First Automobile in New Mexico

First is a careful word here. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported a gasoline car reaching Taos in April 1900, probably shipped by rail to Tres Piedras, so Robert Dodson's claim is to the first car driven in over the pass. The Albuquerque bicycle dealer and the company's B. L. Camwell reached Raton on December 5. The fuel ran out at Ribera, and Dodson finished by train from Lamy while Camwell brought the car in through Cerrillos. For two years it was the only car in Albuquerque.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker First Automobile in New Mexico Robert L. Dodson bought a steam- powered Locomobile in Denver with plans to drive it to Albuquerque. Accompanied by a Locomobile representative, on November 30, 1900, the pair became the first motorists to traverse treacherous Raton Pass into New Mexico. The trip to Raton, largely on wagon roads, took five days. A few days later the Locomobile arrived in Albuquerque to fanfare and some consternation.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fishers Peak State Park — 16 mi
  The flat-topped landmark over Trinidad and Raton Pass, a trophy-hunting ranch until 2019 and Colorado's second-largest state park since 2020, with a summit trail since 2023.

More markers nearby

• Raton — 1.1 mi
• Santa Fe Trail — 4.8 mi
• Raton Pass — 7.9 mi
• Women of the Santa Fe Trail — 17 mi