Rayado, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rayado, New Mexico
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Kit Carson Museum, Rayado, New Mexico
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Colfax |
| Elevation | 6,510 ft (1,980 m) |
| GNIS feature ID | 915884 |
Rayado is a historic place in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. It was the first lasting community in the county. Rayado was also a very important stop along the famous Santa Fe Trail.
The name Rayado comes from a Spanish word meaning "streaked." This might refer to the lines Lucien Maxwell drew to mark out land lots.
In the 1920s, some of the land in Rayado was bought by Waite Phillips. He later gave this land to the Boy Scouts of America. Today, it is part of the large Philmont Scout Ranch.
Rayado is home to several interesting historical spots. These include the Kit Carson Museum, the Maxwell-Abreu house, the Martinez house, and the Holy Child chapel. You can also see La Posta, which was a stagecoach stop on the Santa Fe Trail back in the 1850s.
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Exploring Rayado's History and Location
Rayado is located where two important paths of the Santa Fe Trail met. These were the mountain branch and the Cimarron Trail, which led to Fort Leavenworth.
The town sits at about 6,509 feet (1,984 meters) above sea level. It is along State Route 21, right at the southeast edge of Philmont Scout Ranch. Just a mile south, you can see a flat-topped hill called Kit Carson Mesa. This type of hill is common in the southwestern United States.
You can also find Rayado Mesa about 5 miles (8 kilometers) southeast of Rayado. And Rayado Peak is about 7 miles (11 kilometers) west of Rayado on the Philmont Scout Ranch. It stands tall at 9,805 feet (2,988 meters).
Lucien Maxwell started Rayado in 1848, right after the Mexican–American War. It was the first community built on the plains of New Mexico, east of the mountain valleys. It was hard to get people to settle there because of challenges from local Native American tribes. So, Maxwell convinced Kit Carson, a famous frontiersman, to move there in 1849. Carson's presence helped people feel safer.
Maxwell and his wife, Luis Beaubien, lived in Rayado before moving to Cimarron. The U.S. Army even had a small base in Rayado from 1850 until Fort Union opened.
Jesus Gil Abreu, who also married a Beaubien daughter, had his ranch house there. It was on the banks of the Rayado Creek from 1859 until he passed away in 1911. Rayado even had its own post office from 1873 to 1919.
Historic Buildings of Rayado
Kit Carson Museum: A Glimpse into the Past
The Kit Carson Museum is a building that looks like an old New Mexican home. The original building on this spot was likely built around 1850. However, it became very old and damaged by the 1940s. In 1948, Philmont Scout Ranch rebuilt it. They used the original foundations and a drawing from a family member to make it look like the first building.
The museum is built around a placita, which is a Spanish word for a small courtyard. This design helped protect the people inside from different Native American tribes, like the Jicarilla Apache and the Ute people.
The east side of the building has four museum rooms. Each room is set up with furniture and items from the past. The north part of the building has a large hall called la Sala, used for gatherings. The west part is for staff and not open to visitors. The south part has a Forge and other work areas.
The Maxwell-Abreu and Martinez houses are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They were first built as one big building around a placita. Lucian Maxwell started building them when he lived in Rayado. Over time, as the Abreu family used the property, some parts of the original building were taken down or used for other purposes.
Chapel of the Holy Child: A Place of Worship
The Chapel of the Holy Child was built around 1900 by the Abreu family. In 1911, they gave the chapel to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
La Posta: The Old Stagecoach Stop
La Posta was built around 1850 and served as a stagecoach stop. It was also used as a trading post and a post office for the community.
