Chapter I: Front Matter

(_Forest Service, U.S.D.A., by John Whiteside_)
COVER: Redondo Peak, from Jemez Canyon

_Scenic Trips to the Geologic Past Series:_

No. 1—Santa Fe, New Mexico
No. 2—Taos—Red River—Eagle Nest, New Mexico, Circle Drive
No. 3—Roswell—Capitan—Ruidoso and Bottomless Lakes State Park, New
Mexico
No. 4—Southern Zuni Mountains, New Mexico
No. 5—Silver City—Santa Rita—Hurley, New Mexico
No. 6—Trail Guide to Geology of the Upper Pecos, New Mexico
No. 7—High Plains Northeastern New Mexico, Raton—Capulin
Mountain—Clayton
No. 8—Mosaic of New Mexico’s Scenery, Rocks, and History
No. 9—Albuquerque—Its Mountains, Valleys, Water, and Volcanoes
No. 10—Southwestern New Mexico
No. 11—Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
No. 12—The Story of Mining in New Mexico
No. 13—Española—Chama—Taos

SCENIC TRIPS TO THE GEOLOGIC PAST
NO. 8

_Mosaic of New Mexico’s
Scenery, Rocks, and History_

_edited by_
PAIGE W. CHRISTIANSEN
_and_
FRANK E. KOTTLOWSKI

NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES
1972

NEW MEXICO INSTITUTE OF MINING & TECHNOLOGY
Kenneth W. Ford, _President_

NEW MEXICO BUREAU OF MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES
Frank E. Kottlowski, _Director_
George S. Austin, _Deputy Director_

BOARD OF REGENTS
Ex Officio
Bruce King, _Governor of New Mexico_
Leonard DeLayo, _Superintendent of Public Instruction_

Appointed
Steve Torres, President, 1967-1985, _Socorro_
Dave Rice, Secretary-Treasurer, 1972-1983, _Carlsbad_
William G. Abbott, 1961-1985, _Hobbs_
Judy Floyd, 1977-1987, _Las Cruces_
Owen Lopez, 1977-1983, _Santa Fe_

BUREAU STAFF
Full Time

Marla D. Adkins, _Assistant Editor_
Orin J. Anderson, _Geologist_
Ruben Archuleta, _Technician I_
Robert A. Bieberman, _Senior Petrol. Geologist_
Steve Blodgett, _Assistant Editor_
Lynn A. Brandvold, _Chemist_
James Brannan, _Drafter_
Corale Brierley, _Chemical Microbiologist_
Ron Broadhead, _Petroleum Geologist_
Brenda R. Broadwell, _Assoc. Lab Geoscientist_
Jane A. Calvert, _Assistant Editor_
Frank Campbell, _Coal Geologist_
Richard Chamberlin, _Economic Geologist_
Charles E. Chapin, _Senior Geologist_
Jeanette Chavez, _Admin. Secretary I_
Richard R. Chavez, _Assistant Head, Petroleum_
Ruben A. Crespin, _Laboratory Technician II_
Lois M. Devlin, _Director, Bus.-Pub. Office_
Amelia Dondero, _Metallurgist_
Kathy C. Eden, _Editorial Technician_
Robert W. Eveleth, _Mining Engineer_
K. Babette Faris, _X-ray Lab. Manager_
Rousseau H. Flower, _Sr. Emeritus Paleontologist_
John W. Hawley, _Senior Env. Geologist_
Cindy Howell, _Staff Secretary_
Robert W. Kelley, _Editor & Geologist_
Arleen Lindsey, _Staff Secretary_
Mark Logsdon, _Industrial Minerals Geologist_
David W. Love, _Environmental Geologist_
Wess Mauldin, _Driller_
Virginia McLemore, _Geologist_
Lynne McNeil, _Staff Secretary_
Norma J. Meeks, _Department Secretary_
David Menzie, _Geologist_
Teresa Mueller, _Drafter_
Robert M. North, _Mineralogist_
Keith O’Brien, _Hydrologist_
JoAnne C. Osburn, _Coal Geologist_
Glenn R. Osburn, _Volcanologist_
Barbara R. Popp, _Lab. Biotechnologist_
Marshall A. Reiter, _Senior Geophysicist_
Jacques R. Renault, _Senior Geologist_
James M. Robertson, _Mining Geologist_
Gretchen H. Roybal, _Coal Geologist_
Amy Shacklett, _Asst. Lab Biotechnologist_
Jackie H. Smith, _Laboratory Technician IV_
William J. Stone, _Hydrogeologist_
Samuel Thompson III, _Senior Petrol. Geologist_
Judy M. Vaiza, _Executive Secretary_
Debra Vetterman, _Drafter_
Robert H. Weber, _Senior Geologist_
Betsy Wilson, _Receptionist/Clerk Typist_
Donald Wolberg, _Vertebrate Paleontologist_
Michael W. Wooldridge, _Scientific Illustrator_

Part Time

Christina L. Balk, _Geologist_
Howard B. Nickelson, _Coal Geologist_
Beverly Ohline, _Acting Director, Info. Services_
Thomas E. Zimmerman, _Chief Security Officer_

Graduate Students

Danny Bobrow
James T. Boyle
Gerry W. Clarkson
Mike Davidson
David R. Guilinger
Terry Jensen
Douglas L. Heath
Adrian Hunt
Ingrid Klich
Ione Lindley
Curtis Verpleough
John M. Wakefield
Mary Lynne Yates
John Young

Plus about 50 undergraduate assistants

_Third edition, 4th printing_

Published by Authority of State of New Mexico, NMSA 1953 Sec. 63-1-4

Printed by University of New Mexico Printing Plant, Albuquerque, April 1982

Available from New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Mineral Resources, Socorro, NM 87801 $4.00

Contents

3 Of Indians, Spaniards, and Americans, _Paige W. Christiansen_
16 The exotic plants of New Mexico, _Ross Calvin_
26 Dwellers in the hills and plains, _Levon Lee_
33 Rocks that shape the enchanting landscapes, _Frank E.
Kottlowski_
54 Before Coronado, _Robert H. Weber_
64 Frontier forts of New Mexico, _Robert A. Bieberman_
75 Our National Heritage
75 New Mexico’s big share of the National Park System, _H. V.
Reeves, Jr._
93 Forest lands above the desert, _Ruth Bush Jones_
104 The State Also Preserves
104 New Mexico State Monuments, _Museum of New Mexico Staff_
107 New Mexico State Parks, _The Editors_
113 Angling in the desert’s waters, _Fred A. Thompson_
119 The Indians of New Mexico, _Paige W. Christiansen_
133 Reminders of the past, _Paige W. Christiansen_
145 Derricks and mines, _George B. Griswold_
154 Enchanting landscapes, _Frank E. Kottlowski_
165 Index

Preface

Previous _Scenic Trips to the Geologic Past_ have emphasized scenic tours of local areas in New Mexico. This book lays out a mosaic of facts and fancies concerning the state’s landscapes, the rocks that underlie and make up the landscapes, and the history of the people now living or who have lived amid New Mexico’s exciting and varied scenery. We hope these short articles will help you enjoy our state, whether you are a tourist driving through at seventy miles an hour, a visitor with a little time to explore, or an old-timer who remembers the cattle drives.

The idea for this publication grew out of a booklet, _New Mexico Mosaic of Science and History_, that was written for the 1963 National Science Fair-International held in Albuquerque. The National Science Fair booklet was directed specifically to the Fair participants and emphasized their tours to famous scientific installations in New Mexico, areas of scenic geologic wonders, and points of historic and archeologic importance. The booklet had only limited distribution; subsequent interest in this kind of publication about New Mexico led to the preparation of this book.

Scenic Trips No. 8 is in two major parts. First, there are articles of general statewide interest to acquaint visitor and resident alike with the Land of Enchantment—its history, flora and fauna, geology, and scenic beauty. Second, there are articles describing specific scenic, geologic, historic, and recreational places to give a depth of understanding and a more intimate view of New Mexico. The entire mosaic of New Mexico thus presented is a permanent record to recall vistas of New Mexico’s enchanting land and fascinating history.

Acknowledgments

Many people have contributed their time and talents to this co-operative undertaking. We thank each of the authors of the articles; where their affiliation is not given, they are staff members of the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Professor Christiansen is a member of the Humanities Department of the Institute’s College division. This book would have been incomplete without the co-operation of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the Museum of New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Development, the State Park Commission, the U.S. Park Service, and the Forest Service, Southwestern Region, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our special appreciation goes to Dr. Ross Calvin for his interpretative description of New Mexico’s unique flora.

Black and white photographs were contributed by Robert Bieberman, Roy Foster, and Teri Ray of the Bureau of Mines staff and by the authors or their agencies. Some of the drawings were made by David H. Moneypenny. Acknowledgment is also made to Mr. Elliott S. Barker and the Forest Service for their willing loan of color transparencies.

Among the numerous personnel of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology who aided in preparation of this book, appreciation is due Helen Waxler, Lois Devlin, Lola White, Mary Ann Grandjean, and Sharon Ballenger for typing of manuscripts and William Arnold, Robert Price, and Raymond Molina for drafting maps and figures. Teri Ray deserves special mention for her interest and editorial advice and for nursing the material from rough manuscripts into printed pages.

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION

The kind reception given our attempt to provide a brief but comprehensive guide to New Mexico’s scenery, rocks, and history resulted in distribution of 5000 copies in two years, and led to this second edition. In this revision, we have incorporated changes that have occurred during these two years, especially the addition of State Parks, and Teri Ray has added an index to make the book more usable. Each author has re-edited his article and made changes where necessary. William Arnold added much material to the index map; typing of the revision manuscript was carefully done by Lois Devlin. Alfred Coulloudon and Wayne Bera supplied additional photographs. Teri Ray initiated revision of the first edition, worked with authors, and guided the manuscript from the authors to the final copy.