Cumbres Pass

The wound on this panel opened the last eight months of Williams's life. In 1848 he scouted for Major W. W. Reynolds against raiders harrying the settlements of northern New Mexico and was hit in the fighting here. By November he was guiding John C. Frémont's fourth expedition into the San Juan Mountains in winter; snow killed about ten men and most of the mules, and Frémont blamed his guide. In March 1849 Williams and Dr. Benjamin Kern went back into the mountains for the expedition's cached baggage, and Utes killed them both.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Cumbres Pass A major encounter between the U.S. Army and a large group of Utes and Jicarilla Apaches oc- curred here in July 1848. Old Bill Williams, the famous scout and guide, was badly wounded while fighting the Utes, who had once adopted him as a tribesman.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad — 7.8 mi
  A narrow-gauge steam railroad from Chama over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass to Antonito, kept narrow because nobody ever thought it worth converting.

More markers nearby

• Cumbres Pass — 3.3 mi
• Chama — 7.7 mi
• Old Spanish Trail — 9.0 mi
• Chama — 10 mi