Shadows of history

The old courthouse downtown has held nearly a century of Las Cruces history inside its walls. Long after courtrooms emptied and jail cells closed, people are still walking through the building — only now, many arrive carrying flashlights instead of paperwork.

Southwest Expeditions has spent the past several years hosting “History & Haunts” tours inside the former Doña Ana County courthouse and jail, guiding visitors through stories tied to both the building’s history and the paranormal reports that have followed it over time. For tour operator David Crider, the experience has always been about more than ghost stories alone.

“History is critical because that can tell you a lot of what went on,” Crider said. “Why spirits are there, why paranormal activity is there, because of the history.”

The Spanish Mission-style courthouse, designed by architect Percy McGhee, opened in 1937 and became a central part of daily life in Las Cruces for decades. Residents passed through the building to pay bills, vote, get married, settle legal matters and, for some, serve jail time.

Crider said the courthouse and jail left a lasting imprint on generations of residents, making it one of the city’s more recognizable historic landmarks.

“It’s got a huge imprint of history here,” Crider said. “We’ve had a lot of buildings unfortunately torn down, and it’s a shame when you could build and repurpose them.”

The tours first began around 11 years ago after a group of investors approached Southwest Expeditions while exploring plans to eventually convert the property into a hotel and conference center. While those plans slowed following the COVID-19 pandemic and rising construction costs, Crider said the tours continued as a way to activate the historic property and keep the building connected to the community.

Over time, the paranormal side of the tours grew alongside the historical storytelling. Crider described the experience as part of a form of travel often referred to as “dark tourism,” where visitors explore locations associated with tragedy, hardship or unexplained events.

“People are fascinated by the unknown, the unexplained and what’s come to term the paranormal,” Crider said.

According to Crider, at least half of the tour focuses on the courthouse’s documented history, including stories connected to the jail areas, overcrowding and violence that once occurred inside portions of the building. The former women’s jail section has become one of the areas visitors react to most during tours.

“The whole place is active,” Crider said. “But that’s where they seem to congregate.”

Beyond the paranormal tours, Southwest Expeditions has also expanded into other courthouse-based events and historic experiences connected to downtown Las Cruces. Crider said future plans include paranormal workshops, movie location tours and wagon-based historical tours through districts such as Mesquite and Alameda.

The goal, he said, is to keep local history accessible while giving residents new ways to experience older parts of the city.

“We’re putting all that together in the form of a tour that we can share,” Crider said. “Some of this information is fascinating.”