From birding to history, southern New Mexico offers plenty of adventures

RADIUM SPRINGS — Camping at Leasburg Dam State Park has changed considerably over the centuries.

Today, it’s possible to peer into the Orion Nebula when The Astronomical Society of Las Cruces hosts a star party here. Society members bring their own telescopes, but a 16-inch Meade LX200 is permanently mounted in an observatory.

When colonist Juan de Oñate led an expedition into New Mexico in 1598, his entourage camped here, but there are no records of the colonists taking the time to make observations of the heavens.

The sites of Oñate’s encampments were called parajes at the time, and there were many along the 1,600-mile journey from Mexico City to the New Mexico capitals of, first, San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh) and then Santa Fe. This paraje was named Paraje Robledo, recognizing the 60-year-old and gray-headed Pedro Robledo who was the first colonist to die on the journey north. His wife, daughter and four sons continued on to Santa Fe.

Important birding area

In addition to star parties, Leasburg Dam also plays host to many species of birds. Although the hills above the Rio Grande are seemingly barren uplands of prickly pear cactus, mesquite and Gambel’s quail, many more species live along or migrate through the river corridor. Pyrrhuloxia, phainopepla, droves of white-winged doves, Mexican ducks, roadrunners, Wilson’s snipe and great blue herons are regularly observed here. The site total is 257 species.

The Mesilla Valley Audubon Society conducts regularly scheduled birding walks on the last Saturday of most months. The walks begin at 8 a.m. and last until 10 a.m. Trip leaders keep records of each species observed and report the list to eBird.com. Group size is limited to 10 individuals. For more information, visit mvasaudubon.org. The photography presented on this group’s site is worth the time campers and birders can devote to it if they are unable to participate in a bird walk.

As in all state parks, pets must be kept on a leash no longer than 10 feet. This protects wildlife from pets, and pets from wildlife. The Mogollon Trail through the park’s bosque is used by javelina, which occasionally erupt from the brush at close range.

The majority of the parks’ 23 campsites have electricity. Showers and toilets are centrally located near the visitors’ center. All campsites require reservations, which may be made through reserveamerica.com.

The name Leasburg recognizes the Bureau of Reclamation-managed dam that was built in 1908 to provide irrigation water to the farms of the Mesilla Valley.

Fort Selden

Less than a half mile from Leasburg Dam State Park is Fort Selden Historic Site. This fort was built in 1865.

Following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the United States took control of Mexican land from El Paso to the north and west. American soldiers, including Buffalo Soldiers, were stationed here to protect residents from raiding Apaches and others. The troops were even called to duty in 1871 to suppress violence between Republicans and Democrats in the town of Mesilla, a pamphlet detailing a self-guided tour of Fort Selden explains.

The fort’s adobe walls are in ruins now, but the tour takes visitors past the remains of corrals with a capacity of 200 horses, the stone foundation of the fort’s jail, the commissary, and soldiers’ quarters. About 1,800 soldiers served here during the two periods it was in service, 1865 to 1878, and 1881 to 1891. Despite performing patrol missions from Las Cruces to Santa Fe, only three soldiers died in combat.

Among the displays at Fort Selden are United States Army uniforms of the mid-to-late 1800s, photographs and artwork. Of note is the wooden cart with large wooden pegs holding the wheels together. It is similar to the 84 carts that started Oñate’s journey, carrying food, clothing, farming and mining tools.

Mike Bailey, an interpretive ranger at Fort Selden, occasionally provides home-cooked meals. We missed the St. Patrick’s Day corned beef and cabbage, but Garden Salsa should be on the menu in August, and who wouldn’t want to taste the Thanksgiving side dishes on tap for November? Those side dishes will be baked in an horno. As those months draw closer, check with the park, 575-526-8911, for details.

When Bailey isn’t cooking or giving tours, he talks to visitors like the fellow who told him Pedro Robledo was his 11th great-grandfather. In addition to the historic campground being named for Robledo, the mountain just south of the fort is named Robledo.

The fort is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The state charges a $5 entrance fee, although children younger than 16 get in free. Seniors 60 and older are not charged on Wednesdays. On the first Sunday of each month, there is no fee for New Mexico residents.

Taylor-Mesilla

Another state historic site near Fort Selden is the Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site in Mesilla, 26.4 miles south using Interstate 25. The Taylor-Mesilla home was donated to the state by J. Paul Taylor, who was an educator and member of the New Mexico State Legislature. Mary Daniels Taylor, his wife, was an award-winning writer and photographer. Some of her cameras and manuscripts are currently on display in the Reynolds Store Visitor Center.

While the house is being renovated, the store is open and full of displays. It’s open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. The family had a large collection of New Mexico-centered art and artifacts. Mesilla was once the home of individuals who did not wish to live in the United States. The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 brought Mesilla and other portions of southern Arizona and southwest New Mexico under the purview of the U.S.

Hiking through history

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was added to the National Trails System in 2000. It’s possible to hike a good chunk of the trail by taking I-25 north to the Upham/Spaceport America exit. There are shelters along portions of the trail, and well-marked trailheads in this portion of the Jornada del Muerto. Jornada translates into a day’s journey, and in this case recognizes the death of Bernardo Gruber, who died here while fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in 1670.

Remember, one should not pick up souvenir pieces of glass along the trail. They very well could be artifacts from long ago, when oxen pulled wooden carts from Mexico City to Santa Fe.