Seven Rivers Cemetery

The refuge the panel mentions had a reputation. Called Dogtown for its prairie dogs until 1878, the settlement sheltered the Seven Rivers Warriors, small ranchers at odds with John Chisum who sided with Murphy and Dolan, and after the war they turned on one another here: Hugh Beckwith killed Bill Johnson in August 1878, John Jones killed John Beckwith a year later, Bob Olinger killed Jones days after that, and Tom Walker died in a saloon fight that November. Seven Rivers was Eddy County's first seat, for one year.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Seven Rivers Cemetery Seven Rivers was located south of Artesia near the confluence of seven branches of a stream that flowed into the Pecos River. Settled in the mid-1860s, the town flourished as a trading post and refuge for participants in the Lincoln County War. The community declined until only the cemetery was left. When Brantley Dam was constructed in 1988 the cemetery itself was relocated behind Twin Oaks Memorial Park north of Artesia.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park — 21 mi
  A zoo and garden of the Chihuahuan Desert on the Ocotillo Hills above Carlsbad, whose animals are injured or orphaned wildlife that cannot go back to the wild.

More markers nearby

• Artesia — steps away
• Castaño de Sosa's Route — 6.0 mi
• Sallie Chisum Robert — 8.9 mi
• Artesia — 12 mi