Historical Marker
Rabbit Ear Mountain
Clayton, Union County · New Mexico
What caravans steered by from thirty miles out was a basalt vent of the Raton-Clayton field and its smaller neighbor, Rabbit Ear Butte, to the east. Three camps clustered near them: McNees Crossing, Turkey Creek Camp about seven miles north of the mountain, and Rabbit Ears Creek Camp, where the water was. George Sibley sketched the landmarks in his journal. The mountain is private land now, seen from the Kiowa National Grassland, Clayton Lake State Park and the scenic byway rather than climbed.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Rabbit Ear Mountain These two striking mounds were the first features to become visible to Santa Fe Trail traffic crossing into New Mexico from Oklahoma, and so became impor- tant landmarks for caravans. From here, traffic on this major 19th century commercial route still had about 200 miles to trav- el before reaching Santa Fe.
Where it stands
36.46772, -103.22639 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Clayton — steps away
- Rabbit Ear Mountain — 2.0 mi
- Clayton — 2.0 mi
- Santa Fe Trail — 3.2 mi