Columbus

The raid made Columbus briefly enormous. With the troops of the Punitive Expedition, the town and its camp held more than 10,000 people in 1916, by one count the largest community in New Mexico. Then the soldiers left. Columbus had about 2,100 residents in 1920; the Army abandoned Camp Furlong in 1923, the Southern Pacific absorbed the El Paso and Southwestern in 1924, and by 1930 the town was down to about 400. Rail service ended in 1959 and the rails came up five years later. The 1902 depot and the adobe Hoover Hotel survived it all.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Columbus Columbus was founded in 1891 as a U.S./Mexico border station but eventually coalesced around the railroad station three miles to the north in 1903. The area's history is tied to a March 9, 1916, raid on Columbus by Mexican revolution- ary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa. President Woodrow Wilson dispatched General John J. Pershing and 10,000 troops into Mexico to pursue Villa. This punitive expedition ultimately failed.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Pancho Villa State Park — 0.7 mi
  The site of Camp Furlong at Columbus, named for the revolutionary whose raiders attacked the town in 1916, as a gesture of friendship toward Mexico.

More markers nearby

• Pancho Villa State Park — 0.5 mi
• Pancho Villa State Park — 0.5 mi
• Pancho Villa's Raid — 0.5 mi
• Susan Parks — 0.6 mi