Alamo Mucho Station facts for kids

Alamo Mocho Station, sometimes misspelled as Alamo Mucho Station, was a key stop on the historic Butterfield Overland Mail route. This famous stagecoach line carried mail and passengers across the American West. The station was located south of the border in Baja California, Mexico. Its exact spot is about half a mile southeast of the Mexicali International Airport.

The name "Alamo Mocho" means "trimmed cottonwood." Cottonwood trees are often found near water in the desert. Travelers would cut branches from these trees for wood. This was very helpful in such a dry and empty area. Finding cottonwood trees usually meant water was nearby, either on the surface or just below it.

A Look Back: The Story of Alamo Mocho

Early Travelers and the Well

Long before the stagecoach line, Native Americans, Spaniards, and Mexicans used the Alamo Mocho Well. They traveled along the old Sonora Road. In 1847, American soldiers also used this well. Soldiers like Kearny and Cooke passed through during the Mexican–American War. If cottonwood trees were once near the well when it got its Spanish name, they were likely cut down long before the Americans arrived.

Why the Route Went South

The main reason the stagecoach route went south into Mexico was the Algodones Dunes. These are huge sand dunes west of Fort Yuma. They stretch for over 50 miles and were impossible for wagons to cross back then.

The route followed the Colorado River south from Fort Yuma. It then turned west near Pilot Knob. Here, the path went south of the dunes. It followed temporary water channels, called sloughs. These sloughs were fed by the Alamo River when the Colorado River overflowed in the spring.

Water in the Desert

When the Colorado River flooded, the water flowed west along these sloughs. It reached the area of Alamo Mocho Well. It also flowed to a volcanic lake near Cerro Prieto and down the New River. This could extend up to 60 miles west of the Colorado River. Sometimes, if there was a lot of flooding, the water might even flow north to the Salton Sink.

After these spring floods, water would remain in ponds and lakes. The water would slowly soak into the ground before drying up. Even in dry years, wells could be dug here to find water. This was very important in the otherwise dry desert. Cottonwood trees, which love water, grew along the Colorado River and in these sloughs.

Alamo Mocho's Location and Importance

Alamo Mocho Station was built near one of these small, shallow lake basins. It was along the path of the Alamo River. The station was about 38 miles east of Indian Wells Station. It was also 22 miles west of the Cooke's Wells Station.

At first, Alamo Mocho was the only water stop between Indian Wells on the New River and Cooke's Wells. As the mail route became more popular, improvements were made. New wells and stations were added. These included New River Station between Indian Wells and Alamo Mocho. Also, Gardner's Wells Station and Salt or Seven Wells were added between Alamo Mocho and Cooke's Wells.

A Soldier's Report

In October 1861, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph R. West marched east along the mail route. He described Alamo Mocho on October 31, about six months after the stage line stopped using the route:

The Alamo is another old deserted mail station. There is a well thirty feet deep, providing good water. Animals can now use a lagoon, half a mile southwest from the house. Within 350 yards of the house, the road to Fort Yuma branches off to the left. The right-hand fork leads to the Mariposa ferry, thirty-six miles away. It goes down the Colorado thirty miles from Fort Yuma. That route can be used well by anyone who knows the water lagoons. These are in thickets off the road and hard for strangers to find.

The Site Today

Today, the original site of Alamo Mocho Station is completely hidden. This is due to farming and the building of canals for the Colorado and Alamo River waters in Mexico during the 1900s.