**Capulin Volcano Timeline**

**9 Ma - Present (?) ** **Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field (RCVF) active.**

-The Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field is the easternmost volcanic field in
North America. The field extends from Trinidad, CO to Clayton, NM, and
covers about 8,000 square miles.

-The RCVF had three phases of activity.

· The Raton phase began 9 million years ago (Ma) and ended 3.5 Ma.

· The Clayton phase was active 3.0 - 2.25 Ma.

· The Capulin phase was active 1.7 - .04 Ma, and is still potentially
active. No activity is expected within a human timeframe.

**56,000 - 62,000 **(years ago) **Capulin Volcano erupted.**

-The eruption of Capulin occurred in the last phase of the Raton-Clayton
Volcanic Field activity. The age for this eruption was determined
through the use of Argon/Argon and Cosmogenic Exposure Age
Determinations in 1995 & 1996. The recent age determinations corrected
the previously estimated age of 10,000 years.

-The actual duration of the eruption is unknown, but it is thought that
it lasted anywhere between five and fifteen years.

**30 - 40,000 **(years ago) **Most recent eruption in the Raton-Clayton
Volcanic Field (RCVF) occurred.**

-It is uncertain which volcano was the last recent to erupt, but it may
have been Baby Capulin, Twin Mountain, or Purvine Mesa.

**10,000+** (years ago) **Hunters killed bison at what is now known as
the Folsom Archeological Site.**

-In 1926-1928, the site near Folsom, NM was excavated. Spear points were
found in direct association with the bones of an extinct species of
bison. From this evidence, scientists were able to determine that humans
inhabited North America long before anyone, at the time, thought.

**Mid 1500's** **Europeans arrived in what was Jicarilla Apache
Territory. **

-The Jicarilla were a branch of the Apaches that lived in what is now
northern New Mexico. Like the Plains Indians, they became buffalo
hunters, but they also practiced farming, like the Pueblo Indians.
Jicarilla (hee-kah-ree\'-yah) is a Spanish term meaning small basket.

-Beginning in 1528, Cabeza de Vaca (meaning \"head of cow\") explored
the southwest region, including New Mexico, of the United States.
Through his writings people in Spain were able to understand what it was
like in the Southwest. His writings are still read today.

-Soon after De Vaca\'s explorations, Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza gathered
close to 400 men to explore New Mexico. These two explorations led to
further expeditions by Europeans.

-In 1540 to 1542, Vasquez de Coronado, also a Spanish explorer, came
through Northeast New Mexico.

**1610 Spaniards founded Santa Fe - Capital of New Mexico.**

-In 1608, Don Pedro de Peralta became governor of N.M. By 1609, he moved
the state capital from San Gabriel to an abandoned Indian pueblo.
Peralta was told by the viceroy of New Spain in Mexico City to call the
new city, *La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco* (The Royal
City of the Holy Faith of St. Francis).

-The City of Santa Fe was under the control of the Spanish government
from 1610 to 1821, the Mexican government from 1821 to 1846 and the
United States Government since 1848.

**1821** **William Becknell pioneered the Santa Fe Trail.**

-In 1821, William Becknell traveled from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe
in an attempt to trade \"for Horses and Mules and catching Wild Animals
of every description.\" It was then widely believed that traders would
not be welcome in Santa Fe. This was not the case when Becknell arrived
in New Mexico. Mexican soldiers escorted him, from Raton Pass to Santa
Fe, and residents of Santa Fe welcomed him.

-Becknell found trading in Santa Fe to be profitable and in 1822 used
the Cimarron Route to bring goods from Missouri to New Mexico for a
second time. Later, the Mountain Route became more popular because more
water was available and there was less threat of Indian conflict.

-Some say that Becknell is the \"Father of the Santa Fe Trail\"

**1846  - 1848 Mexican War fought.**

-The Mexican War was fought over the control of the territories of New
Mexico and California.

-The U.S. Government wanted to acquire control of New Mexico and
California for their abundance of natural resources.

**February 2, 1848** **Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo Signed.**

-This treaty ended the Mexican War. It also allowed for the acquisition
of New Mexico and California by the United States and recognized the Rio
Grande as the southern boundary of Texas.

-Hidalgo: "hijo de algo" - "son of something"

**1851** **Fort Union established.**

-The Fort was established in August 1851 to protect travelers on the
Santa Fe Trail and local residents from Indian attacks. It was also used
as a supply depot for the Military in the Southwest.

-Military Department No. 9 ran the Fort.

-The Fort was abandoned in the 1891 and became a national monument in
1954.

**1862** **Homestead Act signed.**

-The Homestead Act was a Basic Land Law that allowed any citizen or
intended citizen to claim 160 acres (1/4sq mi.) of surveyed government
land.

-A stipulation of this act was that claimants must improve the land by
building a home or growing crops. If the claimant was still on the land
after 5 years, the property belonged to the citizen.

**1872 Yellowstone National Park established.**

-Yellowstone National Park, located in Wyoming, was the first National
Park to be established.

**1872 -1916 14 National Parks were created.**

-All of the parks were in the West and were public land.

-Sequoia NP, California - 1890, Yosemite NP, California - 1890, Mount
Rainier NP, Washington - 1899 Crater Lake NP, Oregon - 1902, Wind Cave
NP, South Dakota - 1903, Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado - 1915

**1873 -1875** **Granada - Fort Union Road in use as a Military Freight
Route.**

-A railroad brought supplies to Granada, Colorado and wagons then hauled
the supplies to Ft. Union.

-The route was probably used first in the early 1800's by explorers, but
the wagon road probably wasn't built until 1867/68. It wasn\'t until
1873 that the road was frequently used.

**1880** **Santa Fe Trail ended because of the railroad.**

-Prior to the end of the actual trail, the Cimarron Route was abandoned
because of Indian conflict.

-The Santa Fe Railroad went through the Raton Pass in 1878. On Feb. 9,
1880, the 1^st^ steam engine entered Santa Fe (Kansas Pacific Railroad),
thus ending major use of the trail.

**1887** **Des Moines, New Mexico established.**

-Des Moines was created when the Colorado & Southern RR came through the
county.

-The town got its name from railroad signs that had been put up at the
future townsite, indicating the line to Des Moines, IA.

-There was supposed to be a junction of four lines, but only two were
built.

**1888** **Folsom, New Mexico established.**

-Between the years of 1883 and 1888, the town was known as Capulien. In
1887 & 1888, a RR construction camp was set up in the location. The town
was renamed Ragtown. When the first trains came through, the town was
renamed Folsom, after Frances Folsom (who married Pres. Grover
Cleveland, 1886, at the age of 22).

-Folsom thrived until 1908, when a flood from the Dry Cimarron River
destroyed the town.

**January 16, 1891 Capulin Mountain withdrawn from public domain.**

-In December 1890, Land Inspector W. D. Harlan, of Folsom, suggested to
his supervisors that Capulin Mountain and surrounding area be set aside
from homesteading because the \"mountain is a great natural curiosity.\"
Upon receipt of the letter the Secretary of the Interior ordered the
withdrawal of land in and around the volcano from homesteading.

**1906 Antiquities Act becomes law.**

-Signed by President Theodore Roosevelt.

-This act gave Presidents the authority to claim land or specific areas
as national monuments, thereby reserving land that is considered to be
historic or worth preserving. The Antiquities Act has been used more
than eighty times to establish National Monuments, many of which later
became National Parks through Acts of Congress.

**1906 -1916** **21 National Monuments were created using the
Antiquities Act.**

-The first National Monument was Devil\'s Tower National Monument.

**1908 Folsom Flood occurred on the Dry Cimarron River.**

-On August 27, sometime around midnight, a flood destroyed the town and
any future plans to develop the area. The flood caused the loss of 17
lives.

-A few days after the flood, George McJunkin discovered large bones in
the Wild Horse Arroyo, collected them, and put them on his mantle.
Eventually, McJunkin interested others in the unusual bones that he had
found.

-In 1922, Carl Schwachheim, a blacksmith from Raton, visited the site
and began excavation.

**January 6, 1912 New Mexico becomes a state.**

-Sixty-four years after becoming a territory, New Mexico was admitted
into the Union.

**August 9, 1916 Capulin Mountain National Monument established.**

-By President Proclamation, President Woodrow Wilson, created the
Mountain as a National Monument using the Antiquities Act. The area
included 775 acres.

-Capulin Mountain became a National Monument 16 days before the NPS was
established.

-Lassen Volcanic National Park was established on the same day.

**August 25, 1916 Organic Act became law and established the National**

** Park Service. **

-President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation.

-In the legislation, the NPS was instructed \"to conserve the scenery
and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to
provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means
as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.\"

**1925 Volcano Road built.**

-Homer Farr, the second custodian in the park, used a mule-drawn plow to
grade a road to the rim of the volcano.

-Today, Capulin is one of three cinder cones in the U.S. with a paved
road to the rim.

**1926 -1928 Folsom Site excavated.**

-Scientists from the Denver Museum of Natural History began excavating
the site in 1926 to acquire a bison skeleton for exhibition. When
projectile points were found with the bones, researchers realized the
importance of the site and it established the antiquity of humans in
North America. In 1928, the site was excavated by the American Museum of
Natural History.

-23+ ancient Bison skeletons and 19 projectile points, which were named
the Folsom point, were found.

**1934 - 1987 Retaining Walls built along Volcano Road.**

-In 1934, CWA and FERA, under the direction of Custodian Homer Farr,
built a two-foot high wall and leveled the parking area on the rim of
the volcano. The rim and vent trails were also constructed during this
time.

-During the 1930\'s & 40\'s, a few short, low sections of retaining wall
were built. These sections were later removed and the existing wall was
put in their place.

-300 ft. of retaining wall was built in 1953 & 1954.

-After the initial 300 ft. of wall was built, additions occurred
intermittently throughout the following years, with some work completed
by the YCC. The most recent construction was in 1987.

**1956 - 1966 Mission 66 funded the construction of Capulin Volcano's
visitor center **

**and residential houses. **

-Director Conrad L. Writh, of the National Park Service, created this
10-year program to upgrade facilities, staffing, and resource management
throughout the system by the 50^th^ anniversary in 1966.

-President Eisenhower endorsed it and Congress funded the more than a
billion dollars, over 10 years, to the project.

**1987 Volcano Road paved.**

**December 31, 1987 Capulin Mountain becomes Capulin Volcano National
Monument**

-The name was changed through Public Law in order to more accurately
describe the true nature of the monument. It also established El Malpais
National Monument.

CAVO-I-23

H.Gravel

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