Carrizozo was born with the dawn of the 20th Century. Before the railroad tracks reached the site of present day Carrizozo in August, 1899, as far as the eye could see there were few signs of human habitation here at the upper end of the Tularosa Basin. There were just a few scattered cattle ranches established in the 1870's and a lonely stagecoach road that crossed the landscape from the booming gold-mining town of White Oaks 12 miles to the northeast.
The town grew quickly when the railroad made it a terminal town, and many jobs were soon readily available. The surrounding land opened for new homesteads. After becoming the county seat in 1909, incorporation followed in 1916. As Carrizozo began to flourish, White Oaks began to decline. Many of its former residents moved their homes and businesses (some quite literally) to the new town as railroad employees moved in and the land surrounding Carrizozo quickly opened for homesteading. Carrizozo, like the new century, had grand dreams for its future.
As a result, its buildings and homes were built well and meant to last, thanks in part to Frank English whose legacy is everywhere here. Between 1908 and 1925, Mr. English built approximately 30 houses and commercial buildings, many of which are still in use today. They are solid, durable and comfortable, and several have been included on a brochure tour of the Town available at the Carrizozo Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.