Historical Marker
Raton Pass
This important pass on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail was used by Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny for his 1846 invasion of New Mexico, and by Colorado Volunteers who defeated the Confederates in 1862. Richens L. “Uncle Dick” Wooten operated a toll road from 1866 to 1879, when the Santa Fe Railroad crossed the pass.
New Mexico played a significant role in the American Civil War, with Union and Confederate forces fighting several battles in the territory. The most famous of these was the Battle of Glorieta Pass in 1862, which ended Confederate hopes of capturing the Southwest.