Acequia Madre

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

From the record

“The Acequia Madre, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, is a historic acequia which was built at the time of Las Vegas' settlement in 1835-36. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.”
Wikipedia article Acequia Madre (Las Vegas, New Mexico), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 104 National Register listings published here for San Miguel County · listed in 1987 · category: Structure.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

Address. Roughly from Gallinas River to intersection of S. Pacific and US 85, Las Vegas, 87701
When was it listed? March 1987
Category. structure
Also known as. Las Vegas New Mexico MRA
Census division. Las Vegas
National Register reference number. 87001118 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

92 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 92 fires within 5 miles of Acequia Madre between 1994 and 2020, burning about 1,674 acres in total. 22 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	53
Natural	22
Debris and open burning	6
Equipment and vehicle use	4
Smoking	3
Misuse of fire by a minor	3
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
18 September 2000	Natural	175 acres	New Mexico State Forestry Division	MOON
8 August 2005	Natural	2.0 acres	New Mexico State Forestry Division	BARNETT
7 August 2008	Natural	under an acre	Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge	RANGE UNIT 7
7 August 2003	Natural	under an acre	New Mexico State Forestry Division	PETERSON
29 August 2002	Natural	under an acre	New Mexico State Forestry Division	OWL
14 August 2012	Natural	1.3 acres	Las Vegas District	ALAMITO
1 August 2020	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Las Vegas District	21-40340165X
6 July 1998	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	7.0 acres	New Mexico State Forestry Division	PIEDRA

Every fire recorded in San Miguel County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 17 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 17 workings within 5 miles of Acequia Madre: 16 unknowns, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Uranium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Los Vigiles	Uranium	Occurrence
Marquez Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Materials Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown

Every working recorded in San Miguel County

Storms near this property

52 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Las Vegas, the town this property stands in, in 52 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 45 hail, 4 flash flood, 1 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2024	Flash Flood	Las Vegas	$1,000,000	Flash flooding from heavy rains closed NM Highway 65 from mile markers 2 to 4 or one mile south of Montezuma where culverts were washed out. Flowing water 1 to 3 feet deep also reported over El Llano Road, Cinder Road, Palo Verde Road and at the intersection of 7th Street and Mills Avenue. Road closures were also reported along State Road 65 at Campus and El Camino, as well as along 8th Street north of Mills Avenue. Robertson Cardinal football field was completely covered in standing water. The Las Vegas Water Treatment Plant also flooded. A mandatory evacuation order was issued at 9:54pm MDT for this area due to the dangerous flooding across Las Vegas to Montezuma. Damage is an estimated given very limited information.
August 1996	Hail	Las Vegas	$80,000	no account filed
June 1995	Hail	Las Vegas	$10,000	Hail ranging from quarter to golf ball-size damaged mobile homes and vehicles in Las Vegas and also five miles south of the city.
July 1998	Flash Flood	Las Vegas	$2,000	Heavy thunderstorms produced small hail and brief flash flooding from near Gallinas southeast into Las Vegas. Damage was limited to rural road washouts.
October 2023	Hail	Las Vegas	$1,000	The Las Vegas Animal Care shelter suffered hail damage. A window was knocked out, and crates and kennels were damaged. There were no injuries reported.
October 2023	Hail	Las Vegas	$1,000	The District Ranger for the U.S. Forest Service in Las Vegas reported half-dollar sized hail at their district office building. Hail damage to the roof was reported with a leak resulting from the damage.
May 2025	Hail	Las Vegas	-	A trained spotter just west of downtown Las Vegas observed 2 inches of nickel size hail from a strong thunderstorm.
July 2024	Flash Flood	Las Vegas	-	Flash flooding occurred in Las Vegas on Mills Avenue near the state Behavior Health Institute Building.
October 2024	Hail	Las Vegas	-	A strong storm dropped nickel size hail in Las Vegas, NM close to Grande Ave.
October 2023	Hail	Las Vegas	-	A copious amount of nickel to quarter sized hail resulted in the dispatch of New Mexico Department of Transportation snowplows on Interstate 25.
October 2023	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Nickel to quarter size hail accumulated to about 3 inches deep in some parts downtown Las Vegas, NM. There was minor flooding that resulted in town.
July 2020	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Very large hail was observed with a severe thunderstorm that moved south through Las Vegas. Various sources reported hail ranging from the size of quarters to golf balls.
August 2017	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Hail up to the size of golf balls in Las Vegas.
June 2017	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Hail at least the size of hen eggs fell near Las Vegas.
August 2017	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Hail up to the size of quarters near Las Vegas.
July 2017	Flash Flood	Las Vegas	-	Flash flooding along Gallinas Creek. Low water crossings and intersections flooded. Roads impassable.
June 2014	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Numerous hail stones between quarter and half dollar size indicated in photo by storm chaser.
May 2009	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Hail accumulated to around 4 inches in depth.
September 2003	Heavy Rain	Las Vegas	-	Heavy rain of 3 inches in 90 minutes caused Tecolote Creek to overflow onto Road 283 near Camp Bluehaven and San Geronimo.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Las Vegas	-	Marble sized hail covered Interstate 25 up to eight inches deep at mile marker 350-352 north of Las Vegas.
May 2001	Hail	Las Vegas	-	Hail 3 to 5 inches deep covered Interstate 25 north of Las Vegas.
August 1998	Tornado (F0)	Las Vegas	-	Several funnel clouds were reported during a five minute period near McAlister Lake. A brief tornado touchdown overturned a cattle feeder.
July 2023	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
July 2013	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
July 2013	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
August 2012	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2010	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2009	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2009	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2008	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2006	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
September 2006	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
September 2005	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2004	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2004	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 2003	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
August 1997	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
May 1997	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
July 1997	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
September 1997	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 1996	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
August 1996	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed
June 1995	Hail	Las Vegas	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in San Miguel County

Newspapers printed here

42,362 digitised pages

8 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 7,735 issues, 42,362 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

Newspaper	Published
El Independiente	1894 to 19??
Las Vegas Gazette	1872 to 18??
Las Vegas Daily Gazette	1881 to 1886
Las Vegas Morning Gazette	18?? to 1881
Daily Gazette	1879 to 1880
The Las Vegas Gazette	1886
The Las Vegas Weekly Optic and Stock Grower	1898 to 190?
Las Vegas Daily Optic	1880 to 1908

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Arturo Angel House	under 500 feet	1985
Eugenio Gatignole House	under 500 feet	1985
House at 921 S. Pacific	0.1 miles	1985
Distrito de las Escuelas	0.2 miles	1980
House at 312 Tecolote	0.2 miles	1985
House at 921 Chavez	0.2 miles	1985

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 87001118 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
San Miguel County	All 104 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.