Talk:Urraca Mesa

Attention tag
This artilces need wikified: refs, external links, etc. Rlevse 15:03, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

anybody know where the part about the monks comes from Dude-sothoth 18:20, 15 April 2007 (UTC)dude-sothothDude-sothoth 18:20, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

The issue with references for this article, is that most of these stories are passed down verbally. I think a book of Phil ghost stories has come out this year, but I don't know how much it talks about the Mesa. Zybthranger 01:20, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

There is one book called When the Sun Goes Down. It deals with Urraca as well as the ghosts that supposedly haunt the old mines and some of the ghosts of the old settlers. There is nothing in there about monks, though it mentions totems, the lost scout, the shaman, portals, the astronomer's diary, and several stories I can't recall. I have been intrigued by stories of the mesa ever since my scout master told them to my troop and hope to visit it when I go to Philmont in a year. THe book can be found at http://www.toothoftimetraders.com/philmont/product.asp?s%5Fid=0&dept%5Fid=3105&pf%5Fid=PAAAAADMAJJAAGAC&. Dude-sothoth

Merge with Location and geography section of Philmont Scout Ranch
I propose moving this article into the Location and geography section of Philmont Scout Ranch. Just an FYI for people that watch this page and not the PSR taskforce page. ZybthRanger(talk) (contribs) 15:17, 20 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Place a merge tag on the articles involved. Vsmith (talk) 16:12, 20 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I think that you mean the Philmont Scout Ranch page, not the PSR taskforce page.  BTW I've been somewhat active editing the main PSR page for 10 months and didn't even know that the PSR taskforce page existed.  There is no indication of it in the articles; I would consider anything written there to be sort of hidden.    I commented at the PSR page. North8000 (talk) 15:25, 25 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Suggest this Alt-URL vs Archived link: (Unable to paste here)
 * Check out PeakVisor App for iPsdOSiri or integrated website!
 * GeoVenturing (talk) 00:27, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

Lightning and the spring
The fresh water source mentioned is a small intermittent spring located near the base of Inspiration Point. It used to feed several cattle troughs that can be seen as you approach the camp along the road from the north.

The claim about lightning is often repeated, along with many of the spooky totem stories relating to the mesa, as fact, but I have seen little evidence for either claim. In fact I have seen Logistics and Conservation Department maps of lightning strikes at Philmont that indicate Urraca does not get the most strikes at Philmont let alone New Mexico. Other sources such as [https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.663.1279&rep=rep1&type=pdf#:~:text=Lightning%20Patterns%20In%20New%20Mexico,-Figure%204%20shows&text=The%20highest%20flash%20densities%20are,Central%20Valley%2C%20and%20Southern%20Desert. this] paper indicate that the plains to the south of Rayado get more strikes. The paper does highlight the eastern Sangre de Christos as a lightning hot spot, so they may have taken the top spot since the report was published. I have heard the claim enough to wonder if it is true so I have added a citation needed tag rather than removed it from the page.