De Baca
County
This cache is part of the New Mexico Challenge. One cache is hidden in each
of New Mexico's 33
counties.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it is
to find and log all 33 caches with a
photo of yourself at the cache site.
Welcome to De Baca County.
On october 31, 1862, Congress authorized creation of Fort Sumner.
The Fort was initially justified as offering protection to settlers
in the Pecos River Valley from the Mescalero, Kiowa and Comanche.
Nearby, the Bosque Redondo Reservation was created. It was a 40
square mile area whose purpose was to be self sufficient while
teaching the Mescalaro Apaches and Navajos how to be modern
farmers. It ended up being an internment camp for the Navajo and
Mescalero Apaches from 1863 to 1868, part of what became known as
"The Long Walk".
On December 23, 1880, Sheriff Pat Garrett killed Charlie Bowdre at
Stinking Springs. Charlie was a friend of Billy the Kid who was
captured at the same time but escaped shortly thereafter. Billy the
Kid was tracked down and shot by Pat Garrett in July 1881. He,
Bowdre and another of the gang, Tom O'Folliard are buried side by
side in Fort Sumner.
In 1917 De Baca County was established on the Pecos River with
it's seat being Fort Sumner. It was named for Gov. Ezequiel C. de
Baca, New Mexico's second governor after statehood. He had died in
Santa Fe of tuberculosis only 49 days after assuming office.
De Baca County has a total of 2,334 square miles and, as of the
2000 census, 922 households. Populations for various settlements as
of that census were: Yeso: 39, Taiban: 51, Lake Sumner: 64 and Fort
Sumner: 1249.
Fort Sumner is also the fall and summer home of the Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility.
Please be sure to read all text below regarding the cache and
access to it:
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The cache is located on Bureau of Reclamation land which is open to
the public. Access to the Bureau of Reclamation land is from inside
Sumner Lake State Park. The Reclamation land requires no fee to
use. If you intend to use any State Park facilities or go down to
the lake to take pictures or walk along the shore, you will need to
stop at a fee station and pay the $5 daily use fee. Camping is
available if you wish to stay at the lake.
It is illegal to take rocks from the Bureau land so please be sure
to admire any cool rocks but leave them in their place. The land is
for public use but rangers may ask what you are doing. If asked,
please say you are looking for a geocache. Some rangers will know
what that is and some will not. If they do not know what it is,
give them a brief explanation.
I hope you enjoy this little corner of New Mexico.