Butterfield Station Travel Center & DQ

The Butterfield Station Travel Center is on Interstate 10 (Exit 62) about 20 miles west of Deming, New Mexico. Butterfield carries self-serve EXXON gasoline and features 24hr. pay at the pump service.  Looking for Diesel Fuel? We have that too!

Be sure to see the large display and variety of Victorian Dolls as well as the mind-boggling selection of merchandise, jewelry, T-Shirts, toys and mementos that we offer at all our Bowlin Stores. 

You can't leave here and head into the southern New Mexico desert without one of the wonderful treats from the Dairy Queen located at Butterfield Station. If you want to look around the area for a couple of days, stay in our RV park. You can use it as a base while touring the Deming and Silver City areas. 

Check out a ghost town or two; get a glimpse of how things were in the1800's by touring The Old Custom House, (designated as a National Historic Site) in Deming; or hike and fish in the huge Gila (pronounced hee la) National Forest.

New Handcrafted Horse Hair Pottery

 We have brand new styles of Horse Hair Pottery from our artist, Tom Vail, that are exclusively for Bowlin Travel Centers, Inc! Take a look at our new John Wayne piece featured here. This piece was just added to our pottery collection, and it already seems to be a hit! Mr. Vail goes through quite a process to make sure each piece he creates is unique and special (see pictures below). 

To create each beautiful piece, "slip "(liquid form of clay) is poured into the mold.  After allowing time to harden, Tom Vail removes the damp clay (which is now no longer in liquid form) from the mold.  Before baking the clay in the kiln, he makes it nice and smooth.  Upon removing the piece from the kiln, Mr. Vail immediately begins to apply horse hair.  The fine lines are created with the hair from the mane of the horse while the thick lines are created from the hair of the tail. Once all of the horse hair is applied, he allows the piece to cool.  After cooling, Tom Vail hand etches each piece.  If stones or turquoise are used to decorate the pottery, those are applied at this time.  Finally, the piece is varnished in order to protect it.  Every piece of horse hair pottery is original and made in New Mexico. 

Step 1: Pouring slip into mold

Step 2: Removing clay from mold

Step 3: Removing piece from the kiln

Step 4: Applying horse hair

Step 5: Etching

Step 6: Applying stones to piece

Step 7: Finished product

Old West Trading Post

 

The Old West Trading Post is located on Interstate 10 (Exit 127) about 15 miles west of Las Cruces in southern New Mexico. Come to this store to find a huge assortment of Mexican pottery, year-round fireworks and the tremendous selection of souvenirs and merchandise that is offered at all of our Bowlin stores. Exxon® fuel is available any time of the day with our 24hr. pay at the pump service. 

While you are in town, why not visit the Las Cruces Museum Of Natural History and the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum? Or,  take a walking tour of Old Mesilla and see San Albino Church that was built in 1906 or visit the many other attractions and historical sites in the Mesilla Valley.