About OTF

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Old Town Farm is situated on 12 acres just east of the Rio Grande river in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Old Town, where the city was settled in 1706, is about 1/2 mile east. However, Pueblo Indians lived and farmed here long before the Spanish arrived. Tiguex Pueblo was located in the area now occupied by Old Town. Pottery shards sometimes appear when we dig postholes here. The Duranes Lateral, which forms the western boundary of Old Town Farm, is reputedly the oldest registered irrigation ditch in North America. It provides water to irrigate Old Town Farm’s pastures to this day.

New Town, the present Downtown Albuquerque, grew up 1 1/2 miles east of Old Town Farm where the Santa Fe railroad tracks were laid in the 1880s.

The area along the river was once a continuous band of irrigated family farms from the village of Corrales north of Albuquerque to Isleta Pueblo and beyond to the south.. As Albuquerque becomes urbanized, these farms are disappearing. Old Town Farm is a tangible part of the peaceful pastoral history of the Rio Grande Valley.

Old Town Farm was started in 1986 when two portions of a former farm were reassembled. The barns are 50 years old. Since 1986, pastures have been pipe fenced for turnouts. A 1/3  mile riding path around the back pasture offers riders a pleasant place to cool out horses after working in the arenas.

 

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