One of the Trails of Col. Ranald S. MacKenzie

Mackenzie came west with a famous name and a battered body. Born in New York City in 1840, he was the son of naval officer and author Alexander Slidell Mackenzie; his uncle John Slidell was the Confederate envoy seized aboard the Trent, and his aunt was married to Commodore Matthew C. Perry. He finished first in his West Point class of 1862 and in three years of war won seven brevets and took six wounds. He took command of the Fourth Cavalry at Fort Concho on February 25, 1871, the year before this march.

What the plaque says

One of the Trails of Col. Ranald S. MacKenzie Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie (1840-89) of the United States Army was ordered in the 1870s to conquer Indians on Texas frontiers. He led 240 enlisted men and eight officers in an expedition along the draw here. Heading toward New Mexico, he hoped to break up a ring of traders paying Indians to steal cattle and horses. He marched past this point about August 1, 1872, in a swift, secret move against the traders. The path beaten out by his men was serviceable later to scouts and settlers. Its traces are still known as Mackenzie's Trail. (1977)

Where it stands

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