The Crosses

 We had a lovely week in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Las Cruces is the second-largest city in New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. The settlement of Las Cruces was founded in 1849 when the US Army first surveyed the town, thus opening the area for American settlement. The town was first surveyed as the result of the American acquisition of the land surrounding Las Cruces, which later became the New Mexico Territory. In English, Las Cruces translates to The Crosses.

Our site for the week.

Some of our view.

Can you see the double rainbow? Thanks to hubby for this picture.

Las Cruces is surrounded by the Organ Mountains to the south; God is so very creative. "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'M POSSIBLE!'" Audrey Hepburn.

 

The mountain was named by a Spanish colonist who thought they 

looked like a pipe organ. They were first documented in 1598 when 

Don Juan de Oñate noted them during his maiden trek over El Camino Real.

Amazing looking at the clouds over the Organ Mountains. "Your lovingkindness, 

O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies." Psalm 35:6 (NASB).

We ran some errands during the week, and I was able to get caught up on laundry. Wednesday, we went to do some site seeing. We drove out to Fort Selden. We were introduced to more than 1400 years of history on our audio walking tour. Many diverse people have lived, camped, or traveled through this area over time. All of them offer rich stories that teach us about the history and heritage of New Mexico. The Native American, Mogollons, lived in this area from about 400AD until 1300's, when their communities melded with Pueblo groups further north.

The Mogollons used this to grind corn and beans.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (The Royal Road to the Interior) was formally established by the Spanish in 1598. The Trail was 1500 miles long and stretched from Mexico City to San Juan Pueblo where the Spanish first established a permanent settlement (which is now Santa Fe, New Mexico). It is one of North America's oldest and significant routes where trade goods, ideas, cultural heritage, faiths, and food have been shared and exchanged, shaping the region's character and identity. Travelers included soldiers, explorers, traders, merchants, missionaries, settlers, women, children and others. The journey took months.

Sign for the trail.

Carettas (carts) used to cross the El Camion Real.

Wagons were also used for settlers to travel along this trail.

Fort Selden was established well after the years when El Camion Real was most significant, it was still used as a route near the Fort and soldiers protected travelers along its way well into the 1800's.

Main entrance to the Fort. About 1800 soldiers served here in its years of 

operation and would have used this entrance to leave and arrive. 

It was established in 1865 and closed in 1891.

As you can see, the Fort is in ruins due to 

weather and lack of preservation.

Officers quarters.

Jail

Enlisted quarters.

Artillery and Parade Ground.

Officers' Row

As a young boy, Douglas MacArthur lived here along with his family.

This is a sculpture called The Sentinel and is created out of bronze. 

It represents the Buffalo Soldiers who were an elite African American brigade. 

After our tour, we went into the cute little town of Mesilla, New Mexico. The village of Mesilla was incorporated in 1848 after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo moved the U.S.-Mexico border south of the village of Doña Ana placing it in the United States. Some people were unhappy that they now lived in the U.S. and decided to move further south and settled in Mesilla. By 1850, Mesilla was an established colony and the people where in constant danger and attack from the Apache. By 1851, the attacks caused the United States to take action to protect its people just to the north of the border, in the Mesilla Valley. They did this by creating Fort Fillmore. As a result of the fort, the United Stated declared the Mesilla Valley region part of the U.S. Mexico also claimed this strip of land, causing it to become known as "No Mans Land". This boundary dispute, which was officially caused by a map error, was resolved in 1853 with the Gadsden Purchase. Mesilla became of part of the U.S., as well as southern part of New Mexico and Arizona.

During the "Wild West" era, Mesilla was known for its cantinas and festivals. The area attracted such historic figures like Billy the Kid, Pat Garret and Pancho Villa. The village was also the crossroads of two major stagecoach, mail and trade routes: the Butterfield Stagecoach and the Camion Real de Tierra Adentro. The village of Mesilla was the most important city of the region until 1881.

In 1881, the Santa Fe Railway was ready to build through the Gadsden Purchase region of the country. Mesilla was naturally seen as the city the railroad would run through, however, the people of Mesilla asked for too much money for the land rights, and a landowner in nearby Las Cruces, a much smaller village than Mesilla, stepped in and offered free land. The city of Mesilla has not grown much since and Las Cruces has grown to a population of an estimated 102,950 (2020 census).

We had dinner at the Double Eagle and Peppers Restaurants. The building was built in 1849 and has witnessed many colorful and historical events, including the confirmation of the Gadsden Purchase on the Plaza in 1853 and the Secessionist Convention declaration of Mesilla as capital of the Arizona Territory in 1861. Also, notorious Billy the Kid was jailed by Sheriff Pat Garrett and tried in Mesilla in 1881. 

The Billy the Kid patio.

Billy the Kid and his girlfriend, Maria, carved their names on this board.

San Albino Catholic Parish Church was built in 1906, in 2008 its status was raised to 

minor Basilica by The Holy See (Vatican City). 

Cute shops and eateries line the street.

The Gazebo in the center of the plaza was torn down and 

rebuilt due to structural problems. Demolition started October 2013 and rebuilding 

ending in May 2014 for the annual "Cinco de Mayo" celebration.

Unfortunately the gift shop was closed by the time we were done eating.

Fun fact: Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17, 1859), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the America Old West. He killed eight men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21. During the decades following his death, legends grew that McCarty had survived, and a number of men claimed to be him. Billy the Kid remains one of the most notorious figures from the era, whose life and likeness have been frequently dramatized in Western popular culture. He has been a feature of more than 50 movies and several television series. 

"Keeping it real" while we were in Las Vegas, I went to the restroom at Sam's Town and locked the door, well, I almost was locked in the stall. A little bit of panic swept through me, but I was able to open the door. Then while hubby was filling the tank and truck in Tucson, I went in to use the gas station restroom, evidently I didn't lock the door well enough and a little girl opened it, and she became a little panic and started saying over and over again how sorry she was, and the door was WIDE open. I had to ask her to close the door for me so I could get up and lock it, she kept her eyes closed as she closed the door for me. Fortunately, nothing happened in Las Cruces.

We left yesterday for Carlsbad RV Park and Campgrounds and will stay the week before heading to my dad's property in West Texas. I scheduled a self-guided tour for Carlsbad Caverns for Tuesday, my first time to go and see the national park. Hoping to see the bats fly out as well. More about that on the next blog post.

If there is something special you would like me to take a picture of, please let me know!

 
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God, the RV & me...