This group of 9 GCs was established by a group of friends who enjoy geocaching with good historical context. This set of caches along Highway 9 are associated with the old railroad called El Paso and Southwestern Railroad. The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad was a short-line American railway company which operated in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, with line extensions across the international border into Mexico. The railroad was known as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad from 1888 to 1902.
(Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Paso_and_Southwestern_Railroad).
Now the railroad bed is parallel to Highway 9 and all the GCs are easily accessible from a paved road. The GCs are placed as near as possible to most of the RR stops along the route between Santa Teresa and Hachita. Some of the old RR Water Stops are on Private land, so GCs are placed near to the site, but within the Highway Right of Way. Please respect the Private land.
Mastodon – 1st water stop west from El Paso - This town was a siding and water station along the El Paso & Southwestern Railroad. Remains include a few concrete foundations to buildings. The foundation to the water tank is only a few feet from NM Highway 9 on the north side of the road. NM 9 is what used to be the railroad bed. https://sites.google.com/site/ghostsofthesouthline/towns/mastodon
Special Note: While searching for this geocache, you are likely to be visited by the US Border Patrol, especially if out late in the afternoon or evening. Due to known illegal activities that occur in this region you should be vigilant. Always be aware of your surroundings, don't leave your vehicle unlocked, and it is not recommended to travel alone in much of the border region.