Horsehead Crossing
Encyclopedia
Horsehead Crossing is a ford on the Pecos River
, Crane County, Texas. Historically it was major landmark on the trail west as one of a few fordable sections of the Pecos in West Texas
, and as a first source of water for about 75 miles on the route from the east.
General location as marked by state historical marker is 31°14' N, 102°29' W, though there is debate as to possible alternate locations in that area.
down into Mexico, and probably a prehistoric crossing by earlier Native Americans.
The ford was mapped in 1849 by Randolph B. Marcy
, head of army escort for parties on way to California gold rush on the San Antonio-El Paso Road
. In 1858, the crossing became an important stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail
route from St. Louis to San Francisco. In 1866, Charles Goodnight
and Oliver Loving
blazed their famous cattle-trail
, which came to this point and turned upriver.
Decline of cattle drives and completion of two railroads across west Texas in the early 1880s caused abandonment of the crossing.
Source of the name "Horsehead" has been attributed to horse skulls said to have marked the banks. This may have been due to Comanches that marked the crossing for easier location, or the abundance of animals that died at the crossing from drowning, quick-sand, or over-drinking while being driven along the Comanche Trail returning from Mexico.
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
, Crane County, Texas. Historically it was major landmark on the trail west as one of a few fordable sections of the Pecos in West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
, and as a first source of water for about 75 miles on the route from the east.
General location as marked by state historical marker is 31°14' N, 102°29' W, though there is debate as to possible alternate locations in that area.
HISTORY
Horsehead Crossing was primary crossing on the Pecos for the Comanche Trail from the Llano EstacadoLlano Estacado
Llano Estacado , commonly known as the Staked Plains, is a region in the Southwestern United States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and northwestern Texas, including the South Plains and parts of the Texas Panhandle...
down into Mexico, and probably a prehistoric crossing by earlier Native Americans.
The ford was mapped in 1849 by Randolph B. Marcy
Randolph B. Marcy
Randolph Barnes Marcy was a career officer in the United States Army, achieving the rank of Brigadier General before retiring in 1881. Although beginning in 1861 his responsibilities were those of a brigadier general, the U.S...
, head of army escort for parties on way to California gold rush on the San Antonio-El Paso Road
San Antonio-El Paso Road
The San Antonio-El Paso Road also known as the Lower Emigrant Road or Military Road was an economically important trade route between the Texas cities of San Antonio and El Paso between 1849 and 1882...
. In 1858, the crossing became an important stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
route from St. Louis to San Francisco. In 1866, Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight
Charles Goodnight, also known as Charlie Goodnight , was a cattle rancher in the American West, perhaps the best known rancher in Texas. He is sometimes known as the "father of the Texas Panhandle." Essayist and historian J...
and Oliver Loving
Oliver Loving
Oliver Loving was a cattle rancher and pioneer of the cattle drive who with Charles Goodnight developed the Goodnight-Loving Trail. He was mortally wounded by Indians while on a cattle drive. Loving County, the smallest county in the United States in population, is named in his honor.Loving was...
blazed their famous cattle-trail
Goodnight–Loving Trail
The Goodnight-Loving Trail was a trail used in the cattle drives of the late 1860s for the large-scale movement of Texas Longhorns. It is named after cattlemen Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving....
, which came to this point and turned upriver.
Decline of cattle drives and completion of two railroads across west Texas in the early 1880s caused abandonment of the crossing.
Source of the name "Horsehead" has been attributed to horse skulls said to have marked the banks. This may have been due to Comanches that marked the crossing for easier location, or the abundance of animals that died at the crossing from drowning, quick-sand, or over-drinking while being driven along the Comanche Trail returning from Mexico.