Cañon del Muerto is a
canyon, in
Sierra County, New Mexico
Sierra County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 11,576. Its county seat is Truth or Consequences.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of ...
.
The mouth of the Cañon del Muerto, was originally considered to flow into the
Rio Grande. Its lower reach was later renamed
McRae Canyon, with Cañon del Muerto having its mouth at its confluence with McRae Canyon at at an elevation of , below an unnamed arroyo flowing from the east, at an elevation of . Cañon del Muerto's source is at an elevation of at .
History
The
Ojo del Muerto
Ojo del Muerto, (Spring of the Dead Man) was an historical artesian spring in Cañon del Muerto in the southern Fra Cristobal Range nearby to the southeast of the later site of Fort McRae
Fort McRae was a Union Army post, established in 1863, t ...
, an
artesian spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
, was located at , above the confluence of Cañon del Muerto with an unnamed arroyo that flows into McRae Canyon. It was one of the few reliable water sources along the route of the
Jornada del Muerto, although stock and water carriers had to travel several leagues (5 or 6 miles) west from the trail to the spring and back. It was also the water source of the
Apache in the region and very risky for travelers to obtain water there. Also the Cañon del Muerto was an easily traveled gap through the mountains between the Jornada del Muerto and the crossing of the Rio Grande there, used by the Apache and Navaho raiders of New Mexican settlements. For those reasons
Fort McRae
Fort McRae was a Union Army post, established in 1863, then a U.S. Army post from 1866 and closed in 1876, in what is now Sierra County, New Mexico. The post was named for Alexander McRae (1829–1862) a slain hero of the 1862 Battle of Valverde.
...
was built in McRae Canyon a mile and a half below the spring in 1863, to help protect travelers on the Jornada del Muerto and impede Apache raiders movement across the Jornada basin and the Rio Grande valley.
References
{{coord, 33, 10, 13, N, 107, 06, 25, W, display=title
Canyons and gorges of New Mexico
Landforms of Sierra County, New Mexico
Jornada del Muerto