San Acacia, New Mexico facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Acacia, New Mexico
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 San Acacia, New Mexico
Location in New Mexico
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| Country | United States |
| State | New Mexico |
| County | Socorro County |
| Elevation | 4,669 ft (1,423 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 2584198 |
San Acacia is a small community in Socorro County, New Mexico, in the United States. It is an unincorporated community, meaning it is not officially part of a city or town. It is also a census-designated place, which is a special area the government uses for counting people.
San Acacia was once a busy railway town. Today, it is much quieter, with many buildings empty. A very important dam is nearby on the Rio Grande river. This dam helps move water for farming.
Contents
Where is San Acacia?
This small village is located along the Rio Grande river. It sits in a large valley called the Albuquerque Basin. San Acacia is about 22 miles (35 km) south of Bernardo. It is also about 14 miles (23 km) north of Socorro.
You can find San Acacia just off Interstate 25 at exit 163. The village is close to the southern edge of the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. The part of the Rio Grande river that goes south to the Elephant Butte Reservoir is named after San Acacia.
How San Acacia Started and Grew
The community was first called San Acacio. The Spanish settlers named it after Saint Acacius. He was an early Christian saint. In 1855, a man named John W. Garretson set up a special point here. This point is used as a starting reference for all maps of New Mexico.
San Acacio became important in 1878. This was when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built its tracks through Socorro County. The railway followed the Rio Grande river on its way to El Paso, Texas. When the railway came, the official name of the town was accidentally changed to San Acacia.
Floods and Changes
The amount of water in the Rio Grande river near San Acacia changes a lot. In April, the river might have only a little water. But in May, when snow melts, the water can rise very high. In the summer, most of the water comes from sudden, heavy rains. These rains cause flash floods that flow into the river.
San Acacia is a few miles south of where two other rivers, the Rio Puerco and Rio Salado, join the Rio Grande. In August 1929, there were huge rains in the areas where these rivers start. This caused big floods from San Acacia all the way to San Marcial. More floods happened a month later. They damaged the railway and destroyed all the crops in the valley.
Because of these changes and floods, San Acacia is not as busy as it once was. Many old buildings, including the church, are now empty.
The San Acacia Dam
In 1906, people thought about building a dam in the narrow valley at San Acacia. They wanted to build a very tall and long dam. However, the ground there was not strong enough. The rock was thin and sat on loose sand and gravel. This meant a dam might leak a lot of water.
A different kind of dam, called a diversion dam, was built in 1934. It was built for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. This dam helps move water from the river into channels for farming. The United States Bureau of Reclamation fixed it up in 1957.
The dam is 17 feet (5.2 m) high and 700 feet (210 m) long. It is made of concrete and has 29 gates. This dam can move a lot of water for the farms in the Socorro area.
In 2003, a report noted that dirt and sand were building up above the dam. Also, the river channels below the dam had become much narrower. The river had also dug a deeper path, making the water flow faster. This made it hard for fish to swim upstream. The report suggested adding special structures to slow the water down. This would help dirt settle and make it easier for fish to travel. A 2005 report even thought about removing the dam completely.
Education
Children in San Acacia go to schools in the Socorro Consolidated Schools district. The main high school for the area is Socorro High School.
See also
In Spanish: San Acacia (Nuevo México) para niños
