Historical Marker
Reserve
Reserve, Catron County · New Mexico
The settlers' Upper San Francisco Plaza became Milligan's Plaza, after an Anglo saloon keeper, and then Reserve, for the Gila River Forest Reserve set aside in 1899 and the forest headquarters placed here; the reserves became national forests in 1907. When Catron County was carved out of Socorro County on February 25, 1921, Reserve became its seat, and the county took the name of Thomas B. Catron, the Santa Fe lawyer who was one of the state's first two senators. A bronze on a boulder nearby dedicates US 260 as the Cavern to Canyon Route.
What the plaque says
Official Scenic Historic Marker Reserve Population 600 - Elevation 5765 ft. Located in the San Francisco Valley, Reserve was named upper San Francisco Plaza by its original Hispanic settlers in 1874. The name was later changed to Reserve in recognition of the U.S. Forest Service headquarters located here. Apaches made frequent attacks on the community, which lay within Apache hunting lands.
Where it stands
33.69177, -108.86147 · Directions