Historical Marker
Caballo Mountains
Caballo, Sierra County · New Mexico
The reservoir in front of the range is the Rio Grande Project's second dam. Caballo Dam, a zoned earthfill embankment 96 feet high and 4,558 feet long, closes the Caballo Narrows about seventeen miles below Truth or Consequences and was completed in 1938. It re-regulates the water Elephant Butte releases to make power, holds 100,000 acre-feet for flood control, and replaces some of the storage Elephant Butte has lost to silt. A diversion dam and canal turn Percha Creek into it. The range's Spanish name is usually traced to wild horses.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Caballo Mountains To east beyond Caballo Reservoir are rugged Caballo Mountains, uplifted about 3 miles above downdropped Rio Grande through, along fault scarp at edge of mountains. Lowest slopes are ancient granites. Black ironstone beds are at base of high cliffs which are formed by Paleozoic dolomites and limestones. Elevation 4,390 feet.
Where it stands
32.95294, -107.31186 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Truth or Consequences — 12 mi
- Carrie Tingley — 12 mi
- "Magnificent Magnolia" (1893-1974) — 13 mi
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park — 13 mi