Catron County, New Mexico facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Catron County
U.S. county
Catron County Courthouse in Reserve
Location within the U.S. state of New Mexico
New Mexico's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Founded	February 25, 1921
Named for	Thomas B. Catron
Seat	Reserve
Largest village	Reserve
Area
• Total	6,929 sq mi (17,950 km²)
• Land	6,924 sq mi (17,930 km²)
• Water	5.5 sq mi (14 km²) 0.08%%
Population (2020)
• Total	3,579
• Density	0.52/sq mi (0.20/km²)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Catron County is a large county in the state of New Mexico, United States. In 2020, about 3,579 people lived there. This makes it the third-least populated county in New Mexico. The main town and county seat is Reserve. Catron County is the biggest county in New Mexico by land area.

History of Catron County

People have lived in the Catron County area for a very long time. Some of the earliest settlements in North America were here.

Ancient Cultures

During the Clovis culture period (around 10,999 BC to 8,000 BC) and the Folsom tradition period (around 7,999 BC to 5,999 BC), the Ake Site near Datil was a busy place. Bat Cave, near Horse Springs, was used around 3,500 BC.

The Mogollon culture people, known for their beautiful art, lived in the Catron County area from about AD 1000 to 1130. They are famous for their Mimbres pottery.

Spanish and Mexican Rule

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers and settlers arrived. In 1598, they claimed the area as part of Santa Fé de Nuevo México. This was a province of New Spain in the Americas.

Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821. The region then became part of the Territory of New Mexico under Mexican rule.

Becoming Part of the U.S.

After the Mexican–American War, Mexico gave this region to the U.S. in 1848. This was part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The territory officially became a U.S. state in 1912.

Mining and Old West Figures

In 1880, Sergeant James C. Cooney found silver and gold in the mountains of Catron County. He was later killed by Chiricahua Apache warriors. His burial place is known as Cooney's Tomb.

The mountains and canyons here were good hiding spots for Apache warriors. Famous leaders like Cochise and Geronimo used to hide in the county. In 1880, Buffalo Soldiers led by Sergeant George Jordan fought and defeated Apache warriors in the Battle of Fort Tularosa. Later, in 1884, sheriff Elfego Baca became a local hero after a famous shootout.

The area also attracted well-known outlaws. In the mid-1880s, Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch gang hid at a ranch near Alma. The outlaw Tom Ketchum also lived in Catron County around this time.

County Formation

Catron County was officially created in 1921. It was named after Thomas B. Catron, who helped New Mexico become a state. He was also New Mexico's first U.S. senator.

In the late 1970s, a large art project called The Lightning Field brought national attention to Quemado.

Geography of Catron County

Catron County covers a total area of about 6,929 square miles. Most of this is land, with a small amount of water.

New Mexico's Largest County

Catron County is the largest county in New Mexico by area. It is almost 7,000 square miles, which is bigger than four U.S. states! Even though it's huge, only about 3,400 people live here. This makes it very spread out, like the old Wild West. There are actually more elk (about 12,000) than people in the county!

National Forests and Towns

Parts of the Gila National Forest, the Apache National Forest, and the Cibola National Forest are within Catron County. The town of Reserve, the county seat, got its name because it was near these "forest reserves." There are no traffic lights in the entire county. When people take driving tests in Reserve, they have to set up a portable stop light!

Catron County is on the border with Arizona. It offers the shortest route between Albuquerque and cities like Phoenix or Tucson.

Natural Features

Catron County has a volcanic area called Burning Mountain. Until recently, it was warm enough to create steam after it rained. The Apache people may have used it for healing. The county also has the Red Hill Volcanic Field and the Plains of San Agustin.

Mountains

Black Mountain
Black Range
Datil Mountains
Diablo Range
Gallo Mountains
Mangas Mountains
Mogollon Mountains
Saliz Mountains
San Francisco Mountains
Tularosa Mountains
Whitewater Baldy

Bodies of Water

San Francisco River
Tularosa River
Rio Salado
Middle Fork Hot Springs
Jordan Hot Springs (New Mexico)
Turkey Creek Hot Springs
Quemado Lake
Zuni Salt Lake

Forests

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
Blue Range Wilderness
Cibola National Forest
Gila Wilderness
Gila National Forest
Whitewater Canyon National Forest Recreation Area

Neighboring Counties

National Protected Areas

Apache National Forest (part)
Cibola National Forest (part)
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila National Forest (part)

People of Catron County

Population Changes

The population of Catron County has changed over the years:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	3,282	—
1940	4,881	48.7%
1950	3,533	−27.6%
1960	2,773	−21.5%
1970	2,198	−20.7%
1980	2,720	23.7%
1990	2,563	−5.8%
2000	3,543	38.2%
2010	3,725	5.1%
2020	3,579	−3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010

2010 Census Information

In 2010, there were 3,725 people living in Catron County. Most people (about 89.8%) were white. About 2.7% were American Indian, and 19.0% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

The average age of people in the county was 55.8 years old.

Points of Interest

Ake Site - This is an ancient place near Datil. It's one of the oldest inhabited sites in the American Southwest. People lived here during the Clovis and Folsom periods, thousands of years ago.
Bat Cave - This cave was once covered by an ancient inland sea. In the 1940s and 50s, scientists found stone tools and even very old popcorn here! This shows people lived here as early as 3600 BCE.
Bearwallow Park
Bearwallow Mountain Lookout Cabins and Shed - These buildings were constructed in 1940. They are part of the historic structures in the Gila National Forest.
Black Mountain Lookout Cabin
Catwalk National Recreation Trail - This trail follows an old water system used for a mining town. Thousands of visitors enjoy walking on the Catwalk each year.
Cooney's Tomb - Located near Alma, this is a large boulder that marks the burial spot of James C. Cooney. He was a miner killed by Apaches in 1880.
El Caso Lake
El Caso Lookout Complex - Built in 1934, this was one of three forest fire lookouts built in Catron County.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila Wilderness
Glenwood State Trout Hatchery
Mangas Mountain Lookout Complex
Mogollon Historic District - Mogollon was a successful mining town with many historic buildings.
Mogollon Baldy Lookout Cabin
Mogollon Pueblo
The Lightning Fields - This is a huge outdoor art installation by Walter De Maria, covering 640 acres.
Tularosa River Site and Tularosa Ranger Station - This area has over 500 ancient rock carvings (petroglyphs) and a historic U.S. Forest Service building from the 1920s.
Whitewater Canyon National Forest Recreation Area
Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary - For thousands of years, the Pueblo people have traveled to Zuni Salt Lake to gather salt for cooking and ceremonies. Old roads lead from the lake to ancient pueblo sites.