About Raton

Ratón is the Spanish word for a mouse (literally “small rat”). The Raton Range and Raton Peak are located immediately north of the town. The Raton Range is a 75-mile long ridge that extends east from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Raton Pass and theRaton Basin are also named for the Raton Range.

The post office at this location was named Willow Springs from 1877 to 1879, then Otero from 1879 to 1880, and has been named Raton since 1880.

Raton History

Raton Pass had been used by Spanish explorers and Indians for centuries to cut through the rugged Rocky Mountains, but the trail was too rough for wagons on the Santa Fe Trail.

Raton was founded at the site of Willow Springs, a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The original 320 acres (1.3 km2) for the Raton townsite were purchased from the Maxwell Land Grant in 1880. In 1879, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bought a local toll road and established a busy rail line. Raton quickly developed as a railroad, mining and ranching center for the northeast part of the New Mexico territory, as well as the county seat and principal trading center of the area.