Placita and Monticello: Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, New Mexico

SIDE TRIP 7 to Placita and Monticello is a brisk desert drive surrounded by low vegetation and mountains on the horizon. The primary road in this Side Trip is a state-maintained highway with two 12-foot-wide paved driving lanes. Note that this is open range cattle country; cattle have the legal right-of-way. This segment is in good repair, and is snow-plowed as needed except at night and on weekends. During rare times of severe weather this road may be closed, and stay closed until cleared. Safety conditions are good for the posted speed limits. From Placita to Monticello, the road is less well maintained (but still easily navigable) and may have brief unpaved segments.
PLACITA (which means Little Plaza), settled by the Sedillo family in the 1840s, still boasts the San Lorenzo Catholic Church from 1916, a dance hall, and some old homes. It remains a farming community irrigating with the reliable waters from the picturesque Alamosa Canyon. MONTICELLO was established as Canada Alamosa (Cottonwood Canyon) in 1856 by farmers from early villages along the Rio Grande searching for new and fertile farmland. It was close to the Warm Springs Apache territory, with whom the early settlers of this community learned to trade; then, as headquarters for the Southern Apache Agency, the town was actually home to 500 Apaches in 1870. In 1881, the first postmaster - Aristide Borguet - renamed the community Monticello for reasons that just aren't clear. The town is laid out in traditional Spanish style, with a church, stores and businesses surrounding a central plaza. The outer walls of the perimeter buildings were thick adobe with gunsight holes for defense, and remains of the old adobe town walls are still visible. Today the plaza is a small community park, and 1867's San Ignacio Catholic Church still stands sentinel on the north side, where it's used regularly. The old cemetery, with graves dating back to the 1700s, is nearby as well. There are no stores or facilities available, and all buildings are on private property.
	Please note that there is no gasoline available on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway west of Truth or Consequences / Williamsburg and Elephant Butte. This is the majority of the Trail, which runs through some very remote countryside. Fill your tank before you leave! Gasoline is available on Side Trip 5; or, if you choose to follow the Alternate Loop, gas is available at Silver City. Please also note that bridges between Caballo and Hillsboro bear twelve-foot, six-inch height restrictions; and the Forest Service advises not only that trailers over twenty feet are unsafe on Forest Development Road 150, but that low-clearance / non-four-wheel-drive vehicles travel that section of the Trail at their own risk.
What's on the web about Placita and Monticello?
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Next stop on the E-Tour: into the northern half of Interpretive Zone 1...
	Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you.