Datil, New Mexico

Datil was founded in 1884 as a stop on the wagon road between Magdalena and Quemado. Here the "beefsteak trail" livestock route forked, one prong continuing on west to Quemado and the other branching southwest to Old Horse Springs. Thousands of cattle and sheep were driven from Springerville, Arizona, through Datil to the stockyards in Magdalena from the 1880's to the 1950's.

Datil is in Catron County, and about 34 miles west of Magdalena. It was named for the nearby Datil Mountains. Camp Datil was built on the site of present-day Datil in 1884 to protect settlers from Apache raids. The Camp was abandoned in 1886.

Today (1998) Datil, at the crossroads of US 60 and NM 12, is a convenient stop for travelers.