The Ojo del Muerto, an artesianspring, was located at 33°10′10″N107°06′19″W / 33.16944°N 107.10528°W / 33.16944; -107.10528, above the confluence of Cañon del Muerto with an unnamed arroyo that flows into McRae Canyon. It was one of the few reliable water sources along the route of the Jornada del Muerto, although stock and water carriers had to travel several leagues (5 or 6 miles) west from the trail to the spring and back. It was also the water source of the Apache in the region and very risky for travelers to obtain water there. Also the Cañon del Muerto was an easily traveled gap through the mountains between the Jornada del Muerto and the crossing of the Rio Grande there, used by the Apache and Navaho raiders of New Mexican settlements. For those reasons Fort McRae was built in McRae Canyon a mile and a half below the spring in 1863, to help protect travelers on the Jornada del Muerto and impede Apache raiders movement across the Jornada basin and the Rio Grande valley.