Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Every visitor to Las Cruces is struck by the beauty of the Organ Mountains, east of town. But there are numerous other mountain ranges in the area, including the Robledos and the Dona Anas, both north of Las Cruces. The Robledos are on the east side of the Mesilla Valley, the Dona Anas west of the valley.
Neither range are as spectacular as the Organs, and it’s hard to capture their beauty.
Here are two photos of Robledo Mountain taken after a light snow, yesterday. Robledo Mountain is the highest peak in the range, 5890 feet. The mountain was named for Pedro Robledo, who was killed May 21, 1598 and was buried nearby. Pedro Robledo was a lieutenant in Don Juan de Oñate’s colonizing expedition to New Mexico. Pedro Robledo was survived by a wife and five children, and his descendents still live in New Mexico. (Details here.)
If you look east from the Robledos, you can see the Dona Anas. The highest peak in the range is 5835 feet. (Photo taken December 29, 2009.)
Tags: Las Cruces, Misc Images, Snow
Sunday, November 29th, 2009
It has been raining today and the forecast is for quite a bit more rain. We’ll see. Here’s what the Organ Mountains looked like this afternoon:
Tags: Las Cruces, Organ Mountains
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
The site known as Apache Wells is located north of Hwy 10, about mid-way between Las Cruces and Deming. About one mile north of Apache Wells is the old route of the Butterfield Overland Stage. The Apache Wells site is marked here:
As a source of water, the site was used by Native Americans and later visitors and settlers.
A scratched stone at the location memorializes the killing of Jon Faulkner in 1894. It is known that this stone is not at its original location, which is presumed to be nearby, so it does not mark an actual grave site. A search of various sources reveals no information about the killing of a Jon (or more likely John) Faulkner in 1894 (anyone know more?).
At the top of the stone is scratched “MAID 29 DE 96,” i. e., made 29 December 1896.
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Also at the site are many Petroglyphs. Here are a sampling:
Figure and horse. The horse may have a saddle.
The wide stride and the over-the-shoulder stick with the bag strongly suggests a soldier.
A beautiful Petroglyph, evidently a man cat. Behind it is a much smaller animal, which could be canine or feline:
Here we have a Petroglyph and a modern scratching:
The Petroglyph is made by tapping with a rock, the letters by scratching. You can see the clear difference in making technique here:
A mysterious petroglyph, partially buried:
Also in the area are many grinding (mortar) holes:
These holes were used by to grind various seeds into meal. The longer the period of use, the deeper the hole. One interpretation of the size variation is that different seeds ground better or easier in different sized holes. So many holes together might also be a sign that grinding was often a group activity.
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
The structure known as the Mine House is located on the west slope of the Organ Mountains, not too far from the foot of the mountains. Not much is known about the house, except that it was used by the Hayner Mine while the mine was being worked. Some sources say it was a bunk house. The site was selected evidently because of the spring nearby. The date Sept 1930 is scratched in the concrete of the building, suggesting a possible date for its construction.
The road to the Mine House is very rough, as this Youtube video shows.
The site is fascinating to visit:
The Mine House is the usual starting point for hiking to the Hayner Mine, which is 6 tenths of a mile from the house. The trek is uphill and challenging, but not too difficult.
A short distance above the Mine House there appears to be a grave:
The view of the mountains from above the Mine House is spectacular (click image for a larger view):
The view of the Mesilla Valley (click for larger image):
Tags: Las Cruces, Organ Mountains, History, Hiking
