Some places have a remarkable way of connecting the past with the present. And sometimes, the connection is staring you right in the face.
Right here in historic Columbus, New Mexico, State Highways 9 and 11 intersect in the heart of a community that survived a deadly attack on American soil in 1916.
Coincidence? Absolutely. But what a coincidence!
MARCH 9, 1916 — THE DAY COLUMBUS CAME UNDER ATTACK
In the darkness before dawn on March 9, 1916, hundreds of Mexican revolutionaries under Francisco “Pancho” Villa attacked the sleeping border village of Columbus, New Mexico.
Their targets included the U.S. Army’s Camp Furlong and the surrounding civilian community. The fighting did not stay at the military encampment: it swept through downtown streets and the commercial district.
Gunfire erupted. Buildings were looted and set ablaze. Residents fled for their lives as American cavalrymen fought to drive the attackers back toward Mexico.
The National Park Service reports that ten American civilians and eight U.S. soldiers died during the attack.
Among the buildings destroyed was the Commercial Hotel. Its historical marker records that raiders robbed guests, killed hotel proprietor W. T. Ritchie, and burned the building to the ground.
The hotel site is on Lima Street, only a short distance from the historic depot at the modern Highway 9 and Highway 11 junction.
THE HISTORIC CROSSROADS THAT STILL EXISTS
Today, visitors passing through Columbus encounter two familiar New Mexico road signs: HIGHWAY 9 and HIGHWAY 11.
But many motorists probably do not know what happened in the surrounding streets.
The historic railroad depot, constructed around 1902, stands at the modern highway intersection and houses the Columbus Historical Society Museum. A New Mexico historical marker places the depot at State Roads 9 and 11 and the Commercial Hotel site about 400 feet away.
The depot survived the attack and subsequently became an important supply point for Gen. John J. Pershing’s Punitive Expedition into Mexico.
The town that had witnessed mounted cavalry, gunfire, and burning buildings soon became a staging ground for trucks, automobiles, supplies, and pioneering U.S. military aviation.
TWO ATTACKS ON AMERICAN SOIL — AN EXTRAORDINARY NUMERICAL COINCIDENCE
Americans recognize the numbers 9/11 as the date of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Those attacks and the Columbus raid were very different historical events, separated by generations, circumstances, and consequences. There is no historical connection between the modern highway numbers and the September 11 attacks.
The resemblance is a coincidence — but a striking one.
In Columbus, Highways 9 and 11 meet amid sites connected to the March 9, 1916 raid. That numerical echo offers an unexpected way to introduce another chapter of American history to people who may never have heard of it.
And it raises a larger question: HOW MUCH OF OUR OWN AMERICAN HISTORY HAVE WE FORGOTTEN?
MORE THAN A CROSSROADS — A HISTORIC AMERICAN DESTINATION
Columbus has a story deserving a wider audience. The raid and the military expedition that followed helped usher in changes in American warfare.
The 13th Cavalry defended the village. General Pershing assembled an expeditionary force. Motorized transport became increasingly important. The First Aero Squadron pioneered operational military aviation from Columbus.
Today, visitors can explore historic buildings, memorials, museum exhibits, and the former grounds of Camp Furlong.
Yet people travel through southern New Mexico without realizing what happened here.
Perhaps that is the real story of the 9/11 Crossroads: not just a coincidence between two road numbers and a familiar date, but a reminder that those highways meet in a village whose remarkable history is too often overlooked.
THE NEXT TIME YOU PASS THROUGH COLUMBUS…
Take a moment at the intersection of Highways 9 and 11. Look toward the old railroad depot. Remember the Commercial Hotel and the lives forever changed on March 9, 1916.
Consider how much history can be found in the streets of one small American border village.
THIS IS COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO. AND HISTORY HAPPENED RIGHT HERE!
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Discover Historic Columbus: ColumbusNewMexico.com
Eye On Columbus: VillageOfColumbusNM.com