Mary Ann Deming Crocker

Mary Ann Deming was born on November 26, 1827, the daughter of John Jay Deming, whose sawmill at Mishawaka, Indiana, had made him wealthy. Charles Crocker worked at the mill; they married in November 1852, went west, and kept a general store in Sacramento before he joined Stanford, Huntington and Hopkins in building the Central Pacific. She gave much of her time to charity in San Francisco. After her death on November 4, 1889, her four children founded the Mary A. Crocker Trust in her honor. No one knows whether she ever saw Deming.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Mary Ann Deming Crocker Namesake of Deming (1827-1889) Born in 1827, Mary Ann Deming was married to Charles Crocker, one of the founders of the Central Pacific railroad. A "silver spike" was driven here in 1881 that commemorated connec- ting the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads, and signaled completion of the nation's second transcontinental railroad. The new settlement was christened Deming in Mary's honor for her generosity and benevolence to many charitable causes for the poor. Official Scenic Historic Marker New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative The New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative was founded in 2005 by members of the New Mexico Women's Forum in a statewide effort to recognize women's contributions to New Mexico history on the state's Official Scenic Historic Markers. The Initiative ensures that women's diverse histories will be remembered and told, and will inspire and provide a guide for future generations. The 2006 Legislature funded the project.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• City of Rocks State Park — 26 mi
  Pinnacles of volcanic tuff up to forty feet high standing in the grassland between Deming and Silver City, worn out of an eruption 34.9 million years ago.

More markers nearby

• Deming — 1.2 mi
• Rockhound State Park — 9.9 mi
• Cathay Williams — 10 mi
• Carlotta Thompkins Thurmond — 21 mi