Colfax County, New Mexico, Place Names, N - Z

Colfax County

NARANJOS - Spanish for the Naranjo surname folks, or orange grove. The surname came to New Mexico in 1600. Settlement on NM 120, 20 miles northwest of Wagon Mound. Post Office 1886 to 1888 and 1913 to 1917.

NEW ABBOTT - See ABBOTT.

NIGGER CREEK - Named for a young Black man, whose name is unknown, arrived in Elizabethtown some time during the boom years of 1865-1890. He made his home apart from the whites on a little creek in the north end of the Moreno Valley, which leads into the Moreno River.

NINE MILE CREEK - In the south end of the Moreno Valley, flows into the Cieneguilla Creek, which then flows into Eagle Nest Lake. Named because it was 9 miles south of Elizabethtown, which in the early days, was the center not only of the Moreno Valley, but the northeastern part of the State during the hectic minig years between 1865 and 1890.

NORTH PONIL - Creek near Baldy Mountain. See PONIL.

OCATE CREEK - Rises in Colfax County then flows southeast through Ocate, below which it is diverted into the Upper Charette Lake and then into Canadian River.

OSHA - The name of an herb, wild angelica root, found in various parts of the state and used for medicinal purposes. Post Office 1894 to 1903; changed to BLACK LAKE

OSHA MOUNTAIN - Between taos and Colfax counties. See CUESTA DEL OSHA PEAK.

OSHA PASS - Near the Taos Colfax County line, 3 miles north of Osha Mouontain.

OTERO - The family name appeaars in 1659, when Pedro Otero is listed in marriage records in Santa Fe. Members of this family are found in 18th century records in Albuquerque and Tome. The famioly achieved prominence in this and the following century. In Colfax county it was a lively spot near the foot of raton Pass when AT&amp;SF RR reached there in 1878. After the division point was removed 5 mikles north of raton in 1879, most of the settlement moved with it.

PALO BLANCO - Soanish for white tree or white pole.

PALO BLANCO CREEK - Flows south to Holkeo Creek, 15 miles north of Gladstone, north of Palo Blanco Mountain. Named for Palo Blanco Mountain.

PALO BLANCO MOUNTAIN - 4 miles northwest of Malpie.

PALO BLANCO PEAK - 15 miles southwest of Capulin in the east end of Colfax county.

PALO FLECHADO - "tree pierced with arrows". Mountain pass near Agua Fria. Named because many arrows were found sticking in the trees. There is a Taos Native American custom of shooting the remaining arrows into a large tree after a buffalo hunt. At the summit of the mountain near the pass is the tree containing the arrows.

PALO FLECHADO CREEK - Rises in the Taos Mountains and flows east to Agua Fria where it joins Agua Fria Creek.

PARKER ARROYO - 1 mile west of Hebron; connects with Canadian Red River in north central part of Colfax County.

PARTON - Formerly TROYBURGH. Post Office, 1884 to 1886; mail to Raton.

PATTON CREEK - Small stream which flows into Canadian Red River at its source near the AColfax County - Colorado state line in the northwest part of Colfax County.

PECK'S MESA - North of Holkeo Creek in the extreme southeast corner of Colfax County. Named for an early family in the neighborhood.

PENA FLOR - post Office shown on a 1936 Department of Interior map, as 4 miles south of Colorado State line on the Upper Vermejo River. Post Office 1888 to 1901; mail to Catskill.

PERRYVILLE - Locality in Cimarron Canyon. Post Office 1894 to 1895; mail to Elizabethtown.

PHILMONT SCOUT CAMP - A Boy Scout Camp and game refuge covering 55 square miles. Established in 1938, as a gift of Waite Phillips, owner of nearby Philmonte ranch.Covers 128,000 acres and stretches north and south of Cimarron about 25 miles. First named PHILTURN.

PHILTURN - See Philmont Scout Camp.

PIGGLY WIGGLY CANYON - Northeast of Johnson Mesa.

PINA - Spanish for pine tree.

PINE CREEK - Flows out of the pine covered mountainside in the NorthMoreno Valley and joins the Moreno River which flows into Eagle Nest Lake.

PINON HILLS - 10 miles west of Springer in the Maxwell Land Grant.

PITTSBURG - Once a community 25 miles east of Springer in center of a farming district. Post Office 1924 to 1932.

POINT OF ROCKS - A mound of syenite rocks, rising from the prairies, from which runs a clear, crystal spring. At the eastern end of the Colfax County line near Ute Creek. A noted battlegorund and landmark of the Santa Fe Trail.

POND CREEK - Rises in Colfax County and flows south to junction of Carisso Creek.

PONIL - Post Office 1879 to 1913.

PONIL CREEK - Has 3 baranches, north, middle and south. They all arise north of Cimarron in adjacent canyons, join and flow to the Cimarron River, 2 miles east of the town, from the Vermejo Park area.

PONIL PARK - In the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, at the head of Ponil Creek; about 3 by 6 miles in size.

POTATO CANYON - Begins about 4 miles up Canadian red River and extends southwest 7 miles. An eastern farmer settled here and raised potatoes, selling them to the minerss in Blossburg; hence the name

POTATO MOUNTAIN - 5 miles east of raton.

PRAIRIE DOG CANYON - Small canyon extends north from the mouth of the Caliente Canyon, which is off the Vermejo River Canyon, 8 miles north of Dawson.

PRESTON - On the Ute Division of the AR&amp;SF RR, 10 miles southwest of Raton, where the track branches for Van Houten. Established in 1900.

PUERTECITO - Spanish for small mountain pass.

RAEL - A Spanish surname. Post Office 1901 to 1902; mail to Springer.

RAILROAD CANYON - Extends from Raton to the Raton Tunnel on AT&amp;SF RR, about 8.5 miles running north and south. The tracks follow this canyon to the highest point on the system, 7,622 feet.

RATON - Spanish for mouse, field mouse or prarie dog. On US 85 and 87, and NM 72, 8.5 miles south of Raton Pass. Started in 1879, with the arrival of AT&amp;SF RR. Now is the County seat.

RATON CREEK - First called WILLOW ARROYO, then WILLOW CREEK. Flows south of Railroad Canyon, north of raton across Crow Creek Flats to join Una del Gato River, 7 miles south of Raton, and then into Canadian red River.

RATON MOUNTAINS - form part of the long range which divides northeastern NM from Colorado. Named for numerous rodents which fed here on the pinon nuts.

RATON PASS - Famed from days of covered wagon caravans on the Santa Fe Trail. The highest point is 7,622 feet.

RATON PEAK - Central and tallest peak of the range, directly north of Raton, almost at the Colorado state line.

RAYADO - Spanish for streaked. Certain Native American tribes were called "rayados" by the Spanish because of horizontal lines painted on their faces. This was a trading point on NM 21, 23 miles west of Springer. Post Office 1873 to 1881 and intermittently to 1919.

RAYADO CREEK OR RIVER - passes through Rayado and joins Urreca Creek 11 miles west of Springer.

RAYADO MESA - 14 miles west of Springer in the Maxwell Land Grant.

RAYADO PEAK - On the Rayado River near Rayado Pass.

RAYADO STATION - 5 miles south of Springer.

RED LAKES - Former community 10 miles sothwest of Black Lakes on NM 38.

RED RIVER CANYON - Begins at Red River Peak, 4 miles south of Raton and flows into Canadian Red River at the northwest corner of Colfax county.

RED RIVER PASS - At the Taos Colfax County line. at the north end of the Moreno Valley where Nm 38 crosses the mountains into Red River Country.

RED RIVER PEAK - Small pointed peak at the mouth of the Little Red River Canyon. Named before the stage coaches came across Raton mountains.

REED CANYON - Ghost town near site of Elkins at the head of theVermejo River. Named for "Cump" Reed from Missouori, an early settler in 1875.

RING - At one time in Ponil Park on North Ponil Creek in the Maxwell Land Grant. So calledbecause the Ring Road ended in a circle where an enginecould be turned.

RIO DEL PLANO - Anglicized "river of the plains or flats". Northeast of Springer and flows into the Canadian Red River

RIO PLANO - Flows west from Chico to enter the Canadian River north of Springer; course is over high, relatively smooth terrain, explaining the descriptive name.

RITO BERNAL - Rito is spanish for little river. In the northwest corner of Colfac County, flows into the Vermejo River.

RITO DEL ORO. Spanish for Little golden river. In the northwest part of Colfax county, flows into the Vermejo river.

RITO LEANDRO - Leandro is a spanish given name. In the nlfax county, flows into the Vermejo River.

RITO PRESA - Spanish for little river that has been controlled, ie a ditch, trench or dam. A small tributary of the Cimarron River. Perhaps named for an irrigation or fishing dam in the stream.

ROAD CANYON - Extends between Canadian Red RiverVCanyon and Vermejo River Canyon in the northern part of Colfax county near the Colorado state line. One of the trails into the Vermejo country came down through this canyon; thus the name road canyon.

ROBINSON - See RAYADO.

ROBINSON MOUNTAIN - Northwest of Capulin, just inside the Colfax Union County line. Named for the Robinson Hoover Commission Co. of Kansas City, Missouri, which served the livestock men of Colfax and Union counties in the early days. Post Office 1882 to 1883; mail to Fairview.

RYADO - Post Office 1873 to 1881; changed to RAYADO

SAIL ROCK - Peculiar rock formation in Cimarron Canyon, resembling the sail of aboat moving in shallow waters.

SALTPETER CREEK - Begins 5 miles below Dawson where it empties into Vermejo River, and flows south through a canyon of the same name.

SALTPETER MOUNTAIN - 15 miles southeast of Dawson, on banks of Saltpeter Creek.

SALYERS CANYON - Begins in northwest part of Colfax county. Runs southeast to Vermejo near former Elkins Post Office. An early settler had this name.

SAN FRANCISCO MESA - Franciscan pioneers of NM named many places for their founder St. Francis of Assissi. FORMERLY accomodated called AHOGADERA, "place of the drowned" because a sheepherder had lost eight hundred sheep in the stream.

SAN FRANCISCO PASS - Connect the north western part of Colfax county with Colorado, 5 miles east of the Colfax Taos county line.

SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS - This mountain range runs north and south in the southernmost section of the Rockies, extending from southern Colorado to Santa Fe and Pecos. It forms the western boundary of Mora County. Also called the SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS as late as 1790. Present name strted at the beinning of the 19th century and seems to be associated with the birth of the Penitente religious society.

SANTA FE FORKS - See HOXIE

SAUA CREEK - Perhaps a corruption of the spanish word "sacia" or "sap". The creek flows into the Canadian Red River at the Colfax Harding county line. Named for maple trees along its bank. SAWMILL CANYON - Heads in Gallo Mountains; runs northeast into Largo Creek, 13 miles east of Agua Fria Mountain. SAWMILL CREEK - There are two sawmill Creeks in Colfax county. One in the north end of the Moreno Valley that wmptiesinto the Moreno River, which flows into Eagle Nest Lake. The other, flows into the Canadian Red River above town of Red River. Along both creeks there were sawmills.

SCHOMBERG - On AT&amp;SF RR, 5 miles north of Maxwell. Named for one of the managers of the Maxwell Land Grant.

SCHUREE CREEK - Tributary to the Ponil, northwest of Cimarron.

SEELEY CANYON - Begins near Gardiner in Dillon Canyon and extends west. SEGAL CREEK - 10 miles southeast of Maxwell.

SENODAN CREEK - In the south end of the Moreno Valley, flowing into Cieneguilla Creek, which flows into Eagle Nest Lake. Senodan was a family name in the area. SHEEP SPRING CREEK - In raton Mouontains; flows into the Canadian Red River.

SIX MILE CREEK - Flows east from the Taos Peak region into Eagle Nest Lake in the Moreno Valley.

SLAGLE - First postmaster, Florence B. Slagle. Post Office 1901 to 1902; mail to Chico. SLAGLE CANYON - 5 miles west of the Chico post office.

SOUTH PONIL - Little stream southwest of Cimarron. See Ponil Creek. SOUTHSIDE - Post Office, 1878 to 1879.

SPRING ARROYO - Small stream that flows into the Canadian Red River.

SPRING CANYON - Extends northwest from Vermejo Peak.

SPRING CREEK - Flows through Spring Canyon, 3 miles east of Dawson and empties into the Vermejo River.

SPRINGER - Town on US 85, NM 58 and 199, 41 miles south of Raton on the Cimarron River. Settled in 1879, and became the third county seat in 1882, raton followed in 1897. Two brothers named Springer gave their name to the town: Charles a rancher near Cimarron, and Frank a lawyer and official of the Maxwell Land Grant Co. Post Office 1879 to the present. SPRINGER LAKE - 3 miles northwest of Springer.

SQUAW PEAK - See KIT CARSON PEAK

STAGE CANYON - Begins 5 miles north of Dawson and runs west from the Vermejo River Canyon.

Colfax County end 

Harding County

SALADO - Spanish for "salted".

SALADO ARROYO - Comes out of Union County and flows southeast to Ute Creek in central part of Harding county.

SALADO CREEK - Heads in Union County; flows south into Del Muerto Creek above Bueyeros.

SIERRA NEGRA - On the west bank of the Ute Creek in the central part of Harding County.

SIXELA - Switch point on C&amp;S RR, 9 miles south of Clayton at US 87, near the Texas state line. At this point the tracks become Denver and Fort Worth Railway. Named in 1886.

SOLANO - Community on NM 39 and SP RR, 10 miles southest of Roy. May have been named for St. Francis Solano, a Spanish Franciscan, who evangelized Peru and other parts of South America. Also a surname of the family of Antonio Solano y Castro, who was married in Santa Fe on May 20, 1763. Another man named Solano is namedin Santa Fe records in 1790. Post Office, 1907 to present day.

Harding County end

Mora County

SALT LAKE - Near Wagon Mound

SAN ANTONIO - It was St. Anthony of Padua, disciple of St. Francis, that the people of northern New Mexico favored as patron of several placesnamed by them. Old town 3 miles southwest of Mora in sheep raising section of the the county. In the Mora Land Grant.

SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS - This mountain range runs north and south in the southernmost section of the Rockies, extending from southern Colorado to Santa Fe and Pecos. It forms the western boundary of Mora County. Also called the SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS as late as 1790. Present name strted at the beinning of the 19th century and seems to be associated with the birth of the Penitente religious society.

SANTA CLARA - Post Office 1876 to 1877

SANTA FE NATIONAL FOREST - Lies east and north east of Santa Fe, in the corner of three counties, Santa Fe, San Miguel and Mora.

SANTA GERTRUDIS. Town in the Mora Valley, named for St. Gertrude, a German abess of the 13th century who was a favorite in Spanish countries. Originally called SANTA GERTRUDIS DE LO DE MORA.

SANTIAGO - Contraction of Santo Iago, spanish for St. James the Greater who is believed to have established Christianity in Spain.

SAUZ - Spanish for "willow". Post Office 1904 to 1905; Changed to ABBOTT.

SCHIELE LAKE NO.1, 2, AND 3. - Small lakes on the mesa above the Schciele Ranch headquarters north of Ocate.

SHOEMAKER - Ranching and farming community 3 miles south of US 85, 19 miles southwest of Wagon Mound. Named for Capt. W.R.Shoemaker, Civil War ordnance officer at Ft. Union near Las Vegas. He was esteemed and respected by the civilian population as well as by the military. Post Office 1882 to 1957.

SHOEMAKER CANYON - East of Ft. Union Military Reserve, also bears his name.

SPARKS CREEK - Joins Manuelitas Creek at Lower Rociada.

Mora County end

Quay County

SALADITO CREEK - Spanish for "little salty". Rises south of Tipton, and flows northeast into San Jon Creek.

SAND SPRINGS - 32 miles northeast of Tucumcari, on CRI&amp;P RR

SAN JON - It is possibly a corruption of the spanish "zanjon" which meand "deep gully. Rancing and farming town on US 66, 23 miles east of Tucumcari on CRI&amp;P RR. Tom Jones built the first building here in 1902. Construction of the railroad in 1904 caused the town to boom. Named in October 1906 by W.D.Bennett, the first postmaster. Post Office 1906 to present

SAN JON CREEK - Flows northeast from San Jon to cross the Texas state line north of Glenrio. Appears as San Jon on US Geological survey map of 1955, but as San Juan on a General Land Office Map in 1936.

SAN JUAN CANYON - Flows northest into San Jon river at San Jon.

SIX SHOOTER SIDING - See TUCUMCARI.

Quay County end

Union County

SEDAN - Farming community on NM 102, 24 miles south of Clayton, 5 miles west of the Texas line. Named by Ames B. Christerson, who located on a homestead here and was its first postmaster, in memory of Sedan, Kansas, his home town. Post Office, 1910 to present day.

SENECA - The anglicized form of the spanish word "cienega" or swamp. This was once a heavily populated farming community on NM 18, 14 miles northeast of Clayton. After the dust bowl of the 1930's, much of the land was retired or leased by the US Forest Service to ranchers. Post Office 1908 to the present day.

SENECA CREEK - Known to the early frighters over the Santa Fe Trail by the spanish name CIENEGUILLA DEL BURRO. or "jackass swamp". Heads east of the Sierra Grande Mountains, crossing Union County from west to east. As Union county was settled by homesteaders from the East, the name was shortened to Seneca. See Rabbit Ear Creek.

SIERRA GRANDE MOUNTAIN - oN us 85, in the northwestern part of Union County. A symmetric basaltic cone more than 40 miles around the base and said tobe the largest individual mountain in North America.

SMITH - Post Office 1914 to 1918.

SOFIA - former trading point on NM 120, 36 west of Clyton and 10 miles east of the Union Colfax County line. Once a large bean growing district, homesteaded by immigrants chiefly from Bulgaria and Hungary, Now a ranching community. Post Office 1914 to 1926.

SPRING HILL - Post Office 1890 to 1899; mail to Folsom.

STAUNTON - Passing track on US 87 and C&amp;S RR, 4 miles northwest of Grenville; Post Office 1914 to 1918.

STEAD - Trading point, farming, and ranching community on NM 18 and Major Long's Creek, 25 miles south of Clayton. Named for father of LR Rock Stead of Clayton. Post Office 1916 to the present.

STEAMBOAT MOUNTAIN - south of NM 325, east of Folsom. Layers of sandstone resemble a gigantic ship left stranded and immobile endless years ago.

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.