One of the few battles of the Mexican War to be fought in New Mexico occured near here on Christmas Day, 1846. U.S. troops under Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan defeated a Mexican army commanded by General Antonio Ponce de León. Two days later, . . . — — Map (db m6552) HM
Stagecoaches of the Butterfield Overland Mail Co. began carrying passengers and mail from St. Louis to San Francisco, across southern New Mexico, in 1858. The 2,795-mile journey took 21-22 days. In 1861 the service was re-routed through Salt Lake . . . — — Map (db m6553) HM
Near northbound I-10 (Interstate 10) when traveling north.
Juan de Oņate, first governor of New Mexico, passed near here with his colonizing expedition in May, 1598. Traveling north, he designated official campsites (called parajes) on the Camino Real, used by expeditions that followed. In Oņate's . . . — — Map (db m6549) HM
On Dona Ana Road at State Road 320, on the right when traveling north on Dona Ana Road.
On April 24, 1851, John Russell Bartlett for the United States and Pedro Garcia-Conde for the Republic of Mexico, erected near here a monument designating 32° 22 north latitude on the Rio Grande as the initial point for the official survey of the . . . — — Map (db m38177) HM
On Dona Ana Road at State Road 320, on the right when traveling north on Dona Ana Road.
This site, named after the legendary woman, Doņa Ana, is first mentioned as a paraje along the Camino Real. Spanish rested near here as they retreated from New Mexico following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The community was founded in 1843 as the Doņa . . . — — Map (db m38178) HM
On State Road 320 at milepost 2,, 0.1 miles west of Interstate 25, on the right when traveling west.
The name of the county Doņa Ana originates from Doņa Ana Robledo, who died near here while fleeing south with other settlers during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. She was buried below the peak that now bears her surname in the Robledo Mountains, so named . . . — — Map (db m38176) HM
On State Road 185 at milepost 5.5 at Shalam Colony Trail, on the right when traveling south on State Road 185.
In 1884, Shalam Colony was established on the banks of the Rio Grande near the village of Doņa Ana by John Ballou Newbrough and a group of Utopian followers called Faithists. Newbroughs “Book of Shalam" set forth a plan for gathering the . . . — — Map (db m38199) HM
Originally established as Santa Barbara in 1851, Apache raids drove the settlers away until 1853 when nearby Fort Thorn was established. Abandoned again in 1860 after the fort closed, it was reoccupied in 1875 and re-named for General Edward Hatch, . . . — — Map (db m24745) HM
Near North Roadrunner Parkway, 1.8 miles south of U.S. 70.
For America, WWII began of December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the first of Japan's day-long assault on locations throughout the Pacific. Major American installations on Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, were also . . . — — Map (db m38286) HM
On Calle De Parian, on the left when traveling east.
On July 24, 1861, Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor led 300 men consisting of two companies of the Second Texas Mounted Rifles, a Texas light-artillery company without its howitzers, an El Paso County scout company, and some civilians from Fort Bliss to . . . — — Map (db m38266) HM
On Interstate 25 at milepost 22.8, on the right when traveling south.
Fort Selden was established to protect settlers and railroad construction crews in the Mesilla Valley and the Jornada del Muerto from Apaches. The first regular army troops to garrison it were four companies of the black 125th Infantry. General . . . — — Map (db m45085) HM
Near North Roadrunner Parkway, 1.8 miles south of U.S. 70.
More than fourteen hundred New Mexicans fought with the 200th Coast Artillery (CAC) Regiment defending the Philippines and the Bataan Peninsula at the beginning of World War II. The regiment received the Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation with . . . — — Map (db m38293) HM
On Interstate 25 at milepost 22.8, on the right when traveling south.
This stretch of the Camino Real leaves the Ríó Grande and cuts across 90 miles of desert with little water or shelter. Despite its difficulty, the dreaded “Journey of the Deadman” was heavily used by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo travelers . . . — — Map (db m45083) HM
On State Road 28 at State Road 292, on the right when traveling south on State Road 28.
On November 16, 1854, a detachment from nearby Fort Fillmore raised the U.S. flag here confirming the Gadsden Purchase; thus the Gadsden territory was officially recognized as part of the United States. In 1858, the Butterfield stage began its run . . . — — Map (db m38149) HM
In 1849, following the Mexican War, fields were first broken in Las Cruces. The town became a flourishing stop on the Camino Real, deriving its name, "The Crosses", from the marking of graves of victims of an Apache attack. Las Cruces since 1881 has . . . — — Map (db m60679) HM
Near North Mesilla Street at West Las Cruces Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
The Las Cruces Depot, built in 1910, is a county seat style Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) building. Characteristics of this style of building consist of standard brick, symmetrical-gable roofed passenger areas, parapets on the edges of the . . . — — Map (db m196744) HM
On Espina Street at Espina Street and Horseshoe Street, on the right when traveling south on Espina Street.
Punished for not speaking English in school, María Gutiérrez Spencer devoted her life to validating the Indo-Hispano experience. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley and New Mexico State University, she pioneered bilingual and bicultural . . . — — Map (db m89687) HM
On Espina Street at Horseshoe Street on Espina Street.
There are three markers mounted on The GatesMarker A:
Miller Field Gates
The New Mexico A&M senior class built these gates to Miller Field in 1924. The athletic field, stretching north and west from the gates was said to be . . . — — Map (db m89686) HM
On U.S. 70 at milepost 178, on the right when traveling east.
Anti-aircraft missiles like this Nike Hercules once stood guard around many major U.S. cities and facilities during the Cold War. They were capable of knocking down high-flying, fast-moving bombers with high-explosive warheads or, equipped with a . . . — — Map (db m38295) HM
On Interstate 25 at milepost 22.8, on the right when traveling south.
This paraje, or stopping place, provided travelers along the Camino Real with a final opportunity to water their stock and prepare their caravans before leaving the Rio Grande Valley and entering the desolate Jornada del Muerto. Caravans on . . . — — Map (db m45084) HM
On U.S. 70 at milepost 153.6 at South Jornada Road, on the right when traveling east on U.S. 70.
Pat Garrett, the Lincoln County Sheriff who shot and killed William “Billy the Kid” Bonney at Fort Sumner in 1881, was himself murdered at a remote site nearby on February 29, 1908. Wayne Brazel, a local cowboy, confessed to shooting . . . — — Map (db m149330) HM
On West Picacho Avenue (U.S. 70) at Hoskins Lane, on the right when traveling east on West Picacho Avenue.
Marker Front: The Rio Grande (big river) has been an integral part of the history of New Mexico for thousands of years. Running through the entire state, it is both its backbone and lifeblood. It originates in the southern Rocky Mountains of . . . — — Map (db m67023) HM
On U.S. 70 at milepost 178, on the right when traveling east.
Divide between the Tularosa Basin to the east and Jornada del Muerto to the west, cut between the Organ Mountains to the south and the San Augustín-San Andrés Mountains to the north. White gypsum sands glisten to the northeast. Roadcuts in Tertiary . . . — — Map (db m126930) HM
On U.S. 70 at milepost 177, on the right when traveling west.
Here on July 27, 1861, less than 300 Confederate troops intercepted 500 Union soldiers retreating from Fort Fillmore to Fort Stanton. Exhausted from the heat and famished for water, the Union troops straggled across the desert in a five-mile . . . — — Map (db m38154) HM
This structure is the oldest steel highway bridge in New Mexico, built in 1902 by Chaves County as part of the three-span Pecos River Bridge east of Roswell. There it connected the growing town with the smaller communities and ranches of the Eastern . . . — — Map (db m89690) HM
On Calle de Parian, on the left when traveling east.
In memory of:
all Servicemen and Women
of the Armed Forces
who served their God and Country
Dedicated July 4, 1957
by Ray McCorkle Post No. 3242
Veterans of Foreign Wars — — Map (db m6989) HM
On Calle De Guadalupe at Calle De Parian, on the right when traveling north on Calle De Guadalupe.
This building, which dates from 1850, once housed the Capitol of Arizona and New Mexico. Later it was the Courthouse in which Billy The Kid was tried and sentenced to hang. — — Map (db m126893) HM
On Calle Principal at Calle De Parian, on the right when traveling south on Calle Principal.
This is the oldest documented brick building in New Mexico.
Augustin Maurin (of French descent) initiated construction in 1860 using burned brick from his own kiln. He was murdered by robbers in his adjoining apartment in 1866.
The heir, Cesar . . . — — Map (db m196768) HM
On Calle de Parian, on the left when traveling east.
I. The laws of the United States having been extended by proclamation over the Mesilla Valley and the territory recently acquired from the Republic of Mexico, the undersigned as military Commander of the same directs that Lt. Colonel Miles 3rd . . . — — Map (db m6991) HM
On Calle de Principal at Calle de Parian, on the right when traveling north on Calle de Principal.
The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, establishing Mesilla as a Mexican holding. Cura Ramon Ortiz settled families from El Paso del Norte and pre-territorial New Mexico here. Disputes over the border just north of town . . . — — Map (db m119926) HM
On Calle De San Albino south of Calle de Parian, on the right when traveling south.
This is the original La Posta. The only station that remains standing on the Butterfield Trail. For more than a century and three quarters, these old adobe walls have withstood the attack of elements and men and have sheltered such personalities as . . . — — Map (db m126894) HM
On Calle De Parian at Calle De Guadalupe, on the left when traveling east on Calle De Parian.
Established in
Mexican Territory, 1850.
U.S. Flag Raised July 4, 1854.
Seat of Confederate Government
in New Mexico, 1861-1862.
Site No. 14
A Registered Cultural Property
State of New Mexico — — Map (db m196766) HM
On Calle de Parian, on the left when traveling east.
Conservation made possible by grants from
United States Department of Commerce
Economic Development Administration
New Mexico
American Revolution Bicentennial Commission
and by matching funds from the
Town of Mesilla
and individual . . . — — Map (db m6988) HM
Near Dona Ana Road, 0.9 miles north of Fort Selden Road, on the right when traveling north.
English: In the early 1900s, after the construction of the Elephant Butte storage dam, planning began for a project to divert water from the Rio Grande to irrigate crops for 50 miles through the Mesilla Valley. In late winter of . . . — — Map (db m157900) HM
Near Dona Ana Road, 0.9 miles north of Fort Selden Road, on the right when traveling north.
English: In the past, miles of Chihuahuan desert grassland cloaked the flats above the Rio Grande. Bunch grasses such as alkali sacaton, muhlies, dropseeds and three-awns were widespread. Scattered among the grasses were shrubs like . . . — — Map (db m158037) HM
On Leasburg Park Road, 0.3 miles north of State Road 157, on the right when traveling north.
Fort Selden was established nearby in 1865 to help protect the settlements of the Mesilla Valley and travelers along the Jornada del Muerto from Apache raids. The post cemetery was located in this field until the fort was abandoned in 1891. Military . . . — — Map (db m38201) HM
Near Dona Ana Road, 0.7 miles north of Fort Selden Road, on the right when traveling north.
English: As you look across this landscape, use your imagination to "see" how people lived and passed by this spot throughout history. Ancient village — 1,000 years ago Look along the ridge and imagine a village built by . . . — — Map (db m158085) HM
This stretch of the Camino Real leaves the Río Grande and cuts across 90 miles of desert with little water or shelter. Despite its difficulty, the dreaded “Journey of the Deadman” was heavily used by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo travelers . . . — — Map (db m38205) HM
High plains of the Jornada del Muerto, elevation 4,340 feet, lie 400 feet above the Rio Grande Valley. It is a transitional area from the Basin and Range region to the west into tilted mountain ranges, such as the San Andres Mountains to the east, . . . — — Map (db m38206) HM
On Fort Selden Road, 1.4 miles west of Interstate 25, on the right when traveling west.
This paraje or resting place was named for Pedro Robledo, a member of the Juan de Oņate expedition, who was buried nearby on May 21, 1598. This camping place was a welcome sight for caravans entering or exiting the dreaded Jornada del . . . — — Map (db m38200) HM
Near Interstate 25 at milepost 22.8, on the right when traveling north.
This paraje, or stopping place, provided travelers along the Camino Real with a final opportunity to water their stock and prepare their caravans before leaving the Rio Grande Valley and entering the desolate Jornada del Muerto. Caravans on their . . . — — Map (db m38204) HM
Near Dona Ana Road, 0.9 miles north of Fort Selden Road, on the right when traveling north.
English: The cottonwood forests that border the Rio Grande in central New Mexico are a remnant of a unique and diminishing habitat. Known locally by the Spanish word bosque, these riverside forests provide valuable resources . . . — — Map (db m158081) HM
On State Road 185 at milepost 15, on the right when traveling south.
This structure – one of the best surviving examples of timber and beam bridge construction in the state – was erected in 1933. The superstructure consists of 19 spans, each 25 feet in length. The roadway is 475 feet long. During the . . . — — Map (db m38202) HM
Near Dona Ana Road, 0.7 miles north of Fort Selden Road, on the right when traveling north.
English: Early people in this area found much of what they needed in the Rio Grande valley. They moved throughout these grasslands and foothills in search of food and resources. Later, settlements concentrated along the river, using . . . — — Map (db m158095) HM
On Rincon Road (State Road 140) 0.3 miles west of Interstate 25, on the right when traveling west.
Rincón was originally named El Rincón de Fray Diego in honor of a 17th century Franciscan who died here. Established as a settlement called Thorne in 1881, it became Rincón in 1883. With the establishment of the Santa Fe Railroad, Rincón . . . — — Map (db m45082) HM
On Airport Road, on the right when traveling west.
In the early 1950s, the Cold War was in full swing. The United States and the
Soviet Union faced each other with bristling arrays of weapons. While all-out nuclear war between the two superpowers was unlikely, the possibility of a shooting war . . . — — Map (db m162264) HM
On McNutt Road, 2.2 miles south of Racetrack Drive, on the left when traveling south.
This canyon cut here by the Rio Grande marks the crossing of the historic Camino Real, or Royal Road, to La Tierra Adentra. Trackers and traders crossed the river here to begin the arduous journey north to Santa Fe. Permanent settlement of this area . . . — — Map (db m38103) HM
On McNutt Road, 2.6 miles south of Racetrack Drive, on the right when traveling south.
[English Translation Marker:]
The first international monument of the 276 monuments installed to the west along the international land boundary which marks the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. This monument . . . — — Map (db m38105) HM
On State Road 478 at State Road 227, on the left when traveling north on State Road 478.
Here the Camino Real between Santa Fe and El Paso passed along the eastern bank of the Rio Grande near a brazito, or small branch of the river that created a small island. At this paraje, or stopping place, American troops defeated a . . . — — Map (db m38148) HM
White Sands Proving Ground, as it was first called, is home to Americas first large-scale rocket and missile launch facilities. Established in 1945, the launching here of 67 V-2 rockets and many other vehicles propelled the United States into the . . . — — Map (db m140621) HM WM
