Union County, New Mexico, Place Names

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

ALAMOS CREEK - map

ALAMOSITA CREEK - map

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

ALPS MESA - map

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

AMISTAD - Spanish for "friendship". Near Texas state line, east 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.map

ANDERSON CANYON - map

ANGLIN -map

ANTELOPE SPRING - map

ARCHULETA CREEK -

ATENCIO - 7 miles from the Texas state line, 24 miles north of Clayton. Name of Spanish family, the earliest of whom, Jose de Atienza de Alcala y Escobar, arrived in NM in 1693. Post Office, 1910-1914.

AUBRY CUTOFF (Cimarron Cutoff) - Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail; the cutoff began at Fort Dodge. Kansas, ran to the southwest corner of Kansas, into the Oklahoma Panhandle, briefly up the Cimarron River in New Mexico to the Folsom Falls. It went east of Capulin Mountain and on southwest to Wagon Mound, ending at Santa Fe. It was named for Captain Francis X Aubry.

BACA - Post Office 1884-1898; mail to Bueyeros. First postmaster, Louis A.C. de Baca.

BARNEY - Former settlement on Pinabete Creek, 24 miles southwest of Clayton. Post Office, 1896-1930.

BEENHAM - Former ranch settlement on a branch of Tramperos Creek, 9 miles southeast of Pasamonte. Owned and named about 1880 by Charles John de Haviland (Uncle Charley) Bushnell, a sea captain from Beenham, England. He served as first postmaster. Post Office, 1890-1924.

BIBLE TOP HILL - 3 miles west of Rabbit Ears Mountain and north of US 87. A deep depression runs east and west across the top of the hill, which thus appears like an open book; hence the name Bible Top. This hill was used as a lookout point by Indians, and numerous flint arrow points have been found here.

BIG SPRING - See Rabbit Ear Creek

BLACK JACK CAVES - Located 2 miles southwest of Folsom. The caves were formed by hot lava from Mount Capulin. Names for "Black Jack" Ketchum.

BLACKSMITH CANYON - 2.5 miles north of dry Cimarron River on north side of Black Mesa. Heads in NM and opens out into North Carriso Canyon in Colorado. In the early 1860's a band of outlaws, led by the notorious outlaw William Coe, did their blacksmithing in this canyon, where later settlers found a part of the anvil block. It was made from a piece of fine, hard wood, very rare in this part of the country; hence the name.

BRIGGS CANYON - 2 miles northeast of Folsom; heads a few miles north of Des Moines and opens into Cimarron Canyon. Named for a family who located here in 1866. It is a spot abounding in wildlife.

BRYANTINE - 25 miles southeast of Mosquero. First postmaster, Sarah P. Bryant. Post Office 1903-1920.

BUFFALO HEAD - A high point of rock north of Folsom, named for its resemblance to the head of a buffalo.

CAPULIN - Mexican Spanish for "wild cherry". ON US 64 and 87., 27 miles southeast of Raton and 8 miles west of Des Moines. First named DEDMAN in honor of E.J.Dedman, superintendent of AT&amp;SF RR in 1909. In 1914, when Mr. Dedman died, the name was changed to Capulin because of the proximity to Mt. Capulin. Post Office, 1879 to present day.

CAPULIN MOUNTAIN - A cone shaped, dormant volcano. 20 miles south of Colorado state line and 4 miles northeast of Capulin, 7 miles southwest of Folsom. Named because of the wild cherries (chokeberries) which grew inside the volcanic cone. It is one of the most symmetrical volcanic cones in North America. The high elevation affords a view into 5 states: New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. It became a National Monument in 1916. Also known as CINDER CONE.

CARRIZO CREEK - Empties into Dry Cimarron Creek.

CARRUMPA CREEK - See CORRUMPA

CATALPA - A log cabin, once used as a school. Located: 13 miles from Folsom, 6 miles from Madison, down the Dry Cimarron River. Originally built by Mike Devoy, it housed a store and postoffice. Now on the Brown Ranch.

CENTERVILLE - 8 miles south of Amistad and 13 miles north of Nara Visa. Established by hometraders in December 1907. Post Office 1907-1944.

CENTRAL CITY - See HAYDEN

CERNADA - Spanish for "cinder", with probable reference to volcanic ashes. Near Mt. Dora, 18 miles west of Clayton.

CIENAGA CREEK - Cienega in Spanish means "marsh, marshy place". See RABBIT EAR CREEK.

CIENAGA DEL BURRO - See RABBIT EAR CREEK.

CIENEGUILLA CREEK - "Cieneguilla" in spanish is small marshy place. Formed by several tributaries 3 miles north of the settlement of Mt. Dora; flows east into Oklahoma. Formerly called CIENEGUILLA DEL BURRO.

CIMARRON PASS - See EMORY GAP.

CLAPHAM - 22 miles southwest of Clayton on NM 57. Named for Tom Clapham who, in 1888, filed with Jim Davis on adjoining claims. They built a long, two room house on the section line, so that one room was on Clapham's claim and the other on Davis's claim. Post Office, 1888 to 1954.

CLAYTON - A railroad shipping center and county seat, 10 miles west of the Texas state line. Founded in 187 by John C Hill, range manager of the Stephen Dorsey Ranch and named for Clayton C. Dorsey, son of Senator Stephen W Dorsey of Arkansas. The latter was involved in a famous mail fraud case. Bob Ingersoll was his lawyer at the trial and Dorsey was freed. Then he and Ingersoll established the Triangle Dot Ranch in Union and Colfax Counties. Post Office 1888 to present day.

CLAYTON MOUNTAIN -

CORRUMPA - A Native American word meaning "wild or isolated". Former settlement on the headwaters of Corrumpa Creek where FDW Ranch was founded by Frederick D. W. Wright. Now headquarters for Ferol Smith Ranch. Post Office 1905 to 1919.

CORRUMPA CREEK - 10 miles east of Des Moines, at headwaters of North Canadian. First named MCNEES Creek by the traders on the Santa Fe Trail, in memory of a young man who was murdered there by Comanche Indians in 1828. Later the name was changed to Corrumpa. Captain William Becknell crossed the creek in 1822. It is also called CURRUMPAW CREEK.

CRAMER CREEK - 1.5 miles south of Centerville.

CROSS L RANCH - A large ranch, 20 miles east of Folsom on the Dry Cimarron River.

CUATES - Trading point 10 miles north of Clayton. Borrows the spanish term "cuate" meaning "twin or close friend" as a place name. Post Office from 1903 to 1938.

DEAD MAN - Post Office 1909 to 1912; Changed to CAPULIN.

DEAD MAN'S ARROYO - A few miles east of Sierra Grande Mountain, where Seneca Creek heads. Received its name from the last Indian raid in Union County (then a part of Colfax County) on July 4 1874. Ute indians came through the country on the warpath, killing several Spanish Americans and two Anglos. The Anglos were killed at Corrumpa Creek and the Spanish in this arroyo.

DEDMAN - Post Office 1909 to 1923. See CAPULIN.

DES MOINES - On US 87 and C&amp;S RR, 38 miles southeast of Raton. Post Office 1906 to present day.

DEVOY PEAK - 2.5 miles from the Colorado state line, 10 miles northeast of Folsom. Named for Michael Devoy, early pioneer.

DOLORES - On Ute Creek at the Union and Harding County line. Post Office 1913 to 1914.

DON CARLOS CREEK - Runs along the Colfax and Union county line and flows south to join the Holkeo Creek. Name probably is associated with a landowner in the area.

DON CARLOS HILLS - In the southeast corner of Union county, 6 miles northeast of Gladstone.

DRIPPING SPRINGS - Located in a cave in Peacock Canyon. Gets its name from the way the water drips from stalactites.

DRY CIMARRON RIVER - The river is believed to have been a disappearing river because of the notable feature of sinking and rising as it goes along. 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. The name "dry"s only in New Mexico.

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

EMERY GAP - First known as CIMARRON PASS, it led from Colorado through the mountains to the Dry Cimarron country; 7 miles East of the Colfax County line. Named for James Madison 'Matt' Emery. 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. Named for James Madison 'Matt' Emery.

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.