Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, NM

Las Cruces, New Mexico, is located in the valley of the Rio Grande River and sits astride Interstate 25 and U.S. 70. One of its key features are the Organ Mountains to the east of the city. The Organ Mountains are so-called because from a distance they resemble the pipes of a huge organ.

Located in a desert, the mountains rise from the valley floor in an environment with only low-growing shrubs. The effect is a different perspective from any other mountains we've seen on this trip. 

These mountains are located on the western edge of White Sands Missile Range. While cattle graze the lower slopes, further into the mountains one can find ibyx and oryx. These two species brought from Africa where they were threatened with extinction have thrived here and are now considered game animals in New Mexico. 

The pictures of the mountains were photographed looking east.  The windmill was photographed from the same spot looking west toward Las Cruces and the Rio Grande valley.

This blog page is about space--very big, open space--commonly known as west Texas! Those of us from North Dakota talk about distance and open spaces. West Texas must compare somewhere between North Dakota and Australia . 

The pictures today were taken around Fort Stockton, TX, the only town of significant size on Interstate 10 for hundreds of miles. As you look across these great, arid distances you see windmills, not wind machines to produce electricity, but old-fashioned windmills to pump water for livestock and an occasional family dwelling. If you find Fort Stockton on the Texas map you will find that there are no communities of any size to the south to the Mexican border, very few to the west, most of the way to San Antonio. In North Dakota, the advice is to keep your gas tank half full or better.  Here the advice would be to have an extra tank!

The area is desert. The pictures indicate some of the common vegetation. ND has cactus, but nothing like these. They are everywhere. Yuccas can be 10 or 12 feet tall. The succulent with the long leaves grew near our RV park just east of Fort Stockton. Evidence of oil production is everywhere.

It's pretty clear that if you live here, you'll be close to nature and its whims.

The Gunboat - U.S.S. Cairo

Within Vicksburg National Military Park, the gunboat U.S.S. Cairo is the centerpiece off a Museum dedicated to the contribution that the Federalist Navy and gunboats like the Cairo made to the battle of Vicksburg. 

The Cairo was one of several similar iron-clad gunboats built specifically for use on the Mississippi. They were shallow-draft, flat-bottom, wooden structures with iron-clad bow and sides. Their armor was effective against even direct hits from the side but the ships were vulnerable to shells dropped onto their upper deck or torpedos exploded beneath them. On December 12, 1862, the Cairo and several other vessels were on maneuvers in the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg, when the Cairo was hit by two Confederate torpedos. The torpedos were detonated from land by Confederate troops. The Cairo sank in 12 minutes. Fortunately, none of the crew were lost. They were picked up by other vessels in the battle group. 

The sunken remains of the Cairo were discovered and lifted from the bottom of the Yazoo one hundred years later on December 12, 1962. The ship was quite well preserved because it was quickly covered by river silt. The reconstructed hull with boilers and a replica of the paddlewheel are on display at Cairo Museum. The upper part of the ship has been rebuilt; the lower part consists mostly of the original timbers. 

The Museum contains a wealth of artifacts recovered from the ship, including a bottle of ammonia with its contents intact and cooking condiments that were considered still safe to use but of questionable quality.

The Battle of Vicksburg

The Battle of Vicksburg was one of the definitive battles of the Civil War. The Federalist victory at Vicksburg gave the Union control of the key Mississippi River ports and divided Confederate states. Lincoln called the taking of Vicksburg a "key" to winning the War. 

Preliminary maneuvers by troops led by General Grant (see picture of the General on horseback) in preparation for the taking of Vicksburg began in January 1863. Serious fighting began in May, continued intermittently until Grant decided he would be unable to take the city by conventional military attack and put Vicksburg under siege.  The siege lasted 47 days and ended with the surrender of Confederate forces on July 4, 1863.

The military cemetery within the Park contains the graves of over 15,000 Union casualties. Over 13,000 of them are unidentified. Confederate casualties were buried in a private cemetery outside of the Park.

The monument is a tribute to Minnesota soldiers who fought in the battle. There are many monuments throughout the Park identifying military units from many states. The Park covers over 1800 acres and includes most of the area on which the Battle of Vicksburg was actually fought. Many cannon emplacements remain in the Park in actual battle positions, like the one pictured.