Stein's Pass facts for kids

Stein's Pass is a natural opening or a low point in the Peloncillo Mountains in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. It's like a natural pathway through the mountains. This pass was named after United States Army Major Enoch Steen. He camped near here in 1856 while exploring land that the U.S. had recently bought from Mexico, known as the Gadsden Purchase. Stein's Pass is a canyon carved into the mountains. A stream called Steins Creek flows through it, heading west from the highest point of the pass.

History of Stein's Pass

Stein's Pass and the canyon of Steins Creek made it easy to travel through the Peloncillo Mountains. It connected the Animas Valley and the San Simon Valley.

Early Travelers and Gold Rush Routes

In 1849, during the California Gold Rush, American travelers found a shorter wagon road through this pass. It was a shortcut from Cooke's Wagon Road, which went from Santa Fe to Tucson and then to California. At that time, the pass was part of Mexican territory.

Mexican soldiers knew about the pass. They helped a group of "forty-niners" (people seeking gold) led by John Coffee Hays. They guided them west from a place called Peloncillo Ranch, through Stein's Pass, and then to other important locations like Apache Pass and the San Pedro River. This new route helped travelers avoid a much longer journey south to Guadalupe Pass in Mexico.

Important Trails and Stagecoach Routes

Later, Stein's Pass became a main part of the Southern Emigrant Trail. This trail was a major route for people moving west. The San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line, a mail delivery service, also used this route. However, they chose a different pass called Dragoon Pass instead of Nugent's Pass because it was shorter.

For a while, the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach used a different, shorter route through Doubtful Canyon. But when the Apache War started with Cochise, that route became too dangerous. So, the Stein's Pass route became the preferred choice again for many years.

Railroad and Modern Travel

The Southern Pacific Railroad later built its tracks through Stein's Pass to cross the Peloncillo Mountains. A train station, which later grew into the town of Steins, was founded just east of the pass's highest point.

Today, the modern Interstate 10 highway also goes through Stein's Pass, continuing its long history as an important travel corridor.