Jornada del Muerto

The dead man in the name was a German trader. Bernardo Gruber, working out of Sonora, was jailed near Sandia Pueblo in 1668 on charges of witchcraft brought before the Inquisition. In 1670 he escaped with an Apache friend and fled south down this road in a dry season. Weeks later traders found a roan horse still tied to a tree by its halter, and nearby bones they took to be his. The place became La Cruz del Alemán. A rival story ties the name to the 1680 retreat, but most historians credit Gruber.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Jornada del Muerto On the Camino Real This stretch of the Camino Real leaves the Riô Grande and cuts across 90 miles of desert with little water or shelter. Despite its difficulty, the dreaded "Journey of the Deadman" was heavily used by Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo travelers between El Paso and the northern New Mexico settlements.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mesilla Plaza — 21 mi
  A plaza laid out in 1848 by people who meant to stay in Mexico, American six years later, a stage stop and Civil War headquarters, and scene of a deadly political riot in 1871.

More markers nearby

• Paraje San Diego — steps away
• Fort Selden State Monument — steps away
• Fort Selden Cemetery — 4.4 mi
• Rio Grandé Bridge at Radium Springs — 4.5 mi