Historical/Archeological Sites
Fort Union Photo by Tony Oliver
Select a location from the list below to learn about the historical sites on that portion of the Santa Fe Trail
- COLFAX COUNTY--Cimarron, Raton, Springer,
- MORA COUNTY-Wagon Mound, Watrous,
- SAN MIGUEL COUNTY- Las Vegas
- SANTA FE COUNTY-City of Santa Fe
- UNION COUNTY-Clayton
Every town or county that the Santa Fe Trail runs through in New Mexico has many historic buildings and ruins. Many of the towns sprang up along the trail because of their location near water, a crossroads with other trails, or as in the case of Santa Fe, a destination.
COLFAX COUNTY
CANADIAN RIVER CANYON
In the bottom of the Canadian River Canyon are the remains of a stone mansion, cisterns and bunk houses of rancher Melvin W. Mills.
CLIFTON HOUSE (RUINS)
Part of one adobe wall and scattered foundation stones along the west are all that remain of this three-story, balconied Barlow & Sanderson Stage Line stop.
DORSEY MANSION
A unique home consisting of a log cabin and two-story Gothic Revival stone mansion situated on the rolling grasslands of northeastern New Mexico.
Cimarron, New Mexico
AZTEC MILL MUSEUM
A noted SFT landmark, the stone-block Aztec Mill built in 1864 was operated as a grist mill by Lucien Maxwell until 1870.
CIMARRON HISTORIC DISTRICT
Cimarron prospered during the 1850s throught the 1870's thanks to the Santa Fe Trail. The trail entered the Old Plaza from the NE and followed NM 21 south to the hamlet of Rayado.
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Raton, New Mexico
ARTHUR JOHNSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY/WPA PROJECT
Located in historic downtown Raton, New Mexico, this former post office building is home to a large collection of WPA art.
EL PORTAL HOTEL/WPA PROJECT
The hotel housed the original WPA Project office for the region and was the location of WPA-supported art classes.
COLFAX COUNTY COURTHOUSE/WPA PROJECT
The building is one of the more elaborately decorated courthouses on the E side of the state.
SHULER THEATER
The theater, built in 1915, was designed in European Rococo style and boasts near-perfect acoustics. The lobby is decorated with WPA art murals.
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Springer, New Mexico
BROWN HOTEL
This antique-laden, two-story hotel in downtown Springer, New Mexico was built in 1922.
SANTA FE TRAIL MUSEUM
Includes many art exhibits and artifacts pertaining to the Santa Fe Trail and early pioneering life.
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MORA COUNTY
FT. UNION NATIONAL MONUMENT
Principal supply post in the SW. Provided escort and protection for travelers at west end of Santa Fe Trail.
Wagon Mound, New Mexico
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Watrous, New Mexico
SAPELLO STAGE STATION (GREGG'S TAVERN)
The Sapello Stage Station, a National Historic Landmark, resembles a well-preserved country inn.
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SAN MIGUEL COUNTY
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Las Vegas, New Mexico
BRIDGE STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT
With the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in 1879, downtown Las Vegas became more prosperous and new building materials arrived by rail.
DISTRITO DE LAS ESCUELAS
These sites are the earliest homes in Las Vegas. Many of the homes are constructed of traditional adobe with flat roofs and predate 1846.
DOUGLAS-SIXTH STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT
By 1900, the district boasted some of the finest Victorian commercial buildings in New Mexico.
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SANTA FE COUNTY
GLORIETA PASS BATTLEFIELD (PIGEON'S RANCH)
This adobe building is all that remains of Alexander Valle's 18-room stage station complex.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
AMELIA WHITE PARK
This small city park on the NE corner of Old Santa Fe Trail and Camino Corrales was given to the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico by philanthropist Amelia White.
BARRIO DE ANALCO HISTORIC DISTRICT
A working class neighborhood of Spanish Colonial design, the Barrio is characterized by adobe brick, flat-roofed, pueblo-style buildings found throughout the region.
EL ZAGUAN
Behind El Zaguan was once a corral where freighters on the Old Santa Fe Trail kept their oxen, horses and mules while in town.
FEDERAL BUILDING/WPA PROJECT
Six large murals by William P. Henderson were funded by the WPA Project and installed in 1938 and can be viewed in the lobby.
FORT MARCY
Photo shows the earthen mounds of Fort Marcy, atop Fort Marcy Hill. This Certified Site of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail is located in the Santa Fe Historic District.
FORT MARCY OFFICERS' RESIDENCE
Built in 1870 as part of the Fort Marcy compound, it was one of 7 officers' quarters built along Lincoln and Grant Avenues.
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UNION COUNTY
CAPULIN VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Capulin Volcano National Monument protects and preserves a perfectly symmetrical volcanic crater, an outstanding example of an extinct cinder cone.
Clayton, New Mexico
CLAYTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS HISTORIC DISTRICT/WPA
This school in Clayton, New Mexico, built in Pueblo Revival architectural style, is a 1930's WPA product.
EKLUND HOTEL, DINING ROOM & SALOON
The Eklund is a three-story, native sandstone building, built 1892-1905 by Swedish immigrant Carl Eklund.
