from fortune in territorial New Mexico.

Melvin Whitson Mills (1845–1925)

Melvin W. Mills was a prominent lawyer, businessman, and politician. Originally from Canada and educated in Michigan, he arrived in New Mexico in 1868. He quickly became a central figure in Colfax County, serving as a District Attorney, a member of the Territorial Legislature, and a founder of the town of Springer.

His life was often defined by the turbulence of the Wild West:

The Santa Fe Ring: Mills was associated with this powerful group of politicians and lawyers who controlled land grants and political offices in the late 19th century.

The Colfax County War: During the 1870s, he was a key figure in this violent conflict over the Maxwell Land Grant. He famously survived an assassination attempt by the notorious gunfighter Clay Allison.

The Mills Mansion: In 1877, he built a 32-room, three-story adobe mansion in Springer. The home was considered one of the most luxurious in the territory, featuring a unique blend of French Academic and Greek Revival architecture.

The Mills Orchard Ranch

In the 1880s, Mills established the Mills Canyon Enterprise (also known as the Orchard Ranch) within the Canadian River Canyon. He transformed the remote, rugged gorge into a massive agricultural empire.

Scale and Variety: Mills planted over 14,000 trees, including apples, peaches, pears, cherries, plums, walnuts, almonds, and chestnuts.

Infrastructure: The ranch was a sophisticated operation for its time, featuring a 10-mile-long irrigation system fed by ditches and cisterns.

A Frontier Oasis: The site served as a resort and a stop for travelers on a shortcut of the Santa Fe Trail. It featured a two-story stone hotel and a bunkhouse for dozens of workers.

The 1904 Flood and Downfall

The canyon itself, now part of the Kiowa National Grasslands, is a 1,000-foot-deep gorge carved by the Canadian River. While the enterprise thrived for two decades, it met a sudden, violent end.

The Disaster: In 1904, a catastrophic flood on the Canadian River tore through the canyon. The wall of water decimated the orchards, destroyed the irrigation systems, and ruined the hotel and ranch buildings.

Financial Ruin: Mills never recovered from the financial loss. By 1916, he was forced to abandon the canyon. He eventually lost his mansion in Springer and spent his final years in poverty.

Legacy: Today, the canyon is a historic site. Visitors can see the skeletal remains of the stone house, the adobe bunkhouse, and a few resilient fruit trees that still bloom over a century later.

Visiting the Site Today

The area is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It remains a remote destination known for its red rock walls, Barbary sheep, and the ruins of Mills's "fruit empire." Accessing the canyon floor requires a high-clearance vehicle due to the steep, rocky switchbacks descending from the rim.

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