April 20–21 2023 Elephant Butte State Park

Thursday, 20th

This morning we had to take care of some phone calls but after lunch we headed towards the Historic Dam Area on the southern part of the lake.

Our first stop was at the earthen dam area.  This is not the true dam but was done to direct the water towards the main flow:

View from that site:

This is the Elephant Butte Dam:

It empties into the Rio Grande:

The Dam:

Looking toward the lake:

This picture was taken in 2013 when the lake was much lower.  You can really see the difference.

“Crews began construction on the dam in 1911. Fletcher said at peak construction, there were about 3,500 workers. Upon its 1916 completion, Elephant Butte Dam was the second largest dam in the world, and had created the largest reservoir in the world. It was considered an engineering marvel for its time and was two decades ahead of the now famous Hoover Dam that straddles the Arizona-Nevada border.”

Houseboats on the lake:

Elephant Butte Island:

The same view in 2013:

So how did it get its name?  If you look closely, you can see an elephant’s head in the rock.  (Actually, it is easier in person.)

We made our way to the Elephant Butte Historic District where there was a statue dedicated to the CCC.  In the 30’s, the CCC built buildings, cabins, RV and picnic areas, a hotel and restaurant and improved the area.  It is beautiful, however, it needs a lot of TLC.  Very sad.

One of the areas still above  water.  Looks like there were stone messages –

Views from the Historic Area:

Notice the stonework.  This path led to the water (when the water was higher.

One last look at Elephant Butte Island.

There are some beautiful areas around the lake and I am sure it was an extremely popular destination when the lake was full. 

More history and information can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/new-mexico-elephant-butte-dam-and-spillway.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_Butte_Dam

https://www.abqjournal.com/1472562/elephant-butte-looks-the-part-but-a-long-storied-history-is-at-the-center-of-how-the-dam-got-and-kept-its-name.html

We stopped at Walmart for some supplies and headed home.  Since the wind died down and it was beautiful, we cooked steaks over a campfire and then enjoyed the fire into the evening.

What a great day!

Friday, 21st

Our little Bella kitty got sick overnight so the laundry was on our agenda this morning.  Sheesh, hope we are not having any more problems.

We spent the rest of the day just relaxing, getting caught up on the blog and enjoying the day.

Tomorrow we have a tour booked at Spaceport so stay tuned and enjoy today.