The Gallinas River flows out of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains from the Pecos Wilderness Area located between Las Vegas and Santa Fe. The Gallinas runs south to join the Pecos River near Anton Chico. The Gallinas nourishes the rich meadow and pasture lands from which the community of Las Vegas gets its name. The meadows were popular campsites for early native American peoples and later the Coronado expedition, and eventually Santa Fe Trail traders. The original settlement of Las Vegas was founded on the uphill western banks of the Gallinas in 1835, where a colonial plaza was founded and an irrigation ditch dug from the river. In 1879, the Gallinas River became a municipal boundary between the old west Las Vegas and the new city of East Las Vegas. The River divided the two towns for nearly a century until the consolidation of 1970. Today the Gallinas River features popular walking and biking trails and picturesque scenery.
Las Vegas, NM 87701
open
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