Moments of Enchantment; 26; St. Augustine - Magdalena Cattle Driveway

The White Open Plains of San Augustine in West Central New Mexico were once the scene of great dusty cattle drives. When longtime families lament the fencing of the west and the end of the open range, few realized how recently that era ended, more in a moment. A century ago, New Mexico was cattle country. The 1880s brought the railroad, which ended at the far east edge of the plains in the midst of the Magdalena Mountains. This resulted in the small mining town and livestock shipping center of Magdalena, becoming one of the routiest cow towns of the west. There were banks, saloons, and elegant hotels. Down by the railroad tracks, the watering troughs for loud, bawling livestock stood gleaming in the sun. The cattle trail from Eastern Arizona to the noisy cow town in the mountains was known as the Magdalena livestock driveway.

This sheep and cattle highway extended for over 130 miles across the southwest and was established in 1885. Yet the busiest year of the trail was during our own century. In 1919, over 21,000 cattle and 150,000 sheep passed over the trail. The last cattle drive there took place just over 10 years ago. The cowboys whistling at the dust raised by the cattle and the barbed wire fence crews not far behind. After nearly a century of use, this great sheep and cattle trail, the Magdalena livestock driveway, came to an end. To learn more of the colorful history of the cattle drives in New Mexico, explore the resources of the New Mexico State Library. Moments of Enchantment What do you buy the New Mexico Office of Cultural Affairs? For Moments of Enchantment, I am David Griffith.