Alamo Mucho Station
Encyclopedia
Alamo Mucho Station, or Alamo Mocho Station was one of the original Butterfield Overland Mail
stations located south of the Mexican border, in Baja California
. Alamo Mocho meant trimmed cottonwood , or a cottonwood with its branches cropped, mutilated or lopped off, something travelers in the Colorado Desert
would do to obtain wood in this otherwise desolate region.
The diversion of the road south of the Mexican Border was due to the extensive sand dunes located west of Fort Yuma
and northwest for over 50 miles that were impassable to wheeled vehicles of the era. The route followed the Colorado River
south from Fort Yuma to beyond Pilot Knob
where it turned west. Here the route passed south of the dunes, following the direction of ephemeral slough
s that fed the Alamo
and New River
s, made by the overflowing Colorado River nearly every spring. These flowed west to the vicinity of Alamo Mucho then north, to the Salton Sink
. Following these spring flood events, water that remained in these channels formed small ponds and lakes, where water percolated into the soil. Here wells could be sunk to obtain water, in the otherwise waterless desert, during the rest of the year. Cottonwoods, fond of water, are found along the length of the lower Colorado River and in these sloughs also.
Alamo Mocho was located at such a small shallow lake basin, along the course of the Alamo River, 38 miles east of Indian Wells Station, and 22 miles west of the Cooke's Wells Station. At first it provided the only water between Indian Wells and Cooke's Wells. After the route began to be traveled, improvements were made, providing new wells and stations between Indian Wells Station and Alamo Mocho Station at New River Station and between Alamo Mocho and Cooke's Wells Stations, at Gardner’s Wells Station and Salt or Seven Wells.
In a report on his march to Fort Yuma in October, 1861, Lieutenant Colonel
Joseph R. West
, marched east along the mail route describes Alamo Mocho on October 31, six months after the stage line abandoned the route:
Argicultural development and the canalizing of the Colorado River waters, during the twentieth century in Mexico, have completely obscured the site of the station.
Butterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
stations located south of the Mexican border, in Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. Alamo Mocho meant trimmed cottonwood , or a cottonwood with its branches cropped, mutilated or lopped off, something travelers in the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
would do to obtain wood in this otherwise desolate region.
The diversion of the road south of the Mexican Border was due to the extensive sand dunes located west of Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma
Fort Yuma is a fort in California that is located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Fort Yuma Indian School and a...
and northwest for over 50 miles that were impassable to wheeled vehicles of the era. The route followed the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
south from Fort Yuma to beyond Pilot Knob
Pilot Knob (Imperial County, California)
Pilot Knob is a peak in Imperial County, California.Pilot Knob is located southeast of Ogilby, It rises to an elevation of...
where it turned west. Here the route passed south of the dunes, following the direction of ephemeral slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
s that fed the Alamo
Alamo River
The Alamo River is a river flowing west and north from the Mexicali Valley across the Imperial Valley . The river drains into the Salton Sea....
and New River
New River (Trinity River)
The New River is a tributary of the Trinity River in northern California. Running through Denny and Hoboken, it is a good place for advanced kayak and rafting enthusiasts to test their skills. The New River contains rapids ranging from class I to almost class V, with flows ranging from 400-1000+...
s, made by the overflowing Colorado River nearly every spring. These flowed west to the vicinity of Alamo Mucho then north, to the Salton Sink
Salton Sink
The Salton Sink is a geographic sink in the Coachella and Imperial valleys of southeastern California. It is in the Colorado Desert subregion of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion...
. Following these spring flood events, water that remained in these channels formed small ponds and lakes, where water percolated into the soil. Here wells could be sunk to obtain water, in the otherwise waterless desert, during the rest of the year. Cottonwoods, fond of water, are found along the length of the lower Colorado River and in these sloughs also.
Alamo Mocho was located at such a small shallow lake basin, along the course of the Alamo River, 38 miles east of Indian Wells Station, and 22 miles west of the Cooke's Wells Station. At first it provided the only water between Indian Wells and Cooke's Wells. After the route began to be traveled, improvements were made, providing new wells and stations between Indian Wells Station and Alamo Mocho Station at New River Station and between Alamo Mocho and Cooke's Wells Stations, at Gardner’s Wells Station and Salt or Seven Wells.
In a report on his march to Fort Yuma in October, 1861, Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Joseph R. West
Joseph R. West
Joseph Rodman West was a United States Senator from Louisiana and a general in the United States Army during and after the American Civil War...
, marched east along the mail route describes Alamo Mocho on October 31, six months after the stage line abandoned the route:
- The Alamo is another old deserted mail station; there is a well thirty feet deep, affording a supply of good water. Animals can now make use of a lagoon, half a mile southwest from the house. Within 350 yards of the house the road to Fort Yuma branches off to the left; the right-hand fork leads to the Mariposa ferry, thirty-six miles, and down the Colorado thirty miles from Fort Yuma. That route can be used to advantage by any one acquainted with the water lagoons, which are in thickets off the road and hard to find by strangers.
Argicultural development and the canalizing of the Colorado River waters, during the twentieth century in Mexico, have completely obscured the site of the station.