Emigrants' Crossing
Pecos, Reeves County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the few spots where pioneer travelers could cross the Pecos River by fording. At Emigrants' Crossing, the deep, treacherous river flows over exposed rock. It is one of only three fords in a 60-mile segment of the stream, and was the one favored by parties migrating in 1849 from the eastern United States to west coast gold fields. Often called the California Emigrants' Crossing, or the Red River Trail crossing, it was also the one used in 1858 by coaches of Butterfield Overland Mail, which had an adobe station and a high-walled adobe corral there. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Where the treacherous Pecos River spreads thin over exposed rock, Emigrants' Crossing offered one of only three fords along a 60-mile stretch. Gold-seekers bound for California in 1849 favored this passage, giving it the name California Emigrants' Crossing, and in 1858 the Butterfield Overland Mail built an adobe station and walled corral here for its coaches. For a generation it was a vital gateway across a river that few could otherwise cross.
Why it matters
The ford marks the physical chokepoints that shaped westward migration and transcontinental mail, where geography dictated the paths of a nation moving toward the Pacific.
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Related events
- · California Gold Rush
- · Butterfield Overland Mail
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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