Craving for Pie in New Mexico? Try Finding This Secret Town on Highway 60

Pie Town, New Mexico

Finding Pie Town, NM is as tough as finding really good pie. It’s just a group of old buildings along Highway 60 in Catron County, and terribly easy to miss.

But if you do find it, get ready for some of the most delicious pies you’ll ever eat in the middle of nowhere. Here’s the story of Pie Town.

Clyde Norman’s Mining Claim in the 1920s

Clyde Norman came to western New Mexico in the early 1920s hoping to find gold and silver.

This Texas native and World War I veteran staked his mining claim in 1922. Norman spent months digging and searching the rocky ground. His hard work brought little reward as the area held almost no precious metals.

Many miners across the West faced the same disappointment during this time. With his mining dreams fading, Norman needed a new way to make a living in this remote spot.

Norman’s Place General Store

When mining failed, Norman built a small general store along the dirt road known as the “Coast-to-Coast Highway.”

This wooden building stood alone for miles around. “Norman’s Place” sold basic supplies that travelers and ranchers needed, like gas, kerosene, canned goods, and groceries.

The store became an important stop for people driving the rough roads between Arizona and New Mexico.

The First Pies

Norman started baking pies using skills he learned as a teenager in Texas. Without refrigeration, he used dried fruits, especially apples, which kept well in the dry desert air.

He first baked these dried-apple pies for his family, then began selling them to customers who stopped at his store. Soon, word spread about the delicious pies available at this lonely desert outpost.

How “Norman’s Place” Became “Pie Town”

Travelers began calling Norman’s store “that pie town” when giving directions or telling stories about their trips.

This nickname caught on because the pies were what people remembered most. Drivers and cowboys told others about the desert spot where they enjoyed homemade pies.

Gradually, the nickname replaced the original name in everyday use. People forgot about “Norman’s Place” and remembered only “Pie Town.”

The Fight for the Post Office in 1927

As more people settled nearby, locals asked for a post office in 1927. Having an official post office would bring regular mail service and put their town on the map.

Government officials didn’t like the unusual name and asked for three more “normal” options.

The stubborn residents refused to change it, insisting on “Pie Town” or nothing at all. The postal authorities finally gave in, making the quirky name official and giving the growing settlement its identity.

Dust Bowl Migration Brings New Residents

Huge dust storms destroyed farms across the Great Plains in the mid-1930s. These “black blizzards” blew away topsoil, ruining farmland and forcing people to leave. About 200 families moved to Pie Town between 1935 and 1940.

Most came from Oklahoma and Texas, escaping land that could no longer grow crops. These Dust Bowl families built simple homes and tried farming in Pie Town’s challenging soil at 8,000 feet above sea level, hoping for a fresh start.

A Community Forms in the 1930s

Despite the Great Depression, Pie Town grew into a real town with a Main Street. The town added a Farm Bureau building, hardware store, café, hotel, and school. Residents formed a baseball team and held community dances.

Daily stagecoaches connected Pie Town to other towns, bringing mail and passengers. People worked together to survive hard times, sharing what they had. This teamwork helped the small town weather the worst economic crisis in American history.

Russell Lee’s Photographs Document Pie Town in 1940

Photographer Russell Lee visited Pie Town in 1940 while working for the Farm Security Administration. The government hired photographers to record rural life during the Depression.

Lee took about 620 pictures showing daily life in Pie Town. His photos captured families working their land, community gatherings, and the challenges of rural living. Some photos used early color film, creating a vivid record of Pie Town’s history.

Lee’s work brought national attention to this small, remote New Mexico community.

Decline in the 1950s

Severe drought hit Pie Town in the 1950s, making farming nearly impossible. Without rain, the already tough desert environment became even harder to farm. Crops died and animals struggled to find food on the dry land.

Many families who had survived the Depression couldn’t overcome this new challenge. People moved away to cities like Albuquerque or to California seeking better lives. As residents left, businesses closed and Pie Town’s famous pie-making tradition disappeared.

Kathy Knapp Restores Pie Town’s Legacy in the 1990s

Kathy Knapp and her mother Mary Munden stopped in Pie Town during a 1995 road trip from Dallas. They found a town with no pie, just a post office, tax office, and an empty trading post for sale.

A sign on the abandoned building read: “There used to be pie in Pie Town, but there ain’t no more.”

Well, Mary thought a town named Pie Town should have pie, so they bought the building and opened the Pie-O-Neer café.

When her mother moved away, Knapp took over, focusing only on pies and bringing back the town’s lost tradition.

Visiting Pie Town

You’ll find Pie Town along U.S. Highway 60 in Catron County, New Mexico, about 160 miles southwest of Albuquerque. Being an unincorporated community, it has no formal address, so just look for the small cluster of buildings along Highway 60.

Pie-O-Neer operates Thursday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm, from Pi Day (March 14) through Thanksgiving. The Gatherin’ Place II serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with homemade pies daily.

The town has limited lodging, with the nearest hotels in Socorro (84 miles east) or Springerville, Arizona (70 miles west).

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