The story
Read it all →How Elephant Butte came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Elephant Butte.
Elephant Butte was named from Elephant Butte, a butte nearby thought to resemble an elephant.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
D−History
History · Elephant Butte
Half of Elephant Butte’s homes were built after 1995
More historic than 4% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Elephant Butte was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 2000.
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Elephant Butte’s history
How historic is Elephant Butte?
D−
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 4% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Elephant Butte’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elephant Butte is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elephant Butte’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±0.9) · typical NM town 2.3% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NM town 2.2 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 4%
NewerOlder
New Mexico towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical New Mexico town has 2.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Elephant Butte’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of New Mexico towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Elephant Butte’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Elephant Butte’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elephant Butte’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Elephant Butte, decade by decade
Today11 recent
2023Rain clouds pass over Elephant Butte Reservoir in cen…
2018Elephant Butte
2018Elephant Butte
2018Elephant Butte
2012Mantis Praying
2011Welcome to
2009Elephant Butte New Mexico Municipal Offices
2008Elephant Butte
2004NMMap-doton-ElephantButte
2003Elephant Butte - Sill containing mantle xenoliths
2003Elephant Butte - Sill containing mantle xenolithsOn the map
Elephant Butte on the map, 1958 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elephant Butte. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Elephant Butte sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elephant Butte.
People over time
Elephant Butte, census by census
Between 1,390 and 1,447 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elephant Butte’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Elephant Butte
Nobody well known was born in Elephant Butte itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Elephant Butte’s history
How does Elephant Butte rank for history?
Elephant Butte is more historic than 4% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Elephant Butte?
0.0% of Elephant Butte’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.3% for a New Mexico town; the median home was built in 1995.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.