Fra Cristobal Range
# Fra Cristobal Range

The Fra Cristobal Range, (Fra Cristóbal Range) is a 17 mi (27 km) long, mountain range in central-north Sierra County, New Mexico. Its northern extreme above Fra Cristoblal Mountain extends into Socorro County. The range borders the eastern shore of Elephant Butte Reservoir on the Rio Grande, and the range lies towards the southwest of the Jornada del Muerto, the desert region east of the river.

## Description

The Fra Cristobal Range is an arid, moderate elevation, north–south trending mountain range, about 17 mi long and narrow, only about 7 mi at its widest. Crater Hill, 5,087 feet (1,551 m) lies west of the central ridgeline, and north of Black Bluffs, Red Cliff at the Reservoir.

The high peak in the northern end of the range, which gives the range its name, is Fra Cristobal Mountain, 5,932 feet (1,808 m), is at the north perimeter of the range. It is located at 33°28′12″N 107°05′55″W﻿ / ﻿33.47000°N 107.09861°W﻿ / 33.47000; -107.09861﻿ (Fra Cristobal Mountain) The mountain is said to have resembled the profile of a priest, Fray Cristóbal de Salazar, a cousin of Juan de Oñate, with the first colonizing expedition in $1598.^{:157,note21}$

