Mora County, New Mexico, Place Names

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".

ARROYO DE LA JARA. On the border of San Miguel County, W of Watrous.

AURORA Point 6 miles N of Ocate. Post Office, 1902-1921.

BARCLAY'S FORT See Fort Barclay

BEAR CREEK Tributary of Mora fork of Pecos River.

BEATTY 7 miles north of Cowles.

BEATTY'S CREEK See Rito del Padre.

BUENA VISTA 20 miles N of Las Vegas. Name emphasizes natural advantages., "good view" in Spanish.

CALLEY'S LAKE 8 miles south of Wagon Mound.

CANADIAN HILLS Extended east from Wagon Mound across east end of Mora county.

CANONCITO Spanish for "lttle canyon".

CARMEN 12 miles S of Mora near Cebolla River. Possibly a reference to Nuestra Senora del Carmen "Our Lady of Carmen".

CEBOLLA Spanish for "onion". This was applied to streams and locations because of wild flowers of the onion family were found in the area. Valley in the west part of Mora County, 3 miles SE of Mora.

CEBOLLA RIVER In the Mora Grant; crosses NM 3 SE of Mora and enters the Mora River.

CHACON "Chaco" is a regional spanish term for "desert". The name was derived from a Navajo for an arroyo and a valley.

A settlement in the upper end of the Mora Valley, 7 miles north of Holman. Named for members of the Chacon family. Albino, Damasco, and Pedro Chacon are listed among the first settlers of San Antonio de Mora (now Cleveland). Diego A. Chacon, was the first postmaaster. Post Office 1894 to present.

CHARETTE LAKE 7 miles west of Nolan

CHERRY VALLEY LAKE - 2 miles southeast of Shoemaker, NM.

CIRUELA CREEK - Spanish name for plum, the wild red plums that grw in the area.

CLEVELAND - 2 miles northwest of Mora on the Rio de la Casa. Settled in 1835 and originally known as SAN ANTONIO. Named in honor of Grover Cleveland, president of the United States 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. Post office 1892 to present day.

CORNUDO HILLS - Cornudo is spanish for "horned", as in animal horns. Located 6 miles east of Wagon Mound.

COW CREEK

COYOTE See Rainsville

COYOTE CREEK - Flows southwest into Mora County.

CUEVA LAKE - See LA CUEVA.

DAILY CANYON - South fork of Manuelitas Creek above Hilton Lodge near Rociada.

DE LO MORA - See Mora County

DOG CREEK - Small creek wich flows south into the Mora River of the southern edge of Mora county.

DRY SALT LAKE - jUST NORTH OF wAGON mOUND