Massacre Peak, a summit at an elevation of in the

Cookes Range The Cookes Range (Cooke's Range, Cooks Range or Cook's Range) is a small, 17-mi (27 km) long mountain range in northern Luna County, New Mexico, which extends slightly north into southeastern Grant County. The range is a southern continuat ...

Luna County, New Mexico Luna County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,095. Its county seat is Deming. This county abuts the Mexican border. Luna County comprises the Deming, NM Micropolitan Statistica ...

History

The route of the

Southern Emigrant Trail :''The Southern Emigrant Trail should not be confused with the Applegate Trail, which is part of the Northern Emigrant Trails.'' Southern Emigrant Trail, also known as the Gila Trail, the Kearny Trail, Southern Trail and the Butterfield Stage ...

passed just north of this peak as did the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line,

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

, and other stagecoach lines. The peaks name refers to the time of the Apache Wars following the Bascom Affair when the Apache destroyed most of the stations and many coaches and killed many of the station staff, drivers and passengers. Many violent incidents followed such as the

Battle of Cookes Canyon The Battle of Cookes Canyon was a military engagement fought between settlers from Confederate Arizona and Chiricahua Apaches in August 1861. It occurred about northwest of Mesilla, in Cookes Canyon. The exact date of the battle is unknown ...

. Near the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Fort Cummings Fort Cummings is a former U. S. Army post located near Cooke's Springs, in Luna County, New Mexico. It is located 20 miles northeast of Deming, New Mexico. Cooke's Spring Cooke's Spring () was named for Philip St. George Cooke 2nd U.S. Dragoo ...

was established two miles (3.2 km) northeast of the peak, near Cooke's Spring and stage station.

References

Landforms of Luna County, New Mexico Mountains of New Mexico Mountains of Luna County, New Mexico {{NewMexico-geo-stub