Formerly this was the point at which the spur left the main trunk of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway railroad and headed north to a mining community of Lake Valley.

At 17.3 miles the road crosses Berrenda Creek with a few agricultural fields in the vicinity.

NM 27 was initially a part of the original Route 26 created in 1905 by the Territorial Legislative Assembly.

The old Route 26 ran from Deming, through Nutt, Hillsboro, Truth or Consequences to Engle.

The road was considered a secondary state route from its early days and remained either "graded" or "gravel" until it was paved some time in 1960s.