Rayado, New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Rayado or Reyado was the first permanent settlement in Colfax County
, New Mexico, United States and an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail
.
stage stop dating from the 1850s. Rayado is located where the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail intersects with the Cimarron Trail to Fort Leavenworth
The name Rayado derives from the Spanish term for "streaked", perhaps in reference to the lot lines marked out by Lucien Maxwell
. Rayado is at 6,509 feet, along State Route 21 at the extreme southeast corner of Philmont Scout Ranch
. One mile to the south is a classic southwestern
butte
, called Kit Carson Mesa.
in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War, as the first plain
s settlement in New Mexico east of the mountain valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
. Because the plains were still subject to raids by Apache
, Comanche
and other Indians, he had difficulty attracting settlers, so he convinced Kit Carson
to move down from Taos
in 1849 to lend an air of safety to the enterprise.
Maxwell married his bride Luis Beaubien (daughter of Carlos Beaubien) in Rayado and they lived there before moving to Cimarron
. A federal garrison post was established in Rayado in 1850 and lasted until Fort Union was opened.
Jesus Gil Abreu
who also married a Beaubien daughter had his Abreu Ranch house there on the banks of the Rayado River from 1859 until his death in 1911. There was a post office there from 1873 to 1919.
Some of the land in the townsite was purchased by Waite Phillips
in the 1920s and Phillips later donated it to the Boy Scouts of America
and it became part of the Philmont Scout Ranch.
Colfax County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*83.8% White*0.5% Black*1.5% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*10.1% Other races*47.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, New Mexico, United States and an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
.
Overview
Today it is the home of the Kit Carson Museum including his reconstructed home, and La Posta, a Santa Fe TrailSanta Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
stage stop dating from the 1850s. Rayado is located where the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail intersects with the Cimarron Trail to Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
The name Rayado derives from the Spanish term for "streaked", perhaps in reference to the lot lines marked out by Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history....
. Rayado is at 6,509 feet, along State Route 21 at the extreme southeast corner of Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...
. One mile to the south is a classic southwestern
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
, called Kit Carson Mesa.
History
Rayado was founded by Lucien MaxwellLucien Maxwell
Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history....
in 1848 at the end of the Mexican-American War, as the first plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s settlement in New Mexico east of the mountain valleys of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Mountains
The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States...
. Because the plains were still subject to raids by Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
, Comanche
Comanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
and other Indians, he had difficulty attracting settlers, so he convinced Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
to move down from Taos
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
in 1849 to lend an air of safety to the enterprise.
Maxwell married his bride Luis Beaubien (daughter of Carlos Beaubien) in Rayado and they lived there before moving to Cimarron
Cimarron, New Mexico
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 917 people, 382 households, and 255 families residing in the village. The population density was 479.5 people per square mile . There were 449 housing units at an average density of 234.8 per square mile...
. A federal garrison post was established in Rayado in 1850 and lasted until Fort Union was opened.
Jesus Gil Abreu
Jesus Gil Abreu
Jesus Gil Abreu was a rancher and pioneer who owned a New Mexico ranch that now comprises Philmont Scout Ranch.He was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico...
who also married a Beaubien daughter had his Abreu Ranch house there on the banks of the Rayado River from 1859 until his death in 1911. There was a post office there from 1873 to 1919.
Some of the land in the townsite was purchased by Waite Phillips
Waite Phillips
Waite Phillips was an American petroleum businessman who created a fully integrated operation that combined petroleum producing, refining and marketing. With headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he also developed several office complexes and engaged in banking and ranching...
in the 1920s and Phillips later donated it to the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and it became part of the Philmont Scout Ranch.
External links
- "Reyado" Ghosttowns.com