Mogollon Mountains
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The Mogollon Mountains are a small mountain range east of the San Francisco River in Grant and Catron counties of southwestern New Mexico, between the communities of Reserve and Silver City. They extend roughly north-south for about 30 miles (48 km), and form part of the divide between the San Francisco and the Gila rivers. The crest of the range lies about 15 miles (24 km) east of U.S. Route 180. Most of the range is protected within the Gila Wilderness, part of the Gila National Forest.
The highest point in the range is Whitewater Baldy which, at 10,895 ft (3,321 m), is the highest point in southwestern New Mexico. The range also contains five other 10,000+ foot peaks, most notably Mogollon Baldy (10,778 ft, 3,285 m).
The Mogollon Mountains were formed between forty and twenty-five million years ago as part of the Datil-Mogollon Volcanic Plateau. Hot springs existing in the area are a remnant of that volcanic activity.[1]
Early inhabitants of the range include the Mimbres Culture, from 300 BC to 1300 AD. Later peoples included the Chiricahua and Mimbres bands of the Apache, including Geronimo, said to have been born in the area around 1829. Mining occurred in the area beginning in the 1890s and continuing for some decades.[1]
The Mogollon Mountains should not be confused with the Mogollon Rim, a large escarpment in Arizona, about 100 miles to the northwest.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Butterfield, Mike, and Greene, Peter, Mike Butterfield's Guide to the Mountains of New Mexico, New Mexico Magazine Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-937206-88-1
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