Raton Pass, whose name comes from the Spanish word for “Mouse,” lay on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail. It was crossed by Kearny’s Army of the West in the Mexican War and by the First Regiment, Colorado Volunteers in the Civil War. “Uncle Dick” Wooten’s toll road was built there in 1865, the railroad was constructed in 1878, and an improved highway was built from 1919 to 1922.