Description
Escape to a place where lush green mountains rise out of the desert floor. Mountains that have magnificent treasures both on the inside and the outside. On the inside you’ll find spectacular caverns and maybe even a cave containing lost gold. On the outside you’ll experience breathtaking views and panoramas of a very special region of the Southwest.
The Guadalupe Mountains have a rich history; they were a sacred spiritual center for the Mescalero Apaches who lived here. They were also holy to many Hispanics who made an annual pilgrimage here in December to see the Virgin de Guadalupe appear on the face of El Capitan.
The Guadalupes had many years of raiding and numerous Cavalry-Indian battles. In addition, there was a controversial and bloody war in the late 1870’s over the region’s vast salt deposits. The Mountains were also host to several relay stations that serviced the Butterfield Overland Stage as the first overland mail service made its way across the U.S. in the 1850’s. The settlers who came here to ranch found it a hard and rugged lifestyle, but their neighbors and the beautiful scenery made it all the more worthwhile.
The Guadalupes are also famous for their caves. Carlsbad Caverns is known around the world as one of the premier natural wonders. Throughout the Southwest the cave that holds William Sublett’s lost gold mine is also very famous, hundreds have roamed the Guadalupes for years in search of it.
Man has been in the Guadalupes for only a short time, but as you’ll see in this hour-long program, it’s been a fascinating and special history that’s unfolded here during that period.
