Embracing History, Culture, New Mexican Cuisine and Natural Beauty in Las Cruces, New Mexico -

History

Doña ana County is the second-most populated county in the state of New Mexico. Nestled at the base of the Organ Mountains, the city offers a vast history. Beginning with prehistoric dinosaur footprints in the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument. The wild west escape Billy the Kid made from jail after his death sentence. As well as, much of the missile and space history of the United States.

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After the brief Mexican-American War, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The treaty gave the land east of the Rio Grande to the United States. Creating a divide in the valley. Some inhabitants loyal to Mexico decided to move to the other side of the river to establish the village of Mesilla. The village remained within Mexico’s boundaries until 1853. The westward railroad expansion then secured the area in the Gadsden Purchase

How Las Cruces was named?

There are a couple of versions of the story.
The story happened in 1852 when a long caravan of 45 oxen carts heavily loaded with supplies left Santa Fe headed to Chihuahua. The caravan was attacked by Mescalero-Apache and destroyed. It is said that 50 men were killed and buried there. Crosses were erected and later giving Las Cruces its name.

And

It is said the Spanish name Los Cruces became Las Cruces over time with mangling of Spanish. Taking the meaning from it’s intended “crossroads” to “crosses.”

Random Facts

The city enjoys 350 days of sunshine each year.
Billy the Kid stood trial here in 1880 for the murder of Andrew “Buckshot” Roberts. Found guilty and sentenced to hang Billy later escaped.
Pat Garret was killed in Las Cruces, but his killer was never sentenced.
White Sands was sanctioned a proving ground in February 1945. Seven days later the first atomic bomb (code-named Trinity) was detonated at Trinity Site near the northern boundary of the range.
NASA used the area as a landing site for the Space Shuttle Columbia on March 30, 1982, as the conclusion to mission STS-3.

You will be sure to notice the Recycled Roadrunner if you enter town from the west. If entering town another way ensure you take a short drive to see this art piece in the desert.
♻️ Built by artist Olin Calk

♻️ 20 feet tall and 40 feet long

♻️ Made of items from the landfill in 1993

♻️ Moved to the rest stop along Interstate 10 in 2001

♻️ Refurbished in 2011 & remained at the artist’s home until the city determined to place it along the highway.

♻️ The eyes are Volkswagen headlights

♻️ The body is old sneakers, golf clubs, tennis rackets, a keyboard and more

♻️ The Roadrunner is the official state bird of New Mexico

With camp sat up, we headed to High Desert Brewing Company to taste Las Cruces’ oldest microbrewery. You can follow the full Trips with Sips story here.

White Sands National Park is a must-see bucket list kind of place. It’s gorgeous white sand is actually gypsum. Such a high concentration of gypsum is unusual for inland sand. But White Sands National Park is the largest concentration of gypsum in the world. Gypsum is actually clear, but the rolling dunes appear white as the grains rubbing each other cause scratches. The sun’s rays reflecting on the scratches result in the white snow-like appearance.

Covering 148,588 acres you will not see the entire park. But will easily be entertained by the beauty for whatever amount of time you choose to spend in the park. It is our nation’s newest national park. White Sands National Monument became a national park on December 20, 2019.

Alamogordo is just on the other side of White Sands National Park from Las Cruces. In typical (non-2020) times, the area boasts multiple museums. These include The New Mexico Museum of Space History, White Sands Missile Range Museum, International Space Hall of Fame, and more. Don’t forget your farm tour of PistachioLand too! We stopped to see the World’s Largest Pistachio.

While inside Las Cruces be sure to swing through the historic Mesilla Square. The square is bordered by current-day shops and restaurants in historic buildings and the Basilica of San Albino. History buffs will stay busy reading the plaques accounting for the old west stories. Don’t forget to come hungry for a green chile cheeseburger at Double Eagle Saloon or a traditional New Mexican meal at La Posta. Both were Billy the Kid hangouts. Although Double Eagle was a bar in those days and La Posta was the jail he escaped from after being sentenced to hang.

Nearby you will find the “Witch’s Grave.” The story for the grave has been around for years but offers little solid evidence. The story states that a witch is buried there. But the adobe surrounding the grave kept cracking. Leading the locals to believe the witch would escape through the crack and seek revenge. The locals to this day continue to patch the cracks causing the grave to grow over the years. The site is not marked with a name. We were unable to locate any solid evidence that it truly holds a person. Surrounded with lots of lore about happenings to visitors the stories seem to grow with each passing “I visited the grave” story.

For history buffs, you can follow more about the Billy the Kid saga with visit’s to Pat Garret’s grave and murder site. Both were nondescript and plain. The grave (located in the Masonic Cemetery) received a new headstone and the historical marker for the murder site is not the actual site, but nearby. The nearby site is located in an arroyo and marked with some rocks by Garret’s son.

Angela’s Fave

I have always loved the feel of New Mexico. The high desert is a special mix of warm sunny days and chilly mountain evenings. Couple that with the culture in New Mexico and any history buff foodie will be in heaven!

Vince’s Fave

I was fascinated by the Mesilla Square. Obviously it looks slightly different now then when Billy was in town. But to tread the same roads and paths that he and his pals did was pretty cool.

Getting to Las Cruces, NM and White Sands National Park

Typically people take flights into El Paso or Albuquerque. Taking a road trip across the desert to find Las Cruces at the intersection of interstates 10 and 25.

Tips for your trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico

Keep in mind Highway 70 heading east out of Las Cruces towards White Sands National Monument can close for short periods due to the White Sands Missile Range testing. Announcements are made so check in advance.
Drink water! In the high desert dehydration can sneak up on you. Mix in a few margarita’s and you will be feeling pretty bad. Hydrate!

Nestled at the base of the Organ Mountains Las Cruces neighbors White Sands National Park. While embracing the culture, food, and views that make New Mexico an incredible place to visit over and over again.