Point of Rocks Tank is a former

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

and

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

now broken, on

Rincon Arroyo Rincon Arroyo is a tributary stream or arroyo to the Rio Grande, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Its mouth is located at an elevation of at its confluence with the Rio Grande in Rincon Valley. Its source is located at an elevation of on the sout ...

Doña Ana County, New Mexico Doña Ana County is located in the southern part of the State of New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 219,561, which makes it the second-most populated county in New Mexico. Its county seat is Las Cruces, th ...

. It lies at an elevation of about three miles south of

Point of Rocks Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Points ...

. The site of this reservoir is thought to be formerly one of ''Los Charcos del Perrillo'', two waterholes of the

Paraje del Perrillo Paraje del Perrillo (Place of the Puppy), was a dependable watering and stopping place along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, where it passed through the Jornada del Muerto in the vicinity of Point of Rocks in Sierra County, New Mexico. Paraje ...

a stopping place on the

Jornada del Muerto The name Jornada del Muerto translates from Spanish as "Single Day's Journey of the Dead Man" or even "Route of the Dead Man, though the modern literal translation is closer to "The Working Day of the Dead". It was the name given by the Spanish ...

.George D. Torok, From the Pass to the Pueblos, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, Dec 1, 2011
/ref>

References

Pre-statehood history of New Mexico Jornada del Muerto Geography of Doña Ana County, New Mexico Reservoirs in New Mexico {{NewMexico-geo-stub