Santa Rosa

The town around this panel is the second Santa Rosa. Celso Baca's settlement stayed smaller than Puerto de Luna until the Rock Island built in from the east and reached it on December 25, 1901, with the El Paso and Northeastern arriving from the southwest early in 1902. Their junction made a through line between Chicago and El Paso, and a new railroad town with shops and a Pecos bridge grew up north of Baca's old one. The county seat moved here from Puerto de Luna in 1903.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Santa Rosa Population 2,469 - Elevation 4,620 ft. The Spanish explorer Antonio de Espejo passed through this area in 1583, as did Gaspar Castaño de Sosa in 1590. Santa Rosa, the Guadalupe County seat, was laid out on the ranch of Celso Baca y Baca, a politician and rancher in the late 1800s. It was named for his wife, Doña Rosa.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Blue Hole — 1.1 mi
  A bell-shaped artesian spring in Santa Rosa, 81 feet deep and a steady 61 or 62 degrees, where divers from across the region learn to dive at altitude.

More markers nearby

• Santa Rosa — 0.6 mi
• Santa Rosa Lake State Park — 0.8 mi
• Santa Rosa — 2.5 mi
• Puerto de Luna — 8.4 mi