Plotted in 1849 by a U. S. Army surveying expedition under Capt. Randolph B. Marcy. Guided by Manuel, a Comanche Indian, Marcy crossed the dreaded staked plains of West Texas, proving their feasibility for travel, and opening a new and shorter road west. Marcy's trail from Dona Ana, N. M., to Fort Smith, Ark., became a major road to the California gold fields. Later the overland stage followed it for about 125 miles and in 1881, Texas and Pacific Railroad built along part of the route. (1967)