New Mexico Bootheel
Encyclopedia
New Mexico's Bootheel comprises the southwestern corner of New Mexico
. As part of the Gadsden Purchase
it is bounded on the east by the Mexican
state of Chihuahua along a line at 31°47′0"N 108°12′30"W extending south to latitude 31°20′0″N at 31°20′0"N 108°12′30"W. The bootheel's southern border is shared between the Mexican States of Chihuahua and Sonora
along latitude 31°20′0″N, while the western border with Arizona
is along meridian
109°03′0″W at 31°20′0"N 109°03′0"W, bounding an area of 50 by 30 miles (48.3 km) and comprising 1500 square miles (3,885 km²).
It is characterized by basin and range
topography with three north south trending mountain ranges, the Peloncillo Mountains
, the Animas Mountains
, and the Big Hatchet Mountains
, separated by four valleys, the San Simon
, Animas
, Playas
, and Hachita Valley
s. A single road traverses just north of the bootheel, New Mexico State Road 9
, while New Mexico State Road 80 skirts the western edge running south through the San Simon Valley. The other two roads in the bootheel are State Road 338 running down Animas Valley and State Road 81 running from Hachita to Antelope Wells, a border crossing.
The bootheel is known primarily as a cattle
ranching area with the best known ranch being the 500 square miles (1,295 km²) Diamond A Ranch in the Animas Valley. Although mining also played a part in the development of the bootheel with the abandoned mining town of old Hachita. Land ownership is divided between publicly owned state and federal lands covering much of the mountain ranges and private lands in the valleys. The Bootheel's only settlement is Antelope Wells, while the towns of Rodeo
, Animas
, and Hachita lie just to the northwest, north, and northeast respectively. The former Phelps Dodge
mining town of Playas
is now a training facility for the United States Department of Homeland Security
.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. As part of the Gadsden Purchase
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased by the United States in a treaty signed by James Gadsden, the American ambassador to Mexico at the time, on December 30, 1853. It was then ratified, with changes, by the U.S...
it is bounded on the east by the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Chihuahua along a line at 31°47′0"N 108°12′30"W extending south to latitude 31°20′0″N at 31°20′0"N 108°12′30"W. The bootheel's southern border is shared between the Mexican States of Chihuahua and Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
along latitude 31°20′0″N, while the western border with Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
is along meridian
Meridian (geography)
A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...
109°03′0″W at 31°20′0"N 109°03′0"W, bounding an area of 50 by 30 miles (48.3 km) and comprising 1500 square miles (3,885 km²).
It is characterized by basin and range
Basin and Range
The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
topography with three north south trending mountain ranges, the Peloncillo Mountains
Peloncillo Mountains (Hidalgo County)
The Peloncillo Mountains of Hidalgo County, , is a major 35-mi long mountain range of southwest New Mexico's Hidalgo County, and also part of the New Mexico Bootheel region. The range continues to the northwest into Arizona as the Peloncillo Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona...
, the Animas Mountains
Animas Mountains
The Animas Mountains are a small mountain range in Hidalgo County, within the "Boot-Heel" region of far southwestern New Mexico, in the United States. They extend north-south for about 30 miles along the Continental Divide, from near the town of Animas to a few miles north of the border with...
, and the Big Hatchet Mountains
Big Hatchet Mountains
The Big Hatchet Mountains are an 18 mi long, mountain range in southeast Hidalgo County, New Mexico, adjacent the northern border of Chihuahua state, Mexico....
, separated by four valleys, the San Simon
San Simon Valley
The San Simon Valley is a broad valley east of the Chiricahua Mountains, in the northeast corner of Cochise County, Arizona and southeastern Graham County, with a small portion near Antelope Pass in Hidalgo County of southwestern New Mexico. The valley trends generally north-south but in its...
, Animas
Animas Valley
The Animas Valley is a lengthy and narrow, north-south 85 mi long, valley located in western Hidalgo County, New Mexico in the Bootheel Region; the extreme south of the valley lies in Chihuahua, in the northwest of the Chihuahuan Desert, the large desert region of the north-central Mexican...
, Playas
Playas Valley
The Playas Valley is a lengthy and narrow 60-mi long, valley located in Hidalgo County, New Mexico in the Bootheel Region; the extreme south of the valley lies in Chihuahua. Playas, NM is located in the northeast...
, and Hachita Valley
Hachita Valley
The Hachita Valley, , is a small valley in southwest New Mexico. The valley is in the east of the New Mexico Bootheel region and borders Chihuahua state, Mexico...
s. A single road traverses just north of the bootheel, New Mexico State Road 9
New Mexico State Road 9
State Road 9 is a long state road in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The highway spans Hidalgo, Grant, and Luna counties from to at the Doña Ana county line.-Route description:...
, while New Mexico State Road 80 skirts the western edge running south through the San Simon Valley. The other two roads in the bootheel are State Road 338 running down Animas Valley and State Road 81 running from Hachita to Antelope Wells, a border crossing.
The bootheel is known primarily as a cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
ranching area with the best known ranch being the 500 square miles (1,295 km²) Diamond A Ranch in the Animas Valley. Although mining also played a part in the development of the bootheel with the abandoned mining town of old Hachita. Land ownership is divided between publicly owned state and federal lands covering much of the mountain ranges and private lands in the valleys. The Bootheel's only settlement is Antelope Wells, while the towns of Rodeo
Rodeo, New Mexico
Rodeo, is an unincorporated town in Hidalgo County in the southwestern corner of New Mexico at . It lies less than one mile from the border with Arizona on New Mexico State Highway 80....
, Animas
Animas, New Mexico
Animas is an unincorporated community in west central Hidalgo County, New Mexico, United States, in the southwestern corner of the state. It lies at the intersection of State Roads 9 and 338 south of the city of Lordsburg, the county seat of Hidalgo County. Its elevation is 4,406 feet , and...
, and Hachita lie just to the northwest, north, and northeast respectively. The former Phelps Dodge
Phelps Dodge
Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 by Anson Greene Phelps and William Earle Dodge, Sr.. On March 19, 2007, it was acquired by Freeport-McMoRan and now operates under the name Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.-History:...
mining town of Playas
Playas, New Mexico
Playas was a small unincorporated town in Hidalgo County, the "bootheel" of the southwestern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico.It is a former company town, named after a nearby former settlement along the Southern Pacific Railroad...
is now a training facility for the United States Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
.