There are a few historical
markers mentioning Hispanics
tracing the arduous footsteps of
the ghosts of ancestors…wagon
wheels and tracks left by the
mules and oxen hauling ore from
the south. Following Highway 90
out of Marathon, the former
Southern Pacific Railroad runs
parallel to the highway and cuts a
path along the foothills. Twenty
minutes out of Alpine is a granite
historical marker erected in 1936:
“…Mendoza camped at Paisano
Pass Jan. 3, 1684. Well known
after 1850 as a point on the
Chihuahua Trail, an emigrant
road to California.” Depending on
which source to believe during
which period of time, emigrants
were headed to California, but the
trail split into at least three trails
depicted in the 1958 book by
Moorehead: one cut-off would lead
to the Texas coast and Indianola,
and another to Missouri overland
for trade to the East.
After the Paisano Pass, the
prairie opens in both directions as
only the Trans-Pecos can do:
stretching to the left for miles to
the
southwest,
until
the
mountains of Mexico come into
focus through the haze; to the
right for miles to the northwest,
as the U.S. mountains appear
closer in blue and pink hues. Five
minutes later the railroad goes
under a pass near the Marfa
Lights viewing area and seems to
fork, and five more minutes
outside Marfa, a series of
markers: a granite marker erected
also in 1936 for “Presidio County;”
a 1961 marker for “Presidio, the
oldest town in America,” referring
to 1582, when the first wagon
train crossing into Texas was
headed by Antonio de Espejo.
Marfa to Las Cruces, three
hours 33 minutes and 240 miles.
(L to R) Father, Guillermo Ortiz who was one of the freighters hauling ore between Shafter and
Marfa in the 1900s, holding baby great-grandson (Victor Jr. Martinez), (oldest granddaughter) Lise
Martinez, Elisa holding lively great-granddaughter, Ashley Martinez.
Thirty-three miles from Van
Horn, a stop in Sierra Blanca is a
must. In downtown there are
several markers, but of special
note is a metal marker erected in
1968
and
titled
“Second
Transcontinental Railroad joined
here in 1881.” Though our hunt is
for the Chihuahua Trail, this
shows how connections in the 19th
century followed that historic
trail.
Another 15 miles down I-10 take
exit 78 and find 20 West onto CR
148 for Fort Hancock. This leg of
the journey was a real “Ah ha”
moment for the Chihuahua.
Envision that the green, irrigated
fields of alfalfa and flooded ditches
and canals sucking water from the
river to feed miles of nut trees
were not there. At the edge of a
field, there is a brick and concrete
bench…the only remains of the
Fort Hancock building which
housed the soldiers who held the
border from 1884 to 1895. It was
erected by the “Hudspeth Valley
Woman’s Club” in 1965. Less
than a mile away is the present-
day road to the border crossing;
the mammoth border wall at El
Porvenir is a stark contrast to the
agriculture fields, as is a Border
Patrol facility. Taken together
they remind me that more of the
trail that was shared between
nations is under private and
government ownership, and any
wagon trace from the land is
invisible, except perhaps by air.
Onward to El Paso, 55 miles and
mountain time, step back in time.
The
lovely
multi-cultural
community is such a relief after
the institutional starkness of the
militarized border. I-25 north,
about 30 miles north of El Paso,
the railroad appears again,
earthen dams used to hold water,
the low walls form fences
reinforced with wrought iron
around simple colorful homes,
stacked shoulder to shoulder like
villages in Mexico. Forty-six miles
when entering Las Cruces, New
Mexico, a state with a whole other
flavor. Route 66 is still celebrated
as the “Mother Road” which by
necessity was laid out over the
original “Royal Road” wagon
trails. Several scenic byways lead
out of Truth of Consequences, but
we missed the exit to Upham.
Next time, we are making time to
exit at Engel for the “Jornada del
Muerto” or “Journey of the
Deadman.” This is where the trail
leaves the Rio Grande and cuts 90
miles across the desert. We began
to explore the nicely paved road
and crossed two cattle guards
before deciding that heading into
the unknown would be foolish
without
more
water
and
preparation.
The website NewMexico.org
relates: “In 1598, Don Juan de
Onate led 500 colonists through
remote and unfamiliar country,
encountering people with different
languages and cultures…when
Onate reached the Piro Indian
pueblo of Teypana, his group was
near starvation. The Indians
welcomed and fed the colonists,
prompting Onate to name the
place for the Spanish word for
help, Socorro.”
“Strange, is it not? That of the
myriads who before us pass’d the
door of Darkness through, Not one
returns to tell us of the Road
Which to discover we must travel
too.”
Translated by Edward
Fitzgerald (1859), written by
Omar Khayyam (1070).
Thanks to David Keller for clarifying
the trail around Alpine.
Look for his
newly published work, In The Shadow of
the Chinatis, A History of Pinto Canyon
in the Big Bend, published 2019 Texas
A&M University Press and available at
local bookstores and online. The Sul Ross
University Library and Archives provided
hard-to-find books and journals, and
thanks to the Big Bend Museum map
collection for it’s amazing cartography.
Lastly, esta foto cortesia de Julia Pinedo,
and thanks for her patience to share her
deep knowledge.
Cenizo
Winter 2020
11