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History · Fence Lake

The history of Fence Lake

Below: maps from 1972 on.

0on the National Register
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Fence Lake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fence Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fence Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fence Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Fence Lake, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fence Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Fence Lake is a census-designated place located in southwestern Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. Designated in 1980 by the United States Census Bureau, Fence Lake had a population of 17 as of the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 42 to 17 (-60%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Fence Lake on the map, 1972 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fence Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fence Lake on the 1972 USGS mapFence Lake on the 1981 USGS map1972Fence Lake sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fence Lake.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fence Lake

Nobody well known was born in Fence Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Alissa MorenoAmerican musician
A
Amisoli PatasoniAmerican long-distance runner · b. 1901
C
Chee B. BenallyNavajo artist · b. 1947
P
Percy Tsisete SandyZuni artist · b. 1918

Questions about Fence Lake’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.