ained troops in the region, trying to make it safe for miners, ranchers and farmers flooding into New Mexico Territory and facing incessant Apache raids. The army forced several bands in the region, including the Warm Springs Apaches, onto reservations.
One of the most colorful characters was Lozen, an Apache woman said to have ridden as a warrior with her brother, Victorio, and later, with Geronimo himself. According to accounts, she fell in love with a Confederate deserter who had been sheltered by the Apaches. When a wagon train came along headed for California’s gold fields, he left, breaking Lozen’s heart. She never married, devoting herself instead to using her unusual powers to sense danger and heal her people.
T or C changed from a quiet health resort in 1916, when the Elephant Butte Dam was completed. About five miles north of T or C, the dam was built to contain flood waters and release it for irrigation along 200 miles of the lower Rio Grande valley. The dam created the largest lake in New Mexico. When the reservoir is filled to capacity, water backs up for 45 miles and creates some 200 miles of shoreline. The reservoir and Elephant Butte State Park are the destinations of boaters, wind surfers and fishermen from all over New Mexico and west Texas. On some holiday weekends, as many as 100,000 people enjoy the lake.
T or C is still known for its hot mineral baths, which are open year around. The relaxing and healing attributes of the baths are combined with a full course of related services, including Swedish massage, energy therapy, reflexology and ayurvedic science. Several lodges offer bed and mineral bath for the cost of a room. Renovations are under way for some of the older facilities. One facility under renovation, with a French touch, will be called the Sierra Grande Lodge, easily be the swankiest in T or C. The owners hope to draw customers from across the country and Europe to enjoy French cuisine and other amenities.
Located in south central New Mexico at an elevation of 4,260 feet above sea level, T or C experiences four mild seasons. The sun shines more than 80 percent of the daylight hours. Average rainfall ranges from 10 to 12 inches a year. Normal humidity is 10 to 15 percent. The highest humidity occurs in July and August due to the thunderstorms of the monsoon season. Snow, when it occurs, generally melts within 24 hours.
AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURES (Degrees Fahrenheit)
After a soak in a hot tub of mineral water followed by a massage, you can bird watch along the river, enjoying the sights and sounds of year-round and seasonal residents. You can rock hound in the old mining towns of Chloride, Winston and Hermosa. You can play golf, pitch horseshoes or mountain bike. You can camp and fish along the Rio Grande. Bring your own boat or rent a houseboat to explore the lake. Wind surf, hike or backpack in the Gila or Cibola National Forests. You can drive the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, a scenic road which loops through the range and desert country west of T or C, winding through pine-covered mountains, ghost towns and military fort ruins.
- Cuchillo Pecan Festival _ Last Saturday in February
- Winston Fiesta _ Third Saturday in April
- Balloon Regatta _ April
- T or C Fiesta & Golf Tournament _ First Weekend in May
- Sierra County Fair _ Last Weekend in August
- Geronimo Days Peace Gathering _ Second Weekend in October
- Old Time Fiddlers State Championship _ Third Weekend in October
- Antique and Classic Car Show _ Veterans Day Weekend
- Christmas Jubilee _ First Weekend in December
- Luminaria Beach Walk _ December
- El Camino Heritage Center
- Geronimo Springs Museum
- Callahan’s Auto Museum
- Elephant Butte Lake
- Caballo Lake
National Forests and State Parks
- Gila National Forest _ Black Range Mountains: 32 miles west
- Elephant Butte State Park: 5 miles east
- Percha Dam State Park: 20 miles south
- Caballo Lake State Park: 20 miles south
- Elephant Butte: 5 miles northeast
- Williamsburg: 2 miles south
- Cuchillo: 17 miles northwest
- Winston/Chloride: 42 miles northwest
- Las Cruces: 75 