Audio
Fort Craig - Journey of the Dead Man Exhibit Audio Description
Transcript
Journey of the Dead Man. 500 words.
This panel is one of five that sit along a sidewalk at the side of the gravel drive. It is 3 feet wide by two feet tall, and sits 3 feet off the ground on two metal posts. That is approximately 1 meter wide by a half meter tall, and one meter off the ground.
The surrounding land is flat with various mountain features along the distant horizon. As you face the panels there is a closer peak that rises gradually at the left side and more steeply on the right. This is Fra Cristóbal Mountain. Another prominent feature is a wide flat-topped mesa to the left and slightly behind you, which is Mesa del Contadero.
Text at the upper left on this panel reads, "The mountains on the horizon (pictured below) are the start of the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man). This feared section of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro forced travelers to cross 90 miles of open desert. Travelers had followed the Rio Grande to this point. The river provided water and a gentle path. South of here, the river valley grows too rough for loaded carros (wagons) and carretas (carts) to pass through." “The difficult terrain forced caravans to risk a desert crossing. The open lands offered few water sources and no protection from raiding parties. Southbound groups would begin crossing at night with hopes that summer storms had refilled water sources. Seeing these mountains assured northbound travelers that they had survived the crossing.”
To the right of the text is an image of an 1811 Map of el Nuevo Mexico by José Antonio Pichardo from the Library of Congress. It shows the river winding down the left side in a wide curve with your current location being near the top of the map. Across the river and slightly below or south of your position is Fray Cristobal Mountian. Below that along the river is a series of small humps marking mountains. A dotted line follows the river down to Fray Cristobal then heads east, around the mountains and through a large open flat area, before turning downward to rejoin the river at the southern end of the map.
At lower left of the panel are two photographs. The one on the left shows a view across desert scrub to a wide mesa. The caption reads, "Mesa del Contadero (Counter's Mesa). Also known as Black Mesa or Mesa de Senecú. The trail passes the steep-sided mesa. Spanish caravans had a person stand on top to count livestock entering the Jornada, and survivors exiting the deadly crossing."
The photo on the right shows a low mountain with a gradual slope on the left and a steeper slope on the right. The caption reads, "Fra Cristóbal Mountain. Caravans built a paraje (camp) at the base of the mountain. This was the last chance to find water and graze livestock before starting the Jornada del Muerto."
Across the top are logos associated with various agencies. At left is the Bureau of Land Management, National Conservation Lands. Next is El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail with an image of an ox-drawn cart. At the right are titles for El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail and Fort Craig Historic Site.
End of Description.
Description
Listen to the audio description of the Fort Craig - Journey of the Dead Man exhibit.
Date Created
08/31/2021
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