Colfax County, New Mexico, Place Names

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.

APACHE Post Office1877-1882; mail to Chico Springs. .

ARMS Post Office 1879-1880. First postmaster, Henry M. Arms.

ASH MOUNTAIN 3 miles E of Taos County line on the Rito Leandro, in the axwell Land Grant.

BALDY Peak is so named because of the absence of timber on the rocky summits. Settlement 5 miles NE of Elizabethtown. Post Office, 1888-1926.

BARELA MESA On north boundary of the county. Named for Senator Barela, a prominent Spanish- American resident of Trinidad, Colorado. , in the 1890's.

BARTLETT MESA North of Raton at Colorado Line. Named for Carlos Bartlett, an early settler and founder at the Bartlett Estate in Vermejo Park in 1906.

BEAR LAKE West of Eagle Nest Lake. BEAUBIEN - MIRANDA LAND GRANT See Maxwell Land Grant.

BEAVER CREEK Flows into the upper Rayado River in SW corner of Colfax County.

BELL 12 miles NE of Raton. Settled by a group of dissatisfied miners from Blossburg, who went on Johnson Mesa to farm. Named for Marion Bell, leader of the settlers. First postmaster, Alonso S Bell. Post Office, 1891-1933.

BLACK LAKE In SW corner of Colfax County. named because, when viewed from a distance, dense timber surrounding the water makes it look black instead of blue. First inhabitants here were Don Jose Maria mares and his wife, Dona Jenara Trujillo, in 1886. Years earlier, in 1857, Jose Maria Mares had been captured by indians while he and his brother were with a hunting party. They were taken to Taos, where they were sold to Don Juan Mares, who adopted them and brought them up as his own children. Post Office 1903-1927.

BLACK MESA 8 miles SE of Raton. Distinguisdhed by interesting carvings on W side.

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BLIND CANYON At the head of Vermejo River; extends east from Caliente Canyon. Cowboys called it "blind" because it has but one entrance.

BLOSSBURG 5 miles up Dillon Creek, NW of Raton. Settled about 1881 as a coal mining town, by a Colonel Savage from Blossburg, Pennsylvania, and named for his home town. There is now little left at the siter. Post Office, 1881-1905; mailo to Gardner.

BLOSSER CREEK, GAP Flows into Eagle Tail Creek, which empties  into Hebron Reservoir. Creek flows tthrough the gap about 15 miles SE of Raton. This opening through the mountain range was named for a man by the name of Blosser, who had been evicted from his ranch by the Maxwell Land Grant Co., and who used the gap to run cattle through to the pinon country south of the mountains where the grazing was good.

BONITA CREEK Spanish for 'beautiful" . Runs through Bonita Canyon in west partof Colfac county.

BOX CANYON 30 miles SW of Raton; 3 miles North of Dawson. The name, in general, applies to a canyon closed at the far end, or so narrow as to make traffic through it difficult or impossible, that is, a man is boxed in.

BRACKETT Post Office 1910-1917.

BRILLIANT Former coal mining community on AT&amp;SF RR, 6 miles NW of Raton. {Post Office, 1906-1935 and 1940-1964.

BRILLIANT CANYON

BRILLIANT CREEK

BUFFALO HEAD High point of rock North of Folsom; named for its resemblance to the head of a buffalo.

CABRESTO CREEK CANYON. Local spanish "rope, halter, lead ox". Runs into Red River NE of Questa.

CABRESTO LAKE 4 miles SW of Baldy Mountain.

CALIENTE CANYON, CREEK. Spanish for "hot". At the head of Vermejo River, 12 miles north of Dawson.

CANADIAN RIVER also called RED RIVER. Name originating from the Caddo Indian word "kanohatino" meaning red; or the Spanish word "Canada" meaning ravine or gulch. River starts in northern New Mexico, Colfax County, to form the Mora-Harding County line of separation, then turns east through San Miguel and Quay counties, until it goes across Texas into Oklahoma, where it is known as Beaver River. Finally it joins the Arkansas, and becomes the Red River of Louisiana. An 1828 map shows it as the "Canadiano Rio". Spanish land titles call it "Rio Rojo" or Red River. While trying to find the origin of the river in 1806, Zebulon Pike was arrested and deported by Spanish authorities.

CANN CREEK Small stream entering the Ponil Creek.

CARESSO CREEK  Flows SE into Cimarron River east of Springer.

CARISBROOK or CARRIS BROOK  AT&amp;SF RR stop in Sugarite Canyon. Post Office 1907-1908; mail to Raton.

CASSEL ROCK Near Taos County line

CATALPA Post Office, 1882-1884; mail to Madison.

CATSKILL Former community on Little Red River, 30 miles NW of Raton. Originally settled in August 1890 by a group of lumbermen under company management of H.G. Frankenburger. The Union Pacific Railroad built a spur from Trinidad, Colorado, and C.F.Meek, the railroad's general manager, is said to have named the town because the scenery resembled the Catskill Mountains near his home town in New York. As the timber resources failed, the railroad pulled up its tracks in 1902. By 1916, Catskill was a ghost town. Now a tourist attraction. Post Office 1890-1905.

CEDAR HILLS At the mouth of Cerrososo Canyon.

CERROSOSO CREEK "Cerro" is soanish for "hill or peak". Crosses US 64, 3 miles east of Cimarron.

CHASE CANYON 6 miles north of Cimarron, named for M.M.Chase, a pioneer settler in the canyon.

CHICO means "small" in Spanish, but it is also the nickname for the Spanish name "Francisco". In New Mexico "chico" is identified with green corn, soaked in water, and heatedin an oven overnight. The town is 12 miles north of Abbott and 22 miles east of Maxwell. Post Office 1895-1956. Formerly known as CHICO SPRINGS.

CHICO CREEK Rises near Chico, and flows into the Canadian River.

CHICO HILLS Roughly, in the area between Chico and Abbott.

CHICORICO also called SUGARITE. The word is a version of "achicorio" wghich refers to a wild native endive or chicory. However, Calvin Jones testified in litigation over the Maxwell Land Grant in US District Court in Colorado on September 13, 1883, the creek, mesa, and canyon known by the word "chicarica" were named by the Comanches for the great quantity of birds which lived in the pine timber here. The Comanche word for bird, he testified, was "rico" and the word for "spotted" was "choco". The Spanish words "chico rico" mean "rich little fellow" The Anglo transposition of the words was "Sugarite".

CHICORICO CREEK Named first. Rises near Colorado state line and flows down the canyon into Raton Creek, then into a stream called Una de Gato (Cat's Claw in Spanish), and finally joins the Canadian Red River. The Creek is now called the Sugarite River. In Sugarite Canyon the river flows through Lake Maloya and Lake Alice. Lake Maloya is the reservoir from which the city of Raton gets its water supply. As the Sugarite River flows into Raton, it runs by Sugarite Street.

CHICARICA MESA is now called BARELA MESA see Barela Mesa. Chicarica Mesa is seperated from the Raton Mesa by Manco Burro Pass.

CHICORICO CANYON or SUGARITE CANYON is 2 miles south of Lake Maloya.

CHICO SPRINGS Post Office 1877-1895; changed to CHICO.

CHICOSO Post Office 1876-1877.

CHIMNEY CANYON Runs east from Caliente Canyon which branches from Vermejo River Canyon 10 miles north of Dawson.

CIENEGUILLA In Spanish "cieneguilla" means "mittle marsh or marshy place".

CIMARRON. The term "cimarron" is an Americanism in Spanish, having originated to describe a fugitive slave in the West Indies. The meaning of the word generalized to describe a wild or unruly person or untamed animal. Applied in New Mexico to the wild bighorn sheep of the Rocky Mountains. Fray Angelico Chavez pointed out that the wild red plum which grew abundantly along the northeastern rivers of New Mexico was called "ciruela cimarrona". Thence, the word specifies a place once inhabited aboriginal mountain sheep. Both wild horses and cattle were later known as cimarrones. It is atown on US 64, 38 miles southwest of Raton. Settled in 1841 with the filing of the Beaubien Miranda Land Grant. In the 1860's and 1870's Cimarron was the principal stopping place for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail via Taos. Cowboys in northern New Mexico, both lawless and law abiding, made it their hangout, and Buffalo Bill organized his Wild West show here. The first postmaster was Lucien B Maxwell. Post Office 1861 to present day.

CIMARRON CANYON West of the town of Cimarron. May have been named earleir than the town.

CIMARRON CREEK, RIIVER Flows through the Cimarron Canyon east then south to form Canadian Red River, with its famed Palisades of the Cimarron. It is shown as "Semerone" on and 1828 map.

CIMARRON RANGE

CIMARRONCITA CREEK Flows into the Cimarron River.

CIMILORIO See VERMEJO PEAK

CLEAR CREEK - Rises near Clear Mountain and flows north to the Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon. The waters of Clear Creek prompted its naming, as they are fed by snows and run deep through a heavily wooded section.

CLEAR CREEK MOUNTAIN - In the northeast part of Colfax County.

CLIFTON, CLIFTON HOUSE - 6 miles south of Raton on the Canadian Red River. Built in 1867 by Tom Stockton, a rancher, as headquarters for cattle roundups in this section. During the 1870's and 1880's, it was leased for a station of the Barlow-Sanderson Stage Line, which added a blacksmith shop and stables. With the arrival of the AT&amp;SF RR in 1879, the stage was discontinued, and so was the Clifton House. Nothing remains of the site, but the graveyard, with its boardmarkers. Post Office 1869 to 1879.

COAL CANYON - The Maxwell Land Grant of 1889 shows two canyons with this name, one extending west from Dillon Canyon near the Swastika Coal Camp, the other ecxtgending southwest from the mouth of the Canadiam Red River Canyon.

COLEMAN - A community started in 1885 in the Maxwell Land Grant, when many war weary Southerners were seeking new homes in northeastern New Mexico. Coleman was the name of people living near Elkins in the 1870's.

COLEMAN CANYON CREEK - At the head of the Vermejo River Canyon, near the ghost town of Elkins.

COLFAX - On US 64, 5 miles south of Dawson and on a branch of the AT&amp;SF RR. Enjoyed its peak of prosperity in the 1890's, during a mining boom at Dawson. Post Office 1908 to 1921.

COLFAX COUNTY- Created on January 25, 1869, and named for Schuyler Colfax, Vice President of the US, 18969-1873. At this time the county extended from Taos County to the Texas - Oklahoma line, and included the larger part of the Maxwell Land Grant.

COLMOR - On US 85 and AT&amp;SF RR 11 miles south of Springer. The railroad came through on July 4 1879, and Colmor came into existance ten years later. First settlement was in February, 1887. Name came from joining the first three letters each of Colfax and Mora Counties., whose edges the town touches. Post Office 1887 to present.

COMANCHE CREEK - Waters of this creek originate in the north end of the Moreno Valley, flow into Moreno Creek, and then go into Eagle Nest Lake. It was a marauding spot for Comanche Indians and therefore named for them.

COSTILLA PARK - Costilla in spanish means "rib". It is 6 miles west of Van Bremer Park.

COTTONWOOD - This tree grows commonly along waterways, is spanish it is "alamo". Former small town 10 miles north of Dawson, on Cottonwood Creek.

COTTONWOOD CANYON - 4 miles south of Raton and south of the mouth of Canadian Red River Canyon. There is also a second COTTONWOOD CANYON -15 miles north of Dawson and east of the Vermejo River Canyon.

COTTONWOOD CREEK - former settlement in the Maxwell Land Grant, now deserted.

COW CREEK

COYOTE CREEK

CROW CREEK - Flows from mountains past Kohler into Canadian Red River, west of Eagle Tail Mountain. Named in an early day day for the vast quantity of crows that flew over the country. They built nests in the cottonwoods on the streams, and the early American settlers used poison to cut down their numbers. Creek flows across Crow Creek Flats. See Raton Creek.

CUESTA DEL OSHA PEAK - Spanish "hill or peak of the Osha plant". On the Colfax and Taos County border, 5 miles southeast of Tienditas. Named for the osha plant which grows abundantly here. Osha has a stem which tastes like celery, and the root is used for medicine.

CUNICO On NM 193, 30 miles southeast of Raton. Post Office 1927 to 1942. See KIOWA

CUNNINGHAM - Settlement 15 miles southeast of Raton on the old Maxwell Land Grant. Named for Dr. J. M. Cunningham of Las Vegas, who was one of the New Mexicans who left the state just to ride in on the first train of the AT&amp;SF RR in 1879. In 1901, he was involved in litigation centering around land grant suits with Charles Springer as defendant.

CUNNINGHAM BUTTE - 9 miles southeast of Raton.

CURTIS CREEK - Flows across Crow Creek Flats from mountains to Canadian Red River, almost paralleling Crow Creek 2 or 3 miles to the south. Named for old "Dad" Curtis, pioneer, who started Curtis Ranch.

DAWSON - 14 miles northeast of Cimarron in the Maxwell Lnd Grant. Named for two brothers, John Barliley and L.S.Dawson, who settled on the Vermejo River in 1867. JB Dawson started to develop the coal mine which after 1901 was made  productive by the Phelps Dodge Corporation, and the SP RR. After railroads started converting to diesel power, the community gradually disappeared. The mine closed on April 30, 1950. Post Office from 1900 to 1954.

DAWSON CANYON

DEAD HORSE CANYON - 11 miles north of Dawson, up Vermejo Canyon.

DEAN - On NM 234, 20 miles northwest of Maxwell. Probably named for the canyon.

DEAN CANYON - With its little stream, the canyon begins at a point pn the Ponil, 4 miles north of Cimarron and extends westward. Named for an early settler who had a cabin here.

DILLON - On AT&amp;SF RR, 3 miles south of Raton. Named for Richard C. Dillon, governor of New Mexico from 1928 to 1932. Town established by the railroad company shortly after the railroad was built through the county in 1880. At this point, the railroad branches, and these lines extend up Dillon Caanyon to former coal camps of Gardiner, Swastika, Brilliant, and Blossburg.

DILLON CANYON - Starts about 3 miles southwest of Raton and winds in a northern direction to the Colorado state line.

DORSEY - 1 mile west of the Canadian Red River near Eagle Rock Mountain. Named for Dorsey Lake. Post Office 1879, intermittently to 1912.

DORSEY LAKE - Small lake, 2 miles south of Koehler Junction, on Crow Creek Flats. Named for Stephen W Dorsey, US Senator from Arkansas, co-owner of the Ingersol Dorsey Alley Ranch. When Ingersol successfully defended Dorsey in a law suit over government mail contracts, Dorsey paid Ingersol with 5,000 acres of land and some cattle. Dorsey at one time lived at Chico.

DOVER - See GATO

DRY CIMARRON RIVER - The river is beleived to have been a disappearing river because of the notable feature of sinking and rising agin farther on. Flows from the foot of Johnson Mesa in Colfax County, cuts a deep canyon across the northern part of Union County, across a corner of Oklahoma, and finally empties into the Arkansas River near Dodge City, Kansas.

DUTCHMAN'S CANYON - Extends west from Dillon Canyon where Blossburg was at one time a busy coal camp. Named because of an old Dutchman who lived in the canyon when mining operations first started at Blossburg.

EAGLE NEST - Settlement on US 64, 20 miles northeast of Taos. Established in 1920, and called THERMA, Greek for "hot". Name Eagle Nest advocated in 1935 because golden eagles live in the mountanous region. Their feathers are used by the Taos Native Americans for ceremonial worship.

EAGLE NEST LAKE - Created by a dam finished in 1919 by Charles Springer at the head of Cimarron Canyon. It is 5 miles long and 2 miles wide. It is located midway between Taos and Cimarron.

EAGLE PARK - Referred by Lewis H Garrard in 1846. Probably an early name for Ute Park.

EAGLE ROCK MOUNTAIN - 5 miles west of Eagle Tail Mountain on the west bank of the Canadian Red River, in the Maxwelll Land Grant.

EAGLE TAIL CREEK - North of Eagle Tail Mountain, about 15 miles south of Raton, flowing into the Una de Gato Creek. Name comes from the mountain, whose shape resembles the long, sweeping rail, of a resting eagle. See Blosser Creek, Gap.

EAGLE TAIL MESA - at the eastern edge of the Maxwell Land Grant, near Eagle Tail Mountain, named for the mountain.

EAGLE TAIL MOUNTAIN - About 25 miles northest of Springer. See Tinaja Mountain.

ELIZABETH PEAK - Also called Baldy Mountain. A short distance northeast of Elizabethtown, east of the Moreno River; elevation 12,491 feet. Named for the daughter of a first settler in Elizabethtown, possibly Elizabeth Moore. See Elizabethtown.

ELIZABETHTOWN - Former copper and gold mining camp on NM 38, 5 miles northeast of Eagle Nest, in the north end of the Moreno Valley. First house was built in 1865, when the place was called VIRGINIA CITY. In 1866 a group of prospectors found gold near Willow Creek. At the first semblance a city appeared and was named in honor of Elizabeth Moore, daughter of John W Moore. A dithch was excavated from Red River for a place dredge called "The Eleanor". Prospecting continued in Old Baldy Mountain as late as 1930. The town was the first county seat of Colfax County. It is now deserted. Post Office from 1868 to 1931.

ENGLAND - Post Office from April to December in 1881.

E TOWN - See Elizabethtown.

FARLEY - Ranching and farming community on NM 193, 13 miles northeast of Abbott. A branch of AT&amp;SF RR formerly ran here from Mt. Dora. Established in 1929, taking the name of its first postmaster. Post Office, 1929 to 1932. FIVE DOLLAR CANYON - 7 miles north of Dawson, extending east from near the mouth of Caliente Canyon, and just northeast of Upper Vermejo River Canyon. Said to be named for a pioneer settler who always wanted to bet 5 dolars, but never had it. FIVE DOLLAR CREEK - Flows through the canyon of the smae name.

Colfax County end 

Harding County

Harding County end 

 

Mora County

EL ALTO - Suburb of Mora

ELK CREEK - Uppermost tributary to Cow Creek, entering 3 miles above Martin's Ranch.

ENCIERRE -Spanish for "enclose". Post Office from 1887 to 1890; mail to Wagon Mound.

EVANS - Small station house on AT&amp;SF RR, 2 miles east of edge of Ocate Mesa. See Levy.

FEVERAS - 3 miles northwest of Ocate and 2 miles west of NM 120. In 1849 or 1850 a carpenter named Manuel La Favre worked for Lucien B Maxwell and lived at Rayado, 12 miles northeast of this community.

Mora County end

Quay County

ENDEE - Ranching and farming community on US 66, served by CRI&amp;P RR, 37 miles east of Tucumcari. Name is said to have been adopted from the brand of the ND Ranch established by the Day brothers, John E and George, in 1882. The two letters in the brand were joined so that the straight line forming the right side of the N also became the straight line forming the front end of the D. Post Office, 1886 to 1955.

Quay County end

Union County

EMBERSON - Post Office from 1908 to 1909; mail to Centerville.

EMERY GAP - First known as CIMARRON PASS, it led from Coloradothrough the mountains to the Dry Cimarron country; 7 miles East of the Colfax County line. Post Office 1906 to 1908, and 1909 to 1925; mail to Branson, Colorado.

EMERY PEAK - On the south bank of the Dry Cimarron River, 8 miles from the Colorado state line in the northwestern corner of Union County.

ESTRANIA ARROYO - Possible corruption of the spanish "extranar" "to miss". In extreme southeast tip of Union County, flowing east into Monia Creek.

EXTER - Post Office 1890 to 1903. Name changed to Valley.

FOLSOM - Cattle shipping and ranching community at the junction of NM 72 1nd NM 325, 6 miles east of Colfax County line. Named for President Cleveland's wife Frances Folsom. Post Office 1888 to present day. Name has been associated with a culture period in the history of human life in the Southwest. Chipped stone darts of unique shape, dating from the time when men hunted the giant ground sloth and the mammoth, have been found in the Ca[pulin Folsom region. Those spearheads indicate the existgence of man here for more than 15,000 years.

FOLSOM CAVES - On Robinson Peak, southwest of Folsom. Contains stalactites of smooth red lava.

Union County end

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.