An aerial view of the San Marcos Arroyo and the dam
North is at the top.
This concrete dam, at the right side of this photograph, was built in 1892 by the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad to provide a reliable source of good water
for steam engines stopping at Cerrillos. The dam is fully silted-up but
nevertheless, by means of wells, is the source of water for the modern-day Village
of Cerrillos.
During the mining boom of the 1879 and 1880, the camp of Poverty Hollow was
situated just upstream of the present dam. It is likely that far beneath the
modern silt deposits are the remnants of that old camp. The area known today as
Poverty Flats lies some distance further downstream.
The dam is a few short yards east of the eastern-most boundary of the
BLM-Cerrillos Hills State Park.
This website is maintained by the Cerrillos
Hills Park Coalition
and is dedicated to the creation, enhancement and stewardship
of an historical, recreational, and cultural open space in
the
Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA
