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Links: Exposition | ||
« About Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway » These links will open in a new browser window on your desktop. When you're finished surfing, close the window to return to this page. | ||
 National Scenic Byways Online has a thorough complement of pages about the Geronimo Trail, including information on many of its attractions. It's a frame-based site utilizing advanced content generation, so the best way to view it is to go to the home page and navigate to the Geronimo Trail section. (If you really want to cut to the chase, you can look at their overall description and "must see" recommendations - but be advised that the links from these pages won't work outside of the frames-based display you get from starting at their home page.) In November 1999, Sunset Magazine ran a brief article titled On The Trail Of Geronimo about the Geronimo Trail. You can see it on the web, sans photos. Jim Burns writes about the Geronimo Trail on his personal website. He was struck by the solitude in the Gila National Forest north of the Aldo Leopold Wilderness. Edited excerpts: "Yesterday, I pulled onto the shoulder along New Mexico 59 to stop and enjoy the cool mountain morning. I noted that 30 minutes had passed without seeing a single vehicle (nor even the sound of a vehicle, a chainsaw, etc.). And so it went after an hour, and then two hours. I had to remind myself that I was on a paved state highway in the middle of a weekday in July, the peak of New Mexico's tourist season. The solitude is a shock (and an adjustment), but one that is good for the soul." In their March/April 2000 issue, Home And Away Magazine ("The AAA Magazine of Mid-America") ran an article titled Path to Enchantment about the Geronimo Trail and another scenic byway that overlaps part of it, the Gila Cliff Dwellings Inner Loop. Edited excerpts: "Though it lacks the high profile the northern part of the state enjoys, southwest New Mexico and its 28,000-square-mile expanse possesses some of the Land of Enchantment's most stunning scenery and searing history. The visitor is cosseted by a surprisingly green, cool, forested paradise where bear, elk, cougar and deer cavort - the land knowledgeable New Mexicans simply call 'God's Country.'" You can see this article on the web, sans photos. Motorcyclist/diarist Sam Lepore, on his personal website, writes about the mountain roads in the back half of Interpretive Zone 2 and the front half of Interpretive Zone 3. Edited excerpts: "The Geronimo Trail is one of the twistiest roads I've ever met. In the 22 straight-line miles from Hillsboro to San Lorenzo, the highway covers 33 road miles. That is a 50% squiggle factor! These curves are so tight, I was watching the GPS indicator spin in 180 degree increments. It usually notches its way around a turn, but some of the turns were less distance than the GPS precision measurement, so when it next sensed itself - it was traveling in the opposite direction. And the road to the Gila Cliff Dwellings climbs and twists along the Mogollon Rim with look-down-on-the-world views that rival Blue Canyon in California." A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. Here's a really big picture - just one - with the simple caption "Geronimo Trail, southwestern New Mexico." Though not specifically about the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, these beautiful pages from The Visitor's Guide of Southern New Mexico go a long way toward doing justice to the stunning attractions of the area. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Guide when you visit the area. Similarly, this article about Sierra County from a 1997 issue of Southern New Mexico Magazine isn't precisely about Geronimo Trail - but everything in the article (with one exception) is on the Byway. (This magazine has gorgeous photos.) Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you. | ||
Go to: « Geronimo Trail Home Page » | ||
| « The History of The Area and Its Early Inhabitants » These links will open in a new browser window on your desktop. When you're finished surfing, close the window to return to this page. | ||
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This brief history of the Gila Wilderness from Onroute approximates the early history of the general area of the Geronimo Trail. The emphasis is on the native people: "The troubles between foreigners and the Apache had their roots during the Spanish period, from about 1600. The inevitable result of Spanish settlement in the nearby Santa Cruz Valley and the Rio Grande Valley to the east was an ongoing conflict for power over the land." A longer, but still extremely concise, general history of the Apaches from Gettysburg College helps define the cultural clashes that occurred with the arrival of the Spaniards and the Europeans. "The Apaches, like most Native Americans, have no written history other than that written by white men. In recent years studies of Indian artifacts and dialects have led to a chronicle of their lives prior to the arrival on this continent of white settlers." A wider perspective is presented in this statewide history from the New Mexico Department of Tourism website. "In this land where water is sacred, history laps against our dry shores like ripples in a mighty river. Pre-historic and historic events - wandering tribes invading from the north, Spanish and Mexicans from the south, other Europeans from the east - are islands in that stream, dividing it into rivulets that reunite farther along." The non-Indian history of this area is vibrant as well. New Mexico Ghost Towns... and Other Little-Known Places, hosted by Viva New Mexico, brings us the seldom-seen and long-forgotten. "The Land of Enchantment still echoes with voices from its colorful past. These voices speak especially clearly from the ghost towns, mining camps, and little-known places that populate New Mexico's landscape." Ghost Town Guidelines is actually a page from the New Mexico Ghost Towns site above - but it warrants its own listing here. As a matter of fact, it warrants (and has) its own listing under several of the categories in this compendium of links. The advice it contains is completely appropriate for traveling on and around the Geronimo Trail. Please read it, remember it, and follow its suggestions. Thanks. This is fun: An 1895 map of New Mexico! This is a big download, and will take five minutes or more - unless you're on one of them high-speed connections. If you prefer, the map can also be downloaded county-by-county. Most of the Geronimo Trail is in Sierra County, with smaller bits in Grant and Catron. However, Catron County didn't exist in 1895; it was part of Socorro County. We did an overlay of the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway route (in red) and the Alternate Loop (in blue) on this map to see how it would turn out. Interesting. (Want more? Check out the Historic US Maps links at Geography.com, or browse the over 10,500 cartographic links at Odden's.) Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you. | ||
Go to: « History » | ||
| « Geronimo » These links will open in a new browser window on your desktop. When you're finished surfing, close the window to return to this page. | ||
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A biographical sketch of Geronimo on the Indigenous Peoples Survival Foundation website. (The astute reader of this and the following links may note discrepancies between them - such as different places given for Geronimo's birth, and how he acquired his name. It's all part of the enigma...) A detailed exposition of events surrounding Geronimo's 1886 surrender to General Miles in Skeleton Canyon, as told on the Southern New Mexico Online website. Who better to tell a story than the person who lived it? Here's all 21 chapters of Geronimo's autobiography - Geronimo: His Own Story - courtesy the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. Want to know more of the fascinating details? Take a look at this bibliography of suggested titles about Geronimo and the Apaches. Many of these books are available at the Geronimo Springs Museum in Truth or Consequences. | ||
Go to: « Geronimo » | ||
| « Festivals » These links will open in a new browser window on your desktop. When you're finished surfing, close the window to return to this page. | ||
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A good, descriptive story about the annual Balloon Regatta at Elephant Butte Lake State Park from the Southern New Mexico Online website. A short news release from REDTT about the Cuchillo Pecan Festival: "Festival Offers Homemade Pecan Treats." A short news release from REDTT about the Winston Spring Fiesta: "Winston Spring Fiesta To Feature Burro Races, Cow Chip Poker." (No photos, sadly.) A story about the 51st annual Truth or Consequences Fiesta from the Truth or Consequences Herald. One of the most celebrated annual events in the area is the Hillsboro Apple Festival. The folks at Southern New Mexico Online offer two stories about this event: "The Hillsboro Apple Festival - A Town Transformed Over Labor Day Weekend" and "The Year the Apple Festival Ended Early." A short news release from REDTT about Geronimo Days in Truth or Consequences: "Geronimo Days Features Multicultural Blend of Entertainment, Fun." (Related: because he's a regular performer at Geronimo Days, here's the website of Nelson Martinez. He's a television news anchor! He's a mariachi singer! Only in New Mexico...) A short news release from REDTT about the Veteran's Day Car Show in Truth or Consequences: "T or C Veteran Car Show To Feature More than 100 Vehicles." (Automobile buffs should also check out Callahan's Auto Museum in Truth or Consequences.) Quilt lovers, take note. Here's Betty Reynolds' personal website with several detail shots taken at the Second Annual Sierra County Quilt Show in Truth or Consequences. There are additional festivals and events in the area of the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway: The New Year's Boat Parade at Elephant Butte Lake, Christmas In The Foothills in Hillsboro, The New Mexico Old Time Fiddler's State Contest in Truth or Consequences, 4th of July Fireworks at Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Second Saturday in May in Hillsboro, Sierra County Fair in Truth or Consequences, and more. Check out the following calendars listing the events above and others throughout the state: The calendar at the New Mexico Department Of Tourism website. (You can order a free Vacation Guide from them, too; call 800-733-6396 extension 0643, or do it online.) A calendar provided by REDTT - Rural Economic Development Through Tourism. (This page is part of NM Quest, "a unique, categorized resource of internet links to make it easier to self-plan the ultimate New Mexico vacation!") Events and programs at New Mexico's state parks are listed at this page from the State Parks division of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you. | ||
Go to: « Festivals » | ||
|Exposition:« About Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway » « The History of The Area and Its Early Inhabitants » « Geronimo » « Festivals » |Zone 1 South:« Truth or Consequences » « Williamsburg » « Las Palomas » « Caballo » « Caballo Lake » « Percha Dam » |Zone 2:« Hillsboro » « Lake Valley » « Kingston » « Gila National Forest » « Black Range Mountains » « City of Rocks » « Santa Rita » « San Lorenzo » |Zone 3:« Mimbres » « Gila National Forest » « Gila Wilderness » « Lake Roberts » « Gila Hot Springs » « Gila Cliff Dwellings » « Aldo Leopold Wilderness » « Wall Lake » « Beaverhead Work Center »| |Zone 4:« Winston » « Chloride » « Cuchillo » « Placita » « Monticello » |Zone 1 North:« Elephant Butte » « Elephant Butte Lake State Park » « Engle » |Beyond: « Greater Southern New Mexico » « Greater New Mexico » | ||
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