Ojo del Muerto, (Spring of the Dead Man) was an
historical 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 ...
in
Cañon del Muerto in the southern
Fra Cristobal Range
The Fra Cristobal Range, (Fra Cristóbal Range) is a 17 mi (27 km) long, mountain range in central-north Sierra County, New Mexico. Its northern extreme above Fra Cristoblal Mountain extends into Socorro County. The range borders the ...
nearby to the southeast of the later site of
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.
...
that operated in
McRae Canyon from 1863 to 1876.
Fort McRae by Matthew A. Sterner
from newmexicohistory.org accessed December 28, 2016.
Due to the lowering of the water table by wells drilled for water in the Jornada del Muerto basin since the time of the American Civil War, the old Ojo del Muerto dried up. Lower strata found in McRae Canyon still produce a similar spring just below the confluence of Cañon del Muerto with McRae Canyon.
References
Jornada del Muerto
Springs of New Mexico
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