Marker Inscription
Crossing site was 4.9 miles northeast, in Loving County. Now under Red Bluff Lake. (1964)
Historical Marker
Pope's Crossing
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
About this site
Pope's Crossing is a historical marker in Orla, Reeves County, dedicated in 1964. It is one of 20 historical markers documented in Reeves County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 24 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 31.9451, -103.9945 near Orla. The nearest cataloged historic site is Red Bluff Dam (historical marker), about 6.9 miles away. Others within a short drive include Orla, Mentone, and Old Toyah Cemetery.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5389004071. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
History
Pope's Crossing was a ford on the Pecos River near the New Mexico border, discovered in 1855 by an expedition under U.S. Army engineer John Pope that was drilling for artesian water. The crossing became a key point on the upper road between San Antonio and El Paso and was later used by the Butterfield Overland Mail and the Goodnight-Loving cattle trail. The site was inundated in 1936 by Red Bluff Lake, and a granite Texas Centennial marker stands at the intersection of U.S. 285 and County Route 453.
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Nearby in Reeves County
Historical Marker
Red Bluff Dam
Orla · 1972
Historical Marker
Orla
Orla · 1965
Historical Marker
Mentone
Mentone · 1967
Cemetery
Old Toyah Cemetery
Toyah · 2008
Historical Marker
Toyah
Toyah · 1964
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Neighbors-Ford Trial, Vicinity of Significant
Pecos · 1966
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Camp Hospital, Old
Pecos · 1966
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First Christian Church
Pecos · 1975