By Sandra Petersen
Las Cruces, New
Mexico, is at the intersection of Interstate 10 coming from the west and Interstate 25, which runs north to south. New Mexico's second largest university is in Las Cruces. A number of museums, including the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, and monuments are in or near Las Cruces.
History
Long after the Mogollan and other Native American tribes disappeared from the area, United States Army Lieutenant Delos Sackett and his men laid out the stakes and lines for a permanent settlement. Organized around 1848, the city became known as Las Cruces or, in Spanish, "the crosses."
Significance
Las Cruces is the county seat of Dona Ana County and the second largest city in New Mexico.
Geography
The city is about 40 miles north-northwest of El Paso, Texas, in the Mesilla Valley. It is bordered on the east by the Rio Grande River, on the north by the San Andreas Mountains, and by the Organ Mountains to the southeast.
Fun Fact
Las Cruces puts on a festival held in late September called the Whole Enchilada Fiesta. The highlight of the Fiesta is the creation of a record-making huge enchilada.
Famous Ties
Frank Borman, commander of the Gemini 7 and Apollo 8 missions in the 1960s, lives in Las Cruces, as does Mark Medoff who wrote "Children of a Lesser God."
Resources
About the Author:
For almost four years, Sandra Petersen has written fiction stories and non-fiction articles for sites like FaithWriters, Associated Content, Helium, Textbroker, and Triond as well as Demand Studios. Petersen attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior and earned her Bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in music education.
