Antelope Wells, New Mexico

Etymology

Today there are neither pronghorn (known regionally as antelopes) nor water wells in the area, but a local intermittent pond may have supported a population previously. The name comes from an old ranch, located 2.5 mi north of the current community. The only inhabitants of the community are U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees.

Geography

Antelope Wells is the southernmost settlement of New Mexico, situated in the region commonly known as the Bootheel of New Mexico. It is the smallest and least-used border crossing of the 43 ports of entry along the border with Mexico. The crossing, which is open solely for non-commercial traffic, is open every day from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

History

The port was established by Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 and has been staffed since 1928. In 2005, 93 pedestrians crossed over the border in the community, which consisted of just four buildings: the port of entry building, two houses and a trailer. Including domestic and international travelers, fewer than 500 buses and privately owned vehicles pass through the community each month, though traffic has been increasing as of 2006 with more international shuttle van service. Despite its low usage, there is no move to close the port, which is the only port between Douglas, Arizona, and Columbus, New Mexico, and provides the most direct route from the United States to the Sierra Madre Occidental.

Recreation

Antelope Wells is located on New Mexico State Road 81, which links it with Interstate 10 and New Mexico State Road 9. Antelope Wells was the official southern terminus of the 3100 mi long Continental Divide Trail until it was relocated to Crazy Cook, east of the nearby Hatchet Mountains in the mid-1990s and remains the location of the 2745 mi long Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Antelope Wells has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Antelope Wells was 109 F on June 27, 1994, while the coldest temperature recorded was -6 F on February 3, 2011.

|Jan record high F = 81 |Feb record high F = 83 |Mar record high F = 86 |Apr record high F = 96 |May record high F = 102 |Jun record high F = 109 |Jul record high F = 107 |Aug record high F = 104 |Sep record high F = 101 |Oct record high F = 96 |Nov record high F = 90 |Dec record high F = 78

|Jan avg record high F = 72.8 |Feb avg record high F = 76.6 |Mar avg record high F = 82.9 |Apr avg record high F = 88.6 |May avg record high F = 95.6 |Jun avg record high F = 102.6 |Jul avg record high F = 101.8 |Aug avg record high F = 97.8 |Sep avg record high F = 95.4 |Oct avg record high F = 90.6 |Nov avg record high F = 81.9 |Dec avg record high F = 73.9 |year avg record high F = 104.0

|Jan avg record low F = 13.8 |Feb avg record low F = 17.0 |Mar avg record low F = 21.6 |Apr avg record low F = 27.5 |May avg record low F = 37.9 |Jun avg record low F = 47.9 |Jul avg record low F = 58.5 |Aug avg record low F = 55.4 |Sep avg record low F = 45.9 |Oct avg record low F = 30.0 |Nov avg record low F = 19.2 |Dec avg record low F = 14.6 |year avg record low F = 10.0

|Jan record low F = 4 |Feb record low F = -6 |Mar record low F = 3 |Apr record low F = 21 |May record low F = 29 |Jun record low F = 30 |Jul record low F = 47 |Aug record low F = 47 |Sep record low F = 36 |Oct record low F = 17 |Nov record low F = 7 |Dec record low F = 7

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = November 26, 2022 |access-date = May 19, 2023

Notes

References

1. {{GNIS. 898517
2. "The Place-Names of New Mexico".
3. Innes, Stephanie. (September 20, 2006). "Quiet N.M. road leads to least-used legal crossing". [[Arizona Daily Star]].
4. "Antelope Wells POE". New Mexico Border Authority.
5. (December 15, 1981). "A Big Day for Antelope Wells, N.M., Pop. 2". The New York Times.
6. "NM 31".
7. "One of the largest conservation efforts in the history of the United States.".
8. (2017-10-04). "Great Divide Mountain Bike Route".