South Valley is the name locals give to the valley land either side
of the Rio Grande River from Las Cruces south to the Texas State line.
All the South Valley area, including that occupied by several small
predominately Hispanic-American communities, is in Dona Ana County in
southwest New Mexico. Most farms in the South Valley, along the Rio
Grande River Valley, have rich soil. Farmers cultivate cotton,
alfalfa, grapes, pecans, onions, lettuce, chile and other crops. There are
also several large dairies raising large fields of hay.
Three highways run south from Las Cruces. Two of these highways, NM Highway
28 and Highway 478 (replacing U. S. Highway 80), pass through local
communities. The third highway is Interstate 10 (East/West) bypassing most
of them. The area abounds in excellent photo opportunities, and the
Organ Mountains to the east often supply a backdrop.
Here is information about some of the communities of the South Valley in
Dona Ana County, listed southerly starting from Las Cruces:
MESILLA PARK and UNIVERSITY PARK are suburbs of Las Cruces.
MESILLA (little table), also known as LA MESILLA and OLD MESILLA, was a
bustling community, but it faded in 1881 when the Sante Fe Railroad
chose to run through Las Cruces and Mesilla Park. Today (2002) Mesilla's
Plaza is bounded on the north by its Church and on the east, south and
west by old buildings now occupied by jewelers, galleries, gift shops
and restaurants.
MESQUITE was established in 1882 by executives of the Santa Fe Railroad, and
named after the desert brush growing along its tracks. It's now (2002)
a farming community on NM Highway 478.
SAN MIGUEL is on NM Highway 28. It boasts a church built partly using
volcanic rock quarried locally. The community was known as "Telles" until
1917, when a new post office application resulted in changing its name
to "San Miguel". The Stahman family bought 2,900 acres of land from
Santa Tomas Farm (Santa Tomas is now a ghost town) in 1926, and over
the years expanded their pecan orchards. Today, a three-mile stretch
of Highway 28 is shaded by pecan trees growing either side of the roadway.
LA MESA is south of San Miguel along Highway 28. The community was named
for a lava flow known as "Black Mesa" when its post office was established
in 1908. In 1875, the San Jose Church was built.
VADO (ford) is south on Highway 478. It has had several names: Herron,
Earlham, Center Valley, and finally Vado. African-Americans moved to Vado
in the 1920's from Blackdom, a dwindling community near Roswell.
CHAMBERINO is south on NM 28. Until 1854, It was in Mexico, and known as El
Refugio and also Los Amoles. When the Gadsden Purchase was ratified.
in 1854, the community became part of the United States. The original
community was moved because the Rio Grande River flooded so often,
destroying crops and homes. Chamberino now (2002) is on the west mesa.
BERINO is east of NM 478 and directly across the Rio Grande from Chamberino.
Settled by Hispanic-Americans, this land was also part of the Gadsden
Purchase in 1854. The community grew up around a Butterfield Overland Mail
station located on the Cottonwoods Ranch north of Anthony. Berino now
(2002) is the center of farms and dairies with its own elementary school.
LA UNION is an agricultural community which has had a post office since
1909. It's west of Highway 28. Many of its citizens are Hispanic-
Americans.
CHAPARRAL is east of the South Valley, through the Anthony Gap. It is
a suburb of El Paso, with large open areas populated with manufactured
homes.