Doubtful Canyon

Doubtful Canyon
Valley
Country United States
State Arizona, New Mexico
Regions Peloncillo Mountains
County Cochise County, Arizona, Hidalgo County, New Mexico
Coordinates 32°21′05″N 109°05′14″W / 32.35139°N 109.08722°W / 32.35139; -109.08722Coordinates: 32°21′05″N 109°05′14″W / 32.35139°N 109.08722°W / 32.35139; -109.08722
Highest point
 - location Doubtful Canyon, Arizona
 - elevation 5,500 ft (1,676 m)
 - coordinates 32°21′05″N 109°05′14″W / 32.35139°N 109.08722°W / 32.35139; -109.08722
Lowest point mouth
 - location Animas Valley, New Mexico
 - elevation 4,205 ft (1,282 m)
 - coordinates 32°21′21″N 108°56′27″W / 32.35583°N 108.94083°W / 32.35583; -108.94083
Length 9.2 mi (15 km), E-W
Doubtful Canyon in Arizona, New Mexico
reference [1]

Doubtful Canyon was the name of two canyons in the Peloncillo Mountains, once considered in the 19th century as one canyon that served as the pass through those mountains. Today the canyon bearing the name Doubtful Canyon, is mostly in Cochise County, Arizona, near the New Mexico border. It descends to the east into the Animas Valley past Steins Peak [2] it is in Hidalgo County, New Mexico.[1] Doubtful Canyon has a tributary, Little Doubtful Canyon[3] that joins it just east of the Arizona New Mexico border. The western canyon is now called West Doubtful Canyon [4] and it descends into the San Simon Valley, in Cochise County, Arizona.

History

The mountain water sources and the low north south divide that lay between the two Doubtful canyons made it a favored shortcut for early east west travelers to the Southern Emigrant Trail wagon road that ran farther south before turning west. Doubtful Canyon and West Doubtful Canyon formed the pass where the Butterfield Overland Mail passed through the Peloncillo Mountains. Later near Steins Peak, the Steins Peak Station of the Butterfield Overland Mail was located in Doubtful Canyon. Steins Peak Station was destroyed and its keepers killed by the Apache in 1861. On May 4, 1864, soldiers of California Column fought a band of Apache in the Skirmish in Doubtful Canyon, in the canyon near Steins Peak.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Doubtful Canyon
  2. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Steins Peak
  3. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Doubtful Canyon
  4. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Doubtful Canyon
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.