Columbus (New Mexico)

Luna County

35-17050

Columbus is a village in Luna County of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located across from Palomas in Chihuahua State, Mexico, approximately 8 miles from the Mexican-American border. On a community area of ​​7.2 km ² live 1,765 inhabitants (as of 2000).

History

Columbus was founded in 1891 and at that time was even closer to the border than it is today. 1902 Columbus received a railway station, which is also a relocation of the city to its present location, about three miles to the north was connected. The city, whose population in the aftermath hardly increased is described by contemporaries as less attractive.

During the Mexican Revolution for the protection of the inhabitants and the U.S. border a detachment of the 13th Calvary Regiment in 1916 moved to strength of about 350 men to Columbus. These were housed at Camp Furlong, which was located on the southern outskirts of Columbus, which the soldiers quasi stood between the city and Mexico.

On March 9, 1916 at 3:30 clock, moved the Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa ( 1878-1923 ) with up to 500 men not far from Columbus position. About half an hour later attacked at least 380 Villistas, divided into several departments of his subordinate commanders ( Colonel ) Francisco Beltrán, ( Colonel ) Candelario Cervantes, (General ) Nicolás Fernández (General ) Pablo López and a few others were out, the city. Villa did not participate in the attack, but remained with the rest of the men in the reserve. The attack ended in a complete fiasco that the Villistas not only 105 men, killed, wounded and missing (or prisoners ) cost, but also earned them no appreciable loot from the bank, for food, weapons and horses. The heavy losses Villas were on the U.S. side losses of "only" 10 civilians killed and seven or eight soldiers of the garrison opposite. Part of the city was burned down by the Villistas on fire.

By order of the then U.S. President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) took the Americans then under the command of General John J. Pershing (1860-1948) a " punitive expedition " into Mexico, which had the goal of Villa and his men to justice to draw. During the duration of this company Columbus played an important role as a supply base for the soldiers employed in Mexico.

The end of the so-called Mexican Expedition (English: Mexican Expedition ) brought Columbus to major changes. Although Camp Furlong remained in operation, but with a greatly reduced number of troops. Finally, the U.S. Army decided in 1926 to close the camp as a troop presence on the Mexican border was no longer necessary. That and the decommissioning of rail transport to Columbus had a severe shrinkage of the urban economy result, of which Columbus until the mid- 1990s, again began to recover. Today Columbus is mainly used by tourists, who are on the way to Mexico here Station, liked to visit.