Colfax County, New Mexico, Place Names

Colfax County

ABBOTT. Also Called New Abbott. On NM 58, 19 miles east of Springer, near Abbott Lake. named for Horace C Abbott, who became the first postmaster. Post Office 1881-1963. In 1936 a number of the settlers moved to a location called "The Forks", at the junction of NM 58 and 39. Abbott formerly called Sauz.

ABREU. Former settlement on the Rayado River, 20 miles west of Springer. Named for a promient family, owners of a large ranch in the old Maxwelll Land Grant.

ADAMS LAKE. A small lake covering about 2 acres of land near Cassel Rock and Ash Mountain. Named for a prominent family of the vicinity.

AGUA FRIA. "agua fria" Spanish for "cold water". A small community between Taos and Eagle Nest. Post Office 1924-1934.

AGUA FRIA PEAK. Altitude 11,000 feet. near the village of Agua Fria. The Agua Fria Rito rises near Agua Fria Mountain and forms Cieneguilla Creek to empty into Eagle Nest Lake.

AHOGADERA. See San Francisco Mesa.

AMERICAN CREEK Flows into Cieneguilla Creek in Moreno Valley S of Eagle Nest.

Harding County

ABBOTT LAKE. Artificial lake 10 miles SW of Abbott (Colfax County).

ABBOTT STATION. 2 miles south of the Colfax county line, 19 miles SE of Springer. Established when Southern Pacific railRoad built its lline through the area in the later 1870's. Two brothers, Horace and Jerome Abbott, owned a big sheep ranch here.

ALAMO CREEK. "alamo" spanish for "cottonwood". See Ute Creek.

ALBERT. At the junction of Tequesquite and Carriso Creeks, 13 miles NE of Mosquero. Named for Albert Mitcchell, one of the early and prominent ranchers of the state. His son Albert K. Mitchell, was a candidate for governor in 1938. The Mitchell ranch is near Albert and uses the town as headquarters. Post office, 1890.

ALICIA SIDING. On SP RR, 5 miles SE of Abbott Station.

Mora County

ABBOTT. A post office listed in Mora in1905.

ABUELO. Spanishh word for "grandfather". A little town on the Cebolla valley, 1 1/2 miles from Mora. Its provincial pronunciation as "aguelo" is evident among the earliest documents. This is an oldNew Mexico expression for "bogeyman", an ugly old man to scare children.

AGUA AZUL CREEK. "agua azul" is spanish for "blue water".

AGUA NEGRA. "agua negra" is spanish for "black water". A town on the Mora River, once on the Maxwell Land Grant. Post Office 1884-1892.

AGUA PIEDRA CREEK. "agua piedra" is spanish for "stone water".

Quay County

ADBERG. On CRI&amp;P RR, 5 miles NE of Tucumcari. Family name of first settler.

Union County

AHMEGO. Post Office 1908-1913. Changed to LOCKNEY.

ALAMOGORDO CREEK. "alamogordo" spanish for "large cottonwood". tributary of the Pecos River called ALAMOQUADO CREEK from its head in west Quay County to the settlement of ALAMO.

ALAMOSA CREEK Rises S of Ima; flows SE to Curryy County line, turns and flows SW to enter Taiban Creek just W of the De Baca County line.

ALLEN. Post Office 1906-1916.

Union County

AIROLO. Post Office 1905-1909; mail to Pasamonte.

ALPS. Station or passing track on C&amp;S RR, 5 miles NE of Folsom and 6 miles south of the Colorado border. Named in 1887, when railroad was built, because of terrain similar to the Swiss Alps.

AMBOY. On C&amp;S RR, 3 miles NW of Des Moines.

AIROLO Post Office, 1905-09; mail to Pasamonte.

ALPS Station or passing track on C&amp;S RR, 5 miles NE of Folsom and 6 miles S of Colorado border. Named in 1887, when railroad was built, because of terrain similar to Swiss Alps.

AMBOY On C&amp;S RR, 3 miles NW of Des Moines.

AMISTAD Spanish for "friendship". Near Texas line, E of NM 18. Founded in 1906 by the Rev. H. S. Wannamaker, a Congregational minister, who named it as a token of his hope for enterprise. A number of the early settlers were clergymen from the East. Post Office, 1907.

Source: New Mexico Place Names, A Geographical Dictionary. T.M. Pearce, Ina Sizer Cassidy, Helen S pearce; The University of New Mexico Press, 1965. LCCC No. 64-17808.