Mason's Fprt Traditional Cache

This is a series of geocaches to commemorate our Great State of New Mexico.  All of the geocaches are named for settlements that once thrived in Dona Ana county but some of them are now nothing more than footnotes in our history.  They have all played an important role in the settling and growth of our county and some of them are still active communities, rich with culture, architecture, and historic buildings.
 

Slocum Ranch Headquarters, later known as Mason's Ranch. The ranch dates back to the 1880's. When the Butterfield Trail was established the trail went right by the ranch headquarters. For a short period it was used as an outpost of Fort Cummings and referred to as Fort Slocum and later Fort Mason. The location was the only source of water between the Rio Grande and Fort Cummings and was used as a turn around point for Army escorts protecting travelers passing through Massacre Gap (aka. Magdalena Gap). Massacre Gap is located approximately 3.6 miles directly west of the cache site (N32 22.322 W107 12.580). The location of Fort Slocum/Mason is on public land. The site that was known as Fort Mason or Mason's Fort was first known as The Water Holes in the 1860's, when it was developed by Virgil Mastin. Mastin was killed in an Apache raid at Pinos Altos,