[2] It was established as a small railroad town with the arrival of the Southern Pacific in 1880, supplanting the earlier Ciénega station that was located to the west of Pantano.

The wife of Granville Henderson Oury described her journey through the area in 1861: "We are traveling through country which has always been infested by Indians, and very recently they have committed depredations and horrible atrocities on this very road.

All three of his friends were killed, but with his shotgun Smith managed to shoot down several of the hostiles and force the rest to withdraw at noon.

The location also attracted private businesses and settlers, who built several warehouses and homes, a small store with a blacksmith, and a carpenter's shop.

Seventy-five people were living in Pantano in 1880, and in 1887 severe flooding forced them to relocate the town to the northern side of the creek.

The Pete Kitchen Ranch, where Mercer spent a few years of his childhood, is also on display, and is located a few miles north of Nogales, Arizona.