Panho Villa is remembered as either a folk hero or a ruthless criminal or terrorist. Naming a N. Mexico St. Pk. for him continues to be a source of consternation for many anglos.
In the early 1900's Mexico was in a state of perpetual revolution. During the prior decade or so, Porfirio Diaz had ruled with an iron fist; Mexico prospered, but on the backs of the pions. The nation was ripe for revolution. Villa, & his co-revolutionary adversary, Carranza, were both vying for control and Carranza had gained the upper hand. Villa's lack of resources forced him to prey on American mining companies & ranches but this wasn't sufficient, so in the middle of the PM March 9, 1916, Villa's 500 strong army attacked Columbus, N. Mex. --the major target being Sam Ravel's general store both for supplies and probable revenge--legend being that Ravel had sold ammunition to both Villa and Carranza, with Villa's ammunition being underloaded, resulting in a battle victory for Carranza in which 3,000 of Villa's troops were killed.
President W. Wilson ordered Gen. Pershing to capture Villa in the "Punitive Expedition." It didn't happen. However, the Expedition constituted the US Army's final use of the US Calvary, the 1st use of autos, trucks and airplanes, even though fuel for these "newfangled" machines often had to be transported on pack mules. (Note attached photos for this stuff & other related Expedition stuff.)
Pancho Villa St. Pk. is in the middle of the desert. A dry, fierce wind (gusting to 35mph) has been blowing since arrival. The EGG is-ah rocking 'n and hopefully not rolling. Humidity is running around 10-12%. If you have sinus/allergy issues your nose may well do some bleeding. Heading for Truth or Consequences, N. Mex. tomorrow. It's been said (by me) that with Truth, sometimes the consequences ain't so good. Later.....
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