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gc  M.  b 

978.9 
H62a 
v.2 
1195091 


GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


FN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

niiiiiiniiiiiiii 

3  1833  01105  3755 


HISTORY 


New  Mexico 


Its  Resources  and  People 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  II 


9  7%.  9 


PACIFIC  STATES  PUBLISHING  CO. 

LOS  ANGELES  CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 

1907 


Copyright  1907 

BY 

PACIFIC   STATES   PUBLISHING  CO. 


1 1 95091 


r 


History  of  New  Mexico. 


Territory  Divided  into  Counties. 


By  act  of  January  9,   1852,  passed  at  the  second  session  of  the  first 

-.     legislature   of   the   Territory,   New   Mexico  was   divided   into  the  counties 

•      of    Taos,    Rio   Arriba,    Santa    Fe,     San    Miguel.     Santa    Aha,     Bernalillo, 

Valencia.   Socorro  and   Dona   Aha.     The  bounds   of  the  original  counties 

remained  practically  the  same  as  under  the  old  Mexican  regime. 

In  the  genesis  and  development  of  the  counties  of  the  Territory  there 
is  the  interest  which  attaches  to  all  creative  works,  whether  material, 
literary,  artistic  or  political,  and  it  is  the  purpose  in  the  following  para- 
graphs to  relate  briefly  how  the  inner  boundaries  of  New  Mexico  assumed 
their  present   form. 

Of  the  original  nine  counties,  Taos,  as  bounded  in  1852,  included  all 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  Territory  now  embraced  by  the  counties  of 
Taos,  Colfax,  Mora  and  most  of  Union,  besides  a  wide  strip  extending 
west  along  the  northern  border  to  the  Arizona  line,  and  all  the  region 
since  annexed  to  Colorado.  From  this  immense  district  was  created,  in 
i860,  the  new  county  of  Mora,  which  included  all  that  portion  of  the 
original  Taos  county  lying  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  the  present 
eastern  boundary  of  Taos.  In  1861  the  wide  strip  along  the  northern 
boundary  was  detached  from  Taos,  and  in  1880  was  added  to  Rio  Arriba 
county.  By  these  excisions  of  territory  Taos  became  the  smallest  of  the 
counties  of  New  Mexico,  whereas  it  was  originally  among  the  largest. 

At  the  legislative  session  of  1854-55  the  recently  acquired  Gadsden 
purchase  (now  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  south  of  the  Gila  river)  was 
attached  to  Dona  Ana  county.  At  the  organization  of  Arizona  Territory, 
in  1863,  all  that  portion  of  the  purchase  within  the  limits  of  New  Mexico 
remained  with  Dona  Aha. 

Continuing  the  history  of  Mora  county,  as  created  in  i860,  it  is  found 
that  an  act  of  1868  relocated  the  boundary  between  that  county  and  Taos, 
and  that,  in  the  following  year,  the  northern  part  of  Mora  was  set  off  to 
form  Colfax  county.  The  boundaries  between  these  counties  were  modified 
by  the  legislatures  of  1876  and  1882.  Colfax  and  Mora  thus  occupied  all 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  Territory  until  1893.  at  which  time  Union 
county  was  organized. 

The  county  of  Santa  Ana  was  abolished  by  legislative  enactment  of 
January,  1876,  and  the  territory  forming  it  was  attached  to  Bernalillo 
county  in  January  of  the  following  year.  As  originally  constituted  in 
1852  the  county  was  bounded  as  follows :  On  the  east  and  north  by  the 
boundaries  of  the  county  of  Santa  Fe;  on  the  south,  from  a  point  above 

Vol.  II.     1 


524  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  last  houses  of  Bernalillo,  where  the  lands  previously  known  as  those 
belonging-  to  the  Indians  of  Santa  Ana  are  divided,  drawing  a  direct  line 
toward  the  east  over  the  mountain  until  it  reaches  the  parallel  dividing  the 
counties  of  San  Miguel  and  Santa  Fe ;  from  said  dividing  point  of  the 
lands  of  the  Indians  of  Santa  Ana,  drawing  a  line  westward,  crossing  the 
Rio  del  Norte  and  terminating  with  the  boundaries  of  the  Territory. 

As  constituted  by  the  first  legislature,  the  original  Rio  Arriba  county 
comprised  all  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Territory,  and,  as  stated,  in  1880 
received  the  strip  along  the  San  Juan  river.  It  thus  acquired  an  area  of 
about  12,500  square  miles,  and  included  all  the  region  north  of  the  thirty- 
sixth  parallel  and  west  of  Taos  county.  The  legislature  of  1880  slightly 
changed  the  boundary  between  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba  counties,  and  in  1884 
San  Juan  county  was  formed  from  the  western  part  of  the  latter,  thus 
giving  it  essentially  its  present  boundaries. 

In  a  general  way  the  subdivisions  of  the  nine  original  counties  of 
New  Mexico  have  been  traced.  The  later  creations  include  Grant  county, 
in  1868;  Lincoln  and  Colfax,  1869;  Sierra,  1883;  San  Juan,  1887;  Chaves 
and  Eddy,  1889;  Guadalupe,  1891  ;  Union,  1893;  Otero,  1899;  McKinley 
and  Luna,  1901,  and  Quay,  Roosevelt,  Sandoval,  Torrance  and  Leonard 
Wood,  since  that  year.  (For  particulars  regarding  counties,  see  detailed 
histories  which  follow.) 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  525 


BERNALILLO  COUNTY. 

As  described  in  the  legislative  act  of  January  9.  1852,  by  which  the 
counties  of  New  Mexico  were  created,  the  boundaries  were  as  follows : 
Drawing  a  direct  line  toward  the  east  toward  the  Bosque  de  los  Pinos, 
touching  the  Cayon  Tnfierno  and  terminating  with  the  boundaries  of  the 
Territory  :  drawing  a  direct  line  from  the  Bosque  de  los  Pinos,  crossing 
the  Rio  del  Norte  in  the  direction  of  Quelites  del  Rio  Puerco,  and  con- 
tinuing in  the  direction  of  the  canyon  of  Juan  Tafoya  until  it  terminates 
with  the  boundaries  of  the  Territory :  on  the  north  by  the  boundaries  of 
Santa  Ana  and  San  Miguel,  and  on  the  east  and  west  by  the  boundaries 
of  the  Territory. 

OFFICIALS    OF    THE    COUNTY. 

The  official  records  of  Bernalillo  county  are  quite  incomplete,  and  are 
almost  entirely  missing  for  the  first  ten  years  after  its  organization. 
So  far  as  the  books  in  the  office  of  the  probate  clerk  show,  the  following 
have  served   since   1863: 

Probate  Clerks.— 1863-65,  Jose  M.  Aguayo;  1866-67,  M.  F.  Chaves;  1868,  Teo- 
pilo  Chaves;  1869-71,  Harry  R.  Whiting;  1871-74,  Nestor  Montoya ;  1875,  Santiago 
Baca ;  1878-83.  Melchior  Werner ;  1884,  J.  L.  Pena,  Jr. ;  1885-6,  W.  H.  Burke ;  1887-8, 
F.  H.  Kent;  1889-95.  Henry  V.  Harris  (died  in  June,  1895,  and  J.  S.  Garcia  ap- 
pointed to  fill  unexpired  term);  1897-8.  J.  C.  Baldridge;  1899-1906,  James  A.  Sum- 
mers  (died  in  February.  1906,  and  A.  E.  Walker  appointed  to  fill  unexpired  term). 

Probate  Judges. — 1869-71,  Nestor  Montoya;  1871-8.  Mariano  S.  Otero;  1879-82, 
Justo  R.  Armijo:"  1883-4,  Tomas  C.  Gutierrez;  1885-6,  Justo  R.  Armijo;  1887-8,  Jesus 
M.  Chaves;  1889-94.  Jesus  Armijo  y  Jaramillo;  1895-6.  Policarpio  Armijo;  1897-8, 
Frank  A.  Hubbell;  1899-1900,  C.  Sandoval;  1901-2,  Esquipula  Baca;  1905-6,  Jesus 
Romero. 

Sheriffs. — 1870-1,  Atanacio  Montoya:  1871-3,  Manuel  Garcia;  1873-4,  Juan  E.  Ba- 
rela :  1875,  Atanacio  Montoya ;  1878,  Manuel  Sanchez  y  Valencia ;  1879-84,  Perfecto 
Armijo;  1885-6,  Santiago  Baca;  1887-92.  Jose  L.  Perea ;  1893-4,  Jacobo  Yrisarri ;  1895-6, 
Charles  F.  Hunt ;  1897-1905,  Thomas  S.  Hubbell,  removed  from  office  by  Governor 
Otero,  August  31,  1005.  and  Perfecto  Armijo  appointed  to  fill  unexpired  term). 

Treasurers.— 1 870-1,  Salvador  Armijo;  1873-4,  Diego  Antonio  Montoya;  1889-90, 
Willard  S.  Strickler;  1801-2.  G.  W.  Meylert ;  1893-4,  A.  J.  Maloy ;  1895-6,  R.  B.  Myers; 
1897-8.  Noa  Ilfeld;  1899-1900.  J.  L.  Perea  (also  collector);  1901-2,  Charles  K.  New- 
hall:  1903-5.  Frank  A.  Hubbell  (removed  from  office  by  Governor  Otero,  August  31, 
1005.  and  Justo  R.  Armijo  appointed  to  fill  unexpired  term). 

Assessors.— 1880-92.  Perfecto  Armijo:  1893-4,  Santiago  Baca;  1895-6,  F.  A.  Hub- 
bell: 1897-8,  Justo  R.  Armijo;  1899-1900.  Jesus  M.  Sandoval;  1901-2,  Alejandro  San- 
doval :  1903-4,  Jesus  M.  Sandoval :  1905-6.  George  F.  Albright. 

Collector.— 1805-8,  Alejandro  Sandoval. 

County  Commissioners. — 1887-8.  Marcos  C.  de  Baca  (chairman),  Cristobal  Armijo, 
Mariano  S.  Otero:  1889-90,  Valentin  C.  Baca  (chairman).  Fernando  Armijo,  G.  W. 
Meylert;  1801-2.  Jesus  M.  Sandoval  (chairman),  J.  R.  Rivera,  R.  P.  Hall:  1893-4, 
Luciano  Ortiz  (chairman),  Vidal  Moray  Lobato,  R.  P.  Hall:  1805-6,  Jesus  M.  San- 
doval (chairman),  W.  W.  Strong,  Jesus  Romero;  1807-8,  Jesus  Romero  (chairman), 
Hilaria   Sandoval,   Pedro  Castillo;   1899-1900,   E.   A.   Miera    (chairman),   Ignatio   Gu- 


526  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tierrez,  Jesus  Romero;  igoi-2.  E.  A.  Miera  (chairman),  J.  L.  Miller,  R.  W.  Hopkins 
(resigned  in  September,  1901,  and  Adolph  Harsch  appointed  to  fill  unexpired  term)  ; 
1903-4,  E.  A.  Miera  (chairman),  Ignacio  Gutierrez,  Adolph  Harsch.  The  new  county 
of  Sandoval  was  erected  from  a  portion  of  Bernalillo  county  in  1903,  and  Miera  and 
Gutierrez  being  residents  of  that  part  of  the  Territory  embraced  by  the  new  county, 
ceased  to  be  members  of  the  board.  Tomas  C.  Gutierrez  and  Severo  Sanchez  were 
appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  terms  of  these  two  members  of  the  board,  the  former 
being  elected  chairman.  1905-6,  Alfred  Grunsfeld  (chairman),  Severo  Sanchez,  Manuel 
R.  Springer. 

ENDING    OF    FAMOUS    POLITICAL    CONTEST. 

As  stated  above,  at  the  time  the  county  was  divided,  E.  A.  Miera 
and  Ignacio  Gutierrez  were  thrown  out  of  office  because  of  their  residence 
in  the  newly  formed  county  of  Sandoval.  A  provision  was  inserted  in  the 
act  of  division  by  which  Tomas  Gutierrez  and  Severo  Sanchez  were  ap- 
pointed to  the  vacancies.  This  action  of  the  legislature  was  contested  in 
the  local  courts,  and  an  appeal  taken  to  the  territorial  supreme  court, 
where  the  action  of  the  legislature  was  declared  illegal,  and  Gutierrez 
and  Sanchez  removed,  the  vacancies  being  filled  by  executive  appoint- 
ment. At  the  following  election  Sanchez  was  returned  to  the  office ;  but 
Gutierrez  carried  an  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
which  in  1904  sustained  the  decision  of  the  territorial  supreme  court  by 
which  he  was  ousted  from  office,  leaving  Manuel  Springer  in  possession 
of  the  commissionership  until  the  expiration  of  the  term,  January  1,  1905. 

ALBUQUERQUE. 

The  name  of  "Alburquerque"  is  first  heard  of  in  Spanish  annals,  so 
far  as  they  have  been  preserved,  in  1542,  when  the  Abbe  Domenec  was 
making  a  visit  to  the  Rio  Grande  valley.  Upon  his  arrival  at  a  point 
opposite  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Albuquerque,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Rio*  Grande,  he  found  a  village  which  must  have  been  of  con- 
siderable importance,  as  the  ruins  in  recent  years  have  been  traceable  for 
more  than  a  mile  along  the  river.  On  the  east  bank,  where  Old  Albu- 
querque now  stands,  were  a  few  houses  occupied  by  Spaniards  and 
Indians. 

In  1597,  when  Don  Juan  de  Onate  made  his  first  visit  to  the  province 
of  Xew  Mexico,  of  which  he  had  been  commissioned  governor  by  Ferdi- 
nand VII  of  Spain,  he  established  a  military  post  at  this  point,  which 
he  named  "Presidio  de  Alburquerque."  Here  he  also  left  a  Franciscan 
father  and  several  Spanish  families.  After  some  delay  in  providing  regu- 
lations for  the  new  post  and  settlement.  Governor  Onate  resumed  his 
journey  of  observation  and  discovery,  traveling  in  a  northerlv  direction 
and  arriving  in  due  time  at  what  he  found  to  be  then  the  most  populous 
pueblo  in  the  province — its  location,  the  site  of  the  present  city  of 
Santa  Fe. 

THE   DUKE    OF   ALBURQUERQUE. 

In  1653-60  Francisco  Fernandez  de  la  Cueva,  duke  of  Alburquerque. 
ruled  as  viceroy  of  Mexico.  During  these  years  there  appears  in  the 
records  the  name  of  the  church  of  San  Felipe  de  Alburquerque,  and  a 
few  years  later  an  edict  of  the  king  of  Spain  declares  it  to  be  a  ville.  or 
city.     It   must  be  inferred   that  it  was  then   a  place  of  considerable   im- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  52V 

portancev  A  still  more  conclusive  proof  of  this  fact  is  that  in  the  archives 
of  the  province  of  New  Mexico,  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  there  was  found 
the  register  of  the  church  located  at  this  place,  containing  the  names  of 
4,031  persons  reported  as  belonging  to  the  Catholic  communion  here  in 
1698.  The  natural  inference  is  that  the  actual  population  greatly  ex- 
ceeded— probably    was   more  than   double — the   number  of   communicants. 

In  1702  the  second  duke  of  Alburquerque  came  to  Mexico  as  viceroy. 
He  was  reputed  to  be  a  good  man,  of  great  justice,  kind,  and  a  humane 
ruler.  Bandelier  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  Old  Albuquerque 
was  founded  early  in  his  rule,  and  named  in  his  honor.  On  July  28,  1706, 
at  the  City  of  Mexico,  a  "royal  audience  of  New  Spain"  was  given  to  the 
duke  of  Alburquerque.  The  record  of  the  event,  translated  from  the 
Spanish  in  1884  by  Major  Harry  Rees  Whiting,  of  Albuquerque,  and 
Samuel  Ellison,  territorial  librarian,  is  as  follows: 

"Don  Francisco  Fernandez  of  the  Cave,  duke  of  Alburquerque,  mar- 
quis of  Cullar,  count  of  Ladesma  and  of  Guelma.  lord  of  the  villages  of 
Monbeltran,  La  Codesera,  Causaita,  Mixares,  Pedro  Bernando,  Aldea 
Davila,  San  Esteban  de  Yillarejo  and  the  Caves  of  Guadalcanal,  in  the 
order  of  St.  James  and  Debenfayan  in  the  Alcantara,  lord  of  the  bed- 
chamber of  his  Majesty,  his  viceroy  and  lieutenant-general,  governor  and 
captain  general  of  this  New  Spain,  and  president  of  the  Royal  Audience 
thereof,  etc. 

"Whereas,  I  ordered  the  following  session,  to-wit:  In  the  general, 
meeting  on  the  28th  of  July,  in  the  year  1706,  the  duke  of  Alburquerque, 
viceroy  and  captain  general  of  this  New  Spain  and  president  of  the  Royal 
Audience  thereof,  together  with  the  Honorable  Don  Francisco  de  Valen- 
zuela-Yenegas,  knight  of  the  Order  of  St.  James ;  Don  Joseph  de  Luna, 
Don  Balthazar  de  Toba  and  Don  Beronimo  de  Saria,  members  of  said 
Royal  Audience ;  Don  Juan  de  Osaeta  y  Oro,  judge  of  the  Royal  Crim- 
inal Chamber ;  Don  Andres  Pardo  de  Lago  and  Don  Gabriel  Guerrero  de 
Adila,  auditors  of  the  Royal  Tribunal ;  Don  Antonio  de  Deza  y  Ulloa. 
knight  of  the  Order  of  St.  James,  and  Don  Joseph  de  Umitia,  official 
justices  of  the  Royal  Treasury  and  deposits  of  this  court :  there  being 
present  the  fiscal  of  his  Majesty,  Dr.  Don  Joseph  Antonio  de  Espinnosa, 
knight  of  said  order.     *     *     * 

"We  direct  that  the  Indians  be  treated  with  suavity  and  kindness, 
and  that  no  offensive  war  be  made  against  them,  so  far  as  this  treatment 
may  be  adapted  to  the  Indians  of  New  Mexico.  *     ::: 

"In  regard  to  the  fourth  point  to  which  reference  is  made  by  his  ex- 
cellency, General  Don  Francisco  Cuerrboy  Valdez,  of  the  Order  of  St. 
James,  governor  and  captain  general  of  the  provinces  of  New  Mexico, 
on  the  25th  of  April  of  the  past  year,  in  which  said  governor  states  that 
he  has  re-established  the  village  of  Galisteo  and  placed  settlers  therein, 
and  having  founded  a  village  which  lie  named  Alburquerque,  and  there  is 
wanting  for  the  church  thereof  a  bell,  ornament,  chalice  and  altar  vessels, 
it  is  unanimously  resolved  that  the  same  be  transmitted  at  the  first  op- 
portunity. 

"It  is  ordered  that  no  villages  be  named  without  consulting  with 
his  excellency,  and  that  an  order  to  that  effect  be  transmitted;  and,  fur- 
ther, that  by  a  royal  ordinance  the  village  be  named  San  Phelipe.  in  mem- 
ory of  his  royal  majesty;  and  the  said  governor  is  ordered  to  name  it  thus, 


&28  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

that  it  may  in  the  future  be  known  as  such,  and  that  the  same  be  noted  in 
the  archives  of  the  village  of  Santa  Fe.     *      :: 

"'Mexico,  Juh  30,  1706." 

(Here  follow  names  and  rubricas.) 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  title  of  the  duke,  as  well  as  the  name  of 
the  town,  is  spelled  in  the  original  "Alburquerque."  The  administration 
of  this  duke  of  Alburquerque  continued  until  171 1. 

The  native  settlement  referred  to,  in  1542,  may  not  have  been  perma- 
nent. But  one  fact  which  seems  to  show  the  early  importance  of  this  loca- 
tion to  the  native  population,  antedating  the  presence  of  the  Spaniards,  is 
that  nearly  all  the  ancient  roads  or  trails  of  the  country  converge  at  the 
crossing  of  the  river  at  Albuquerque,  and  center  in  the  valley.  If  the  first 
settlement  was  abandoned  and  a  new  one  made  in  later  years,  there  is  no 
record  of  the  fact  extant.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  record  of  the  "royal 
audience"  of  1706  refers  to  the  town  as  being  already  in  existence. 

Unfortunately,  all  the  records  of  the  Church  of  San  Felipe  Xeri,  at 
Old  Albuquerque,  are  not  in  exisf°nce.  Those  in  possession  of  the  church 
begin  with  the  year  1706,  when  Fr.  Manuel  Moreno,  a  Franciscan  friar, 
was  in  charge.  The  book  of  records  bears  indubitable  evidence  that  a 
large  number  of  its  first  pages — probably  half  of  them — have  been  torn 
out.  The  record  begins  with  the  baptisms,  marriages  and  deaths,  and 
these  are  so  numerous  as  to  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  in  that  year  the 
number  of  communicants  was  alreadv  large.  The  church  was  first  named 
San  Felipe,  for  the  apostle  Saint  Philip ;  was  renamed  for  San  Francisco 
Xavier,  and,  finally,  for  San  Felipe  Xeri,  a  saint  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Among  the  priests  succeeding  Fr.  Moreno  were  Fr.  Domingo  Arcos, 
Fr.  Muniz,  Fr.  Pedro  de  Matha  and  Fr.  Antonio  Perez,  whose  names 
appear  in  the  records  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  here  given. 

Historians  have  uniformlv  agreed  that  Santa  Fe  is  entitled  to  the 
distinction  of  being  the  oldest  permanent  town  in  Xew  Mexico,  so  far  as 
European  settlement  and  occupation  are  concerned.  The  records  in  ex- 
istence, however,  lend  some  support  to  the  claim  that  Albuquerque  is  a 
town  of  greater  antiquity,  though  the  first  Spanish  settlement  was  not 
made  in  the  precise  location  of  the  present  town  of  Old  Albuquerque,  and 
possibly  may  have  been  temporarily  abandoned  within  a  few  years  after  its 
first  settlement. 

EARLY  AMERICAN  AND  EUROPEAN   SETTLERS. 

Old  Albuquerque  is  now  almost  entirely  Mexican,  and  has  a  popula- 
tion of  about  1,200  people,  while  new  Albuquerque,  which  dates  as  a  city 
from  1 89 1,  is  composed  of  enterprising  Americans  and  Europeans  and  a 
few  Mexicans.  It  is  modern  in  every  respect  and  has  a  population  of 
some  12,000  people.  Their  combined  population  is  now  placed  at  13.000, 
which   makes   Albuquerque  the  metropolis  of  the  Territory. 

Although  in  American  minds  the  history  of  Old  Albuquerque  stretches 
back  into  almost  ancient  times,  the  town  was  not  connected  with  the 
balance  of  the  world  by  telegraph  until  the  spring  of  1875.  and  the  first 
rails  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  line  were  laid  within  its  limits 
April  20,  1870.  The  Albuquerque  Street  Railway  Company  was  organ- 
ized May   14,   1880,  and  the  line  was  extended  from  the  depot  to  the  old 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  529 

town  soon  afterward.  The  contractor  and  builder  of  the  street  railway 
was  O.  E.  Cromwell,  of  New  York  city.  Thus  old  and  New  Albuquerque 
were  brought  together. 

Among  the  earliest  American  and  European  settlers  of  the  old  town 
were  a  number  of  men  who  afterward  became  well  known  throughout 
New  Mexico.  The  presence  of  a  United  States  army  post  at  this  point 
made  it  a  desirable  center  for  business  operations  and  attracted  many 
thither.  A  well  known  pioneer,  active  in  both  military  and  mercantile 
life  was  Major  Melchior  Werner,  who  came  to  Albuquerque  in  1849  with 
Colonel,  afterward  General,  Sumner.  He  was  a  native  of  Bingen-on-the- 
Rhine,  Germany,  and  participated  in  the  revolution  of  1848,  for  which  he 
was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  This  sentence  was  revoked  and  he  was  trans- 
ported for  life,  coming  at  once  to  the  United  States.  He  was  connected 
with  the  regular  army  in  New  Mexico  in  a  clerical  capacity  for  about  two 
years,  when  he  visited  Germany  under  an  assumed  name.  In  1856  he 
returned  to  this  country  with  the  Third  Infantry,  and  after  his  discharge 
from  the  service  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Santa  Fe  and  Taos  coun- 
ties, afterward  returning  to  Albuquerque.  Major  Werner  served  as  post- 
master for  several  years,  and  as  probate  clerk  during  the  last  six  years  of 
his  life,  dying  at  Albuquerque  on  September  4,  1883. 

Among  those  who  located  in  Old  Albuquerque  prior  to  the  Civil  war, 
all  of  whom  served  in  the  territorial  legislature,  were  Spruce  M.  Baird, 
Sidney  A.  Hubbell,  John  A.  Hill,  William  H.  Henrie,  Murray  F.  Tuley 
and  Henry  Connelly.  Mr.  Connelly  represented  his  district  in  both  the 
council  and  the  house,  and  afterward  became  governor  of  the  Territory. 
Mr.  Tulev  became  an  eminent  jurist  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Henrie,  also  a 
young  attorney  during  his  first  residence  in  New  Mexico,  was  a  French- 
man, and  continued  to  make  Old  Albuquerque  his  home  from  his  settle- 
ment there  in  1857  to  the  time  of  liis  death,  about  1890. 

A  missionary  of  the  Methodist  church  named  Reed  was  sent  out  by 
that  denomination  about  1857,  ar>d  so  *ar  as  can  be  ascertained,  was  the 
first  person  to  hold  Protestant  evangelical  services  in  this  part  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. He  remained  but  a  short  time.  Dr.  D.  Camden  de  Leon  was  one 
of  the  earliest  physicians.  (See  chapter  devoted  to  the  medical  profession.) 
One  of  the  first  merchants — possibly  the  earliest  American  merchant — 
was  a  man  named  Winslow,  who  conducted  a  store  for  several  years  prior 
to  the  Civil  war,  closing  out  his  business  and  returning  east  about  i860. 
His  place  of  business  was  a  favorite  rendezvous  for  the  army  officers  from 
the  post,  as  he  sold  liquors  with  his  other  sundries.  "Uncle  John"  Hill, 
a  deputy  United  States  marshal  for  some  time,  was  a  clerk  in  his  store 
and  extremely  popular  among  all  classes. 

In  i860  Theodore  S.  Grainer  came  out  and  established  a  weekly  news- 
paper called  the  Review,  probably  the  first  journal  in  central  New  Mexico 
to  be  published  in  the  English  language.  He  retained  control  of  the 
Reiriew  until  its  purchase  by  Hezekiah  S.  Johnson  (also  a  settler  of  i860), 
one  of  the  pioneer  lawyers  of  Albuquerque,  who.  in  1870,  was  appointed 
by  President  Grant  as  judge  of  the  Second  District  of  New  Mexico. 

William  McGinnis,  a  carpenter,  who  still  resides  in  Old  Albuquerque, 
located  there  about  1865,  and  in  length  of  residence  is  the  oldest  inhabitant 
of  the  town.     Major  Harry  Rees  Whiting  has  resided  there  since   1868. 

Captain  John  Pratt,  who  came  out  in  1866,  brought  with  him  a  com- 


530  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

mission  as  United  States  marshal,  signed  by  President  Johnson.  He  had 
served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  a  Kansas  volunteer  regiment. 
Captain  Pratt  married  the  widow  of  Dr.  John  Symington,  an  early  physi- 
cian of  Old  Albuquerque,  who  had  died  at  his  old  Maryland  home.  His 
wife  was  Teresa  Armijo,  a  daughter  of  Ambrosio  Armijo.  Captain  Pratt 
made  Santa  Fe  his  official  headquarters,  but  he  and  Dr.  W.  F.  Strachan 
maintained  a  post  trader's  store  in  Albuquerque. 

M.  Ashe  Upson,  who  came  either  in  1866  or  1867,  purchased  the 
Reviem  of  Hezekiah  S.  Johnson,  and  published  it  under  the  name  of  the 
Rio  Avajo  Press,  in  English. 

About  this  time  the  firm  of  Cooper  &  Blair,  of  Cincinnati,  established 
a  wholesale  grocery  house  in  town,  but  sold  out  their  interests  after  a 
brief  career.  Franz  and  Charles  Huning  also  had  a  general  store  and  a 
steam  grist  mill,  in  these  days.  A.  &  L.  Zeckendorf.  who  afterward  located 
in  Tucson,  Arizona,  conducted  a  general  merchandise  store,  which  they 
established  about  1867  and  sold  in  1869.  But  the  greatest  general  mer- 
chandise establishment  of  the  period  was  that  of  Rafael  &  Manuel  Armijo, 
who  carried  an  immense  stock,  valued  at  between  $300,000  and  $400,000. 
Henry  Springer's  store,  one  of  the  early  business  houses,  was  also  an 
important  enterprise. 

Benjamin  Stevens,  who  had  been  living  in  California,  came  across 
the  country  from  Utah  with  the  Fifth  United  States  Infantry  as  wagon 
master,  and  after  leaving  the  service  practiced  law  in  town.  General 
James  H.  Carleton,  who  afterward  commanded  the  historic  "California 
Column."  was  commandant  of  the  post  for  some  time  before  the  war,  and 
was  very  popular  among  the  American  residents.  The  post  headquarters 
were  located  in  the  west  end  of  the  present  Old  Town.  General  Rucker, 
whose  daughter  married  General  Phil  Sheridan,  was  one  of  the  chief 
quartermasters  of  the  post  in  these  days,  and  lived  in  the  one-story  adobe 
building  adjoining  the  court  house  grounds  on  the  west.  There  his  daugh- 
ter (afterward  Mrs.  Sheridan)  was  born.  General  Carleton  made  his 
home  in  a  part  of  the  Catholic  parochial  residence. 

Elias  S.  Stover,  formerlv  lieutenant-srovernor  of  Kansas,  located  in 
Old  Albuquerque  in  1877.  With  A.  M.  Coddington.  W.  E.  Talbert  and 
W.  P.  McClure,  he  engaged  in  business  as  Stover,  McCIure  &  Co.  The 
firm  had  been  established  in  West  Las  Animas,  Colo.  In  1881  they  located 
in  the  new  town,  where  the  Hotel  Alvarado  now  stands.  The  merchan- 
dising firm  of  Moore.  Bennett  &  Co.,  predecessors  of  L.  B.  Putney,  occu- 
pied the  opposite  corner.  Mr.  McClure  withdrew  from  the  first  named 
firm  in  1878.  In  1884  it  was  succeeded  by  Stover,  Crary  &  Co.,  who  sold 
out  in  1893  to  Gross,  Kelly  &  Co. 

Among  those  who  located  in  the  town  of  old  Albuquerque  in  1868  was 
Major  Harry  Rees  Whiting,  who  still  resides  there.  Major  Whiting  was 
born  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  December  2,  18^7. 

His  great-great-grandfather,  William  B.  Whiting,  held  a  commission 
as  colonel  in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  enlisting 
from  Columbia  county.  New  York.  His  grandfather,  John  Whiting,  served 
with  the  yeomanry  throughout  the  war.  The  latter's  son.  Dr.  John  Leffing- 
well  Whiting.  Major  Whiting's  father,  was  a  surgeon  with  General  Scott's' 
forces  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

In  young  manhood  Major  Whiting,  being  aged  in  the  newspaper  busi- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  531 

ness,  became  city  editor  of  the  Detroit  Tribune.  In  1861  he  entered  the 
volunteer  Union  army  as  a  member  of  the  personal  staff  of  Major-General 
McKinstry.  In  August,  1862,  he  was  assigned  as  second  lieutenant  to  the 
Twenty- fourth  Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  which  subsequently  joined 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  was  brigaded  with  the  "Iron  Brigade" 
immediately  after  the  battle  of  Antietam.  He  afterward  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Fredericksburg,  Fitzhugh  Crossing,  Chancellorsville  and  Gettys- 
burg, where  he  was  captured  and  taken  to  Libby  prison.  He  remained  a 
prisoner  eight  and  a  half  months,  and  after  his  exchange  rejoined  his  regi- 
ment in  front  of  Petersburg,  serving  in  that  siege  and  the  battles  of  Weldon 
Railroad.  Hatchie's  Run,  Dabney's  Mills,  Five  Forks  and  Appomattox. 
He  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  May  6,  1864,  and  at  the  close  of  the  war 
was  brevetted  major  "for  meritorious  service  in  front  of  Petersburg  and  at 
the  battle  of  Five  Forks." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Major  Whiting  joined  the  staff  of  the  New 
York  Herald,  and  was  sent  by  that  paper  on  a  trip  through  Xew  Mexico, 
Arizona  and  California.  The  Indian  uprising  of  1865-6  prevented  the  ful- 
fillment of  his  commission,  and  in  1866  he  stopped  in  Santa  Fe.  In  1868 
he  located  permanently  in  Albuquerque,  where  for  about  ten  years  he  served 
as  clerk  of  the  district  court.  He  has  also  filled  the  offices  of  probate  clerk, 
county  assessor,  superintendent  of  schools,  justice  of  the  peace  and  LJnited 
States  commissioner,  having  occupied  the  latter  office  for  more  than  thirty 
years.  He  organized  G.  K.  Warren  Post  No.  5,  G.  A.  R.,  and  was  its  first 
commander.  Though  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1870,  he  has  never 
practiced  his  profession. 

A  Civil  War  Incident. 

An  interesting  incident  of  the  Civil  war  period  in  Old  Albuquerque, 
which  occurred  during  the  time  the  Confederate  troops  occupied  the  town 
on  their  way  to  Santa  Fe,  was  the  burial  of  eight  howitzers,  or  Napoleon 
guns,  by  the  officers  commanding.  The  Confederates  placed  them  in  the 
ground  nearly  opposite  the  present  home  of  Major  Whiting.  The  guns 
had  been  the  property  of  the  Federal  government,  but  were  captured  by 
disloyal  Texans  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Many  years  afterward  their 
location  was  described  to  Major  Whiting,  who  found  them  under  about 
eighteen  inches  of  earth,  though  the  officers  informed  him  that  they  had 
been  buried  several  feet  deep.  Two  of  these  historic  guns  are  now  in 
possession  of  the  Grand  Army  post  of  Albuquerque.  It  is  also  worthy  of 
note  that  General  Longstreet,  the  distinguished  officer  of  the  Civil  war, 
was  serving  as  major  and  paymaster  at  Albuquerque  at  the  outbreak  of 
hostilities. 

New  Albuquerque. 

In  November,  1880,  following  the  completion  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  railroad  to  a  point  opposite  the  Old  Town  of  Albuquerque, 
the  site  of  the  present  city  was  surveyed  and  platted  under  the  direction 
of  the  New  Mexico  Town  Company.  The  first  lots  were  purchased  on 
the  first  of  the  month  by  Maden  Brothers,  and  the  second  sale  was  made 
to  Ullery  &  Zeigler. 

Albuquerque  was  not  regularly  incorporated  until   1885,  ar>d  remained 


532  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

under  town  government  until  1890.  The  first  call  for  a  mass  meeting  to 
discuss  the  incorporation  of  Albuquerque  as  a  town  was  signed  by  H.  B. 
Fergusson.  J.  H.  Sullivan  and  Charles  Etheridge.  The  gathering  was 
held  at  Grant's  Opera  House,  July  28,  1884,  and  the  first  mayor  of  the 
town  was  elected  in  the  following  year. 

The  officials  of  Albuquerque,  while  it  was  governed  under  the  system 
of  town  -government,  were  as  follows : 

Mayors.— 1885.   Henrv   N.  Jaffa;    1886,   George  Lail:   1887,  William   B.   Childers ; 

1888.  Arthur  E.  Walker;  1880,  G.  W.  Mevlert :  1890,  M.  Mandell. 

Recorders.— 1885,  Tesse  M.  Wheelock:  1886,  E.  W.  Spencer;  1887,  Edward  Stras- 
burg:  1888.  M.  P.  Stamm  ;  1889,  A.  W.  Kimball;  1890,  H.  Lockhart. 

Trustees.— 1885,  C.  P.  Jones.  William  McClellan,  A.  M.  Whitcomb,  Z.  T.  Phil- 
lips: 1886.  William  Cook.  A.  Har-rh.  I.  T.  Sharick,  J.  K.  Basye ;  1887.  A.  E.  Walker, 
William  McLaughlin.  G.  S.  Easterdav,  Felix  Mandell;  1888,  F.  Lowenthal,  J.  C.  Bald- 
ridge.  G.  W.  Meylert,  S.  A.  Hubbell :  1889.  George  C.  Bowman ;  J.  C.  Baldridge,  W.  M. 
McClellan.  M.  Mandell;  1890,  J.  A.  Lee,  Calvin  Whiting.  J.  A.  Johnson.  O.  W. 
Strong. 

Attorneys.— 188;.  Thomas  F.  Phelan ;  Whiteman  &  Smith;  1886,  V.  A.  Greenleaf: 
1887,  N.  C.  Collier:  1888,  W.  H.  Whiteman;  1889,  Bernard  S.  Rodey ;  1890,  N.  C. 
Collier. 

Treasurers.— 1885.  N.  C.  Raff:  1886-00.  Willard  S.  Strickler. 

Marshals.— 1885.  A.  W.  Marsh:  1886,  Robert  McGuire,  William  Hopkins:  1887, 
William  Hopkins,  W.  C.  Brown:  1888,  Alexander  Stevens;  1889,  W.  H.  Hopkins: 
r8oo.  William  Farr. 

Police  Judge.— 1885.  John  Oaks:  1886,  William  C.  Heacock ;  1887-8,  R.  B.  Mvers ; 

1889,  C.  D.  Favor:  1890.  J.  H.  Madden. 

Health  Officers.- 1885-6,  J.  H.  Wroth.  M.  D. ;  1888-Q.  A.  E.  Ealv,  M.  D. :  1890, 
John  F.  Pearce.  M.  D. 

Surveyors.— 1885-6,  W.  F.  Hill ;  1889-90.  E.  W.  Kilbourne. 
Since   the    incorporation    of   the    city    the    officers    have    been    as    fol- 
lows : 

Mayors.— 1891,  Joseph  E.  Saint;  1892,  Dr.  G.  S.  Easterdav:  1893.  Neill  B.  Field; 

1894.  John  F.  Luthy;  1895-6.  J.  C.  Baldridge:  1897.  Dr.  Strickland  Aubright :  1898, 
Frank  W.  Clancy;  1899-1901.  O.  N.  Marron ;  1902-3,  Charles  F.  Myers;  1904-6,  Frank 
McKee 

Clerks.— T891.  R.  W.  Hopkins :  1892.  W.  T.  McCreight :  1893,  C.  J.  Ennis :  1894-6, 
William  J.  Dixon;  1897.  John  S.  Trimble;  1898-1901,  C.  W.  Medler;  1902-6,  Harry  F. 
Lee. 

Treasurers.— 1891.  A.  C.  Briggs ;  1802.  Sigmund  Grunsfeld ;  1893.  William  C. 
Mehan;  1894-5,  Frank  McKee ;  1896,  S.  M.  Saltmarsh :  1897.  Frank  McKee ;  1898, 
John  S.  Trimble:  1899.  R.  E.  Putney;  1900-3.  L.  H.  Chamberlin ;  1904-6,  Harry  E. 
Rogers. 

Aldermen.— 1891,  William  Farr.  Perfecto  Armijo.  John  P.  Raster,  George  C. 
Bowman.  A.  J.  Maloy,  Thomas  R.  Gable,  Charles  F.  Hunt,  Lorion  Miller;  1892,  Per- 
fecto Armijo,  Don  J.  Rankin.  George  C.  Bowman.  Fred  G.  Pratt.  Thomas  R.  Gable. 
Edward  Medler,  Lorion  Miller.  W.  B.  Childers:  1893.  Don  J.  Rankin.  Caesar  Grande. 
Fred  G  Pratt.  Jacob  Korber.  Edward  Medler.  Jacob  Schwartz.  W.  B.  Childer.  W.  W. 
Hesselden:  1804.  Caesar  Grande.  Dr.  Strickland  Aubright.  Jacob  Korber,  Henry  Brock- 
meier.  Jacob  Schwartz,  Otto  Dieckmann.  A.  Simpier.  W    W.  Hesselden.  M.  S.  Otero ; 

1895.  Dr.  Strickland  Aubright,  E.  S.  Cummings,  Henrv  Brockmeier.  William  Lone.  A. 
Simpier,  N.  E.  Stevens.  M.  S.  Otero.  Alfred  Grunsfeld;  1896.  E.  S.  Cummings,  H.  A. 
Montfort.  William  Long,  I.  N.  Horner,  N.  E.  Stevens.  M.  S.  Tiernev,  Alfied  Gruns- 
feld. M.  S.  Otero:  1897.  H.  A.  Montfort,  E.  S.  Cummings,  I.  N.  Horner,  J.  T.  John- 
ston. M.  S.  Tiernev.  O.  N.  Marrnn.  M.  S.  Otero.  A  Lombardo ;  1808,  E.  S.  Cum- 
mings. Samuel  Neustadt.  J.  T.  Johnston,  William  Kiehke.  O.  N.  Marron,  M.  S. 
Tiernev.  A.  Lombardo.  Summers  Burkhart :  1899,  Samuel  Neustadt.  W.  C.  Leonard, 
William  Kiehke.  W.  O.  Hopping.  M.  S.  Tiernev.  H.  E.  Rogers.  Summers  Burkhart. 
Frank  McKee:  1000.  W.  C.  Leonard.  T.  J.  Wright.  W.  O.  Hopping.  J.  S.  Veaven,  H. 
E.  Roeers.  B.  A.  Slevster.  Frank  McKee,  Summers  Burkhart.  J.  M.  Moore;  tooi. 
T.  J.  Wright,  A.  B.  McMillan.  J.  S.  Beaven,  Edward  B.  Harsch,  W.  F.  Powers,  H. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  533 

E.  Rogers,  Dr.  George  W.  Harrison,  Frank  McKee ;  1002,  A.  B.  McMillen,  Sigmund 
Grunsfeld,  E.  B.  Harsch,  J.  S.  Beven,  H.  E.  Rogers,  Jay  A.  Hubbs.  Frank  McKee, 
Dr.  George  W.  Harrison;  1003,  A.  B.  McMillen,  Sigmund  Grunsfeld,  E.  B.  Harsch, 
J.  S.  Beaven,  H.  E.  Rogers,  Jay  A.  Hubbs,  Frank  McKee,  Dr.  George  W.  Harrison  ; 
1904-5,  P.  Hanley,  H.  Brockmeier,  George  P.  Learnard.  Thomas  Isherwood,  W.  H. 
Gillenwater,  T.  N.  Wilkerson,  Louis  Ilfeld,  Dr    George  W.  Harrison. 

City  Attorneys— 1891,  E.  W.  Dobson ;  1892,  N.  C.  Collier;  1893,  Summers  Burk- 
hart ;  1894-6,  T.  A.  Finical;  1897-8,  William  D.  Lee;  1899-1901,  Horton  Moore;  1902-3, 
John  H.  Stingle;  1904-6,  M.  E.  Hickey. 

Citv  Engineers. — 1S91,  W.  O.  Secor;  1892,  Gordon  D.  Pearce ;  18Q7,  E.  A.  Pear- 
son; 1898-1901,  Pitt  Ross;  1902.  V.  V.  Clark,  Pitt  Ross;  1903-6,  Pitt  Ross. 

Street   Commissioners. — 1891,   Thomas  Ainsworth ;    1892-4,   George   McGowan. 

Marshals.— 1891,  Charles  Masten ;  1892,  C.  J.  Stetson;  1893.  Edward  Dodd ;  1894, 
Edward  Fluke.  Fred  Fornoff;  1895-7,  Fred  Fornoff,  Thomas  McMillin ;  1899-1906, 
Thomas  McMillin. 

Chiefs  of  Fire  Department. — 1893-7,  W.  T.  McCreight ;  1898-1901.  B.  Ruppe; 
1902,  Jay  A.  Hubbs   (acting).  M.  Nash:  1903.  M.  Nash;   1904-6,  A.  C.  Burtless. 

City  Physicians. — 1896-8,  Dr.  J.  R.  Haynes ;  1899-1901,  Dr.  John  F.  Pearce;  1902-6, 
Dr.  John  W.  Elder. 

Police  Judges. — 1896-1906,  A.  J.  Crawford. 

The  new  city  is  an  enterprising,  well  built  place;  in  fact,  it  has  been 
claimed  that  its  business  blocks  and  residences  are  as  fine  as  can  be 
found  in  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  world.  It  has  a  good  trolley  system, 
modern  school  houses  in  every  ward,  and  a  handsome  high  school  building. 
The  city  completed  a  substantial  gas  plant  a  short  time  ago,  taking  the 
place  of  the  old  one  erected  in  1882,  and  still  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
being  the  onlv  place  in  the  Territory  having  such  an  institution.  It  was  at 
first  owned  by  E.  S.  Stover,  Dr.  G.  W.  Harrison,  W.  B.  Childers  and 
Judge  Hazledine.  Later  it  went  into  the  hands  of  W.  S.  Strickler  and 
R.  T.  Cable  (formerly  general  manager  of  the  Santa  Fe  Pacific  railway). 
In  1895,  it  was  taken  over  by  A.  A.  Grant  and  owned  by  the  Grant  estate 
until  the  Albuquerque  Gas,  Electric  Light  &  Power  Company  came  into 
possession  of  it.  As  will  be  inferred,  gas  and  electricity  divide  the  field 
as  illuminators. 

Albuquerque  has  twelve  churches  and  a  Jewish  synagogue,  the  latter 
being  perhaps  the  most  imposing  religious  edifice  in  the  city.  The  Jewish 
community  is  unusually  large  and  rich.  The  city  has  two  daily  and  six 
weekly  newspapers,  two  of  the  latter  being  published  in  Spanish.  Its 
fine  library  building  houses  a  good  collection  of  books,  the  nucleus  of 
which  was  presented  by  Joshua  A.  Raynolds,  a  rich  banker,  who  owns 
numerous  financial  institutions  throughout  the  Territory.  The  library  is 
maintained  by  a  special  tax. 

The  banks  of  Albuquerque  have  deposits  aggregating  between  $4,- 
000,000  and  $5,000,000.  Its  abundant  facilities,  in  this  respect,  insure  the 
easy  handling  oi  the  large  wool  and  live-stock  trade  tributary  to  the  city. 
The  Bank  of  Commerce  is  one  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of  the 
Southwest,  its  president.  Solomon  Luna,  being  accounted  the  richest  and 
most  progressive  native  in  the  Territory.  He  is  the  owner  of  at  least 
60,000  sheep  and  vast  tracts  of  pasture  land,  besides  controlling  some  of 
the  most  valuable  water  comses  in  this  portion  of  New  Mexico,  thereby 
being  in  virtual  control  of  the  adjacent  territory.  He  has  5,000  acres  of 
land  under  irrigation  and  cultivation,  is  largely  interested  in  the  growing 
and  manufacture  of  sugar  beets,   and   is  altogether  a  large   figure   in   the 


334  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

agricultural,    live-stock,    industrial    and    commercial    development    of    New 
Mexico. 

The  Santa  Fe  shops  at  Albuquerque  employ  about  700  men.  and  it 
has  a  large  planing  mill  and  box  factory.  Tbe  lumber  for  the  latter  comes 
from  the  Zuni  Mountains,  where  the  controlling  company  had  over  350,000 
acres  of  timber,  and  much  of  its  manufactured  product  is  sent  abroad. 
The  average  daily  manufacture  amounts  to  2,000  sash,  1,500  doors  and  five 
car  loads  of  packing  boxes,  more  than  1,000  men  being  on  the  pay-rolls. 
But  the  prosperity  of  Albuquerque  is  not  founded  on  its  manufactures; 
it  depends  for  its  growth  upon  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which 
is  virtually  tributarv  to  it. 

The  Commercial  Club  of  Albuquerque. 

This  organization  is  composed  of  about  200  of  the  business  men  of  the 
city  and  concentrates  the  enterprise  and  progressive  spirit  of  the  locality, 
being  the  champion,  the  godfather  and  usually  the  originator  of  the  move- 
ments best  calculated  to  develop  the  metropolis  and  the  Territory.  Its 
building  is  considered  the  finest  in  the  city,  being  constructed  of  brick, 
with  brown  sandstone  trimmings,  embracing  a  dancing  hall,  reading  rooms, 
card  rooms  and  several  bachelor  suites.  Needless  to  say,  the  club  has  a 
decided  social  side  to  it ;  but  no  public  bar,  or  buffet,  is  attached  to  the 
establishment. 

The  Commercial  Club  was  organized  May  14,  1890,  in  the  old  San 
Felipe  Hotel,  and  was  incorporated  on  the  31st  of  that  month.  The  articles 
of  incorporation  contained  the  names  of  Albert  Eisemann,  loseph  E. 
Saint,  J.  G.  Albright,  W.  B.  Childers,  T.  R.  Gabel,  John  A.  Lee,  C.  E. 
Crarv,  William  C.  Hazledine,  J.  C.  Baldridge,  Jesse  M.  Wheelock.  Joshua 
S.  Raynolds,  J.  E.  Elder,  G.  W.  Meylert  and  Neill  B.  Field.  The  first 
officers  were:  G.  W.  Meylert,  president:  J.  C.  Baldridge,  vice-president; 
Jesse  M.  Wheelock,  secretary ;  S.  M.  Folsom,  treasurer ;  Joseph  E.  Saint, 
W.  B.  Childers,  D.  B.  Robinson,  A.  Grunsfeld  and  Solon  E.  Rose,  direct- 
ors. Since  the  first  vear  of  its  organization,  its  presidents  have  been  as 
follows:  1891,  W.  B.  Childers;  1892-3,  George  L.  Brooks;  1894,  W.  C. 
Hadley;  1895-6,  A.  G.  Wells;  1897-1903.  OV  N.  Marron;  1904,  Judge 
Benjamin  S.  Baker:  1905,  Colonel  Willard  S.  Hopewell;  1906,  George  L. 
Brooks.  The  fine  building  of  the  club  was  erected  in  1892  at  a  cost 
(including  the  furnishings)   of  about  $80,000. 

Hotels. 

The  Armijo  House,  for  many  years  the  leading  hotel  of  Albuquerque, 
located  at  the  corner  of  Railroad  avenue  and  Third  street,  was  built  in 
1880-1  by  Mariano  Armijo.  It  was  constructed  of  adobe  and  wood,  and 
cost  $25,000.  The  hotel  was  opened  to  the  public  in  the  spring  of  1881 
by  W.  Scott  Moore,  who  gave  a  champagne  supper  to  guests  from  Albu- 
querque, Santa  Fe.  Las  Vegas,  Denver  and  other  cities.  A  short  time 
afterward  Ambrosio  Amijo,  father  of  Mariano,  purchased  the  property 
and  built  the  addition  known  as  the  Ambrosio  Armijo  hall.  The  proprie- 
tors of  the  hotel  included  Mr.  Moore,  P.  B.  Sherman,  Colonel  Hope,  W. 
E.  Talbott,  G.  H.  Miles,  Perfecto  Armijo  and  Mrs.  Henry  Lockhart. 
This  landmark  was  destroyed  by  fire  February   10,   1897. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  535 

The  Albuquerque  Hotel  and  Opera  House  Company  was  incorporated 
February  u,  1882,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  to  build  a  hotel  and  opera 
house.  The  building  was  erected  by  Edward  Medler,  the  officers  of  the 
incorporated  company  being-  Franz  Huning,  president,  and  Frank  W. 
Smith,  vice-president. 

The  San  Felipe  Hotel,  which  stood  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  street  and 
Gold  Avenue,  was  erected  in  1884,  and  in  its  day  was  one  of  the  greatest 
hostelries  in  the  Southwest.  It  was  constructed  of  brick,  stone  and  iron, 
three  stories  in  height ;  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1900  and  part  of  the 
material  of  the  burned  building  was  used  in  the  Elks  Opera  House,  which 
was  erected  on  its  site. 

The  Alvarado,  erected  in  1901,  is  occupied  by  the  Harvey  system. 
It  is  located  at  the  Santa  Fe  depot  and  is  considered  the  finest  railroad 
hotel  in  the  United  States.     It  is  of  the  "mission  style"  of  architecture. 

The  Albuquerque  Fair  Association  was  organized  in  1880  by  E.  S. 
Stover,  Major  Harry  R.  Whiting  and  others.  The  first  exhibition,  held 
that  year,  was  a  modest  affair.  Year  by  year  the  institution  has  grown 
until  it  has  now  become  the  most  important  annual  fair  in  either  New 
Mexico  or  Arizona,  comparing  favorably  with  the  fairs  held  in  other 
more  populous  communities.  Since  the  organization  of  the  association 
an  exposition  has  been  held  every  year. 

THE   COUNTY    IN    GENERAL. 

Prior  to  the  organization  of  McKinley  and  Sandoval  counties,  in 
1901  and  1903,  respectively,  Bernalillo  county  extended  from  Santa  Fe 
county  to  the  Arizona  line,  a  distance  of  200  miles,  and  seventy-five  miles 
from  north  to  south.  When  those  counties  were  set  off,  however,  it  was 
reduced  to  an  area  of  8,800  square  miles,  or  about  the  size  of  San  Miguel 
county.     It  has  the  largest  population  of  any  county  in  the  Territory. 

The  principal  agricultural  valley  is  the  Rio  Grande,  which  is  from 
one  to  four  miles  in  width  and  every  acre  of  it  susceptible  of  cultivation. 
In  the  lower  plane,  formed  almost  entirely  of  alluvium,  the  great  majority 
of  the  vineyards  are  located,  where  they  can  be  easily  irrigated  by  means 
of  ditches ;  a  fair  yield  is  from  two  to  three  gallons  of  wine  to  a  vine. 
With  the  vines  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  there  would  be  680  vines  to 
the  acre,  or  a  yield,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  of  1,360  gallons.  Much  atten- 
tion is  also  being  given  to  the  larger  fruits,  and  though  it  is  only  about 
twenty  years  since  the  improved  varieties  of  American  fruits  were  intro- 
duced, the  orchards  are  everywhere  flourishing.  Apples  especially  thrive 
on  the  uplands,  and  peaches,  plums,  cherries  and  apricots  in  the' valleys. 
All  the  cereals  grow  well — wheat  on  the  plains  and  corn  on  the  bottom 
lands. 

Cattle  and  sheep  flourish  on  the  gramma  grass,  which  grows  luxu- 
riantly on  thousands  of  acres  of  land,  under  present  conditions  unfit  for 
cultivation.  The  warm  winters  make  it  unnecessary  to  provide  shelter  or 
hay  for  feed.  Near  larger  towns  dairy  farms  pay  a  large  profit,  as  milk, 
butter  and  cheese  are  in  great  demand. 

The  Sandia  mountains,  one  of  the  largest  ranges  in  this  part  of  the 
Territory,  are  fifteen  miles  east  of  Albuquerque,  and  are  believed  to  be 
rich  in  gold  and  silver. 


536  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

The  Otero  family  has  been  distinguished  in  both  the  early  and  modern 
history  of  New  Mexico.  The  family  was  founded  in  America  by  Don 
Pedro  Otero,  who  came  from  Spain  to  Mexico,  then  Xew  Spain,  late  in 
the  eighteenth  century.  Being  attracted  to  the  northern  province  by  sto- 
ries of  its  opportunities,  he  made  his  war  to  Santa  Fe,  where  he  married 
a  Miss  Alarid,  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  prominent  Spanish  families  of 
that  day.  Don  Pedro  had  been  finely  educated  in  Spanish,  and  by  reason 
of  his  intelligence  and  bearing  soon  won  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of 
his  fellowmen.  Removing  to  Valencia,  in  Valencia  county,  he  engaged 
in  the  raising  of  sheep,  cattle  and  horses,  in  which  he  was  very  success- 
ful. He  possessed  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  the  country  and  was  widely 
known  and  highly  respected. 

Among  his  children  was  Vincente  A.  Otero,  who  took  an  active  part 
in  public  affairs  during  the  early  days  of  the  Mexico  republic.  Like  his 
father,  he  devoted  his  life  to  stock-raising,  becoming  widely  known,  and 
spent .  his  _  days  in  Valencia  county.  He  married  Gertrudes  Chaves,  a 
member  of  the  prominent  family  of  that  name.  In  his  family  were  six 
sons,  Antonio  J.,  Juan  A.,  Manuel  A.,  Manuel  A.  (2d),  Pedro  A.  and 
Miguel  A.  The  eldest.  Antonio  J.  Otero,  was  a  man  of  unusual  mental 
training.  He  was  highly  educated  in  a  private  school  by  a  Catholic  priest 
named  Martinez,  and  became  one  of  the  best  authorities  on  local  laws  in 
Mexico,  although  not  a  practicing  attorney.  When  General  Kearny  insti- 
tuted civil  government  in  Xew  Mexico  during  the  year  of  American  occu- 
pation in  1846.  he  named  Mr.  Otero  as  one  of  the  three  justices  of  the 
supreme  court,  assigning  him  to  the  work  of  judicial  district  with  head- 
quarters at  Albuquerque.  He  was  the  only  native  Mexican  to  be  honored 
by  appointment  to  the  supreme  bench,  and  his  designation  to  this  high 
office  was  due  both  to  his  eminence  as  a  citizen  and  his  understanding  of 
the  English  speech,  though  he  could  not  use  the  language  in  speaking. 
He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  Whig  party  and  afterward  became  a 
Republican.  When  the  American  forces  occupied  the  Territory  he  gave 
his  influence  to  their  support,  and  so  bitter  did  the  feeling  become  among 
his  friends,  who  were  for  the  greater  part  strongly  anti-American  in  their 
sympathies,  that  he  was  compelled  to  remain  in  hiding  for  some  time  to 
escape  hanging  at  their  hands.  Others  of  the  Otero  family  were  also 
strongly  American  in  their  sympathies.  Antonio  J.  Otero  was  the  first 
to  build  a  modern  grist  mill  at  Peralta.  his  home.  In  his  large  general 
merchandising  establishment  he  had  as  a  partner  William  Skinner,  who 
came  from  St.  Louis  at  an  early  dav. 

One  of  Judge  Otero's  biographers  has  said  of  him :  "Judge  Otero 
was  endowed  by  nature  with  fine  intellectual  powers,  all  of  which  were 
developed  and  strengthened  bv  a  discipline  which  enabled  him  to  com- 
prehend readily  and  accurately  the  important  questions  demanding  his 
attention  in  after  years.  From  all  that  the  writer  can  learn.  Judge  Otero 
was  a  cautious  man,  rarely  giving  expression  to  an  opinion  until,  upon 
reflection,  the  matter  under  consideration  was  clearly  and  definitelv  fixed  in 
his  own  mind.  It  seems  strange  to  us  of  today  that  a  man  born  and  reared 
under  the  Spanish  and  Mexican  governments,  whose  laws  and  customs 
were  so  different  from  our  own ;  growing  to  manhood  in  a  portion  of  the 
world  at  that  time  far  removed  from  all  the  kindly  influences  of  modern 
thought   and   civilization ;   resident   of  a   territory   whose   inhabitants   were 


\^X^d^c^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  537 

engaged  six  months  in  every  year  for  a  half  a  century  in  wars  with  hostile 
Indians,  could  so  well  fill  his  place  upon  the  bench  as  did  Judge  Otero. 
While  sitting  as  a  member  of  the  superior  court  he  delivered  the  only 
opinion  coming  from  that  court  which  has  been  preserved,  so  far  as  the 
writer  has  been  able  to  ascertain." 

Judge  Otero's  brother,  Juan  A.  Otero,  was  his  partner  in  all  his  busi- 
ness undertakings.  These  brothers  married  sisters — two  daughters  of 
Francisco  Xavier  Chaves,  one  of  the  wealthiest  of  the  native  inhabitants 
of  New  Mexico.  Manuel  A.  Otero,  the  third  son  of  Don  Pedro  Otero, 
resided  at  Peralta,  and  was  active  in  political  undertakings,  serving  for 
some  time  as  probate  judge  of  Valencia  county.  The  fourth  son,  Pedro 
A.  Otero,  died  in  young  manhood.  The  fifth,  and  youngest.  Miguel  A. 
Otero,  like  the  other  sons,  received  a  fine  English  education.  For  several 
years  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  but  after  the 
construction  of  the  railroad  into  Xew  Mexico  he  returned  to  the  Terri- 
tory and  conducted  a  general  merchandising  business  for  his  former  em- 
ployers in  Kansas  City.  The  later  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  Las 
Vegas,  where  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Otero,  Sellers  &  Co.,  one 
of  the  most  important  commercial  houses  in  the  southwest  for  many 
years.  In  1861  he  served  as  secretary  of  the  Territory,  and  represented 
New  Mexico  from  1856  until  1861. 

Manuel  R.,  son  of  Antonio  T.  Otero,  was  born  at  Peralta.  May  22, 
1841,  and  was  educated  in  the  St.  Louis  University.  During  the  earlier 
years  of  his  life  he  was  engaged  in  ranching  at  Peralta.  He  served  as 
probate  clerk  of  Valencia  county  for  eight  vears,  and  also  filled  the  offices 
of  probate  judge  and  deputy  sheriff.  In  1803  ne  removed  to  Albuquerque, 
which  has  since  been  his  home.  He  has  been  register  of  the  LTnited  States 
land  office  at  Santa  Fe  since  1808.  and  is  now  serving  his  third  term. 
He  was  a  prominent  candidate  of  the  Republican  party  for  delegate  to 
Congress  in  the  convention  held  at  Albuquerque  in  1880.  but  he  withdrew 
and  gave  his  hearty  support  to  the  nominee,  the  Hon.  Tranquilino  Luna. 

The  Armijo  family  has  furnished  to  New  Mexico  several  men  who 
have  become  noteworthy  in  its  history.  Colonel  Juan  Armijo,  the  dis- 
tinguished founder  of  the  family  in  this  country,  a  native  of  Spain,  was 
an  officer  in  tiie  Spanish  army.  He  came  to  Mexico  in  the  last  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  One  of  his  sons,  also  named  Juan,  was  born  in 
New  Mexico,  and  inherited  from  his  father  a  portion  of  a  large  land 
grant  at  Albuquerque.  He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  stock  raisers 
in  that  part  of  the  province  for  manv  years.  Another  son.  General  Manuel 
Armijo,  was  the  last  of  the  provincial  governors  of  New  Mexico,  filling 
that  position  from  the  date  of  Governor  Perez's  assassination,  in  1837.  to 
the  Mexican  war.  Don  Juan  Armijo  married  Rosalia  .Ortega,  a  member 
of  another  prominent  family  of  the  province.  Their  son.  Don  Tuan  Cris- 
tobal Armijo.  was  born  in  Albuquerque  in  1810  and  spent  his  entire  life 
in  that  town.  He  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  early  in  life  and  became 
one  of  the  most  successful  business  men  of  the  Territory.  He  received  a 
commission  as  colonel  in  the  Mexican  army,  and  in  the  years  immediately 
preceding  the  Mexican  war  led  his  command  against  the  Navajo  Indians, 
invading  their  Territory  and  distinguishing  himself  by  his  valorous  con- 
duct. During  the  Indian  revolution  of  1837  he  fought  bv  the  side  of 
Governor   Perez,   and   during  all  the   troublous  period   which   marked  the 


538  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

close  of  Mexican  dominion  in  this  Territory  he  was  found  valiantly  de- 
fending the  cause  of  his  country.  In  private  life  he  bore  a  reputation 
without  blemish,  all  his  transactions  being  characterized  by  integrity  and 
honor.  When  the  Mexican  arms  were  defeated  in  the  war  of  1844-46,  he 
became  as  patriotic  an  American  citizen  as  he  had  been  a  Mexican  citizen. 
He  represented  Bernalillo  county  in  the  first  legislative  assembly  under 
the  civil  government  in  1851,  serving  in  the  house,  and  was  re-elected  to 
the  same  body  in  1852,  serving  in  the  second  assembly;  and  was  again 
elected  to  the  seventh  assembly.  During  the  Civil  war  he  held  a  commis- 
sion, and,  with  the  Xew  Mexican  militia,  participated  in  the  battle  of  Val 
Verde,  defending  Fort  Craig  while  the  regulars  attacked  the  enemy  in 
the  field. 

The  house  in  which  Colonel  Armijo  resided  for  many  years,  at  Los 
Ranches,  or  Los  Griegos,  about  two  miles  north  of  Albuquerque,  is  still 
standing.  He  married  Juana  Chaves,  and  reared  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren: Nestor,  Nicholas  T.,  Juan,  Pedro,  Manuela,  who  married  Mariano 
Yrisarri  of  Los  Ranchos,  Feliciano,  who  married  Tomas  Gutierrez,  and 
Justo  R.     All  are  deceased  excepting  Nestor,  Justo  R.  and  Mrs.  Yrisarri. 

Don  Nestor  Armijo,  the  eldest  son,  is  one  of  the  most  widely  known 
residents  cf  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory.  He  was  born  at  Los 
Padillas,  about  eight  miles  south  of  Albuquerque.  February  28,  1831. 
In  1841  he  entered  the  St.  Louis  University,  where  he  was  a  student  for 
five  years,  returning  to  Albuquerque  at  the  close  of  the  Mexican  war  in 
1846.  In  1853  he  made  his  first  overland  trip  to  California,  following  the 
Gila  river  trail  to  the  Colorado,  and  thence  crossing  the  Mojave  desert. 
The  year  following  he  repeated  the  trip.  In  1855  he  made  the  journey 
across  the  plains  to  Westport  (now  Kansas  City),  where  he  made  his  first 
purchase  of  goods  for  general  merchandising.  For  twenty  years  there- 
after he  repeated  these  trips,  going  east  in  the  spring  and  returning  in 
August  with  a  train  of  merchandise.  He  had  his  own  teams,  and  brought 
with  him  wares  for  the  stores  he  had  established  in  Las  Cruces  and  El 
Paso.  In  1862  he  established  the  first  store  of  any  importance  in  Las 
Cruces,  which  he  conducted  until  1868.  In  that  year  he  visited  Chi- 
huahua. Mexico,  selling  American  goods  by  wholesale  for  a  period  of 
ten  years.  Since  1878  he  has  made  his  home  in  Las  Cruces.  In  recent 
years  he  has  been  interested  in  the  sheep  and  cattle  business,  principally  in 
Mexico,  in  which  he  has  been  rewarded  with  financial  success.  He  has 
also  been  identified  with  banking  interests  in  this  Territory.  Though  a 
man  of  public  spirit,  he  has  taken  no  active  interest  in  politics,  and  has 
not  sought  nor  held  public  office. 

In  1851  he  married  Josefa  Yrisarri,  daughter  of  Mariano  Yrisarri, 
a  native  of  Los  Ranchos.  They  had  one  son,  Charles  H.,  now  deceased, 
who  was  for  several  years  engaged  in  business  in  Las  Cruces. 

Don  Justo  R.  Armijo,  the  youngest  son  of  Colonel  Juan  Cristobal 
Armijo.  who  is  now  county  treasurer  and  collector  of  Bernalillo  county, 
residing  in  Albuquerque,  was  born  on  his  father's  ranch.  September  20, 
1852.  After  attending  the  schools  of  Albuquerque  he  entered  St.  Louis 
University,  but  a  short  time  prior  to  the  graduation  of  his  class  he  went  to 
Xew  York  city  and  entered  the  well  known  banking  house  of  Northrup 
&  Chick,  where  he  filled  a  clerical  position  for  two  years.  The  following- 
two  years  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  house  in  St.  Louis. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  539 

He  made  several  voyages  from  New  York  to  Vera  Cruz  as  purser  on  the 
Red  D  line  of  steamers,  and  desiring  further  knowledge  of  the  West 
Indies  and  their  inhabitants,  he  spent  eighteen  months  as  bookkeeper  in  a 
hotel  in  Havana,  Cuba. 

Upon  his  return  to  his  home  he  located  in  Bernalillo,  where  for  seven- 
teen years  he  was  engaged  in  the  sheep  business.  Always  actively  inter- 
ested in  public  affairs,  he  was  twice  elected  probate  judge  of  Bernalillo 
county  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party,  and  was  twice  elected  to 
the  board  of  county  commissioners.  Upon  the  death  of  his  brother, 
Nicolas  T.  Armijo,  in  1892,  he  removed  to  Albuquerque  to  administer  the 
latter's  estate,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  seven  years.  During  that 
time  he  erected  the  N.  T.  Armijo  building,  one  of  the  most  substantial 
business  blocks  in  Albuquerque.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  labors  as 
manager  of  this  large  estate  he  engaged  in  the  fire  and  life  insurance 
business.  From  1891  to  1893  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  peni- 
tentiary commissioners.  On  September  9,  1905,  he  received  from  Gov- 
ernor Otero  a  commission  as  county  treasurer  and  collector  of  Bernalillo 
county  to  succeed  Frank  A.  Hubbell,  who  was  removed  by  the  governor. 
It  was  not  until  November  9th  following  that  he  secured  possession  of  the 
office,  after  one  of  the  most  bitter  political  contests  in  the  history  of  the 
Territory. 

Don  Justo  R.  Armijo  is  highly  regarded  by  the  citizens  of  New 
Mexico,  by  whom  he  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  the  strictest  integrity. 
He  has  always  exhibited  a  keen  and  intelligent  interest  in  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  resided  practically 
all  his  life,  and  such  confidences  as  his  fellow  citizens  have  reposed  in  him 
have  never  been  violated. 

Colonel  Perfecto  Armijo,  sheriff  of  Albuquerque,  is  a  son  of  Am- 
brosia Armijo,  who  was  born  at  Ranches  of  Albuquerque.  He  was  pro- 
bate judge  for  many  years  and  served  as  a  colonel  of  the  militia  during 
the  Civil  war.  Prominent  in  public  life,  he  was  treasurer  of  the  county 
at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1884.  His  political  allegiance 
was  given  the  Republican  party.  He  married  Candelario  Otero,  a  daughter 
of  Vicente  Otero. 

Colonel  Perfecto  Armijo  was  born  in  Valencia  county,  New  Mexico, 
February  20,  1845,  and  supplemented  his  preliminary  education  by  four 
years'  study  in  St.  Louis  University,  being  a  student  there  at  the  time  of 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  active  in  various  military  drills 
there  with  the  bovs  at  school,  but  did  not  enlist.  About  1862  he  returned 
to  New  Mexico,  and  for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in  freighting  to 
Leavenworth,  Kansas  City,  Chihuahua,  El  Paso,  Tucson,  Prescott  and 
other  points,  during  which  time  he  had  much  trouble  with  the  Indians, 
who  were  numerous  upon  the  frontier  and  committed  many  depredations 
against  the  white  settlers,  who  were  trying  to  found  homes  and  engage 
in  business  in  this  part  of  the  country.  At  Las  Cruces  he  established  a 
store  in  connection  with  his  brother,  Jesus  Armijo.  Later  he  freighted 
again  until  1880,  when  the  railroad  was  built,  and  rendering  his  business 
unremunerative,  he  sold  his  teams  and  other  paraphernalia  of  the  freight- 
ing outfits.  At  that  time  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising-  in  Old 
Albuquerque,  where  he  conducted  business  for  several  vears.  He  was 
appointed   sheriff  of  the  county  and  served  for  one  year,'  after  which  he 


540  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to  the  office  of  sheriff  of  the  county. 
He  was  also  alderman  of  Albuquerque  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  last  con- 
stitutional convention.  On  the  ist  of  September,  1905,  he  was  appointed 
sheriff  to  succeed  Thomas  S.  Hubbell,  and  after  a  hard  contest,  which  is 
now  historic,  gained  the  office.  The  above  contains  the  epochal  events  in 
his  history  and  indicates  his  prominence  in  public  life.  He  has  been  in- 
fluential in  public  affairs,  and  his  official  service  has  been  characterized  bv 
unfaltering  fidelity  to  duty  in  all  relations.  He  now  owns  a  farming  ranch 
and  stock  at  Ranches  of  Albuquerque. 

Colonel  Armijo  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Febronia  Garcia,  a 
daughter  of  Pedro  Garcia,  of  Dona  Aha  county.  They  had  nine  children, 
two  of  whom  have  passed  away.  The  living  are  Yictoriano.  the  wife  of 
Captain  A.  W.  Kimball,  quartermaster  at  Fort  Snelling,  Minnesota; 
David,  of  the  City  of  Mexico;  Candelario,  the  wife  of  Alfredo  Otero; 
Solomon,  a  resident  of  Colorado;  Chonah  and  Perfecto,  both  at  home,  and 
Juanita,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Rogers  Haynes,  at  El  Vado,  New  Mexico. 

The  Baca  family  in  New  Mexico  is  a  large  one,  numerically,  and 
many  of  its  representatives  have  attained  distinction  in  the  political  under- 
takings of  the  Territory.  The  family  of  which  Major  Jesus  M.  A.  Baca 
and  Salazar  was  a  member  traces  its  descent  from  ancient  Spanish  stock. 
Born  in  Santa  Ft  in  1820,  Major  Baca  served  in  young  manhood  as 
sheriff  of  Santa  Fe  county  for  about  ten  years.  Soon  after  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  war  he  was  made  major  of  the  Second  Regiment  of  New 
Mexico  Volunteers  and  afterward  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment. He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Yal  Verde,  and  on  his  way  home 
was  captured,  in  company  with  Nicholas  Pino,  but  subsequently  was  ex- 
changed. He  was  the  first  United  States  collector  of  internal  revenue  for 
New  Mexico.  He  died  on  his  ranch  near  Glorieta,  Pecos  town,  April  7, 
1872. 

Santiago  Baca,  who  is  now  living  in  retirement  in  Albuquerque,  was 
born  in  Santa  Fe  in  1844,  a  son  of  Major  Jesus  M.  A.  Baca  y  Salazar, 
and  was  educated  in  the  school  in  charge  of  Bishop  Lamy.  In  1861,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  was  elected  chief  clerk  of  the  territorial 
council.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  appointed  second  lieutenant  in  the 
militia,  but  saw  no  active  service.  In  1864  he  removed  to  Albuquerque, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  business  with  his  father-in-law,  Salvador  Armijo. 
From  1870  until  1877  he  was  a  resident  of  the  town  of  Pecos,  San  Miguel 
county,  and  while  residing  there  was  elected  to  the  council  in  the  legisla- 
ture from  San  Miguel  county,  serving  in  the  twenty-first  legislative  as- 
sembly in  1873.  He  also  served  two  terms  in  the  council  from  Bernalillo 
county — 1878  and  1882 — and  was  chosen  president  of  that  body  in  1878 
in  the  twenty-third  legislative  assembly.  In  Bernalillo  county  he  served 
as  probate  clerk,  assessor,  sheriff,  and  collector,  and  during  his  incum- 
bency in  the  latter  office  the  present  court  house  was  erected.  For  four 
years  he  served  as  postmaster  of  Albuquerque.  Mr.  Baca  at  one  time 
received  the  most  unqualified  endorsement  of  the  majority  of  the  voters 
of  New  Mexico,  regardless  of  politics,  for  the  responsible  post  of  United 
States  marshal  for  the  New  Mexico  district,  but  President  Cleveland  saw 
fit  to  appoint  a  non-resident  of  the  Territory.  He  has  always  been  a 
stanch  Democrat,  although  he  has  taken  a  liberal  view  of  local  political 
matters. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  541 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  Mr.  Baca  married  Piedad  Armijo,  daughter 
of  Salvador  Armijo,  a  nephew  of  General  Manuel  Armijo.  Their  children 
are  Francisca,  wife  of  Milton  Chavez,  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Albuquerque;  Bernardino  and  Aurelia  Baca,  wife  of  Flavio  Sandrae,  from 
Seboyeto,  Valencia  countv. 

F.  H.  Kent,  who  became  well  known  in  connection  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  old  town  of  Albuquerque,  settling  there  in  1878,  in  which 
year  he  opened  a  drug  store,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  185 1,  and  the 
first  ten  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  Boston.  In  1861  he  was  taken  to 
Kansas  by  his  parents,  and  from  1874  until  the  year  of  his  removal  to 
Albuquerque,  he  resided  in  Colorado.  In  1881,  soon  after  the  founding 
of  the  present  town,  he  established  himself  in  the  same  business  on  the 
east  side  of  Third  street,  south  of  Railroad  avenue,  this  enterprise  being 
the  first  drug  store  in  the  new  town.  In  1882  he  succeeded  Major  Harry 
R.  Whiting  as  agent  for  the  New  Mexico  Town  Company,  looking  after 
the  interests  of  that  important  promotion  company  until  1892.  This  com- 
pany, of  which  Henry  L.  Waldo  was  president,  and  Colonel  William 
Breeden,  secretary,  owned  not  only  the  Albuquerque  town  site,  but  also 
the  town  sites  of  Raton.  Springer,  Lamy,  Socorro  and  Las  Cruces.  E.  S. 
Stover,  W.  E.  Talbert.  Mariano  Armijo,  Judge  W.  C.  Hazledine,  Franz 
Huning,  were  also  among  the  stockholders. 

When  the  Albuquerque  postoffice  was  established  in  the  new  town  of 
Albuquerque,  in  1881,  Mr.  Kent  became  the  first  postmaster,  his  commis- 
sion bearing  date  February  ig,  1881.  When  he  took  charge  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Town  Company  he  closed  out  his  drug  business  and  opened  a  real 
estate  and  insurance  office, — the  oldest  in  the  city.  His  only  predecessors 
in  this  line  were  Charles  Etheridge  and  Jesse  M.  Wheelock.  In  1886 
Mr.  Kent  was  elected  probate  clerk  of  Bernalillo  county,  holding  the  office 
two  years.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  and  has  been  a 
recognized  leader  in  the  local  ranks  of  his  party.  He  was  made  a  Mason 
in  Temple  lodge,  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  that  body,  is  a  member  of 
the  local  commandery  and  is  past  grand  master  of  the  grand  lodge  of 
New  Mexico.  He  still  conducts  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
which  he  founded,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  business  men  of  Albuquer- 
que in  point  of  years  of  residence  in  that  city. 

One  of  the  founders  of  the  modern  town  of  Albuquerque  and  the 
greatest  individual  developer  of  the  city  during  its  first  decade,  was 
Angus  A.  Grant,  who  first  came  to  the  town  in  1880  as  bridge  contractor 
for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company.  In  partnership 
with  Joseph  Hampson,  under  the  firm  name  of  Grant  &  Hampson,  he  made 
Albuquerque  his  headquarters  for  construction  work  until  1886.  when  Mr. 
Hampson  removed  to  Mexico,  and  Mr.  Grant's  brothers,  Lewis  A.,  now 
deceased,  and  John  R..  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  both  of  whom  had 
accompanied  the  firm  here  in  1880,  entered  the  firm,  which  was  then 
known  as  Grant  Brothers.  Soon  after  the  organization  of  the  latter  firm 
Mr.  Grant  made  San  Francisco  his  family  residence,  though  in  no  manner 
allowing  his  interest  in  Albuquerque  affairs  to  abate. 

From  the  founding  of  the  town  he  made  heavy  investments  in  real 
estate,  toward  the  improvement  of  which  he  devoted  his  energies.  He 
also  became  interested  immediately  in  public  utilities.  With  Mariano 
Armijo  and  others,  in   1882,  he  purchased  the  Albuquerque  Water  Com- 


542  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

pany,  which  he  at  once  began  to  improve  and  develop  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  rapidly  growing  town.  Three  different  companies  had  been 
organized — the  Albuquerque  Water  Company,  chartered  August  25,  1882; 
the  Albuquerque  Water  Supply  Company,  chartered  March  29,  1882; 
and  the  Albuquerque  Water  Works  Company,  chartered  March  4,  1882. 
On  September  18,  1882,  the  Albuquerque  Consolidated  Water  Works 
Company  was  incorporated. 

In  1882  he  began  the  work  of  constructing  an  electric  light  system  for 
the  city,  a  charter  having-  been  conferred  upon  the  Albuquerque  Electric 
Light  Company  March  10,  1881.  In  1895  he  purchased  the  property  of 
the  Albuquerque  Gas  Company,  which  had  been  incorporated  December 
31,  1880.  All  these  interests  he  maintained  until  his  death,  devoting  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  their  improvement  as  the  town  grew  larger.  In 
1882  he  erected  the  first  theatre  in  town,  a  brick  building  known  as  the 
Grant  Opera  House,  which  occupied  the  site  of  the  Grant  building  on  the 
northwest  corner  of  Third  street  and  Railroad  avenue.  This  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1898.  and  the  present  budding  erected  upon  its  ruins 
and' completed  within  six  months.  He  also  owned  and  improved  consid- 
erable property  in  town  beside  that  mentioned.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
stockholders  in  the  First  National  Bank,  in  which  he  was  a  director  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death.  In  1890  he  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Crystal  Ice  Company,  which  was  incorporated  September  24th  of  that 
year.  He  also  had  important  stock  interests.  In  1895  he  purchased  the 
Albuquerque  Democrat,  which  he  leased  to  others.  (See  history  of  jour- 
nalism.) The  company  of  which  he  was  for  so  long  a  period  the  head 
ultimately  became  known  as  the  Grant  Brothers'  Construction  Company, 
with  headquarters  in  Los  Angeles,  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  important 
contracting  concerns  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Grant  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada,  October  4.  1843,  OI  High- 
land Scotch  ancestry.  He  began  his  career  as  a  bridge  builder  in  1866 
on  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway,  was  afterward  engaged  in  mining  in  Ne- 
vada, and  still  later  built  bridges  for  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad. 
From  1870  to  1878  his  time  was  diversified  in  mining  and  railroad  con- 
tracting in  California.  His  connection  with  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  began  in  1870  and  continued  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
at  Los  Angeles,  California,  in  1901.  As  this  brief  outline  of  his  opera- 
tions shows,  he  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  practical  upbuilders  of  the 
greatest  city  in  New  Mexico,  and  is  entitled  to  a  permanent  place  in  the 
history  of  the  Territory. 

The  extensive  interests  of  the  A.  A.  Grant  estate  in  Albuquerque 
are  now  and  for  several  years  have  been  administered  by  Daniel  A.  Mac- 
pherson,  a  nephew  of  Mr.  Grant  and,  like  him,  a  native  of  Canada.  He 
was  born  in  Glengarry  county.  Ontario,  in  1869.  In  1887  he  went  to 
California  as  head  bookkeeper  for  the  Grant  Brothers'  Construction  Com- 
pany of  Los  Angeles,  remaining  with  that  concern  until  1899,  when  he 
came  to  Albuquerque  at  the  request  of  A.  A.  Grant  as  the  latter's  per- 
sonal representative  in  the  various  companies  which  he  had  organized  and 
still  controlled  there.  He  was  at  once  elected  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  water  companv,  the  electric  light  company  and  the  gas  company,  the 
affairs  of  which  he  administered  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Grant.  At  that 
time  he  was  made  one  of  the  three  executors  of  Mr.  Grant's  will,  and  con- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  543 

tinuecl  the  management  of  these  properties  until,  between  1903  and  1905, 
all  had  been  disposed  of.  In  1903  he  assumed  personal  charge  of  the  Al- 
buquerque Morning  Journal,  having  been  president  of  the  publishing 
company  since  1901.  In  1904  and  1905  he  erected,  for  the  estate,  the 
building  since  occupied  by  the  Economist  dry  goods  house.  February  28, 
1905,  he  effected  the  sale  of  the  water  works  system  to  M.  W.  Flournoy, 
W.  R.  Whitney,  Frank  A.  Hubbell,  W.  H.  Gillenwater  and  A.  B.  Mc- 
Millen,  all  of  Albuquerque.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  State 
National  Bank  of  Albuquerque,  of  which  he  was  vice-president  until  Janu- 
ary,   1906. 

George  F.  Albright,  county  assessor  of  Bernalillo  county,  came  to 
Albuquerque  in  1882,  but  had  located  in  Santa  Fe  in  1880,  being  there 
employed  on  the  Santa  Fe  Democrat.  He  was  connected  there  with  his 
brother,  J.  G.  Albright,  and  removing  the  paper  here  he  was  identified  with 
it  through  various  changes  until  March,  1903.  He  was  then  appointed 
county  assessor  on  the  division  of  the  county.  He  had  previously  been 
elected  to  the  territorial  council  in  1902  and  served  for  one  term.  In  the 
fall  of  1904  he  was  elected  county  assessor.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  school  board  of  Albuquerque  in  1893-4,  and  thus  in  various  official 
positions,  has  embraced  his  opportunity  of  doing  effective,  able  and  valu- 
able service  for  his  fellow  citizens.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Benevolent  Order  of  Elks.  He  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1859,  but  the  entire  period  of  his  manhood  has  been  passed  in 
New  Mexico,  where  he  arrived  when   twenty-one  years  of  age. 

Manuel  R.  Springer,  merchant  and  county  commissioner  at  Old  Al- 
buquerque, was  born  here  November  29,  1871.  He  is  a  son  of  Henry 
Springer,  now  deceased,  who  was  born  in  Wiirtemberg,  Germany,  and  with 
his  brother,  Levi,  was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  their  parents  in 
their  childhood  days.  Their  parents  died  in  Lexington,  Missouri,  in  the 
'50s.  Henry  Springer  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1861,  making  his  way  to 
Santa  Fe,  where  he  conducted  a  hotel  for  a  year  or  two.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Albuquerque  and  opened  a  store  about  1863  or  J864.  He  spent 
his  remaining  days  here,  being  closely  identified  with  its  business  and 
public  interests,  and  through  the  careful  manipulation  of  his  commercial 
affairs  he  became  quite  wealthy.  He  also  had  a  store  in  Springfield, 
Arizona,  but  made  his  home  in  Albuquerque.  At  one  time  he  owned  the 
Springer  addition  to  New  Albuquerque,  which  he  laid  out  into  seventy- 
four  town  lots.  He  had  an  extensive  store,  which  he  conducted  success- 
fully for  years,  but  he  lost  about  thirty  thousand  dollars  in  1875  or  1876 
on  a  government  contract  for  barley.  Subsequently,  however,  he  largely 
recuperated  his  losses.  He  married  Placida  Saabedra,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1882,  while  his  wife  passed  away  in  1879.  She  was  a  grand- 
daughter of  Jose  Antonio  Garcia,  who  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety- 
nine  years,  and  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  worked  in  his  garden.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  legislature  after  the  Mexican  war.  He  had 
twenty-five  children  and  three  hundred  grandchildren.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Springer  was  Francisco  Saabedra. 

Manual  R.  Springer  started  out  in  business  life  for  himself  when 
about  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  for  four  and  a  half  years  was  in  the  new 
town  of  Albuquerque.  He  was  married  on  the  16th  of  May.  1892,  to  Miss 
Carlotta  Garcia,  a  daughter  of    Manuel  Garcia,  once  sheriff  of    Bernalillo 


544  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

county.  They  have  the  following  children  :  Climaco.  Flora.  Mary,  Henry 
and  Alfred. 

In  1895  Mr.  Springer  established  a  mercantile  business  in  the  old 
town  and  has  since  conducted  his  store,  which  is  well  equipped  with  a 
large  line  of  goods.  He  receives  a  generous  patronage  and  is  prospering 
in  his  undertakings.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican, 
and  in  November,  1904.  was  appointed  county  commissioner  to  succeed 
Thomas  C.   Gutierrez.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus. 

George  E.  Denny,  postmaster  and  merchant  in  the  old  town  of  Albu- 
querque, was  called  to  the  office  on  the  24th  of  May,  1888.  The  post- 
office  was  originally  called  Armijo,  after  the  first  change  in  the  city  gov- 
ernment, two  offices  being  established — Albuquerque  and  Armijo.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  it  is  known  as  Old  Albuquerque.  Mr.  Denny  was 
born  near  Bryn  Mawr,  Pennsylvania.  November  19,  1856,  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Philadelphia.  After  his  school  life  was  ended  he  was 
engaged  in  the  tobacco  business  there  for  four  years,  and  in  1884  he  re- 
moved from  Pennsylvania  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  was  first  engaged 
in  buying  wool,  pelts  and  hides,  devoting  four  years  to  that  business. 
Since  1888  he  has  engaged  in  general  merchandising  and  has  a  well-ap- 
pointed store.  In  the  same  year  he  became  postmaster  and  has  filled 
the  office  continuously  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  Mexico  So- 
ciety, No.  1,  of  Old  Albuquerque,  a  mutual  protective  society,  which  was 
organized  about   1896, 

The  death  of  Mariano  S.  Otero,  on  February  1.  1904,  removed  from 
Albuquerque  one  of  the  strong  characters  in  the  life  of  that  city.  For 
many  years  he  had  been  one  of  the  most  influential  of  the  native-born 
citizens  of  New  Mexico.  He  was  born  at  Peralta,  Valencia  county,  in 
August,  1844.  and  was  a  representative  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  of 
the  old  Spanish  families  in  the  territory.  He  received  a  liberal  English 
education  in  St.  Louis  University,  after  which  he  began  freighting  be- 
tween Albuquerque  and  Missouri.  While  still  a  young  man  he  engaged 
in  the  stock  industry,  making  his  home  in  Bernalillo  until  1893.  when  he 
removed  to  Albuquerque.  He  was  financially  interested  in  many  under- 
takings of  importance.  Soon  after  the  discovery  of  the  great  coal  fields 
at  and  near  Gallup  he  became  associated  with  a  number  of  other  men  in 
the  organization  of  the  Caledonia  Coal  Company,  which  for  several  years 
was  the  most  important  developer  of  those  interests  in  western  New 
Mexico. 

Reference  to  the  history  of  banking  in  this  territory  will  show  that 
Mr.  Otero  had  varied  interests  in  this  direction  in  Albuquerque  and  else- 
where, notably  in  the  Central  (now  the  First  National)  Bank  of  Albu- 
querque, which  was  succeeded  by  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  and  the  San 
Miguel  National  Bank  of  Las  Vegas,  in  the  organization  of  all  of  which 
he  was  a  central  figure.  He  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  unusual  financial 
ability  and  of  integrity  of  character.  He  had  interests  in  a  number  of  land 
grants,  notably  in  the  Baca  grant,  and  in  the  Lagunitas  grant,  in  Sando- 
val county,  which  he  procured  by  purchase  in  the  early  '80s.  He  was  also 
the  owner  of  the  famous  Jemez  Hot  Springs  and  the  Sulphur  Spring  in 
Sandoval  county,  in  addition  to  which  he  possessed  a  large  number  of 
sheep  ranches  in  various  portions  of  the  territory,  and  held  other  land 
interests. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  545 

Air.  Otero  exhibited  a  deep  interest  in  educational  affairs  and  was 
made  one  of  the  original  board  of  regents  of  the  University  of  New  Mex- 
ico. He  was  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  Republican  party  in  this 
Territory,  and  was  elected  as  delegate  to  the  Forty-sixth  congress,  serving 
from  1879  until  1881.  He  occupied  other  public  offices  and  positions  of 
trust,  including  that  of  county  commissioner  of  Bernalillo  county,  during 
which  term  of  office  he  helped  to  build  the  present  courthouse,  and  he  also 
served  as  probate  judge.  During  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  development  of  Albuquerque  and  owned  a  three-eighths 
interest  in  the  Perea  addition  to  the  city,  which  was  laid  out  by  the  Albu- 
querque Townsite  Company  in  1889  and  1891.  This  property  was  pur- 
chased by  the  company  from  the  heirs  of  Jose  L.  Perea,  of  Bernalillo, 
whose  daughter.  Filomena,  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Otero.  Their  chil- 
dren are :  Mrs.  George  W.  Harrison,  of  Albuquerque ;  Fred  J.,  of  Albu- 
querque;  Alfred  J.,  of  Jemez  Hot  Springs;  Mrs.  J.  B.  Burg,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. ;  and  Mariano  S.,  Jr..  of  Albuquerque.  All  except  Fred  J. 
Otero  were  educated  in  Notre  Dame  College,  at  Notre  Dame,  Indiana. 

Fred  J.  Otero  was  born  at  Bernalillo  in  1869  and  was  educated  in 
Santa  Clara  College,  in  California,  and  the  Georgetown  University,  in 
the  District  of  Columbia.  After  leaving  college  he  became  manager  of 
his  father's  landed  interests,  and  upon  his  father's  death  the  estate  was  left 
in  trust  to  his  widow,  since  which  time  Fred  J.  Otero  has  administered  it. 
In  this  task  he  has  exhibited  splendid  executive  ability,  having  kept  the 
entire  estate  intact  and  increasing  its  value  year  by  year.  He  was  the 
first  sheriff  of  Sandoval  county,  where,  in  Bernalillo,  he  still  maintains 
a  handsome  residence,  though  making  Albuquerque  his  home. 

Congregation  Albert,  of  Albuquerque,  was  organized  in  1897  and 
named  in  honor  of  Albert  Grunsfeld,  the  highest  contributor  for  that 
honor.  The  temple  was  not  erected  until  1899.  Services  had  been  held 
for  some  time  previous  to  the  organization  of  the  society,  but  on  holidays 
only.  H.  N.  Jaffa  was  the  first  president  of  the  congregation,  and  Sam- 
uel Neustadt  the  first  secretary.  The  rabbis  in  charge  have  been  William 
H.  Greenberg,  Pizer  Jacobs  and  Jacob  H.  Kaplan.  Dr.  Kaplan  has  offi- 
ciated since  1902.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1874.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years  he  was  brought  to  America  by  his  parents  and  was  reared  in 
Buffalo.  Entering  the  University  of  Cincinnati,  he  was  graduated  in  the 
classical  course  in  1901,  and  from  the  Hebrew^  Union  College  in  the  same 
city  in  1902,  also  holding  a  Ph.D.  from  University  of  Denver  in  1906. 
His  religious  work  has  been  confined  to  Albuquerque.  Dr.  Kaplan  is 
president  of  the  Associated  Charities  of  Albuqueroue,  which  he  helped  to 
organize  in  1905.  and  is  a  Mason,  having  been  initiated  into  the  craft  in 
Temple  Lodge.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  public  speak- 
ers in  Albuquerque.  For  some  time  he  was  the  editor  of  Sunshine,  a 
weekly  non-sectarian  paper  founded  in  1904  by  Charles  S.  Carter.  In 
May,  1906,  this  paper  was  merged  in  a  new  monthly  periodical  founded 
at  that  time  by  Rev.  E.  E.  Crawford,  pastor  of  the  Christian  church,  and 
Dr.  Kaplan,  and  called   The  Barbarian,  and  is  edited  by  them  jointly. 

The  first  Jewish  organization  in  New  Mexico  was  Albuquerque 
Lodge,  No.  336.  I.  O.  B.  B.  (B'nai  B'rith),  which  was  founded  in  1882. 
Its  members  include  practically  the  entire  adult  Jewish  population  of  the 
city. 


5-16  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Among  the  men  who  came  to  New  Mexico  and  located  in  Albuquer- 
que during  the  early  stages  of  the  development  of  that  city  and  who  were 
eye  witnesses  of  and  active  participants  in  its  upbuilding  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  was  James  A.  Summers.  Mr.  Summers  was  born 
in  Glengarry,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  November  n,  1832.  His 
mother  was  a  representative  of  a  New  York  family,  and  it  was  but  nat- 
ural that  the  son  should  lean  toward  republican  institutions.  He  received 
a  good  education  in  the  schools  of  Canada  and  in  the  academy  at  Frank- 
lin, New  York.  Leaving  home  in  1854,  he  went  to  California,  evidently 
in  the  hope  of  winning  a  fortune  from  the  gold  fields.  For  some  time 
he  engaged  successfully  in  placer  mining  in  Tuolumne  county.  In  1861 
he  returned  to  the  east  and  entered  the  mercantile  trade  in  Canada ;  but 
the  great  west  appealed  so  strongly  to  him  that  he  could  not  resist  its  call 
and  a  few  years  later  he  returned  as  far  as  Rosita,  Colorado,  where  for 
three  years  in  the  early  seventies  he  served  as  county  clerk. 

Soon  after  the  construction  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  as 
far  west  as  Albuquerque,  the  news  of  the  remarkable  growth  of  the  vigor- 
ous young  town  reached  Mr.  Summers  and  he  soon  after  yielded  to  the 
temptation  to  cast  his  lot  with  that  of  the  New  Mexico  pioneers.  Arriving 
in  Albuquerque  in  the  spring  of  1882,  he  soon  afterward  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  railroad  company  in  its  general  offices  there.  After  a  service 
of  four  years  with  that  corporation  he  resigned  to  become  deputy  probate 
clerk  of  Bernalillo  county  under  F.  H.  Kent,  continuing  in  that  position 
under  Henry  V.  Harris  and  J.  C.  Baldridge,  occupying  the  post  for 
eleven  consecutive  years.  In  1898  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  pro- 
bate clerk  by  the  Republican  party,  was  elected,  and  through  successive 
re-elections  filled  the  office  until  his  death,  February  12,  1906. 

The  official  records  of  that  office  during  his  regime  are,  as  investi- 
gation will  disclose,  undoubtedly  the  most  cleanly  kept  and  the  most  sys- 
tematic and  business-like  of  any  in  the  entire  territory.  During  the  last 
three  or  four  years  of  his  public  service,  following  the  erection  of  Sandoval 
county,  which  had  formed  a  part  of  Bernalillo,  the  duties  of  the  office 
were  most  onerous,  and  the  labor  devolving  upon  Mr.  Summers  and  his 
assistants  reached  the  maximum  in  the  history  of  the  office.  In  his  earn- 
est endeavor  to  complete  the  work  of  bringing  all  the  records  of  both 
counties  down  to  date  within  a  reasonable  time,  Mr.  Summers  was  com- 
pelled to  overwork,  and  this,  coupled  with  his  somewhat  enfeebled  health 
due  to  close  confinement  at  a  sedentary  occupation,  and  an  affection  of 
the  heart  of  several  years'  standing,  undoubtedly  shortened  his  life — pos- 
sibly may  have  been  primarily  responsible  for  his  death. 

Mr.  Summers  was  a  Mason  in  excellent  standing,  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  highly  esteemed  for  the  numerous  fine  traits 
of  his  character.  He  was  an  extremely  popular  man  among  all  classes, 
not  only  by  reason  of  the  general  recognition  of  his  integrity  and  ability, 
but  also  on  account  of  his  abounding  good-fellowship.  He  was  a  stanch 
Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for  John  C.  Fremont  in  California,  in 
1856,  but  a  citizen  of  rare  liberality  in  his  view  of  political  matters  when 
considering  local  affairs.  September  18,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Jane  Robertson,  of  Martintown,  Ontario,  Canada,  who  survives 
him.  Their  children  are :  James  A.,  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  a  mes- 
senger in  the  employ  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Express   Company ;   David  A., 


0. 


^-«*HW  <^f  y<^<2. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  547 

of  Douglas,  Arizona,  an  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  El  Paso-South- 
western  Railway;  Maude  L.,  wife  of  F.  B.  Schwentker,  of  Albuquerque, 
manager  of  the  Conservative  Life  Insurance  Company  for  New  Mexico 
and  Arizona;  Ida  B.  and  Melville  R.  Summers,  of  Albuquerque.  The 
latter  is  secretary  of  the  John  M.  Moore  Realty  Company. 

The  years  of  1901  and  1902  were  marked  by  the  construction  and 
opening  of  the  handsome  new  depot  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at  Albu- 
querque, followed  by  the  opening  of  the  Alvarado  Hotel  in  May,  1902,  and 
of  the  Indian  Museum  and  Indian  and  Mexican  Building  of  Fred  Harvey 
in  August  of  the  same  year.  The  hotei.  which  is  generally  considered 
to  be  the  most  picturesque  of  any  of  the  railroad  hotels  and  eating  houses 
in  the  world,  is  of  frame,  covered  with  gray  stucco,  and  the  architecture 
is  of  the  so-called  "'mission  style."  South  of  and  connected  with  the  hotel 
is  the  Indian  and  Mexican  Building.  The  building  was  not  designed  by 
the  railway  company  until  after  the  erection  of  the  hotel,  was  well  under 
way,  and  when  plans  for  the  latter  were  being  made  there  was  no  thought 
on  the  part  of  the  company  or  the  managers  of  the  great  Harvey  system 
of  constructing. such  a  pretentious  building  for  the  housing  of  Indian  and 
archaeological  collections.  This  establishment,  which  has  been  the  gen- 
eral headquarters  of  the  Harvey  curio  trade  since  its  erection,  is  the  great- 
est institution  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  without  doubt.  In  its  general 
architectural  style  it  is  similar  to  the  Alvarado,  the  ancient  California 
missions  furnishing  the  idea  to  its  architect.  Since  its  opening  similar 
places,  though  their  scale  is  more  limited,  have  been  built  at  Williams, 
Arizona  (1903),  and  at  El  Tovar,  at  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona  (1905). 
the  latter  being  an  exact  replica  of  the  prehistoric  Hopi  houses  of  north- 
eastern Arizona.  A  remarkable  feature  of  the  structure  at  the  Grand 
Canyon  is  that  it  was  finished  entirelv  by  the  Hopi  Indians,  who  were 
largely  employed  in  its  construction  also.  It  is  built  exactly  as  these 
Indians  build  their  own  homes,  not  a  nail  or  a  hinge  being  found  in  the 
entire   edifice. 

The  Harvey  Curio  Rooms  contain  not  only  many  thousands  of  dol- 
lars' worth  of  modern  Navajo  blankets,  baskets,  pueblo  pottery,  bead 
work,  silver  work,  etc.,  but  here  are  also  to  be  found  priceless  archajologi- 
cal  treasures,  the  delight  of  connoisseurs  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  At 
the  present  time  the  building  contains  about  twenty  collections,  some  of 
them  being  of  more  than  usual  interest,  and,  indeed,  rivaling  in  point  of 
scientific  value  those  in  eastern  institutions.  A  large  proportion  of  the 
objects  of  the  museum  were  gathered  from  the  standpoint  of  a  scientific 
collection.  These  collections  have  been  constantly  added  to  from  time  to 
time,  as  occasion  offers,  and  are  being  supplemented  by  other  collections. 
The  museum  contains  no  miscellaneous  material,  nor  material  which  has 
not  been  properly  identified,  both  as  to  tribe  and  locality,  and  this  forms 
the  basis  of  the  classification.  To  characterize  adequately  the  existing 
collections,  would  be  a  task  of  no  small  proportion.  It  will,  perhaps,  be 
of  greater  interest  to  indicate  the  regions  of  North  America,  which  are 
represented,  than  to  give  a  categorical  list  of  the  collections.  In  this  man- 
ner it  will  be  seen  that  practically  all  of  the  great  areas  of  culture  in 
North  America  are  represented  by  one  or  more  collections  and  in  a  more 
or  less  adequate  manner. 

.  The   Eskimo,  or  Arctic   region :     This   area   is   represented   by   a   col- 


548  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

lection  secured  many  years  ago  from  tribes  of  Alaska,  living  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Port  Clarence.  While  the  collection  may  by  no  means  be  re- 
garded as  complete,  the  specimens  are  all  genuine  and  of  considerable 
age.  Of  special  interest  are  a  group  of  over  twenty-five  throwing  sticks 
and  about  twenty  Aleut  masks.  There  is  also  an  interesting  collection  of 
basketry,  comprising  about  thirty   specimens. 

The  northwest  coast :  There  are  four  cellections  from  this  area.  Of 
these  the  largest  is  from  the  Haida.  In  addition  to  a  number  of  interest- 
ing old  carved  and  painted  chests,  feast  dishes  and  spoons,  are  several 
specimens  of  basketry  and  about  fifteen  masks,  among  which  are  several 
exceedingly  rare  and  valuable  specimens.  A  collection  of  carved  spoons 
is  of  unusual  interest,  and  has  been  made  by  selecting  only  the  best  speci- 
mens from  about  two  hundred.  There  are  also  several  very  interesting 
and  highly  carved  rattles. 

The  Tlinkit  tribes  are  represented  by  over  thirty  specimens  of  bask- 
etry, all  old  and  of  native  design,  among  which  are  several  of  unusual 
merit. 

From  the  Kwakiutl  are  exhibited  about  twenty  masks  worn  in  cere- 
monial dances  and  all  genuine  and  of  considerable  antiquity. 

Columbia  basin :  The  region  just  south  of  and  adjacent  to  the  north- 
west coast  county  is  represented  bv  a  collection  of  some  fifty  Thompson 
and  Frazer  river  baskets,  and  about  thirty  Klikitat  baskets,  both  of  un- 
usual merit,  and  by  a  collection  of  about  two  hundred  specimens  from  the 
neighborhood  of  The  Dalles.  Oregon.  In  this  latter  collection  are  to  be 
found  nearly  every  kind  of  objects  used  by  these  people,  including  a  hand- 
some series  of  stone  specimens,  among  which  are  several  interesting  carv- 
ings. 

California :  In  the  collection  representing  California,  basketrv  nat- 
urally predominates.  The  largest  of  all  these  collections,  and  perhaps  the 
most  valuable  single  collection  in  the  entire  museum,  is  that  from  the 
Porno.  This  collection  contains  a  rare  and  complete  series  of  objects  il- 
lustrating the  arts  and  interests  of  the  Porno  and  a  remarkable  collection 
of  Porno  baskets,  numbering  about  four  hundred  specimens  and  compris- 
ing every  known  form  of  weave,  design  and  shape,  as  well  as  all  the 
traps  and  appliances  used  by  the  Porno  in  harvesting,  fishing,  etc.  Of 
unusual  interest  in  the  Porno  collection  is  a  raft-like  boat  made  of  tule, 
bearing  a  superficial  resemblance  to  the  balsa  of  Lake  Titicaca.  The  sec- 
ond in  value  only  to  the  Porno  collection,  and  certainly  second  in  the 
museum  in  point  of  beauty  and  completeness,  is  that  from  the  Hupa, 
who  occupy  a  small  valley  in  the  northwest  corner  of  California.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  unusually  complete  collection  illustrating  the  daily  and  cere- 
monial life  of  the  Hupa  and  an  especially  interesting  series  of  ceremonial 
ancient  costumes,  is  a  collection  of  Hupa  baskets,  numbering  about  eighty 
specimens,  forming,  perhaps,  the  most  valuable  collection  of  Hupa  baskets 
in  existence. 

Other  regions  of  California  are  represented  by  basket  collections  only ; 
such  are  the  Tulare,  Wintum.  Maidu,  Washoe,   Mono,   Chimehuevi,  etc. 

Central  Plateau :  From  this  locality  is  a  single  collection  made  from 
the  Paiute  Indians  of  Oregon,  which  comprises  about  forty  specimens,  all 
typical  representatives  of  a  condition  which  has  now  entirely  disappeared. 

The    southwest,    or    Pueblo   region :      This    great    area    is    represented 


1195C91 

LOCAL  HISTORIES  5^9 

by  three  collections — that  from  the  Hopi  being  of  considerable  magni- 
tude, and  importance,  and  numbering  about  four  hundred  specimens.  The 
most  valuable  single  category  of  objects  in  this  collection  is  a  series  of 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  tihus  or  dolls,  among  which  there  are  prac- 
tically no  duplicates,  and  ah  of  which  are  carefully  identified.  In  the 
collection  is  also  a  large  number  of  interesting  ceremonial  masks  worn 
by  men  representing  Hopi  deities.  Also  of  unusual  value  is  a  complete 
series  of  costumes,  such  as  are  worn  both  by  men  and  women  in  ordinary 
and  ceremonial  life.  The  prehistoric  life  of  the  Hopi  is  represented  1>\ 
an  interesting  collection  of  about  one  hundred  ancient  earthenware  ves- 
sels from  ruins  lying  between  Holbrook  and  the  Hopi  villages  of  today. 
Among  these  specimens  are  several  of  rare  form  and  design. 

The  Navajos,  near  neighbors  of  the  Hopi,  are  represented  by  two 
collections,  both  believed  to  be  unique.  The  first  collection  comprises 
about  forty  ceremonial  trays,  containing  a  large  number  of  designs  not 
ordinarily  seen  in  the  so-called  Navajo  ceremonial  basket.  The  second 
collection  and  undoubtedly  the  crowning  feature  of  the  Albuquerque  col- 
lections, both  in  point  of  value  and  of  general  interest,  is  the  old  Navajo 
blankets,  which  represent  the  best  and  choicest  of  the  thousands  of  blank- 
ets purchased  by  Fred  Harvey  during  a  number  of  years  past.  All  of 
these  specimens  have  been  selected  on  account  of  their  age,  beauty  of  design 
and  weave.  In  addition  there  have  been  recently  purchased  and  added  to 
this  collection  three  famous  collections  that  have  taken  from  twenty-five 
to  thirty  years  in  gathering.  Those  who  have  viewed  the  blanket  col- 
lection declare  it  to  be  the  finest  and  largest  in  existence.  This  collection 
was  awarded  the  grand  prize  at  St.  Louis  Exposition  in   1904. 

The  Great  Plains :  From  this  region  are  collections  which  illustrate 
the  life  of  five  prominent  tribes  typical  of  this  great  area.  First  in  im- 
portance is  that  from  the  Arapaho,  one  of  the  best  known  tribes  of  the 
plains.  This  collection  is  especially  noteworthy  for  the  large  number  of 
ceremonial  objects,  such  as  complete  costumes,  representing  the  different 
orders  of  the  Buffalo  Woman's  Society  and  the  paraphernalia  of  the  War- 
rior Societies.  These  two  groups  of  societies  are  not  exceeded  in  interest 
by  those  of  any  of  the  plains  tribes. 

The  Cheyenne,  close  allies  to  the  Arapaho.  are  represented  by  a  col- 
lection which  comprises  typical  specimens  of  Cheyenne  life  of  twenty 
years  ago. 

The  most  complete  representation  of  the  plains  tribes  is  from  the 
Crow,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Siouan  stock,  living  in  Montana.  Espe- 
cially interesting  in  this  collection  is  a  large  number  of  objects  manu- 
factured from  buffalo  skins,  such  as  war  medicine  shields,  medicine  pouches 
and  cases,  saddle  blankets,  horse  trappings,  etc.  The  Crow  collection  also 
includes  a  large  group  of  objects  devoted  to  medicine. 

From  the  Osage  has  been  secured  a  collection  which  is,  perhaps,  its 
extensive  and  as  representative  as  is  possible  to  be  made  in  this  tiibe 
today.  Of  the  greatest  interest  in  this  collection  are  two  sacred  medicine 
bundles,  which  it  is  believed  are  the  only  specimens,  except  one,  of  this 
phase  of  Osage  reiigion,  to  be  found  in  any  museum. 

There  is  a  single  collection  from  the  Sioux  proper,  gathered  from  the 
Ogallala  band,  probably  the  largest  and  best  tribe  of  the  Dakota  Sioux. 
This  collection  consists  entirely   of  the  highest  types   of  beaded  buckskin 


550  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

objects,  and  is  especially  rich  in  the  large  number  of  full-beaded  pouches 
which  usually  go  in  pairs,  and  were  extensively  used  by  plains  tribes  as 
traveling  cases  while  on  the  march;  today  they  are  used  largely  as  re- 
ceptacles for  clothing  in  permanent  camps.  Many  of  these  are  made  of 
ellc  or  buffalo  hide. 

W  bile  some  of  these  collections  may  be  regarded  as  practically  fin- 
ished, yet  every  effort  is  being  made  to  increase  in  efficiency  and  value 
each  and  all  of  the  collections,  and  it  is  expected  that  they  will  be  supple- 
mented by  other  collections  equally  important  and  representative  of  the 
culture  areas  above  mentioned. 

To  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  museum  and  especially  to  illus- 
trate the  manner  in  which  certain  ceremonial  paraphernalia  is  employed, 
there  has  been  installed  in  the  center  of  the  museum  a  faithful  repro- 
duction of  the  Oraibi  snake  dance  altar.  This  is  neither  the  most  im- 
portant nor  most  interesting  ceremony  among  the  Hopi,  but  it  is  cer- 
tainly the  most  spectacular,  and  has  been  visited  by  the  greatest  number  of 
white  visitors,  and  hence  was  selected  for  production.  One  of  the  inter- 
esting features  of  the  altar  is  a  dry  sand  mosaic  about  four  feet  square, 
made  of  concentric  squares  of  four  colored  bands  of  sand.  Occupying 
the  space  and  enclosed  by  these  bands  are  symbols  of  the  mountain  lion 
and  of  the  serpents  of  the  four  world  quarters.  Various  accessories  of 
the  altar  also  have  been  reproduced — such  as  the  bags  used  by  the  priests 
when  upon  the  snake  hunt,  the  jar  in  which  the  snakes  are  confined  after 
being  brought  into  the  Kiva  or  ceremonial  chamber,  the  snake  whips  used 
by  the  priests,  both  upon  the  snake  hunts  and  during  the  public  per- 
formances, the  bull  roarers  and  lightening  shooters. 

There  has  also  been  installed  an  interesting  screen,  The  Balolokong 
Kihu,  Water  Serpent  House,  which  is  used  by  the  Hopi  in  an  evening 
ceremony  in  their  various  kivas. 

Some  one  has  written,  "The  crowning  feature  at  Albuquerque,  both  in 
point  of  value  and  in  genera!  interest,  is  undoubtedly  the  old  Navajo 
Blanket  Collection, — the  beautiful  rose-colored  bayettas,  the  soft  old  dyes 
and  fine  weaves  said  by  experts  to  have  no  equal — which  represent  the 
best  and  the  choicest  of  the  many  blankets  purchased  by  Fred  Harvey.  In 
addition  there  was  acquired  a  year  or  two  ago  and  added  to  this  col- 
lection three  other  famous  collections  that  have  been  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  years  in  gathering.  Those  who  have  viewed  the  blanket  collection 
state  it  is  the  finest  in  existence.  Rare  old  Navajo  blankets  are  superior 
in  softness  of  coloring  and  quaintness  of  design  to  the  antique  rugs  of  the 
Orient.  Every  year  old  Oriental  rugs  are  imported  in  large  quantities. 
The  old  Navajos  are  practically  extinct."  The  management  of  the  Albu- 
querque institution  is  in  the  hands  of  Herman  Schweizer,  who  acts  as  the 
direct  representative  of  J.  F.  Huckel.  the  general  manager. 

Mr.  Schweizer,  who  has  been  identified  with  the  Harvey  system  for 
ten  years,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  authorities  on  Indian  wares  and 
curios  in  this  country.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  but  has  resided  in  this 
country  for  seventeen  years.  Few  residents  of  the  southwest  are  more 
widelv  known  by  eastern  tourists.  He  has  been  in  charge  of  the  Albu- 
querque house  since  its  establishment. 

The  Baca  family  in  New  Mexico  is  numerous,  and  many  of  its  repre- 
sentatives   have   occupied    positions    of    distinction.      That    branch    of   the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  551 

family  residing  in  the  northern  part  of  the  territory  is  descended  from 
Pedro  Montes  de  Oca  Vigil  de  Santillana.  Through  him  his  son,  or  his 
grandson,  Jose  Vigil,  became  heir  to  the  Piedra  Lemebre  grant  of  48,336.12 
acres,  situated  in  Rio  Arriba  county.  Jose  Vigil,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent native  inhabitants  of  Rio  Arriba  county  in  his  day,  married  Rosa 
Martinez  de  Vigil.  Their  youngest  daughter,  Rosita,  married  Jose  Man- 
uel de  Baca,  and  they  had  the  following  children :  Ramona  B.,  Tafoya, 
Soledad  Romero,  Trinidad  Romero,  Felipe   Baca  and  Jose   Manuel   Baca. 

Felipe  Baca,  who  was  born  in  Rio  Arriba  county,  married  Dolores 
Gonzales,  a  native  of  Taos  county.  Their  children  were:  Dionicia 
Abeyta,  Juan  Pedro,  Lucy.  Apolonia  Archibald  and  Grogaria,  all  deceased, 
and  Catarina  B.  Salas,  of  Mora  county ;  Rosa  Padilla  and  Louis,  of  Trini- 
dad, Colorado ;  Felix  Baca,  of  Albuquerque,  and  Dr.  Facundo  Baca,  of 
Park  View,   New  Mexico. 

Felix  Baca  was  born  in  Trinidad,  June  7,  1868.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  law  department  of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Chicago  in 
1889,  and  practiced  his  profession  in  Trinidad  until  1893.  In  1893  and 
1894  he  was  located  in  Albuquerque,  and  from  the  latter  year  to  1904 
remained  in  practice  in  Trinidad.  Since  1904  he  has  followed  his  profes- 
sion in  Albuquerque.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Mr.  Baca  was  mar- 
ried in  1894  to  Ida  Wootton,  a  daughter  of  Richens  Wootton,  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  pioneers  of  the  southwest. 

Wallace  Hesselden,  contractor  and  builder  of  Albuquerque,  has  been 
one  of  the  most  potential  and  practical  builders  of  the  modern  metropolis 
of  New  Mexico.  Aside  from  his  private  undertakings  as  a  contractor 
he  is  connected  with  the  Superior  Lumber  &  Planing  Mill  Company  and 
the  Standard  Plumbing  &  Heating  Company.  Born  at  Halifax  in  1858, 
son  of  William  and  Sarah,  he  came  to  New  Mexico  from  Yorkshire, 
England,  in  1883,  and  first  engaged  in  his  trade  at  Las  Vegas,  where  he 
erected  the  San  Miguel  county  court  house  and  the  Jewish  synagogue. 
Since  1888  he  has  been  located  in  Albuquerque.  In  that  city  he  erected 
the  handsome  Commercial  Club  building,  the  county  jail,  the  public  library 
building,  the  Columbus  Hotel,  the  Strong  block,  the  Whiting  block,  and 
many  of  the  finest  private  residences  in  the  city,  including  those  of  Hon. 
B.  S.  Rodey,  Fred  J.  Otero,  Dr.  J.  F.  Pearce.'lvan  Grunsfeld,  Adolphus 
A.  Keen  and  J.  W.  Johnson.  He  also  erected  the  buildings  of  the  School 
of  Mines  at  Socorro,  the  territorial  buildings  at  Belen  and  furnished  the 
government  Indian  school  buildings  at  Black  Rock,  on  the  Zuhi  Pueblo 
Indian  reservation.  The  character  and  importance  of  the  work  that  he 
has  done  in  this  direction  is  indicative  of  the  prominent  position  which 
he  occupies  in  building  circles,  and  moreover  stands  in  proof  of  his  su- 
perior ability  and  understanding  of  the  great  scientific  principles  which 
underlie  his  work  as  well  as  his  practical  knowledge  of  the  business  in  all 
of  its  details. 

Mr.  Hesselden  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  and  is  a  director  in  the 
Commercial  Club,  and  was  at  one  time  president  of  the  Fair  Association, 
and  for  two  years  was  a  member  of  the  Albuquerque  city  council.  He  is 
also  a  charter  member  of  the  Elks  lodge,  and  his  identification  in  these 
various  organizations  indicates  the  character  of  the  man  and  his  interest 
in  those  measures  which  are  a  matter  of  civic  pride  and  lead  to  substan- 
tial improvement. 


552  •       HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Ben  Myer,  now  a  member  of  the  real  estate  firm  of  Wootton  &  Myer, 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  widely  known  among  the  pioneer  inhabitants 
of  Albuquerque.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years  came  to  the  United  States.  In  1862  he  was  a  resident  of  Louisville. 
Kentucky,  but  soon  after  his  arrival  his  relatives  in  that  city  sent  him  to 
California  to  prevent  him  from  following  his  inclination  to  enlist  in  the 
Confederate  army.  In  Solano  county,  California,  he  was  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising for  twelve  years,  and  during  his  residence  there  was  married 
in  San  Francisco  in  1872.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  gold  excitement  at 
Denver  attracted  him  to  the  latter  city,  where  he  established  a  grocery 
store.  Soon  afterward  he  sold  this  business  and  went  to  Trinidad,  where 
for  a  few  months  he  bought  wool  for  the  firm  of  Nusbaum  &  Epstein. 
In  the  summer  of  1874  he  drove  to  Santa  Fe  and  thence  made  his  way  t<> 
Old  Albuquerque  in  August  of  that  year.  For  several  years  he  continued 
to  buy  wool  for  the  Trinidad  firm,  and  in  the  meantime,  in  1876,  he  estab- 
lished a  general  store  on  the  Rio  Puerco.  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Albu- 
querque, where  he  remained  until  1882,  being  the  first  of  the  eastern  men 
to  locate  in  business  in  that  vicinity. 

In  the  fall  of  1882  Mr.  Myer  returned  to  Albuquerque  and  entered 
the  real  estate  business  in  the  growing  new  town,  and  four  years  later 
began  acting  as  attorney  for  numerous  individuals  who  had  claims  against 
the  United  States  government  on  account  of  Indian  depredations.  Since 
that  time  he  has  handled  about  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  claims  of 
this  character,  and  has  secured  manv  adjustments  in  favor  of  his  clients. 
Claims  aggregating  about  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  are  still  pend- 
.  ing  before  the  United  States  court  of  claims. 

Mr.  Myer  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge,  in  which  he  is 
a  past  master. 

Rev.  William  Daily  Clayton,  a  retired  minister  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  now  living  in  Aubuquerque,  came  to  Xew  Mexico  in 
1883.  He  was  born  at  what  is  now  Clayton,  St.  Louis  county,  Missouri, 
in  1838,  the  town  having  been  named  in  honor  of  his  father,  Ralph  Clay- 
ton, who  gave  one  hundred  acres  for  the  county  seat,  and  who  lived 
there,  a  most  respected  citizen,  for  sixty-three  years. 

The  children  of  Rev.  Clavtcn  are :  Dr.  Edmund  Mills  Clayton,  of 
Albuquerque:  William  Moore  Clayton,  a  practicing  attorney,  and  a  daugh- 
ter, Delia  McKnight,  at  home. 

Rev.  J.  D.  Bush  was  the  first  regular  Methodist  Episcopal  minister 
in  the  new  town  of  Albuquerque.  Rev.  Clayton  prepared  for  the  ministry 
in  New  Mexico,  and  is  a  graduate  of  Dickinson  College  of  the  class  of 
1863.  He  came  to  Xew  Mexico  in  1883.  A  few  years  afterward  he  en- 
tered upon  the  active  work  of  the  ministry  and  preached  in  Xew  Mexico. 
He.  was  located  at  Gallup  for  four  years,  at  Cerrillos  for  two  years,  and 
was  presiding  elder  of  the  district  for  three  years.  He  afterward  bad 
charge  of  the  churches  at  Watrous  and  Wagonmoimd  (one  charge),  and 
later  entered  into  superannuate  relations  of  the  church.  Rev.  Clayton  was 
the  first  man  to  join  the  Xew  Mexico  conference,  and  is  the  only  surviyor 
of  it^  original  members  who,  up  to  the  time  of  the  organization,  had  been 
members  of  the  Colorado  conference. 

Albuquerque  Foundry  and  Machine  Works,  at  Albuquerque,  New 
Mexico,  were   established   in    1884  by   a   stock   company,   and  came  under 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  553 

the  present  management  in  1887.  The  present  company  is  a  close  corpora- 
tion, consisting  of  R.  P.  Hall,  his  wife  and  daughter,  Mr.  Hall  owning 
and  controlling  it  completely.  He  came  into  New  Mexico  from  Missouri 
twenty-six  years  ago,  or  in  July,  1880.  He  was  born  in  Xew  York,  and 
for  some  years  was  a  resident  of  Wisconsin.  When  he  arrived  in  the 
Territory  he  was  employed  on  the  construction  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  so  continued  up  to  the  time  that  he  purchased  the  foundry, 
in  1887.  At  one  time  the  plant  was  greatly  injured  by  fire,  but  he  imme- 
diately resumed  business,  and  the  same  spirit  of  determination  and  enter- 
prise has  been  manifest  throughout  his  business  career.  The  foundry 
gives  steady  employment  to  about  fifty  men  the  year  round.  Air.  Hall 
was  a  county  commissioner  for  two  terms,  being  nominated  for  the  office 
on  three  tickets,  and  many  progressive  public  movements  were  instituted 
and  carried  through  during  his  term  of  office. 

Among  the  enterprises  established  in  1882  was  the  I.  X.  L.  Laundry, 
started  by  A.  L.  Morrison.  Beginning  as  a  small  enterprise,  it  has  grown 
to  great  proportions.  Mr.  Morrison  subsequently  became  the  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Morrison  &  Handley,  who  sold  oul  to  Mr.  Crosson.  He 
was  succeeded  by  M.  W.  Mulligan,  the  latter  by  Brockmeier  &  Candee, 
and  they  in  turn  by  Brockmeier  &  Beaton.  From  1892  until  1896  Mr. 
Brockmeier  controlled  the  business.  In  the  latter  year  J.  A.  Hubbs,  who 
had  entered  the  employ  of  the  concern  in  1890,  leased  the  plant  and  oper- 
ated it  twenty-two  months.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  Mr.  Hubbs 
and  George  A.  Kaseman  purchased  it.  but  since  1900  Mr.  Hubbs  has  been 
the  sole  proprietor.  The  present  home  of  the  laundry,  a  commodious 
and  finely  equipped  structure,  was  erected  by  Mr.  Hubbs  in  1905-6.  The 
patronage  of  the  laundry  extends  as  far  north  at  Raton,  south  to  Las 
Cruces  and  Silver  City,  and  west  to  Chloride  and  Kingman  in  Arizona. 
Mr.  Hubbs  has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the  successful  business  men 
of  Albuquerque. 

Born  in  Minnesota  in  1867,  he  was  reared  in  Kansas  and  came  to  Xew 
Mexico  with  his  parents  in  1881.  After  spending  about  a  year  at  the 
Bonanza  mining  camp,  near  Santa  Fe,  he  removed  to  Albuquerque.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  and  is  a  director  in  the  State  Xational  Bank, 
is  a  member  of  the  Commercial  Club.  Odd  Fellows,  the  Elks  and  the 
Masons.  For  two  years  he  served  in  the  city  council  and  has  been  promi- 
nent locally  as  a  representative  citizen. 

Robert  Wilmol  Hopkins,  who  has  been  postmaster  of  Albuquerque 
since  August  15.  H)Oi,  was  one  of  the  first  men  to  locate  in  the  modern 
town.  He  was  horn  in  1848  in  Lawrence  county.  Ohio,  which  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  being  the  banner  Republican  county  in  that  state.  Arriving 
in  Albuquerque  in  August.  1880.  he  was  first  employed  as  clerk  by  Moore, 
Bennett  &  Company,  then  by  their  successors,  Putney  &  Frask,  and  finally 
by  L.  B.  Putney,  remaining  with  this  house  through  its  various  changes 
for  eleven  years  continuously.  After  serving  one  year  as  city  clerk  he 
became  superintendent  and  general  manager  of  the  Crystal  Ice  Company, 
occupying  that  post  for  nine  years,  or  until  his  appointment  as  postmaster 
by  President  McKinley.  He  first  received  a  recess  appointment,  his  nomi- 
nation afterward  being  confirmed  by  the  senate.  In  March,  1906,  he  was 
re-commissioned  by  President  Roosevelt.  Mr.  Hopkins'  interest  in  edu- 
cational matters  is  exhibited  by   the   fact   that   he   has  served   continuously 


554  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

for  nine  years  as  president  of  the  Albuquerque  school  board.  He  is  un- 
swerving in  his  devotion  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
Odd  Fellowship  and  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  he  has 
passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodges  and  has  represented  both  in  the 
grand  lodges. 

General  Eugene  A.  Carr,  U.  S.  A.,  assumed  command  of  the  district 
of  New  Mexico,  November  26,  1888,  after  having  served  in  Arizona  for 
a  number  of  years,  with  headquarters  at  Fort  Wingate,  and  remained  in 
command  until  the  close  of  the  year  1890.  He  is  a  native  of  Buffalo,  New 
York,  and  was  graduated  at  West  Point  in  1850.  During  the  Civil  war 
he  was  brevetted  major  general  for  gallantry  in  action,  and  the  medal  of 
honor  conferred  upon  him  for  distinguished  services.  His  military  service 
in  New  Mexico  dates  from  1882,  when  he  was  stationed  at  Fort  Bayard, 
being  in  command  there  until  assigned  to  duty  at  Fort  Wingate.  He 
made  many  scouting  trips  and  expeditions  through  the  Indian  country, 
and  did  much  to  rid  the  countrv  of  hostile  Indians.  He  is  now  retired, 
living  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

His  son,  Clark  M.  Carr,  of  McKinley  county,  president  of  the  Zuiii 
Mountain  Lumber  and  Trading  Company,  at  Guam,  has  been  active  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  development  of  lumber  and  live  stock  interests  of 
western  New  Mexico.  He  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  National  Repub- 
lican convention  in  1904,  was  nominated  for  the  legislature  from  McKin- 
ley county,  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  appointment  as  governor  of  the 
Territory  in  1905.  He  served  in  Cuba  during  the  war  with  Spain,  and  in 
the  Philippine  Islands,  as  captain  of  infantry,  participated  in  many  cam- 
paign expeditions. 

George  A.  Kaseman,  who  recently  resigned  the  office  of  chief  deputy 
United  States  marshal  at  Albuquerque,  where  he  has  resided  since  1887, 
was  born  in  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania,  in  1868.  He  was  a  student  in  Buck- 
nell  University  at  Louisburg,  Pennsylvania,  but  before  completing  his  course 
there  ill  health  forced  him  to  abandon  his  studies,  and  hoping  that  a 
change  of  climate  might  prove  beneficial,  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  For 
four  years,  from  1887  until  1891,  he  was  employed  in  connection  with  the 
management  of  the  Harvey  eating  houses,  and  for  eight  years  thereafter 
was  with  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  in  the  general  attorney's  office 
at  Albuquerque,  and  with  the  auditing  department.  He  was  afterward 
expert  accountant  in  going  over  the  Bernalillo  county  books,  six  months 
of  his  time  in  the  year  1900  being  devoted  to  that  work.  He  was  also 
connected  with  the  A.  A.  Grant  enterprises  for  one  year  and  spent  a  year 
in  the  fuel  business  in  El  Paso.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1897  that,  in  con- 
nection with  W.  H.  Hahn,  he  organized  the  firm  of  W.  H.  Hahn  &  Com- 
pany for  the  sale  of  fuel  and  erected  a  plant  on  Railroad  avenue,  east  of 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  He  is  still  a  member  of  the  company,  having  for 
the  past  nine  years  successfully  operated  in  this  line  of  trade.  It  was 
Mr.  Kaseman  who  built  the  first  long-distance  telephone  line  in  this  part 
of  the  territory,  extending  from  Albuquerque  to  Belen,  the  year  of  its 
construction  being  1902.  He  was  manager  of  the  Automatic  Telephone 
Company,  organized  in  1895,  and  absorbed  bv  the  Bell  Telephone  Com- 
pany in  1906.  His  term  as  manager  covered  the  last  two  years  of  the 
independent  existence  of  the  Automatic  Company.  In  July,  1904,  Mr. 
Kaseman    organized     the    Albuquerque    Lumber    Company    in     connection 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  555 

with  W.  H.  Hahn  and  Frank  McKee,  with  Mr.  McKee  as  president  and 
Mr.  Kaseman  as  secretary.  The  capital  stock  is  fifty  thousand  dollars. 
For  five  years  Mr.  Kaseman  has  been  interested  in  the  sheep  industry, 
having  in  1901  organized  the  Las  Animas  Sheep  Company,  which  was  in- 
corporated in  1905  with  W.  H.  Hahn  as  president,  L.  A.  McKee,  Frank 
McKee  and  George  A.  Kaseman  as  directors.  The  range,  partly  patented, 
lies  in  Socorro  county.  He  is  interested  also  in  other  parts  of  the  Terri- 
tory, mort  particularly  in  Santa  Ft  and  San  Miguel  counties. 

In  October,  1901,  he  was  appointed  deputy  United  States  marshal  by 
C.  M.  Foraker,  and  was,  till  his  resignation,  chief  deputy,  having  prac- 
tical charge  of  the  work  in  connection  with  this  oifice.  His  political  alle- 
giance is  unfalteringly  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he  is  a  stanch 
advocate  of  its  principles.  Mr.  Kaseman  is  a  Mason,  having  become  a 
member  of  the  blue  lodge  in  Shamokin,  Pennsylvania,  while  he  has  mem- 
bership with  the  chapter,  commandery  and  shrine  in  Albuquerque.  He  is 
a  charter  member  of  the  Elks  lodge  at  Albuquerque,  and  belongs  to  the 
Commercial  Club.  The  extent  and  importance  of  his  business  operations 
classes  him  with  the  most  enterprising  citizens  of  the  Territory,  and  since 
coming  to  the  southwest  he  has  made  rapid  and  substantial  progress.  He 
is  quick  to  recognize  opportunities,  and  with  the  rapid  development  of  the 
Territory  he  has  utilized  his  advantages  until  his  invested  interests  are 
now  large  and  his  business  interests  prosperous. 

William  R.  Forbes,  chief  deputy  United  States  marshal,  and  a  resi- 
dent of  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Portage,  Wisconsin,  and 
came  to  the  Territory  from  Chicago,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in  the 
livery  business.  The  year  of  his  arrival  was  1896,  and  for  three  years 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company,  and  for  one 
year  with  the  Alamogordo  Lumber  Company.  In  1902  he  was  appointed 
deputy  under  United  States  Marshal  Foraker,  and  still  continues  in  that 
office.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Fort  Winnebago  Lodge,  No.  33,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  at  Portage,  Wisconsin,  in  1886,  is  a  member  of  Fort  Winnebago 
chapter  and  commandery,  and  of  Ballut  Abyad  Temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  at  Albuquerque. 

Charles  Edwin  Newcomer,  deputy  United  States  marshal  of  New 
Mexico,  residing  at  Albuquerque,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Territory  since 
1890.  He  was  born  in  Mount  Morris,  Illinois,  and  spent  the  years  from 
1878  until  1890  in  Pueblo.  Colorado,  where  he  served  as  county  assessor 
and  deputy  sheriff.  After  his  removal  to  Albuquerque  he  became  a  clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  probate  clerk  and  assessor,  acting  in  that  capacity  for 
about  five  years,  or  until  1895,  when  he  was  made  under  sheriff  and  chief 
office  deputy  under  Sheriff  Thomas  S.  Hubbell,  serving  until  August  31, 
1905.  He  was  then  appointed  deputy  marshal  on  the  1st  of  April,  1906, 
and  is  filling  this  position  at  the  present  writing.  In  politics  he  has  al- 
ways been  an  unfaltering  Republican,  with  firm  faith  in  the  principles  of 
the  party  and  their  ultimate  triumph.  He  is  also  a  prominent  Mason,  be- 
longing to  the  lodge,  chapter,  commandery  and  shrine,  and  he  is  a  charter 
member  of  the  Elks  at  Albuquerque.  His  official  record  has  been  char- 
acterized by  unfaltering  fidelity  to  duty. 

Harry  J.  Cooper,  deputy  United  States  marshal,  and  a  resident  of 
Albuquerque,  came  to  the  Territory  from  St.  Louis  in  1887.  locating  in 
Silver  City.  For  some  time  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Grant  county 
Vol.  11.    3 


556 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


which,  during  those  days,  was  infested  with  desperate  characters.  In  the 
performance  of  his  duties  his  life  was  frequently  in  jeopardy,  and  though 
on  many  occasions  he  was  the  target  for  bullets  from  those  whom  he  was 
commissioned  to  apprehend,  he  lias  never  suffered  serious  injury.  For 
five  years  Mr.  Cooper  was  a  member  of  the  police  force  of  Albuquerque. 
Since  1905  he  has  been  deputy  under  United  States  Marshal  C.  M.  Fora- 
ker.  Mr.  Cooper  was  born  in  Pilot  Grove,  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  in 
1857,  and  spent  the  first  thirty  years  of  his  life  in  that  state.  He  is  now 
one  of  the  most  widely  known  men  in  New  Mexico. 

Fred  1'..  Heyn,  chief  deputy  sheriff  of  Bernalillo  county,  and  now  a 
resident  of  Albuquerque,  arrived  in  the  Territory  in  1887,  coming  from 
Texas.  He  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  had  learned  and  followed 
the  machinists  trade,  and  he  here  engaged  in  the  furniture  business  with 
his  father,  F.  \Y.  Heyn,  on  Railroad  avenue.  The  father,  soon  after  com- 
ing, established  a  furniture  store  here,  but  is  now  located  on  a  farm  six 
miles  from  the  city,  having  withdrawn  from  the  furniture  trade  after  two 
or  three  years. 

After  disposing  of  their  furniture  business  Fred  B.  Heyn  was  me- 
chanical engineer  for  the  Crystal  Ice  Company  for  six  years,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1905.  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  sheriff  of  Bernalillo  county 
by  Perfecto  Armijo. 

Air.  Heyn  married  Josefa  Armijo,  a  daughter  of  Arbrosia  and  Can- 
delario  (Griego)  Armijo.  and  a  direct  descendant  of  General  Don  Manuel 
Armijo,  the  last  of  the  Mexican  governors  of  New   Mexico. 

M.  A.  Ross,  of  Albuquerque,  timber  inspector,  has  resided  in  Xew 
Mexico  for  many  years,  and  has  become  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  au- 
thorities on  the  timber  resources  of  the  Territory.  His  duties  have  car- 
ried him  to  most  of  the  timbered  sections  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
his  familiarity  with  the  district  and  his  sound  judgment  in  placing  a 
valuation  upon  timber  renders  him  an  exceedingly  capable  man  in  the 
office  which  he  is  filling. 

H.  E.  Fox,  who  for  many  years  was  engaged  in  the  jewelry  trade  in 
Albuquerque,  came  to  the  town  when  it  was  in  its  infancy  and  established 
himself  in  business.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  com- 
munity, contributing  in  various  ways  to  the  development  and  progress  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Fox  was  active  in  many,  wavs  in  the  building  up  of  the 
city,  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Commercial  Club,  and  for 
four  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education.  In  the  spring  of  1906 
he  removed  to  Spokane,  Washington,  to  engage  in  the  manufacturing  lum- 
ber  business. 

Harry  H.  Tilton,  of  Albuquerque,  came  to  New  Mexico  in  the  spring 
of  1895  from  Chicago.  He  was  born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  in  1857,  and  while 
residing  in  Chicago  was  connected  with  the  manufacture  of  furniture  and 
with  a  publishing  house.  Entering  upon  his  business  career  in  the  south- 
west, he'  spent  four  years,  from  1897  until  1901,  on  the  staff  of  the  Citizen, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  became  interested  in  real  estate.  He  saw  the 
need  of  modern  cottages  and  began  to  build  for  rent  and  sale.  This  was 
in  1899.  He  built  many  cottages  on  West  Railroad  avenue,  and  in  1902 
he  was  elected  secretary  of  the  Co-Operative  Building  &  Loan  Associa- 
tion. He  has  watched  with  interest  the  signs  of  the  times  in  the  real  estate 
market  in  this  section   of  the  country,  and  has   foreseen  many  needs   for 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  557 

which  he  has  provided.  In  May,  1904,  he  organized  the  Security  Ware- 
house &  Improvement  Company,  combining  his  private  interests  there- 
with. This  company  erected  warehouses  and  other  buildings,  including 
the  first  exclusive  storage  warehouse  in  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Tilton  became 
secretary  and  manager  of  the  company  and  brought  much  capital  to  the 
town,  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  which,  being  ex- 
pended here,  has  been  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  the  city  in  its  material 
development  and  progress. 

Air.  Tilton  is  a  prominent  York  and  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  holding  his 
membership  largely  in  Chicago.  He  is  also  a  Sbriner  and  a  past  poten- 
tate of  Albuquerque  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  likewise  belongs 
to  Temple  Lodge  and  Rio  Grande  chapter,  both  at  Albuquerque.  He  is 
also  an  Odd  Fellow  and  was  grand  instructor  in  Illinois.  His  recogni- 
tion of  business  opportunities  in  the  west  and  the  readiness  with  which  he 
has  met  these  and  provided  for  them,  have  made  him  a  distinguished  and 
able  business  man  of  this  section  of  the  country. 

George  P.  Learnard.  a  music  dealer  of  Albuquerque,  came  to  this 
city  and  established  a  music  and  piano  business  in  1900  in  partnership  with 
Henry  G.  Lindemann,  which  relation  has  been  profitably  maintained  con- 
tinuously since.  A  native  of  Napoleon,  Michigan,  Mr.  Learnard  trav- 
eled for  a  number  of  years  for  the  Ann  Arbor  Organ  Company  before 
coming  to  Xew  Mexico.  He  has  since  figured  prominently  in  musical 
circles  in  this  city,  and  in  addition  to  managing  a  well  equipped  store  in 
which  a  liberal  patronage  has  been  secured,  he  is  at  present  organizing 
and  promoting  the  Learnard  &  Lindemann  Boys'  Band,  which,  if  the 
plans  are  successfully  carried  out,  will  be  an  important  feature  in  musical 
circles  of  the  city  and  Territory.  It  is  to  be  composed  of  about  thirty- 
boy  s  between  the  ages  of  twelve  and  eighteen  years  under  the  instruction 
of  George  Leo  Patterson,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Harvard  College,  and  has 
been  a  member  of  various  famous  musical  organizations  in  the  United 
States. 

Not  only  has  Mr.  Learnard  been  prominent  and  influential  in  advanc- 
ing the  musical  interests  of  the  city,  but  has  also  been  closely  connected 
with  measures  bearing  upon  its  government  and  the  shaping  of  its  muni- 
cipal policy.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Albuquerque 
for  the  past  two  years,  and  at  the  last  election  was  re-elected  for  the 
succeeding  four  years.  During  the  past  five  years  Mr.  Learnard  has  been 
closely  associated  with  the  executive  committee  of  the  Territorial  Fair 
Association. 

Isaac  H.  Cox,  president  of  the  Standard  Plumbing  and  Heating  Com- 
pany, of  Albuquerque,  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  where  he  learned  the  plumber's 
trade.  In  1886  he  located  in  San  Diego,  California,  where  he  remained 
in  business  until  1894,  when  he  established  himself  in  Albuquerque.  For 
six  years  he  had  as  a  partner  Henry  Brockmeier,  under  the  firm  style  of 
Brockmeier  &  Cox.  He  was  also  for  a  time  a  stockholder  in  the  firm  of 
J.  L.  Bell  &  Co.,  but  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that  concern  in  June, 
1904.  when  he  organized  the  Standard  Plumbing  and  Heating  Company, 
with  Wallace  Hesselden  as  a  partner.  This  concern  is  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  of  the  character  in  New  Mexico,  and  has  done  much  of  the 
best  work  in  Albuquerque,  having  now  a  large  patronage,  which  is  a 
fruitful  source  of  success. 


558  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Much  of  the  urban  improvement  of  Albuquerque  during  the  past 
fifteen  years  has  been  effected  after  designs  planned  by  Edward  Buxton 
Cristy,  architect.  Mr.  Cristy  is  a  native  of  New  York  city  and  a  gradu- 
ate, in  the  architectural  course,  of  Columbian  University,  from  which  he 
received  the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  in  1891.  While  he  engaged  in  his  chosen 
calling  for  a  brief  period  in  New  York  before  removing  to  Albuquerque, 
his  best  work  is  to  be  seen  in  the  latter  city.  He  has  been  architect  for 
the  A.  A.  Grant  estate,  and  drew  the  plans  for  the  new  Presbyterian 
church  erected  in  1905-6;  for  Hadley  Science  Hall,  the  Girls'  and  Boys' 
apartments,  and  the  power  house  of  the  University  of  New  Mexico,  and  all 
the  university  building  undertaken  in  late  years.  Tbe  girls'  apartments 
are  a  radical  departure  from  the  conventional  style,  being  a  modernization 
of  the  old  Pueblo  style  of  architecture,  constructed  of  brick  covered  with 
cement.  He  remodeled  the  Congregational  church  after  its  partial  de- 
struction by  fire,  and  several  of  the  public  school  buildings,  including  the 
plans  for  the  Central  school  building,  the  work  on  these,  the  university 
building  and  the  city  hall,  erected  in  1906,  being  in  competition  with 
other  architects.  Among  the  other  work  planned  by  him,  either  for  the 
entire  construction  or  for  remodeling  buildings  previously  constructed, 
should  be  mentioned  Pearson  Hall,  the  First  National  Bank  building,  the 
Barnett  block,  adjoining  the  postoffice,  the  Armijo  block,  on  the  corner 
of  Third  street  and  Railroad  avenue,  the  remodeled  interior  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception  church,  Episcopal  church  and  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  most  of  the  finer  residences  in  the  city.  Many  other  build- 
ings in  the  Territory  are  monuments  to  his  skill. 

Mr.  Cristy  was  a  member  of  the  park  commission  for  several  years, 
and  planned  a  large  portion  of  the  work  in  connection  with  its  improve- 
ment. He  is  a  Mason  and  has  passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  local  lodge  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

The  progress  of  Albuquerque  received  an  unparalleled  impetus  dur- 
ing the  years  from  1 903  to  1906.  New  capital  was  brought  into  the  city, 
new  projects  for  the  improvemeni  of  the  city  as  a  place  of  residence  were 
inaugurated,  new  public  utilities  were  introduced  and  old  ones  greatly 
improved,  and  new  blood  generally  was  infused  into  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity. On  the  7th  of  November,  1904,  the  Surety  Investment  Company 
was  incorporated,  with  Colonel  Sellers  as  general  manager.  Early  in  1905 
this  company  began  development  operations  on  an  extensive  plan,  platting 
and  disposing  of  nearly  seven  hundred  lots  in  Perea  addition,  the  eastern 
addition,  and  Luna  Place.  Colonel  Sellers  personally  platted  and  sold 
within  thirty  days  the  Grant  tract  on  North  Fifth   street. 

In  April,  1906,  he  effected  the  organization  and  incorporation  of  the 
University  Heights  Improvement  Company,  which  began  the  develop- 
ment of  a  large  section  of  land  in  the  eastern  suburbs  of  the  city,  beyond 
the  University,  at  the  south  side  of  Railroad  avenue.  Soon  afterward 
Colonel  Sellers  applied  to  the  Albuquerque  city  council  for  a  franchise  for 
a  new  electric  railroad  connecting  this  portion  of  the  city  with  the  busi- 
ness section,  and  immediately  interested  a  large  majority  of  the  property 
holders  along  the  proposed  route  in  the  project. 

Colonel  Sellers  has  been  active  in  the  promotion  of  various  enter- 
prises of  this  character  in  New  Mexico  for  several  years.  Before  locat- 
ing in   Albuquerque  he  devoted  several   years  to   the   development  of  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  559 

San  Juan  valley.  Though  confronted  by  numerous  obstacles  which  had 
been  placed  in  his  path  by  the  more  conservative  citizens  and  business 
rivals,  he  has  proven  a  strong  factor  in  the  growth  of  Albuquerque,  which 
unquestionably  owes  much  to  his  assiduous  efforts  toward  the  advance  of 
the  city. 

Albert  Faber,  a  furniture  dealer  of  Albuquerque,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  Albuquerque  in  1888.  For  ten  years  he  worked  for 
Ilfeld  Brothers,  at  the  time  the  leading  mercantile  firm  in  the  Territory. 
In  1898  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  as  a  dealer  in  carpets  and 
draperies,  and  since  the  1st  of  January,  1906,  has  occupied  the  new  Staab 
block,  a  thoroughly  modern  store  building  with  twenty  thousand  square 
feet  of  floor  space.  He  carries  a  stock  valued  at  $15,000,  which  includes 
furniture  and  general  household  goods.  He  is  not  active  in  politics,  but 
is  a  firm  believer  in  the  future  of  the  country  and  in  the  ultimate  triumph 
of  principles  for  its  best  interests,  and  is  active  in  all  public  enterprises 
for  the  development  of  the  part  of  the  country  in  which  he  lives.  He 
has,  without  doubt,  the  largest  business  of  this  kind  in  this  section  of  the 
Territory. 

Am  hew  Borders,  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  at  Albuquerque, 
came  to  this  city  in  February,  1891,  from  California,  and  throughout  the 
intervening  years  has  been  engaged  in  this  business.  He  was  born  in 
Sparta,  Illinois,  in  1862.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  his  native  city  and 
holds  membership  with  the  lodge  and  chapter.  He  is  also  a  Knight  of 
Pythias,  of  Mineral  Lodge  No.  4,  at  Albuquerque,  and  is  connected  with 
the  Elks  lodge  here. 

The  first  wholesale  liquor  business  established  in  Albuquerque  was 
that  of  Dougher  &  Baca,  founded  in  April.  1880.  They  built  the  first  two- 
story  business  house  in  the  old  town.  Santiago  Baca  purchased  the  busi- 
ness in  September,  1880,  and  Ernest  Meyers  became  manager.  The  busi- 
ness was  removed  to  the  new  town  in  1881,  and  on  January  6,  1885,  was 
purchased  by  Lowenthal  &  Meyers.  They  were  succeeded  by  Meyers, 
Abel  &  Company,  and  the  latter  firm,  of  which  Ernest  Meyers  was  the 
senior  member,  continued  the  business  until  January.  1905,  when  Mr. 
Meyers  established  the  firm  of  Ernest  Meyers  &  Company,  on  Silver 
avenue. 

Major  Meyers  enjoys  the  distinction  in  commercial  circles  of  having 
been  the  first  man  to  travel  for  a  local  liquor  house  of  any  kind  in  New 
Mexico,  engaging  in  that  work  before  the  advent  of  the  railroad.  Born 
in  Woodville,  Wilkinson  county,  Mississippi,  on  July  6,  1857,  he  came  to 
Las  Vegas,  New  Mexico,  by  rail  late  in  the  year  1879,  and  proceeded  from 
that  point  to  Albuquerque  by  stage.  In  March,  1881,  he  made  a  trip  on 
horseback  from  Albuquerque  to  Needles,  California,  about  the  same  time 
the  railroad  surveying  party  started  out  under  Klingman.  This  was  the 
first  trip  ever  made  by  a  traveling  salesman  for  any  house  through  that 
part  of  the  country.  Major  Meyers  also  shipped  the  first  carload  of  beer 
to  Prescott,  Arizona.  The  majority  of  the  men  who  engaged  in  the  liquor 
business  in  the  region  west  of  Albuquerque  in  those  early  days,  some  of 
whom  have  since  become  millionaires,  owe  their  start  to  him.  Before 
the  business  was  established  in  Albuquerque,  Santa  Fe  dealers  received 
from  eighteen  to  twenty  dollars  per  gallon  for  brandy  that  cost  them  not 
to  exceed  two   dollars   and   a   half   per   gallon,   with   a   tax   of  but   ninety 


5M  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

cents.  Major  Meyers  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  the  first  beer 
sent  to  this  territory  was  that  brewed  by  Dick  Brothers,  of  Quincy,  Illi- 
nois, and  that  the  first  cigars  sold  in  Albuquerque,  that  is,  sold  by  a  job- 
bing house  in  any  quantities,  were  known  as  the  Red  and  Black.  Whiskey 
was  originally  sold  only  by  the  barrel,  but  about  the  time  the  railroad  came 
those  buying  in  quantities  purchased  at  a  gallon  rate  instead  of  so  much 
per  barrel.  Double  Anchor  and  Pike's  Magnolia,  both  rectified  ninety- 
proof  goods,  were  the  popular  brands  in  those  days.  The  second  man  to 
establish  a  wholesale  liquor  house  was  William  E.  Talbot.  In  a  short 
time  afterwards  Charles  Zeiger  started  the  other  liquor  house. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


DONA   ANA   COUNTY. 

It  is  said  that  Dona  Ana  county  received  its  name  in  memory  of  Miss 
Anna,  the  daughter  of  a  Spanish  colonel.  It  appears  that  the  young  lady 
was  engaged  in  playing  hand-hall,  or  some  other  solitary  game,  in  a  se- 
cluded place  in  the  Gila  river  region,  when  she  was  stolen  by  Apache 
Indians,  and  disappeared  from  her  world.  She  was  a  very  beautiful  maiden, 
or  her  father  a  man  of  considerable  standing;  it  may  be  that  both  of  these 
facts  were  taken  into  consideration   in   the  naming  of  the  county. 

Doiia  Ana  was  one  of  the  original  nine  counties  into  which  the  Terri- 
tory was  divided  by  the  legislative  act  of  January  9,  1852,  and  its  bounda- 
ries were  given  therein  as  follows :  The  southern  boundary,  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  is  the  boundary  of  the  state  of  Texas,  ami  on 
the  right,  the  dividing  line  between  the  Republic  of  Mexico;  on  the  north, 
the  boundary  of  the  county  of  Socorro;  and  on  the  east  and  west,  the 
boundaries  of  the  Territory.  By  an  act  of  January  15,  1855,  all  of  the 
Gadsden  Purchase  was  annexed  to  the  county,  but  upon  the  organization 
of  Arizona  Territory,  in  1861-2,  it  retained  only  that  portion  within  the 
present  limits  of  New  Mexico. 

At  one  time  Dona  Ana  was  anxious  for  a  union  with  El  Paso  county, 
Texas,  but  finally  settled  down  to  single  blessedness.  In  1867  her  citi- 
zens, with  those  of  the  county  across  the  line,  petitioned  congress  to  erect 
a  new  Territory  of  the  districts  named  and  call  it  Montezuma.  They 
claimed  that  the  area  of  the  united  counties  would  be  sufficiently  large, 
and  the  population  much  greater  than  that  of  most  territories  upon  their 
organization. 

COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

Like  those  of  most  of  the  older  counties  of  the  Territory,  the  records 
of  Dona  Ana  county  are  incomplete,  being  entirely  missing  for  the  period 
1871-5.  The  following  is  as  complete  a  record  as  can  be  collected  from 
1853  to  date: 

Probate  Judges. — 1853-5,  Richard  Campbell;  1856,  Pablo  Melendez:  1856-59,  Rafael 
Ruelas;  i860,  Anastacio  Barela ;  1861,  Thomas  J.  Bull,  Frank  Higgins :  1862,  Frank 
Higgins.  John  P.  Dens;  1863,  Neponi  Y.  Ancheta,  John  Lemon;  1864-8,  John  Lemon; 

1869,  Daniel  Fietze.  Pablo  Melendez;  1870,  Pablo  Melendez;  1876,  Pablo  Melendez; 
1877,  Henry  J.  Cuniffe;  1878-9,  Pablo  Melendez;  1881,  Maximo  Castaneda ;  1899-1902, 
Albert  J.  Fountain ;  1903-6,  Marcial  Valdez. 

Probate  Clerks.— 1853.  Joseph  H.  Tucker:  1854-9,  James  A.  Lucas;  i860.  G.  H. 
Oury:    1861-2.   Charles   A.   Hoppin ;    1863-5.    James   M.   Taylor:   1866-g,  J.   F.   Bennett, 

1870,  Ygnacio  Orrantia;  1876,  Daniel  Frietze ;  1877-9.  William  T.  Jones  (H.  F.  Ste- 
phenson appointed  in  1879  to  fill  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Jones)  ;  1880-4, 
Horace  F.  Stephenson;  1885-6.  Jesus  S.  Garcia;  1887-96,  Horace  F.  Stephenson;  1897- 
1900.  Jose  R.  Lucero:  iqoi-6,  Isodoro  Armijo. 

Sheriffs— 1853-4.  John  Jones;  1855-60,  Samuel  G.  Bean;  1861,  Marcial  Padilla ; 
1862,  John  A.  Roberts;  1863,  Fred  Burkner;  1864-5,  Apolonio  Barela;  1866-8.  Mariano 


562  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Barela    1869-70.   Fabian    Gonzales;    1881-2.    J.    W.    Southwick;    1897-1900,    Patrick    F. 
Garrett;  1901-6,  Jose  R.  Lucero. 

County  Commissioners.— 1876.  Thomas  J.  Bull  (chairman),  Jacinto  Armijo,  Pablo 
Melemlez;  1877-8,  Charles  Lesinsky  (chairman),  John  D.  Barncastle.  Pablo  Melendez  ; 
1879-80,  Guadalupe  Ascarate  (chairman).  Eugenio  Mareno,  Sixto  Garcia;  1881-2,  Carlos 
H.  Armijo  (chairman),  Nicholas  Galles,  Amado  Arvizii ;  1883-4.  R-  E.  Smith  (chair- 
man), Benjamin  E.  Davies,  Eugenio  Mareno;  in  August,  1884,  Jacinto  Armijo  appointed 
to  succeed  R.  E.  Smith;  1885-6.  Mariano  Barela  (chairman),  John  D.  Barncastle, 
Jacinto  Armijo:  1887-8,  Thomas  J.  Bull  (chairman),  Leon  Alvarez,  Brigado  Garcia; 
1889-90,  George  Lynch  (chairman),  George  W.  Mossman,  Thomas  J.  Bull;  1891-4, 
Tomas  Gonzales  (chairman),  Numa  Raymond,  Leon  Alvares  Lopez;  1895-6.  Acheson 
McClintock  (chairman),  Charles  Miller,  Rosalio  Baldonado;  1897-8,  Charles  E.  Miller 
(chairman),  Rosalio  Baldonado,  Jesus  Silva;  1899-1900.  Frank  S.  Oliver  (chairman), 
Doyle  Murray.  Jesus  Silva;  in  1899,  D.  M.  Sutherland  was  appointed  to  succeed  Mr. 
Murray,  and  in  1900.  E.  E.  Day  succeeded  Mr.  Sutherland;  1901-2,  W.  B.  Murphy 
(chairman),  Charles  E.  Miller,  A'gapito  Torres;  1903-4,  C.  E.  Miller  (chairman),  Aga- 
pito  Torres.  Samuel  Geek;  1905-6.  Richard  Nietzschmann  (chairman),  Francisco  Jara- 
millo.  Samuel  Geek. 

Physical  Features. — -While  the  surface  of  the  county  is  mainly  com- 
poses of  plains  and  mesas,  there  are,  nevertheless,  the  San  Andres,  Organ 
and  Franklin  mountains  running  north  and  south,  at  some  distance  from 
the  eastern  banks  of  the  Rio  Grande,  which  is  the  only  water  course  of 
importance.  Near  the  southern  boundary  between  the  Territory  and 
Texas,  where  the  Rio  Grande  sweeps  toward  El  Paso,  the  mountain  ranges 
approach  nearer  the  river  valley.  The  Organ  mountains  lie  about  eigh- 
teen miles  east.  Although  unique  in  appearance,  they  do  not  derive  their 
name  from  a  fancied  resemblance  to  any  musical  mechanism,  but  from  the 
Orajons,  a  numerous  tribe  of  Indians  who  inhabited  the  region  in  early 
days.  The  Spanish  word,  Orajon,  means  "long  ears,"  and  was  given  to 
the  tribe  on  account  of  the  physical  peculiarity  of  its  members. 

The  county  slopes  from  north  to  south.  Rincon,  at  the  northern  end. 
is  4,031  feet  above  the  sea;  Anthony,  at  the  southern,  3,789  feet.  Organ 
peak  is  9,108  feet  in  height,  and  Florida  station,  on  the  Santa  Fe,  near 
the  western  boundary  of  the  county,  is  4.484  feet  in  altitude.  What  was 
acquired  from  Mexico  by  the  Gadsden  treaty  of  1853  is  mostly  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  Dona  Ana  county,  and  the  famed  Mesilla  valley  lies 
entirely  within  it. 

The  plains  of  the  county  furnish  an  abundance  of  gramma  grass,  an 
unexcelled  forage  plant  for  beef  cattle.  The  most  progressive  stockmen,  how- 
ever, raise  or  lease  large  alfalfa  fields,  on  which  they  give  their  cattle  a  final 
feeding  before  sending  them  to  market.  Dona  Ana  has  acquired  a  high 
reputation  for  her  vintage,  the  vineyards  yielding  from  1,300  to  1,500 
gallons  of  wine  per  acre.  Bee  culture  is  also  a  growing  source  of  profit, 
the  wide-stretching  alfalfa  fields  yielding  a  peculiar  variety  of  honey, 
which  is  said  to  be  very  efficacious  in  all  throat  and  pulmonary  diseases. 

The  principal  mining  is  carried  on  in  the  Organ  mountains,  the  ores 
occurring  on  the  contact  line  between  limestone  and  porphyry,  and  embrace 
silver,  galena  and  sulphuret  of  iron. 

The  Mesilla  Valley. — This  far-famed  region  has  given  a  special 
reputation  to  Dona  Ana  county,  as  it  was  the  first  portion  of  New  Mexico 
to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  and  secure  settlement. 

In  the  early  days  its  richness  attracted  immigration  from  the  four 
corners   of  the  earth,   and   its   fame  had   reached   to   the  oldest   Caucasian 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  563 

cities.  The  era  that  succeeded  the  war,  during  which  the  great  trans- 
continental roads  were  building,  drew  off  from  it  the  tide  of  immigration. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  fruitful  areas  in  the  world.  At  Fort  Selden  the 
valley  spreads  out  to  a  fertile  plain,  some  six  miles  in  width  and  forty 
miles  in  length.  Through  it  the  Rio  Grande  meanders  to  where  it  enters 
the  canyon  above  El  Paso,  Texas.  On  the  east,  some  seventeen  miles  dis- 
tant, rises  the  range  of  mountains  whose  tall  pinnacles  resemble  the  pipes 
of  a  monster  organ,  while  on  the  west  the  walls  of  the  table  land  rise  some 
.200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  valley. 

The  agricultural  crops  of  Dona  Ana,  and  especially  of  the  Mesilla 
valley,  are  alfalfa,  fruits  and  the  cereals.  In  the  gardens  and  vineyards 
the  finest  fruits  of  the  temperate  zone  reach  perfection.  Nowhere  does 
alfalfa  flourish  better  or  produce  a  greater  tonnage.  Indian  corn  grows 
to  an  almost  fabulous  height.  But  it  is  of  its  fruits  that  the  valley  is 
justly  proud. 

All  hardy  fruits  reach  perfection  in  Dona  Ana  county.  Peaches, 
pears,  plums,  apricots,  quinces,  prunes  and,  above  all  except  peaches, 
apples  flourish.  There  are  many  large  orchards.  The  earliest  ones  were 
entirely  of  apples,  the  future  trees  having  been  brought  out  on  the  stages 
of  those  days  in  the  form  of  root-grafts. 

The  vineyards  of  this  valley  have  long  been  famous.  For  a  long  time 
they  were  composed  entirely  of  the  Mission  grape,  but  a  large  number  of 
•other  foreign  varieties  have  been  introduced  with  great  success.  These 
include  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  Flaming  Tokay,  Rose  of  Peru,  Gros 
Coleman,   Cornichon,   Black   Burgundy,   etc. 

Las  Cruces. — Las  Cruces,  the  county  seat,  is  situated  nearly  mid- 
way in  the  Rio  Grande  valley  as  it  passes  through  Dona  Ana  county,  and 
is  on  the  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  running  from  Rincon  to  El  Paso. 
Various  origins  are  given  for  the  name,  "The  Crosses."  One  is  traced 
to  the  crosses  on  the  old  mission.  It  is  also  said  that  a  number  of  travel- 
ers were  killed  a  little  north  of  the  present  site  of  the  town  in  1848,  and 
over  their  bodies,  which  were  buried  by  soldiers,  were  erected  two  crosses. 
The  present  town  has  a  fine  court  house,  churches,  an  academy  conducted 
by  the  Sisters  of  Loretto.  and  is  the  seat  of  the  Territorial  Agricultural 
College.     Attached  to  the  college   is   an   experimental   station. 

With  this  general  description  of  the  town  and  the  county,  the  sketches 
of  several  worthy  pioneers  who  have  materially  assisted  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Mesilla  valley  are  presented  below. 

Horace  F.  Stephenson,  for  many  years  probate  clerk  of  Dona  Ana 
countv,  and  one  of  the  pioneers  of  1853,  's  spending  the  closing  period  of 
his  life  as  a  resident  of  Las  Cruces.  He  was  born  in  Mexico  in  1834.  and 
in  early  life  assisted  his  father  in  a  general  merchandise  store  in  Texas. 
He  did  not  come  to  New  Mexico  to  reside  permanently  until  i86g,  when 
he  located  at  Victoria,  Dona  Ana  county,  and  engaged  in  trade.  For  sev- 
eral years  thereafter  he  was  in  the  stock  business. 

Among  those  who  lived  in  Dona  Ana  county  in  the  '50s,  Colonel 
Samuel  P.  Jones  was  one  of  the  most  striking  of  the  many  picturesque 
frontier  characters  of  those  davs.  Colonel  Jones  was  the  last  collector  of 
United  States  customs  to  be  located  at  Las  Cruces,  occupying  the  office  in 
1863,  when  it  was  removed  to  El  Paso.  He  had  served  as  sheriff  in 
Kansas  during  the  border  troubles,  and  was  an  eye-witness  to  the  burn- 


564  HISTORY  OF  NEW  .MEXICO 

ing  of  Lawrence.  In  fact,  he  was  one  of  the  class  of  men  known  by  the 
people  of  Kansas  as  a  •'border  ruffian,"  and  was  a  Confederate  sympa- 
thizer. He  was  one  of  the  early  United  States  marshals  for  New  Mexico, 
his  first  location  being  at  Mesilla.  He  also  practiced  law,  and  United 
States  Senator  Stephen  B.  Elkins  was  at  one  time  a  student  in  his  office. 
Colonel  Jones  was  a  man  of  excellent  education,  fine  personal  appear- 
ance, and  unusually  courageous.  He  finally  removed  to  Silver  City, 
where  he  lived   in  retirement  until   his   death. 

Stephen  B.  Elkins  crossed  the  plains  to  Xew  Mexico  as  a  "bull- 
puncher,"  arriving  in  Mesilla  with  less  than  a  dollar  in  his  pocket.  He 
prepared  for  the  practice  of  the  law  in  that  town,  and  for  a  time  was 
associated  with  Thomas  B.  Catron.  The  two  made  a  strong  combination 
— Catron  as  a  lawyer,  Elkins  as  a  politician.  He  was  early  recognized  as 
being  extremely  shrewd  and  diplomatic,  and  quick  to  take  advantage  of 
the  slightest  technicalities  in  the  crudely  framed  early  laws  of  the  Terri- 
tory. One  of  his  early  undertakings  in  New  Mexico  was  in  the  capacity 
of  clerk  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department  at  Mesilla.  Mr.  Elkins  might 
have  remained  there  indefinitely  and  missed  a  brilliant  career,  had  he  not 
spelled  the  name  "Arizonia"  in  one  of  the  reports  he  was  writing  for  his 
superior.  This  resulted  in  his  immediate  discharge,  and  he  concluded  to 
study  law. 

Numa  Raymond  was  another  of  the  "old-timers"  of  Doha  Ana  county 
and  of  the  Territory.  Born  in  Switzerland,  he  came  to  New  Mexico  as  a 
boy  in  the  late  '50s.  He  was  industrious  and  keen  to  seize  advantages  in 
the  new  country,  and  as  years  passed  obtained  quite  a  monopoly  in  the 
management  and  ownership  of  the  old  coach  lines  which  traversed  New 
Mexico,  Colorado  and  Kansas.  His  chief  source  of  profit  in  those  days 
was  the  carrying  of  the  government  mail,  for  which  he  held  a  large  num- 
ber of  contracts,  and  in  the  defense  of  which  he  and  his  agents  had  their 
full  share  of  fierce  encounters  with  Indians  and  outlaws. 

Mr.  Raymond  prospered  financially,  and,  being  a  man  of  intelligence 
and  good  character,  was  a  prominent  participant  in  the  public  affairs  of  the 
counties  in  which  he  resided  at  different  times.  He  served  as  probate 
judge  of  Socorro  county,  and  when  the  railroad  reached  Las  Cruces  lo- 
cated there  to  engage  in  mercantile  pursuits.  With  the  development  of  the 
cattle  industry  he  secured  large  interests  in  Lincoln  county.  He  was 
sheriff  of  Doha  Ana  county,  and  a  member  of  the  first  Board  of  Regents 
of  the  Agricultural  College,  being  largely  instrumental  in  securing  its 
location  at   Las   Cruces. 

Still  another  pioneer  of  the  county  and  widely  known  throughout  the 
Territory  was  ex-Governor  Amy,  who,  in  November.  1881,  died  very 
suddenly  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  while  on  his  way  from  New  York  to  New 
Mexico.'  He  had  visited  England  in  behalf  of  the  heirs  to  the  great  Hyde 
estate,  and  is  said  to  have  had  in  his  possession  papers  disposing  of  prop- 
erty amounting  to  $450,000,000.  In  the  prosecution  of  these  cases  the 
deceased  had  spent  all  his  money,  mortgaged  his  home,  and  based  his 
livelihood  and  his  reputation  upon  the  eventuality  of  establishing  the 
rights  of  his  clients;  but  sudden  death  cut  him  off  when  success  seemed 
near  at  hand. 

A  Picture  of  the  Sixties. — A  copy  of  the  Mesilla  Times  of  <  )ctober 
10,   1861,  gives  a  fair  idea  of  those  actively  engaged  in  business  there,  at 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  56& 

Las  Cruces,  and  at  other  points  in  the  county.  It  also  indicates  that  the 
people  of  New  Mexico  were  having  troubles  of  their  own,  besides  the 
Civil  war. 

At  the  date  mentioned.  R.  P.  Kelley  was  editor  of  the  Times,  ami 
B.  C.  Murray  &  Co.  publishers,  and  the  copy  of  the  paper  is  now  in  pos- 
session of  John  D.  Barncastle,  of  Dona  Ana.'  From  its  columns  it  is  seen 
that  in  1861  the  following  business  and  professional  men  were  located 
at  Mesilla:  Freitze  &  Applezoler,  bakers;  M.  H.  Macwillie,  lawyer; 
Pedro  Duhalde,  merchant;  W.  Claude  Jones,  lawyer;  Dr.  J.  A.  Butler, 
physician  and  surgeon :  Hayward  &  McGrorty,  merchants ;  E.  Angerstein. 
merchant :  Kelley  &  Hughes,  steam  flour  mills ;  Buchoz.  Grangdeau  & 
Co.,  general  merchants ;  R.  P.  Kellev,  surveyor :  Joshua  S.  Sledd.  saloon 
and  market;  John   Minis,  proprietor  of  Casino  Hotel. 

John  G.  Ward  was  located  at  Las  Cruces  as  proprietor  of  the  Las 
Cruces  Hotel,  and  M.  Cahan  was  the  jeweler  and  watchmaker  of  the 
town.  Buhl  &  Gross  advertised  their  Pino  Alto  House,  on  Bear  Creek ; 
Samuel  G.  and  Roy  Bean  called  attention  to  their  large  saloon  at  Pino 
Alto;  Sweet  &  Lacoste  were  merchants  at  Santa  Rita,  and  A.  T.  Swa- 
bocher  &  Co.  had  a  sawmill  at  "Tuleroso." 

A  news  item,  referring  to  the  Indian  troubles  in  the  fall  of  186 1, 
says :  "A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Mesilla  was  held  at  the  court  room 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  two  companies  of  vounteers  for  three 
months'  service  against  the  Apache  Indians.  Isaac  Langston  had  been 
commissioned  as  captain  of  one  of  these  companies  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bavlor.  The  meeting'  chose  the  following  company  officers :  Anastacio 
Barela,  captain ;  Stanislaus  Albillar.  first  lieutenant ;  Juan  Jose  Duran. 
second  lieutenant;  Yincenta  Mestes,  third  lieutenant.  The  other  officers 
of  Langston's  company  were:  Cayetano  Goningus.  first  lieutenant;  Juan 
Maribai,  second  lieutenant:  Erangastur  Charvis,  third  lieutenant." 

Another  item  conveyed  the  following  intelligence:  "An  express 
reached  here  on  the  8th  from  Pino  Alto  bringing  most  urgent  appeals  for 
assistance.  The  Indians  have  Pino  Alto,  the  copper  mines  and  several  large 
trains  at  different  points,  and  even  a  company  of  fortv  armed  men  from  this 
valley,  perfectly  besieged.  The  expressman  had  a  horse  shot  from  under 
him  a  mile  from  Pino  Alto  by  the  Indians,  but  started  again  and  succeeded 
in  making  the  trip  alone  and  safely.  Captain  Mastin  of  the  Arizona  Guards 
is  in  a  critical  condition.  The  main  artery  of  his  arm  is  injured,  and  has 
begun  to  bleed  several  times,  and  unless  he  receives  speedy  surgical  relief 
death  must  ensue.  We  are  informed  that  Major  Waller  will  also  go  to 
Pino  Alto  with  a  command  of  eighty  men.  He  will  be  accompanied  by 
about  the  same  number  of  citizens  of  Mesilla.  under  command  of  Captains 
Anastacio  and  Barela." 


Until  1880  Mesilla  was  the  county  seat,  and  the  headquarters  of  the 
United  States  land  office  and  of  the  Third  Judicial  District.  The  town  is 
chieflv  noted  for  its  magnificent  orchards  and  vineyards,  its  streets  being 
regular  and  lined  with  beautiful  shade  trees.  Besides  fruit  and  wine,  its 
principal  resources  are  the  hay  and  grain  raised  in  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts.    An  abundance  of  water  is  obtained  by  means  of  irrigating  ditches 


566  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

from  the  Rio  Grande  and  from  drive  wells.     The  town  is  about  two  miles 
west  of  Las  Cruces. 

A  visitor  to  the  peaceful,  beautiful  little  village  can  scarcely  conceive 
that  its  streets  were  the  scene  of  one  of  the  bloodiest  tragedies  which  has 
ever  marred  the  history  of  the  Territory.  It  was  a  political  riot  of  thirty-five 
years  ago.  which  created  widespread  consternation  throughout  the  Mesilla 
valley,  and  the  story  of  its  origin,  occurrence  and  results  is  told  by  S.  M. 
Ashenfelter,  in  an  article  furnished  to  the  Silver  City  Independent.  He 
says : 

Col.  J.  Francisco  Chaves  and  Jose  M.  Gallcgos,  familiarly  known  as  "Padre"  Galle- 
gos,  were  opposing  candidates  for  the  office  of  delegate  to  Congress.  The  Republican 
and  Democratic  parties  were  both  thoroughly  organized,  in  Dona  Ana  county,  the 
former  under  the  leadership  of  Col.  W.  L.  Rynerson  and  John  Lemon,  the  latter  led 
by  Pablo  Melendrez  and  Mariano  Barela,  Democratic  candidates,  respectively,  for  pro- 
bate judge  and  for  sheriff.  From  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  intense  party  feeling 
had  prevailed,  and  the  struggle  had  assumed  a  bitter  personal,  as  well  as  partisan,  as- 
pect.    Both  parties  appeared  to  be  ready  for  serious  trouble  and  eager  to  invite  it. 

It  had  been  announced  that,  on  Sunday,  the  27th  of  August,  1871.  a  Democratic 
mass  meeting  would  be  held  in  the  plaza  of  Mesilla,  to  be  addressed  by  Mr.  Gallegos. 
This  was  followed  by  an  announcement  that  the  Republicans,  also,  would  hold  a  mass 
meeting  at  Mesilla.  on  that  day.  Among  the  best  people,  there  was  at  once  a  general 
expression  of  fear  that  the  two  meetings  could  not  be  held  without  danger  of  serious 
collision.  So  strong  was  this  belief  that,  at  the  request  of  the  business  men  of  Las 
Cruces  and  Mesilla,  the  leaders  of  the  two  parties  came  together  in  the  interest  of  peace, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  the  Democrats  should  have  the  plaza,  as  originally  arranged, 
and  the  Republicans  would  hold  their  meeting  in  front  of  the  residence  of  John  Lemon. 
This  program  was  carried  out,  and  with  what  appeared  to  be  most  satisfactory  results. 
Both  meetings  had  been  held,  and  many  of  the  people  had  departed  for  their  homes 
in  other  precincts.  So  general  was  the  impression  that  all  danger  of  collision  had 
passed,  that  Horace  Stephenson,  who.  in  support  of  Mr.  Gallegos,  had  come  up  from 
La  Mesa  with  over  one  hundred  mounted  men,  mostly  armed,  withdrew  from  the  plaza 
with  his  followers,  started  for  home,  and  was  out  of  hearing,  before  the  trouble  com- 
menced. 

But  the  agitators  were  not  satisfied.  On  one  side,  it  was  suggested  that  it 
would  be  a  fitting  ceremonial  to  close  the  day  by  forming  in  procession  and  march- 
ing around  the  plaza.  On  which  side  this  suggestion  first  took  form,  it  was  im- 
possible to  determine,  that  day ;  and  it  cannot  be  determined  now.  But,  the  other 
party,  not  to  be  outdone,  immediately  followed  the  example  set.  with  the  result  that 
the  two  processions  marched  in  opposite  directions  around  the  plaza.  And  the 
cheapest  of  whisky  had  flowed  freely. 

The  two  processions  met,  nearly  in  front  of  the  Reynolds  &  Griggs  store.  I. 
N.  Kelley,  a  printer,  on  the  Democratic  side,  and  John  Lemon,  on  the  Republican 
side,  engaged  in  angry  political  discussion,  as  the  heads  of  the  processions  came 
together.  Tn  the  excitement.  Apolonio  Barela.  intentionally  or  otherwise,  fired  his 
pistol  into  the  air.  Immediately  upon  the  firing  of  the  shot.  Kelley,  who  carried 
a  heavy  pick  handle,  struck  Lemon  a  fierce  blow  upon  the  head,  felling  him  to  the 
ground.  The  next  instant,  Felicito  Arroyas  y  Lueras  shot  Kelley.  inflicting  a  mortal 
wound,  and.  in  turn,  was  shot  through  the  heart  by  some  person  unknown.  Then, 
the  fighting  became  general,  and.  durins  about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  the  sound  was 
that  of  a  "sharp  rattle  of  musketry.  The  plaza  was  crowded,  and  that  no  greater 
fatalities  resulted,  seems  marvelous.  Men.  women  and  children,  in  confused  masses, 
rushed  for  the  streets  leading  out  from  the  corners  of  the  plaza.  In  the  narrow 
street  between  the  residence  of  Col.  Bennett  and  the  building  then  used  as  a  court 
house,  several  women  and  children  were  severely  injured  in  the  crush  of  the  frantic 
mob.  Terror  stricken  people,  as  they  fled,  screamed  aloud  in  an  agony  of  fright, 
the  continued  sound  of  pistol  shots  adding  to  the  wildness  of  the  panic  which  pre- 
vailed. 

The  firing  commenced  about  half  past  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Half  an 
hour  before.  Generals  Gregg  and  Devin.  deeming  the  events  of  the  day  to  be  con- 
cluded, had  started  upon  return  trip  to  Fort  Selden.     Two  companies  of  the  Eighth 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  567 

Cavalry  were  stationed  at  that  post,  and,  shortly  after  the  outbreak,  a  federal  officer 
then  at  La  Mesilla,  dispatched  a  messenger  asking  for  the  aid  of  troops  to  restore 
order.  The  messenger  overtook  the  two  officers  on  vhe  road,  delivered  his  message, 
and  thereupon,  these  officers  pushed  forward  to  the  post  with  all  possible  speed. 
"Boots  and  saddles"  was  sounded,  and,  about  ten  o'clock  that  night,  a  command  of 
sixty  cavalrymen  drew  rein  in  front  of  the  residence  of  Colonel  Jones,  just  at  the 
outskirts  of  Mesilla.  Major  Kelly,  with  a  small  detachment,  moved  into  the  plaza. 
He  was  met  by  a  few  citizens,  among  whom1  were  men  of  both  parties,  and  who 
joined  in  a  request  that  the  entire  body  of  troops  should  be  brought  in.  The  bugle 
was  sounded,  and  the  rest  of  the  troops  came  up  at  a  gallop.  These  troops  camped 
in  the  plaza  that  night.  The  next  day  the  main  body  withdrew,  and  Major  Kelly 
was  left  there  with  a  detachment  of  twenty  men ;  and  with  an  additional  detachment 
of  fifteen  men  under  Lieutenant  Godwin,  established  at  Las  Cruces.  These  detach- 
ments remained  in  the  valley  about  a  fortnight,  and  were  of  service  in  preventing 
another  outbreak  when  Colonel  Chaves  made  his  visit  to  the  county,  and  addressed  a 
meeting  at   Mesilla. 

Nine  men  were  killed,  and  between  forty  and  fifty  were  wounded,  in  this  ugly 
affray.  Only  partial  lists  can  be  obtained  at  this  date.  John  Lemon,  whose  skull 
was  fractured  by  the  blow  he  bad  received,  was  removed  to  his  home,  where  he 
died  that  evening.  Among  the  others  killed,  were  I.  N.  Kelley,  Sotello  Lopez,  Fran- 
cisco Rodrigues,  Felicito  Arroyas  y  Luera,  Fabian  Cortez,  the  Chihuahua  bully,  and 
an  idiot  boy  who  was  shot  down  while  standing  beside  Mariano  Barela.  It  was 
never  possible  to  get  even  an  approximate  list  of  the  wounded.  Many  were  taken 
to  their  homes  and  treated  in  secrecy.  Those  who  were  known,  are  as  follows: 
Pedro  Garcia,  Hilario  Moreno,  Jose  M.  Padilla,  Cesario  Flores,  Oraquia  Luna, 
Juan  de  Dios  Sais,  Jesus  Calles,  Dr.  Black.  Manuel  Nevares,  Simon  Gallegos,  Jesus 
Barela.  Jose  Quesada,  Isidoro  Apodaca,  Leandro  Miranda,  Mateo  Madrid,  Francisco 
Lopez,  Jesus  Lopez  and  Pilar  Caudelario.  Daniel  Freitze.  who  was  running  for 
probate  clerk  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  had  a  narrow  escape,  no  less  than  four 
bullets  passing  through  his  clothing.  That  many  women  and  children  were  not 
killed  or  injured  is  considered  one  of  the  marvels  nf  that  day.  Of  the  crowd  in 
the  plaza  they  were  thought  to  be  in  the  majority. 

We  had  no  judge  of  the  district  court,  in  this  third  judicial  district,  at  that 
time.  In  truth,  the  country  was  a  trifle  "wild  and  woolly,"  and  Waters,  the  last 
appointee,  had  recently  resigned  and  gone  home,  after  holding  one  term  of  court. 
A  few  partisans,  in  hasty  judgment,  got  together  and  wrote  to  Judge  Hezekiah  S. 
Johnson,  of  the  second  district,  to  come  down  and  hold  an  investigation.  He  came, 
stayed  three  days,  made  up  his  mind  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  do  any  investi- 
gating, became  demoralized,  and  returned  to  his  home  without  action.  The  matter 
never  was  investigated.  Nobody  was  ever  punished  by  law  for  an  act  done  that  day. 
A  few  men  were  arrested  the  night  of  the  riot,  but  they  were  immediately  released' 
by  the  arresting  officer,  on  their  own  rcognizances.  The  leaders  on  both  sides  called 
a'  halt.     Both  had  had  enough,  and  both  knew  it. 

The  first  effects  of  this  riot  were  felt  in  Grant  county,  numbers  of  people  aban- 
doning their  homes  in  the  Mesilla  valley,  and  making  settlements  along  the  Mim- 
bres.  But  the  most  marked  effect  was  the  etsablishment  of  a  colony  from  Dona 
Ana  county,  in  the  Republic  of  Mexico.  Fabian  Gonzales,  then  sheriff  of  Dona 
Ana  countv ;  Ygnacio  Orrantia,  the  LInited  States  deputy  marshal  for  southern 
New  Mexico;  Fred  Buckner,  the  postmaster  at  Mesilla;  Apolonio  Barela,  and  some 
thirty  or  forty  others,  residents  about  Las  Cruces  and  La  Mesilla,  formed  a  colony, 
sent  emissaries  to  Mexico  City,  and  procured  a  land  grant  on  the  stream;  above 
and  below  the  site  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Ascencion  in  Mexico.  They  removed' 
to  the  new  settlement  in  the  early  days  of  1872.  feeling  that  they  were  driven  to  seek 
safer  homes.  Of  this  party.  Apolonio  Barela  afterwards  came  to  Silver  City,  and 
resided  here  for  several  years,  finally  returning  to  Ascencion. 

Other  Towns. — Dona  Ana  is  in  the  central  portion  of  the  county,  sur- 
rounded by  a  rich  country,  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  grape,  fruits 
and  vegetables.  Mesilla  Park  is  a  village  and  railroad  station  adjoining  the 
Agricultural  College,  being  mainly  a  residence  suburb.  Chamberino,  a  busy 
little  town,  drawing  its  prosperity  from  an  outlying  country  of  good  ranches 
productive  gardens  and  fruitful  orchards,  is  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Rio 


568  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Grande,  about  eighteen  miles  south  of  Las  Cruces,  and  three  miles  west 
of  Anthony,  a  station  on  the  A..  T.  &  S.  F.  Earlham,  a  railroad  station 
fifteen  miles  south  of  the  county  seat,  and  Colorado,  in  the  western  part  of 
the  county,  live  miles  from  Rincon,  are  also  centers  of  well  irrigated  and 
productice  areas. 

The  Water  Users'  Association  of  Dona  Ana  County  was  organized 
at  a  mass  meeting  held  at  Las  Cruces.  in  December,  1904.  Representatives 
gathered  from  all  parts  of  the  district,  and  the  meeting  was  of  a  very 
enthusiastic  characler.  H.  B.  Holt,  of  Las  Cruces,  was  elected  president, 
and  has  filled  the  office  since.  Oscar  C.  Snow  is  vice-president ;  H.  D. 
Bowman,  treasurer,  and  Numa  C.  Freuger,  secretary. 

The  Cass  Land  and  Cattle  Company  was  organized  in  Cass  county, 
Missouri,  in  March,  1884,  all  of  the  officers  being  residents  of  that  state. 
The  ranch  is  located  sixty  miles  northeast  of  Roswell,  on  the  Pecos  river, 
at  Cedar  Canyon,  and  consists  of  3,600  acres  of  land  and  20,000  cattle. 
The  enterprise  was  started  with  2,2^2  cattle.  Since  the  organization  of 
the  company  its  active  managers  have  been  Lee  Easlev  (1884),  J.  D. 
Cooley  (1885),  W.  G.  Urton  (1886-99),  and  Mr.  Cooley,"  who  has  held  the 
position  since  1899.  The  capital  stock  of  the  company  is  $100,000,  as 
originally.  Until  1889  the  ranch  brand  was  "T.  H.  L.,"  but  in  July  of 
that  year  the  "Bar  V"  brand  was  purchased  of  the  estate  of  J.  J.  Cox,  and 
has  since  been  retained.  An  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  business  con- 
ducted by  the  Cass  Land  and  Cattle  Company  may  be  gained  from  these 
items :  Number  of  cattle  branded  since  organization.  88,336 ;  cattle  sold, 
46,996;  dividends,  $420,000.  or  an  average  of  20  per  cent  on  the  capital 
stock  for  twenty  years. 

Hon.  Jacinto  Armijo,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  distinguished  native 
sons  of  New  Mexico  who  won  high  official  preferment  and  whose  course 
honored  the  commonwealth  that  honored  him.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  Las  Cruces.  His  birth  occurred  in  Socorro,  Socorro  county, 
New  Mexico,  on  the  13th  of  August,  1845.  Don  Isidoro  Armijo,  his  father 
and  Dona  Catarina  Montoya  de  Armijo,  his  mother,  were  the  first  colonists 
in  the  Triple  expedition  of  the  counties  of  Valencia,  Socorro  and  Paso  del 
Norte  (city  of  Juarez)  to  settle  the  county  of  Dona  Ana.  When  but 
three  years  of  age.  Jacinto  Armijo  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  re- 
moval to  Las  Cruces,  where  he  made  his  home  until  called  to  his  final  rest. 
He  attended  the  public  schools,  obtaining  the  best  education  afforded  in 
those  days.  As  he  grew  to  manhood  his  worth  and  ability  were  recognized, 
and  he  became  one  of  the  prominent  political  leaders  of  the  Territory, 
eventually  advocating  Republican  principles.  In  1873-4  he  represented  his 
district  in  the  legislative  halls  in  Santa  Fe,  and  in  1875-6  he  was  elected  by 
a  majority  of  five  hundred  votes  as  a  member  of  the  council,  representing 
the  southern  counties  of  the  Territory,  including  Dona  Ana,  Grant  and 
Lincoln.  He  was  probably  the  first  native  regent  of  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege of  New  Mexico,  receiving  his  appointment  to  that  position  from 
Governor  Otero.  He  held  various  local  offices,  being  president  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  and  school  trustee  and  deputy  sheriff. 
He  was  likewise  probate  judge  and  he  was  chairman  of  the  Republican 
county  central  committee.  He  was  impartial  in  the  discharge  of  all  his 
official  duties,  serving  the  people  well  and  faithfully,  for  he  ever  regarded 
a  public  office  as  a   public  trust — and  no  trust   reposed   in   him   was   ever 


t^iQCx^i^i^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  569 

betrayed  in  the  slightest  degree.  He  studied  closely  the  needs  and  possi- 
bilities of  the  Territory  and  labored  along  lines  of  general  progress  and 
improvement.  His  liberal  and  progressive  course  won  him  a  most  honor- 
able name  in  his  community,  and  he  was  respected  alike  by  Americans  and 
natives.  The  cause  of  education  found  in  him  a  stalwart  friend,  and 
eventually  connected  with  the  local  schools  and  as  regent  of  the  Agricul- 
tural College  he  labored  untiringly  for  the  great  educational  interests  of 
the  Territory.  Mr.  Armijo  was  married,  November  24,  1869,  to  Miss 
Juanita  Silva.  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  sons  and  two  daughters: 
Isidoro,  Catarino,  Max,  Jacinto.  Henry,  Josephine  and  Jennie. 

Mr.  Armijo  departed  this  life  June  9,  1898,  and  the  family  still  reside 
in  Las  Cruces.  He  was  a  man  of  unquestioned  integrity,  both  in  public 
office  and  in  private  life,  and  the  consensus  of  public  opinion  was  altogether 
favorable  regarding  his  ability  and  his  devotion  to  duty.  He  was  spoken 
of  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Xew  Mexico, 
and  he  stood  as  a  high  type  of  the  citizenship  of  the  southwest. 

Jose  Ramon  Lucero.  sheriff  of  Dona  Ana  county  and  regent  of  the 
Agricultural  College  of  New  Mexico,  makes  his  home  in  Las  Cruces. 
He  was  born  in  Dona  Ana  county,  February  iq,  1867,  a  son  of  Barbara 
and  Macedonia  (Trujillo)  Lucero.  His  father  is  operating  a  flour  mill  at 
Las  Cruces  and  is  a  representative  business  man  of  the  city.  He  was  born 
in  Janos,  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  in  1837,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age 
was  employed  by  the  government  of  the  United  States  to  assist  in  making 
the  survey  of  the  boundary  line  of  the  Gadsden  purchase  under  Major 
Emory.  He  was  at  Mesilla  in  18=54  when  the  first  American  flag  was 
raised  there,  and  he  has  since  resided  in  New  Mexico,  and  is  a  prominent 
cattleman  of  this  part  of  the  country,  having  extensive  and  valuable  ranches, 
mostly  in  Dona  Ana  county.  In  late  years,  in  connection  with  his  son, 
Jose  R.,  he  has  operated  a  roller  flour  mil!  and  is  yet  associated  with  this 
enterprise.  He  is  a  strong  Republican,  active  in  support  of  the  party  and 
thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  its  policy  and  principles,  yet  he  does  not  seek 
nor  care  for  office. 

Jose  R.  Lucero  pursued  a  common  school  education,  and  after  putting 
aside  his  text-books  was  engaged  in  the  sheep  raising  industry  with  his 
father  for  six  years.  He  then  sold  his  interest  in  the  sheep  business  and 
turned  his  attention  to  cattle  raising,  also  becoming  connected  with  the 
milling  business  as  manager  of  his  father*s  mill.  He  still  has  cattle  interests 
in  the  county,  having  a  good  ranch  which  is  well  stocked.  In  1896  he  was 
elected  probate  clerk,  serving  in  the  office  for  four  years,  or  until  1900. 
He  was  then  elected  sheriff,  and  was  re-elected  in  1902,  and  again  in  1904, 
so  that  he  is  for  the  third  term  the  incumbent  in  the  position.  He  has  also 
been  school  director  of  Las  Cruces.  and  i?  a  Republican  in  his  political 
views.  In  April,  1890,  Mr.  Lucero  was  married  to  Miss  Simona  Lopez, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children :  Adela,  Jose,  Arturo  and 
Jacobo. 

Captain  Thomas  Branigan,  a  fruit  grower  and  mine  owner  of  Las 
Cruces,  whose  varied  experience  in  the  west  have  made  him  thoroughly 
familiar  with  its  history  in  all  its  phases,  was  born  in  Edinburg,  Scotland, 
in  1847.  and  when  two  vears  of  age  was  brought  to  the  United  States,  the 
family  home  being  established  in  Ohio  in  1849.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Ohio,  where  he  spent  his  early  youth.     In   1862.  at  the 


570  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

extremely  early  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  private 
of  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Third  Regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers. 
He  participated  in  the  siege  of  Knoxville  under  Burnside,  in  the  battle  of 
Armstrong  Hill,  and  many  engagements  in  eastern  Tennessee.  In  May, 
1864,  the  Army  of  Ohio  joined  Sherman  near  Dalton,  Georgia,  and  he 
thus  became  a  part  of  Sherman's  magnificent  army  during  the  memorable 
Atlanta  campaign.  On  the  14th  of  May,  1864,  the  brigade  to  which  he 
belonged,  consisting  of  the  regiments  under  General  Manson,  made  the 
charge  at  Resaca  and  took  the  first  line  of  works  in  the  fierce  fight  which 
ensued.  He  was  wounded  at  Resaca,  but  continued  with  the  command 
and  was  in  many  engagements  during  the  advance  upon  Atlanta.  Captain 
Branigan  was  the  first  man  of  Sherman's  army  to  cross  the  Chattahoochee 
river  in  front  of  Atlanta,  and  thus  lead  the  way  across  that  historic  stream. 
The  hazardous  feat  was  accomplished  in  the  face  of  almost  insurmountable 
difficulties  and  after  the  failure  of  a  detachment  of  troops  from  Colonel 
Cameron's  brigade  to  effect  a  crossing  of  the  wide  and  rapidly  flowing 
stream.  The  thunder  of  a  rebel  battery  concealed  about  ten  hundred  yards 
down  the  river,  and  the  possibility  of  unknown  foes  on  the  opposite  bank, 
only  spurred  this  boy  of  scarce  sixteen  years  to  greater  effort.  He  struck 
boldly  into  the  water,  and  upon  reaching  the  opposite  shore,  finding  the 
field  clear,  signaled  to  Colonel  Casement,  whereupon  he  was  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  his  own  company  under  Captain  George  Redway,  then  by  the 
One  Hundred  and  Third  Ohio,  and  eventually  the  whole  Twenty-third 
Corps  was  thrown  across  on  pontoons.  According  to  the  diary  of  Captain 
George  Redway,  of  the  General  Land  Office,  Washington,  D.  C.  this 
occurred  on  July  8,  1864.  In  recognition  of  this  meritorious  service  the 
boy  was  made  a  corporal.  After  the  close  of  hostilities  he  was  mustered  out 
on  the  1 2th  of  June  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  being  then  but  seventeen 
years  of  age;  yet  on  the  field  of  battle  he  displayed  valor  and  loyalty  equal 
to  that  of  many  a  veteran  of  twice  his  years. 

When  the  war  was  over  Captain  Branigan  entered  the  Mennonite  Col- 
lege at  Wadsworth,  Ohio,  continuing  his  studies  for  a  year,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1867  came  to  the  west.  He  first  engaged  in  buffalo  hunting,  killing 
those  animals  on  the  plains  for  Shoemaker  for  a  few  months,  but  later 
went  to  Fort  Lyon,  where  he  remained  in  the  government  employ  until  the 
fall  of  1867,  when  he  made  his  way  to  the  Elizabethtown  mines  in  northern 
New  Mexico.  Losing  all  he  had  here  in  a  mining  venture,  in  1868  he  went 
to  Denver,  attracted  by  the  Pike's  Peak  gold  discoveries,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  well  known  stage  owner,  Holladay,  acting  as  a  driver  on  his 
stage  line  from  Denver  to  Cheyenne.  He  next  turned  his  attention  to 
bridge  building,  and  became  an  expert  in  that  line  in  the  employ  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Companv.  These  early  days  on  the  plains  of 
the  middle  west  and  over  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail,  when  law  and  order  were 
left  behind  at  the  Mississippi  river,  and  where  the  wild  Indian  and  buffalo 
roamed  the  lonely  wastes,  were  years  full  of  adventure  and  thrilling  ex- 
perience. Captain  Branigan  has  volumes  of  plain  lore  and  personal  ex- 
perience with  which  to  fill  the  willing  ear.  He  had  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  many  of  the  well  known  characters  of  the  frontier.  The  famous  "Wild 
Bill,"  Will  Hickox.  and  the  brave  Tom  Smith,  of  Abilene,  Kansas,  fame, 
were  comrades  in  many  a  stirring  incident  of  frontier  life. 

Later  Captain    Branigan  returned  to   Ohio,   where,   in   companv    with 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  5" 

his  brother,  he  operated  successfully  in  lands  and  stock.  Subsequently  he 
spent  two  years  as  an  officer  at  the  Ohio  State  penitentiary,  and  in  1882 
went  to  the  Mescalero  Apache  Indian  Reservation  as  captain  of  Indian 
police  and  chief  of  scouts,  which  position  he  occupied  until  the  fall  of  1885, 
when  he  resigned.  In  the  capacity  of  chief  of  Indian  scouts  he  had  marked 
success  and  an  interesting  and  varied  experience.  He  brought  his  com- 
pany of  Indian  scouts  to  a  high  state  of  training  and  soldierly  discipline, 
which  enabled  them  to  protect  themselves  and  the  people  living  on  the 
frontier.  The  following  year  he  was  appointed  head  detective  on  the 
Texas  Pacific  Railroad,  and  in  August,  1886,  he  received  a  telegram  from 
General  Bradley,  commander  of  the  department,  asking  him  to  go  to  the 
reservation  and  raise  a  company  of  scouts  for  campaign  service  against  the 
Indian  chief,  Geronimo,  and  his  band  of  hostile  red  men,  for  the  Apache 
war  was  then  on.  Captain  Branigan  immediately  responded  to  the  re- 
quest and  served  with  a  scouting  party  under  Lieutenant  Wrenn,  guarding 
the  waters  of  southern  New  Mexico  and  of  old  Mexico.  In  the  fall,  after 
the  capture  of  Geronimo,  he  went  to  Fort  Stanton  and  called  for  his  dis- 
charge. He  then  came  to  Las  Cruces,  purchased  land  and  began  the 
raising  of  bees  and  the  production  of  honey.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
interested  extensively  in  gold  mining  in  Sierra  county.  After  disposing 
of  a  part  of  his  mining  property,  he  settled  on  a  ranch  near  Las  Cruces, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  raising  of  fruit  and  alfalfa  farming,  and 
in  copper,  gold  and  silver  mining.  His  land  is  well  watered,  and  he  has 
met  with  a  creditable  measure  of  success  in  his  horticultural  pursuits. 
On  June  1.  1897,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Alice  B.  Montgomery,  at  Las 
Cruces,  New  Mexico. 

Captain  Branigan  has  also  been  called  to  public  office  during  his  resi- 
dence in  Doiia  Ana  county.  He  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  to 
die  office  of  county  assessor  for  the  years  1899  and  1900.  For  eight  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Dona  Ana  county  Republican  central  com- 
mittee, and  during  this  time  treasurer  of  said  committee.  He  is  a  com- 
missioner of  the  Las  Cruces  Ditch  Association  and  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  said  organization.  He  is  also  one  of  the  two  appraisers  on  the  board 
of  the  Dona  Ana  Bend  Colony  Grant.  He  is  at  present  and  has  been  for 
several  years  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  of  Las  Cruces,  and  dur- 
ing said  term  of  service  has  been  clerk  of  said  board.  Captain  Branigan 
has  taken  a  great  interest  in  the  educational  affairs  of  his  community  and 
has  given  liberally  of  his  time  and  energy  in  this  behalf,  especially  during 
the  erection  of  the  handsome  new  high  school  building  which  has  just 
been  completed  at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  He  had  assisted  materially  in  raising 
the  grade  and  improving  the  condition  of  the  public  school  of  his  town. 

Captain  Branigan  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
to  Phil  Sheridan  Post  No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  and  is  at  present  junior  vice-com- 
mander of  the  department  of  New  Mexico.  He  is  and  has  been  at  all 
times  during  his  long  residence  in  the  Territory  closely  identified  with  its 
substantial  progress  and  improvement,  co-operating  in  all  movements  that 
are  of  direct  benefit  to  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 

Tohn  Martin,  a  pioneer  of  New  Mexico  of  1861.  now  deceased,  was 
born' in  Caledonia,  New  York,  in  182Q.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  ran 
awav  from  home  and  joined  General  Winfield  Scott's  army  as  a  drummer 
bov."    He  was  at  the  storming  of  Chapultepec,  and  after  the  war  he  rounded 


572  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Cape  Horn.  landing-  in  San  Francisco  probably  in  the  year  1849.  There 
he  remained  until  the  call  for  volunteers,  when  he  was  elected  first  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  D,  First  California  Volunteer  Infantry,  Colonel  Carle- 
ton  commanding.  The  regiment  marched  from  San  Francisco  to  Rio 
Grande,  and  as  the  captain  of  the  company  deserted  at  Fort  Yuma,  Lieu- 
tenant Martin  assumed  command  and  brought  the  troops  through.  He 
was  in  active  service,  largely  engaged  in  suppressing  the  Indian  depreda- 
tions. For  some  time  he  was  stationed  at  Jornada,  and  with  his  company- 
was  engaged  in  escorting  mail  until  mustered  out  at  Las  Cruces,  New 
Mexico.  Captain  Martin  was  married  in  Las  Cruces  to  Esther  Catherine 
Wadsworth  in  1865.  He  then  went  to  Fort  Seldon,  a  mile  below  the 
crossing  of  the  Rio  Grande,  where  he  built  and  conducted  a  ferry-boat, 
while  his  wife  had  charge  of  the  officers'  mess.  In  1867  he  went  to 
Aleman,  on  "La  Jornada  del  Muerto."  to  prospect  for  water.  He  dug  to 
a  depth  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet,  the  well  being  four  by  six 
feet  and  the  cost  was  twelve  dollars  per  foot.  He  struck  water  at  eighty- 
three  feet.  He  then  established  a  horse  and  cattle  ranch  and  stage  stand, 
and  his  place  was  known  as  the  Aleman  ranch,  or  Jack  Martin's  well. 
It  was  also  the  government  forage  agency.  Mr.  Martin  conducted  his 
stock  raising  there  until  1875,  when  he  went  to  Santa  Fe,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  in  1877.  In  that  city  he  was  proprietor  of  the 
old  Exchange  Hotel,  then  called  the  Fonda,  continuing  in  the  business  up 
to  the  time  of  his  demise.  It  was  the  only  place  on  the  Jornada  for  years 
where  a  traveler  could  secure  entertainment.  About  1874  Adolph  Lee 
built  a  place  at  Point  of  Rocks,  hauling  water  from  the  river,  and  about 
1877  Henry  Toussaint  built  a  place  at  Round  Mountain,  these  being  all 
on  the  overland  stage  route.  For  a  long  time,  however,  Captain  Martin's 
place  was  the  only  point  for  a  stretch  of  ninety  miles  where  water  could 
be  secured. 

To  Captain  and  Mrs.  Martin  were  born  six  children,  of  whom  four 
are  living:  William  E.,  a  resident  of  Socorro;  John  S.  A.,  living  in  Colo- 
rado; Benjamin  C,  a  resident  of  Garfield,  New  Mexico,  and  Katherine, 
the  wife  of  Orrin  Rice,  at  Manhattan  Beach,  California.  The  other  two 
died  in  youth.  Captain  Martin  was  master  of  Las  Cruces  lodge.  He  was 
a  typical  pioneer  resident  of  New  Mexico,  living  in  the  Territory  in  the 
early  staging  days,  when  mammoth  tracts  of  land  were  held  by  ranchers 
and  when  much  of  their  range  was  "open."  He  became  well  known  to  the 
visitors  to  the  Territory  and  to  business  men  throughout  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  he  aided  in  shaping  the  early  historic  annals  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. 

William  Edward  Martin,  of  Socorro,  clerk  of  the  Third  Judicial  Dis- 
trict of  New  Mexico,  was  born  at  Fort  Seldon,  February  16,  1867,  and  is 
a  son  of  Captain  John  Martin.  He  was  educated  under  private  instruction 
in  his  own  home  by  Nicholas  Galles  and  through  attendance  at  St.  Michael's 
College  in  Santa  Fe,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1880. 
He  then  returned  to  the  ranch  to  live,  and  was  elected  deputy  clerk  of  the 
third  district,  which  position  he  filled  from  July,  1889,  until  1891.  He  then 
resigned  to"  become  chief  clerk  in  the  United  States  land  office,  where  he 
remained  for  more  than  a  year,  when  he  resigned  that  position  to  become 
interpreter  to  the  fifth  judicial  district,  filling  the  office  until  Judge  Free- 
man retired  from  the  bench.     In  the  meantime,  in  1894,  he  was  elected  to 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  573 

the  lower  house  of  the  territorial  legislature  from  Socorro  and  Sierra  coun- 
ties, and  in  1896  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  council  of  Socorro,  and 
two  years  later  was  elected  mayor.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1899,  he  was 
appointed  assistant  superintendent  of  the  New  Mexico  penitentiary  under 
H.  O.  Bursum,  in  which  capacity  he  remained  until  January  21,  1904. 
He  was  then  appointed  clerk  of  the  fifth  judicial  district  by  Judge  Pope, 
and  when  a  change  in  the  judicial  districts  occurred  he  was  appointed  by 
Judge  Parker  clerk  of  the  third  district.  He  was  twice  interpreter  of 
the  council  and  three  times  chief  clerk.  Almost  continuously  in  public 
office  during  the  period  of  his  manhood,  he  has  made  a  creditable  record, 
over  which  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  His 
political  allegiance  has  alwavs  been  stanchly  given  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Elks  at  Santa  Fe.  He  has  busi- 
ness relations  as  one  of  the  stockholders  in  Socorro  Light,  Heat  &  Power 
Company,  of  which  he  was  also  one  of  the  incorporators.  This  was 
organized  in  November,  1905,  with  a  capital  stock  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars. 

William  E.  Martin  was  married,  June  3,  1891,  to  Miss  Louisa  New- 
comb,  a  daughter  of  Jerome  Newcomb,  of  Huntington,  Indiana. 

Elias  E.  Day,  vice-president  and  manager  of  the  F.  H.  Bascom  Com- 
pany of  Las  Cruces,  came  to  that  city  from  Massachusetts  on  the  29th  of 
March,  1886.  He  was  born  in  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  pursued  his 
preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  was  graduated  from 
Tuft's  college  with  the  bachelor  of  arts  degree.  He  saw  reports  of  the 
immigration  bureau  at  Washington,  and  being  just  out  of  college,  he  de- 
cided to  try  western  life.  Going  to  Las  Cruces,  he  began  farming,  but 
found  that  pursuit  was  neither  congenial  nor  profitable,  and  he  afterward 
acted  as  bookkeeper  for  a  contractor  and  also  learned  the  business,  remain- 
ing in  that  position  for  a  vear  and  a  half.  Tn  August,  1889,  he  entered 
the  hardware  store  of  F.  H.  Bascom,  familiarized  himself  with  the  trade, 
and  when  the  business  was  incorporated  on  the  1st  of  January,  1902,  under 
the  firm  style  of  F.  H.  Bascom  Company,  he  became  one  of  the  stock- 
holders, and  is  now  the  vice-president  and  manager,  with  F.  H.  Bascom 
as  president  and  G.  W.  Frenger  secretary  and  treasurer.  They  draw 
thirty  per  cent  of  their  trade  from  Las  Cruces.  and  the  rest  is  divided  over 
the  district  from  the  Texas  line  on  the  south  to  the  Sierra  county  line 
on  the  north,  to  Deming  on  the  west,  and  on  the  east  to  the  east  side  of 
the  Organ  mountains.  Their  establishment  is  an  extensive  one,  supplying 
all  this  district,  and  the  firm  also  does  a  large  business  as  builders  and 
contractors.  They  introduced  the  typical  mission  architecture  with 
modern  improvements,  and  the  firm  has  recently  erected  a  convent  in 
mission  style  for  the  Sisters  of  Loretto.  Mr.  Day  devotes  his  time  prin- 
cipally to  the  contracting  and  building  branch  of  the  business.  The  trade 
of  the  house  is  constantly  and  rapidly  gaining. 

In  1893  Mr.  Day  was  married  to  Miss  Grace  Center,  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  and  they  have  three  daughters.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Aztec  Lodge  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Palma  Camp  No.  8, 
Woodmen  of  the  World;  Modoc  Tribe  No.  12,  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men.  He  likewise  belongs  to  Valley  Lodge  No.  15,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Ridgly 
Encampment  at  Silver  City;  Canton  D,  El  Paso,  Patriarchs  Militant.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  Deming  Royal  Arch  Chapter  and  is  past  grand  master 


574  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  Masons  of  New  Mexico.  Interested  in  community  affairs,  he  was 
appointed  county  commissioner  for  Dofia  Ana  county  in  1899  by  Gov- 
ernor Otero,  and  was  superintendent  of  schools  of  the  county  in  1901-2. 
He  was  the  first  president  of  the  Mesilla  valley  chamber  of  commerce, 
and  is  closely  identified  with  many  movements  for  public  progress  and 
substantial   improvements. 

Demetrio  Chavez,  who  was  a  pioneer  merchant  at  Mesilla  and  is 
now  deceased,  was  for  a  long  period  a  representative  business  man  of  the 
Territory,  whose  labors  proved  an  effective  force  in  promoting  general 
progress  and  upbuilding.  He  was  born  in  Valencia  county,  New  Mexico, 
in  1853,  and  was  educated  in  St.  Michael's  College  at  Santa  Fe.  His  edu- 
cation completed,  he  entered  business  life,  and  for  a  time  was  employed  by 
the  firm  of  Reynolds  &  Griggs.  Later  he  established  a  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Mesilla.  This  was  about  1872  or  1873,  and  he  continued  in  the 
conduct  of  the  store  until  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  22d  of  March, 
1905.  He  was  also  interested  in  the  cattle  industry,  and  operated  quite 
extensively  in  real  estate  in  Mesilla.  He  was  a  business  man  of  marked 
enterprise  and  broad  outlook.  He  quickly  recognized  and  improved  oppor- 
tunities and  utilized  his  force  and  advantages  to  the  best  ability,  producing 
excellent    results. 

Mr.  Chavez  not  only  prospered  in  his  business  undertakings,  but  was 
also  an  active  and  influential  factor  in  affairs  relating  to  the  welfare  of 
the  Territory.  He  served  as  probate  judge  of  Dona  Ana  county,  was 
also  treasurer  and  collector  of  the  county,  and  was  regent  and  treasurer  of 
the  Agricultural  College.  His  political  support  was  given  to  the  De- 
mocracy. Mr.  Chavez  was  married  in  Mesilla  to  Miss  Louisa  Gonzales. 
Eight  children  were  born :  Manuel  R.,  Maria  A.,  Candelaria  N.,  Louisa 
R.,  Josefa  E.,  Adelina  F.,  Pomposa  N.  and  Demetrio  J.  Having  spent 
his  entire  life  in  the  Territory,  Mr.  Chavez  was  widely  known,  and  his 
recognized  ability  and  many  excellent  traits  of  character  won  him  business 
success,  political  prominence  and  the  warm  regard  of  many  friends. 

Manuel  R.  Chavez,  the  eldest  son,  now  owns  and  manages  the  mer- 
cantile business  established  by  his  father.  He  was  born  May  22,  1882, 
and  supplemented  his  early  education  by  study  in  St.  Michael's  College  at 
Santa  Fe  and  by  three  years'  study  in  the  Agricultural  College  at  Las 
Cruces.  His  education  completed,  he  became  associated  with  his  father 
in  business,  and  they  continued  together  until  the  father's  death,  since 
which  time  Manuel  R.  Chavez  has  been  proprietor  of  the  store,  which  is  a 
well  conducted  general  mercantile  establishment.  He  has  by  close  and 
earnest  attention  to  business  enlarged  the  trade  and  become  a  recognized 
factor  in  commercial  circles  in  Mesilla. 

Oscar  Lohman,  treasurer  of  Dofia  Ana  county,  who  also  owns  and 
operates  a  ranch,  came  to  Las  Cruces  in  1884.  He  is  a  native  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  and  at  the  usual  age  entered  the  public  schools  there, 
continuing  his  studies  until  he  had  completed  the  high  school  course. 
He  afterward  engaged  in  bookkeeping  in  a  wholesale  grocer)-  house,  where 
he  remained  until  coming  to  New  Mexico  in  1884.  For  two  years  there- 
after he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  Las 
Cruces,  and  1886  he  established  a  retail  grocery  business,  which  he  sold 
in  1892.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  Dona  Ana 
county  for  a  term  of  two  years,  and  was  continued  in  the  office  of  deputy 


t^wz/ioa    \pft<2<p&u> 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  575 

collector  by  various  reappointments  from  1894  until  1901.  In  the  mean- 
time, in  1895,  he  had  established  a  meat  market,  which  he  is  still  conduct- 
ing in  Las  Cruces.  In  1901  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  and  collector 
of  Doha  Ana  county,  and  his  capability  in  office  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  he  has  twice  been  re-elected  and  is  now  acting  in  that  capacity.  His 
political  allegiance  has  always  been  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  in 
1900  he  was  chosen  for  the  office  of  county  school  superintendent,  in  which 
position  he  served  for  two  years.  He  has  thus  continuously  been  in  office 
for  a  long  period,  and  over  the  record  of  his  official  career  there  falls  no 
shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil,  for  his  course  has  been  actuated  by 
fidelity  to  duty  and  by  faithfulness  in  the  discharge  of  every  task  devolving 
upon  him.  While  discharging  his  official  duties  he  has  at  the  same  time 
continued  an  active  factor  in  business  life,  and  is  engaged  in  the  raising 
of  cattle  and  goats,  having  a  ranch  in  the  Organ  mountains,  where  he  runs 
about  four  thousand  head  of  goats,  being  the  largest  raiser  of  goats  in 
this  part  of  the  Territory. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1889.  Mr.  Lohman  was  married  in  Las  Cruces 
to  Miss  Alice  B.  Cuniffe,  a  daughter  of  Henry  J.  Cuniffe.  one  of  the  old- 
time  settlers  of  the  Territory  and  American  consul  at  Juarez  during  the 
Maximilian  rule.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lohman  have  been  born  three  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Mr.  Lohman's  fraternal  connection  is  with  Aztec 
Lodge  No.  3,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Las  Cruces ;  Polma  Camp,  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  His  military  experi- 
ence consists  of  two  years'  service  as  captain  of  Company  A  of  the  First 
New  Mexico  Infantry  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard. 

Edward  Clemens  Wade,  an  attorney  practicing  at  Las  Cruces,  was 
born  in  South  Carolina,  but  was  reared  in  Georgia,  and  during  five  years  of 
his  youth  was  a  student  in  the  schools  of  England.  He  returned  to 
America  in  1872  and  secured  a  position  in  the  postoffice  department  in 
Washington.  He  afterward  read  law  and  was  graduated  from  the  National 
University  Law  School  in  1876,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year. 
On  the  1st  of  February,  1880.  he  made  his  way  to  Santa  Fe  on  the  first 
passenger  train  reaching  that  point,  and  for  a  year  practiced  in  that  city. 
He  was  also  collector  of  customs  in  1881-2,  and  in  1883  came  to  Las  Cruces. 
He  has,  however,  since  resided  on  the  Pacific  coast  for  a  few  years,  but 
has  remained  permanently  in  Las  Cruces  since  1898.  In  January,  1884,  he 
was  commissioned  district  attorney  of  Dona  Ana  county  for  two  years,  but 
the  term  was  extended  to  three  vears  by  a  change  in  the  law.  He  was  then 
removed  by  Governor  E.  G.  Ross  in  1885,  S.  M.  Ashenfelter  being  ap- 
pointed his  successor.  He  contested  the  right  of  the  governor  to  remove 
him,  however,  and  won  his  case,  but  Ashenfelter  appealed  and  the  case  was 
afterward  compromised.  The  term  expired  in  1887.  The  Republicans  had 
a  majority  in  the  legislature  and  took  the  power  of  appointment  from  the 
governor  and  conferred  it  on  the  council,  and  the  council  reappointed  Mr. 
Wade  in  1887.  He  then  served  for  seven  years,  save  for  the  brief  period 
of  a  year  and  a  half,  when  his  position  was  contested  by  Ashenfelter.  This 
brought  forth  a  decision  on  a  ooint  of  law  which  had  never  been  decided 
by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  concerning  the  power  of  the 
governor  to  remove  officers  appointed  bv  the  council.  This  case  attracted 
widespread  attention,  being  the  only  one  of  the  kind  on  the  legal  records 
of  the  countrv.     Mr.  Wade  in  his  practice  confines  his  attention  largely  to 


576  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  litigation  of  his  district.     In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  Republican. 

In  1886  Mr.  Wade  was  married  to  Hattie  B.  Wilson,  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  and  they  have  three  children :  Edward  C,  Wilson  and 
Marion. 

W.  B.  Murphy,  a  merchant  of  Las  Cruces,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Steubenville,  Ohio,  and  in  1876  went  to  Austin,  Texas,  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health.  Thence  he  went  to  Socorro,  New  Mexico,  in  1882,  and  soon 
afterward  went  to  Kingston,  being  there  at  the  time  of  the  great  strike  of 
that  year.  He  took  up  claims,  but  was  not  successful  in  his  mining  opera- 
tions, and  turned  his  attention  to  freighting  from  Kingston  to  Nutt  station. 
In  1884  he  went  to  Las  Cruces  and  leased  an  orchard  on  the  river  bottom. 
For  a  year  his  attention  was  devoted  to  horticultural  pursuits  and  his 
labors  resulted  successfully.  He  then  bought  land  adjoining  Agricultural 
College  and  endeavored  to  establish  a  vineyard.  On  selling  that  place  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  above  the  town  of  Las  Cruces.  where  he  engaged 
in  fruit  growing.  In  the  time  of  the  "boom"  started  by  the  Rio  Grande 
Land  Company,  about  1887,  when  Mesilla  Park  was  established,  he  sold 
out  to  the  company,  and  soon  afterward,  in  1888,  established  a  mercantile 
enterprise  in  Organ.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  interested  in  mining  in 
the  Organ  mountains.  He  continued  to  conduct  his  store  in  the  town 
until  i8q6.  when  he  returned  to  Las  Cruces,  where  he  established  a  general 
mercantile  business,  which  he  is  now  successfully  conducting.  He  keeps 
a  well  appointed  store  and  has  a  good  patronage,  and  his  business  methods 
are  characterized  by  system,  by  honest  dealings  and  unfaltering  enter- 
prise. He  is  likewise  interested  in  Las  Cruces  real  estate,  and  through 
judicious  investment  in  property  has  added  materially  to  his  income. 

During  a  part  of  his  residence  in  Organ,  Mr.  Murphy  served  as  post- 
master of  that  town,  and  for  one  term  has  been  county  commissioner  of 
Dona  Ana  county.  In  1876  he  became  a  member  of  Steuben  Lodge  No.  1, 
K.  of  P.,  but  is  not  now  affiliated  with  the  order.     His  wife  died  in  1897. 

William  Spencer  Gilliam,  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower  at  Mesilla  Park, 
has  made  his  home  in  New  Mexico  since  t888.  He  was  born  in  Arkansas 
in  1850,  a  son  of  William  T.  Gilliam,  who  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  and 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  died  in  1864.  He  was  a  strong  Union 
man.  His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Spencer,  was  a 
native  of  North  Carolina. 

William  Spencer  Gilliam  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming, 
spending  his  youth  largely  in  Arkansas.  In  1888  he  came  to  New  Mexico 
and  homesteaded  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  at  Berino,  and  fur- 
ther added  to  his  property  until  he  had  a  total  of  209.5  acres.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1899.  he  came  to  Mesilla  Park,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1905 
he  started  a  fruit  orchard,  making  a  specialty  of  peaches  and  small  fruits, 
which  are  especially  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate,  and  his  orchards  give 
every  evidence  of  healthful  growth  and  a  promise  of  good  crops  for  the 
future. 

In  1878  Mr.  Gilliam  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  Davis,  a  native  of 
Texas,  who  died  in  1890,  leaving  three  children :  Rexie  E.  and  Carmen, 
who  are  attending  the  Agricultural  College,  and  Rodney,  who  is  a  student 
in  Las  Cruces.  Since  losing  his  first  wife  Mr.  Gilliam  has  married  Jose- 
phine Newton,  a  native  of  Texas. 

Isidore    Armijo,    clerk   of   the    probate    court   and    a    resident    of   Las 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  577 

Cruces,  was  born  February  15,  1871,  in  the  city  where  he  yet  resides,  and 
after  attending  the  public  schools  of  Las  Cruces,  continued  his  education 
in  the  Agricultural  College.  He  conducted  a  store  in  Las  Cruces  for  three 
or  four  years,  and  has  since  been  in  public  office,  first  acting  as  official 
interpreter  in  the  third  district  under  Judge  Parker  for  several  years,  the 
district  then  comprising  Dona  Ana,  Grant  and  Sierra  counties.  He  re- 
signed to  become  a  candidate  for  probate  clerk  in  1900,  was  elected  in 
that  year,  again  in  1902,  at  which  time  he  had  no  opposition,  and  for  a 
third  term  in  1904.  He  is  a  strong  and  stalwart  supporter  of  Republican 
principles,  but  not  a  machine  man,  and  is  strenuously  opposed  to  misrule 
in  public  office.  He  served  for  three  years  as  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  or  until  October,  1905,  and  was  the  first  man  to  propose  the  erection 
of  the  new  school  house  in  Las  Cruces,  being  still  a  member  of  the  board 
when  the  building  was  completed  in  the  summer  of  1905. 

Mr.  Armijo  was  married,  January  18,  1901,  to  Miss  Jennie  Archibald, 
a  native  of  Trinidad,  Colorado,  and  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Anna 
(Wheaton)  Archibald.  Their  only  child  is  Ernestina,  two  years  old,  the 
pride  of  parents  and  town. 

Mr.  Armijo  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Spanish-American  war  with 
the  Rough  Riders,  under  Major  W.  H.  H.  Llewellyn,  but  the  company 
was  not  accepted.  He  has  served,  however,  with  the  national  guard,  has 
been  quartermaster  sergeant  of  the  regiment,  and  a  member  of  the  thirrT 
battalion  staff  of  the  First  Regiment  Infantry.  He  was  commissioned 
December  5,  1899,  and  served  for  two  years.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  the  Red  Men  and  with  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood. 

W.  N.  Hager,  who  is  engaged  in  real  estate  and  ranching  operations, 
making  his  home  at  Mesilla  Park,  was  born  in  Shelbyville,  Illinois,  in 
1859,  and  when  but  twelve  years  of  age  went  to  Kansas.  While  in  that 
state  he  learned  telegraphy,  and  in  1881  he  came  to  New  Mexico,  settling 
at  Albuquerque  as  operator  for  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road.  He  spent  two  years  in  that  city,  after  which  he  went  upon  the  road, 
being  employed  in  different  capacities  until  1S90,  when  he  became  station 
agent  for  the  railroad  company  at  Mesilla  Park,  filling  the  position  ac- 
ceptably for  twelve  years,  his  courtesy  and  consideration  making  him  a 
popular  official,  while  his  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  corporation  was 
never  called  into  question.  With  the  money  saved  from  his  earnings  he 
embarked  in  ranching  and  also  in  buying  and  selling  hay.  He  is  likewise 
engaged  in  real  estate  dealing  as  agent  for  the  Rio  Grande  Land  Com- 
pany, and  as  its  representative  has  erected  a  number  of  houses,  which 
have  contributed  to  the  improvement  and  progress  of  this  part  of  the  state. 

Mr.  Hager  was  married  in  1893  to  Mrs.  Tucker  and  has  a  son  and  a 
daughter.  He  is  now  associated  with  two  important  business  interests 
having  direct  bearing  upon  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of  the  Territory, 
and  at  the  same  time  they  are  proving  a  very  desirable  source  of  income 
to  him. 

John  Baumgarten,  proprietor  of  a  grocery  and  bakery  at  Las  Cruces, 
was  born  in  Lorraine,  Germany,  and  acquired  his  education  in  his  native 
land.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1873  to  avoid  service  in  the  German 
army,  and  for  three  years  was  employed  in  different  ways  in  the  east.  He 
then  enlisted  for  service  in  the  United  States  army  in  1876,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  B,  Eighth  United  States  Cavalry,  with  which  he  was 


578  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

connected  for  five  years.  He  did  service  in  Texas,  being  engaged  in 
scouting  duty  and  in  keeping  down  the  Indians  until  discharged  in  1881, 
when  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  He  made  his  way  to  the  Territory  from  San 
Antonio.  Texas,  proceeding  up  the  Rio  Grande  valley  to  El  Paso,  where 
the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  was  in  course  of  construction.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  a  friend  who  had  also  just  been  discharged  from  the  army. 
They  did  not  like  El  Paso,  however,  and  came  on  to  Las  Cruces,  where  they 
had  been  on  scouting  duty  while  in  the  army.  They  continued  on  to  Santa 
Fe,  where  they  sold  their  outfit.  Mr.  Baumgarten  then  proceeded  to  the  San 
Pedro  mining  camp  and  secured  employment  in  a  large  hotel.  He  was 
afterward  employed  in  a  smelter  until  disaster  overtook  the  camp,  after 
which  he  returned  to  Santa  Fe  and  worked  in  a  bakery.  He  later  went  to 
Socorro,  New  Mexico,  where  he  was  employed  for  one  month  in  a  smelter, 
and  in  1884  came  to  Las  Cruces,  where  he  worked  for  a  short  time  in  a 
hotel.  He  then  established  a  restaurant,  which  he  conducted  for  two  and 
a  half  years.  On  selling  out  he  turned  his  attention  to  ranching,  but  this 
venture  proved  unprofitable  and  he  lost  all  that  he  had.  After  about  a 
year  and  a  half  he  returned  to  Las  Cruces,  where  he  again  opened  a  res- 
taurant, which  he  conducted  for  a  year  and  a  half.  Later  he  returned  to 
ranching  and  devoted  four  and  a  half  years  to  the  dairy  business,  but  in 
1891  again  came  to  Las  Cruces,  where  he  established  the  bakery  and 
grocery  which  he  now  conducts  and  manages.  He  has  prospered  since 
embarking  in  this  line  of  trade,  and  has  a  well-equipped  establishment. 

Mr.  Baumgarten  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He 
was  married  in  Santa  Fe  to  Miss  Anne  Klauer  and  they  are  well  known 
in  Las  Cruces  and  this  part  of  New  Mexico,  where  Mr.  Baumgarten  has 
lived  for  almost  a  quarter  of  century,  thus  being  one  of  the  pioneers. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SAX    MIGUEL   COUNTY. 

In  area  San  Miguel  county  is  the  largest  in  New  Mexico,  embrac- 
ing within  its  borders  nearly  5,400,000  acres.  In  population  it  is  second 
to  Bernalillo,  affording  homes  to  some  25,000  people.  The  taxable  valua- 
tion of  its  property  is  more  than  $4,500,000,  and  its  inhabitants  are  noted 
for  their  progressiveness. 

San  Miguel  county  is  richly  endowed  by  nature,  whether  considered 
from  the  standpoints  of  material  riches  or  magnificent  scenery.  Its  for- 
ests are  yet  extensive,  and  its  mines  have  scarcely  begun  to  be  developed. 
It  is  a  county  of  mountain  peaks,  fruitful  valleys  and  wide  plains.  It  has 
rivers  and  lakes  by  the  score,  and  its  canyons  are  majestic.  Its  verdant 
plains  sweep  for  unbroken  miles  to  the  eastward,  covered  with  thousands 
of  sheep  and  cattle.  At  the  present  time  the  people  of  the  county  are 
compelled  to  import  much  grain,  hay,  vegetables  and  other  food  and  forage. 
It  is  said  that  the  entire  cultivated  area  of  the  county  does  not  exceed 
3,000  acres. 

An  interesting  and  important  territorial  feature  of  the  county  is  the 
Pecos  River  Timber  Reservation,  set  apart  by  President  Harrison  to  pre- 
serve the  forests  and  prevent  a  diminution  in  the  water  supply  of  that 
stream.  It  comprises  about  702  square  miles,  and,  while  portions  of  the 
reservation  are  in  Santa  F'e,  Mora,  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba  counties,  as  the 
Pecos  valley  is  in  San  Miguel,  the  tract  is  usually  considered  an  institu- 
tion of  this  county.  The  region  is  rugged  and  mountainous,  and  in  San 
Miguel  innumerable  small  streams  form  the  headwaters  of  the  Pecos 
river,  which  cuts  the  reservation  about  midway  between  Las  Vegas  and 
Santa  Fe. 

San  Miguel  countv  has  heretofore  figured  as  pre-eminently  a  stock- 
raising  district,  but  its  agricultural  future  is  bright.  From  the  high  water- 
shed, well  to  the  center  of  the  county,  the  abundant  rains  and  heavy  snows 
find  their  way  to  the  Rio  Grande  and  to  the  Mississippi,  the  Canadian,  the 
Pecos,  the  Gallinas,  the  Sapello  and  the  Tecolote  rivers,  while  numerous 
small  streams  flow  through  the  woodlands  and  the  valleys  and  out  upon 
the  bosom  of  the  broad  plains,  and  wherever  their  courses  lie  crops  of 
grain,  hav  and  vegetables  are  plentifully  and  naturallv  raised. 

On  the  grounds  of  the  Territorial  Hospital  for  the  Insane  has  been 
recently  found  what  appears  to  be  artesian  water.  On  a  hill  a  hundred  feet 
above  the  valley  a  well  was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  500  feet  and  water  gushed 
to  within  twenty-five  feet  of  the  surface  in  a  strong  volume,  running  at 
the  rate  of  2.400  gallons  per  hour.  As  the  constant  volume  of  water  cannot 
be  accounted  for  by  surface  streams,  it  is  believed  that  the  entire  valley 
is  underlaid  with  an  artesian  flow,  and  that  if  the  wells  are  sunk  on  the 
lower  levels  the  water  will  rise  above  the  surface.     Should  this  prove  to 


5^u  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

be  the  case,  it  would  be  the  source  of  great  agricultural  development  for  a 
large  district  of  the  county. 

Like  all  districts  of  the  country  which  are  the  resorts  of  lovers  of  the 
picturesque  and  seekers  for  health,  San  Miguel  county  is  especially  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment  of  good  roads,  and  Las  Vegas  has  the  honor  of 
entertaining  the  first  convention  ever  held  in  New  Mexico  in  their  in- 
terest. It  was  held  at  the  Duncan  Opera  House  on  the  26th  and  27th  of 
September,  1905.  The  convention  was  formally  opened  by  Governor 
Miguel  A.  Otero,  and  the  utmost  enthusiasm  prevailed  throughout  its 
deliberations. 

Original  Boundaries  of  the  County. — San  Miguel  was  one  of  the  nine 
counties  formed  by  enactment  of  the  Territorial  Legislature,  January  9, 
1852,  and  its  boundaries  were  described  as  follows :  On  the  east,  the  bound- 
ary line  of  the  Territory ;  on  the  west,  the  boundaries  of  Santa  Fe ;  on  the 
north,  the  boundaries  of  the  counties  of  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba ;  and  on  the 
south,  drawing  a  line  from  Cibolo  Spring  toward  the  north  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Berrendo  Spring,  thence  drawing  a  perpendicular  line  toward 
the  east,  crossing  the  Pecos  river  and  continuing  until  it  reaches  the  bounda- 
ries of  the  Territory. 

COUNTY  OFFICERS. 

Following  is  as  complete  a  list  of  San  Miguel  county  officials  as  can  be 
obtained  from  existing  records  : 

Probate  Judges. — 1863,  Severo  Baca:  1864-5.  Miguel  Romero  y  Baca:  1868-71, 
Trinidad  Romero ;  1872-3,  Desiderio  Romero :  1874,  Lorenzo  Lopez ;  1875-6,  Severo 
Baca;  1877-9,  Simon  G.  Baca;  1880,  Carlos  Blanchard ;  1881-2.  Lorenzo  Lopez; 
1883-4,  Tomas  C.  de  Baca ;  1885-6.  Severo  Baca,  1887-8,  Jose  Rafael  Lucero ;  1889-90, 
Manuel  C.  de  Baca;  1891-2,  Dionicio  Martinez;  1893-4,  Juan  J.  Herrara;  1895-6, 
Gregorio  Varela ;  1897-8,  Antonio  Varela;  1899-1900,  Pedro  Marqttez ;  1901-4,  Jose 
E.  Ramirez ;  1005-6,  Jose  Gregorio  Alarcon. 

Probate  Clerks.— 1863,  Antonio  Nieto ;  1864-5,  V.  Vasquez ;  1866.  Jose  L  Ri- 
vera; 1867,  Demetrio  Perez;  1872.  B.  Jesus  Marquez ;  1873-4,  Roman  Lopez;  1875-6, 
Mariano  Montoya;  1877-8,  Jose  Felipe  Baca;  1879-80,  Jesus  Maria  Tafoya ;  1881-2, 
Jose  Felipe  Baca:  1883-5,  Jesus  Maria  Tafoya:  1889-00,  Miguel  A.  Otero;  1891-2, 
R.  F.  Hardy;  1893-4,  Charles  F.  Rudulph :  1895-8,  Patricio  Gonzales;  1899-1904, 
Gregorio  Varela :   1905-6.  Manuel  A.   Sanchez. 

Sheriffs. — 1863,  Desiderio  Romero;  1864-5  (records  missing);  1866-7,  Victorino 
Baca;  1868-71,  Juan  Romero:  1872,  P.  Leon  Pinard ;  1873-4,  Lorenzo  Labadie; 
1875-8.  Benigno  Jaramillo ;  1S78,  Jesus  Froncoso ;  1879.  Benigno  Jaramillo ;  1880 
Desiderio  Romero;  1881-2.  Hilario  Romero;  1887-8.  Eugenio  Romero;  1889-90,  Lo- 
renzo Lopez;  1S91-2.  Jose  L.  Lopez;  1893-4,  Lorenzo  Lopez;  1895-8,  Hilario  Ro- 
mero:  1899-1900.   Tose  Gabriel  Montano;    1901-6.  Cleofes  Romero. 

Assessors.— 1883-4,  Jesus  M.  Tafoya :  1885-6  (records  missing)  ;  1887-8,  Jesus 
M.  Gallegos:  1880-00.  Eugenio  Romero;  1891-2,  N.  Segura ;  1893-4.  John  Pace; 
1895-6.  Jose  Gabriel  Montano;  1897-8,  Adelaido  Gonzales;  1899-1902,  Jose  Felix 
Esquibel :    1003-4,   Francisco   Chaves;    1905-6,   Epitacio   Ouintana. 

Treasurers.— 1887-90,  Antonio  Varela:  1801-4,  Jesus  M.  Tafoya;  1895-98,  Henry 
Goke :   1899-1000,  Margarito  Romero;   1901-6,  Eugenio  Romero. 

Cnuntv  Commissioners— 1881-2,  Dometrio  Perez  (chairman).  Aniceto  Salazar, 
Juan  E.  Sena;  1S83-4.  Leandro  Sanchez  (chairman),  Jose  Ignacio  Esquibel,  Pascual 
Baca;  1885-6.  George  Chaves  (chairman),  Andreas  Sena,  Jose  Aragon ;  1S87-8, 
Charles  Bfanchard  (chairman),  Francisco  A.  Manzanares.  Jose  Sanchez;  1880-00, 
Stephen  E.  Booth  (chairman).  Placido  Sandoval,  Jose  L.  Rivera;  1891-2.  John 
Shank  (chairman).  Jose  Montoya.  Antonio  Solano;  1893-4,  Aniceto  C  Abeytia 
(chairman),  Leandro  Lucero.  Thomas  W.  Hayward :  1895-6.  Francisco  C.  de  Baca 
(chairman),  Dionicio  Martinez,  Gregorio  Flores ;  1897-8.  Henry  G.  Coors  (chair- 
man),   Catarino   Romero,    Petronilo   Lucero;    1899-1900,    William    Frank    (chairman), 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  581 

Epitacio  Ouintana.  A.  T.  Rogers:  1901-2.  Roman  Gallegos  (chairman),  Jose  Felix 
Esquebel,  A.  T.  Rogers;  1905-6,  Robert  C.  Rankin  (chairman),  Benigno  Martinez, 
Roman  Gallegos. 


Las  Vegas,  the  comity  seat  of  San  Miguel  county,  is  a  place  of  about 
9,000  people,  being  the  second  in  population  within  the  Territory.  It  is 
situated  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  finest  sheep  countries  in  the  world,  and  is 
the  largest  wool  market  in  New  Mexico,  besides  being  an  important  whole- 
sale point.  Las  Vegas  is  also  the  division  headquarters  of  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  railroad  system,  and  is  the  location  for  extensive  shops. 

Las  Vegas  is  thoroughly  lighted  by  electricity  and  has  an  abundant 
supply  of  pure  mountain  water.  It  has  three  parks,  including  the  Plaza 
of  West  Las  Vegas,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  public  grounds  in  the  Terri- 
tory ;  good  streets  and  many  miles  of  cement  sidewalks.  It  has  churches 
of  every  denomination,  fine  schools,  and  is  the  seat  of  the  New  Mexico 
Normal  University,  the  only  institution  of  its  kind  between  Lawrence, 
Kansas,  on  the  east,  Colorado  Springs  on  the  north  and  Los  Angeles  on 
the  west.  There  are  several  good  hotels,  including  the  famous  Casteneda; 
a  large  race  course  at  the  beautiful  Gallinas  Park,  and  a  number  of  large 
business  houses  and  small  mills  and  factories.  It  publishes  one  daily,  six 
weekly  and  two  monthly  papers,  and  is  the  center  of  one  of  the  most  famous 
health-resort  districts  in  the  world.  Six  miles  from  Las  Vegas  is  the  new 
National  Fraternal  Sanitarium,  designed  to  accommodate  5,000  or  6,000 
tuberculosis  patients,  either  indoors  or  without,  and  having  as  its  center — 
the  home  of  the  fraternalists.  as  it  is  called — the  stately  Montezuma  Ho- 
tel. A  short  distance  from  Las  Vegas  is  also  the  New  Mexico  Hospital 
for  the  Insane. 

It  is  impossible  to  speak  of  Las  Vegas  as  a  city  or  a  town.  It  is  di- 
vided into  three  parts — one  portion  incorporated  as  a  city,  the  western  sec- 
tion (across  the  Rio  Gallinas)  incorporated  as  a  town,  and  Upper  Las 
Vegas,  unincorporated. 

History  of  Las  Vegas. — The  old  town  of  Las  Vegas  was  first  settled 
by  the  Mexican  inhabitants  some  time  prior  to  1835.  It  was  named  for 
the  meadows  lying  along  the  Gallinas  river,  on  which  it  is  located,  the  words 
Las  Vegas,  translated  from  the  Spanish,  meaning  "the  meadows."  The 
first  settlers  were  colonists. 

On  March  20,  1835,  Juan  de  Dios  Maes,  Manuel  Duran,  Miguel  Archu- 
leta and  Jose  Antonio  Casaus  petitioned  the  Mexican  authorities  for  a  grant 
of  land  to  the  new  town,  consisting  of  400,000  acres,  as  a  basis  for  the 
settlement.  The  petition  was  granted  and  this  munificent  land  grant,  in 
the  center  of  which  stands  Las  Veeas,  is  community  property,  in  which 
every  taxpayer  has  an  interest.  The  land  will  eventually  make  the 
place  wealthy,  but  at  present  the  principal  revenue  is  derived  from  the 
sale  of  timber. 

The  following  is  a  late  and  interesting  account  of  the  condition  of  this 
unique  land  grant,*  whose  value  will  be  immeasurably  increased  by  the  de- 
velopment of  the  irrigation  plans  now  well  under  way:  "The  grant  ex- 
tends  in  all   directions.     About   2,500  acres   are   under  irrigation   and   are 


*1he  full  history  of  the  grant  is  given  in  Volume  I. 


'582  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

cultivated  by  squatters.  About  one-half  is  covered  with  timber,  which  is 
being  cut  under  contract ;  the  rest  is  range,  common  to  all,  upon  which 
any  one  can  pasture  cattle  or  sheep  under  certain  regulations.  Shortly  after 
the  grant  was  made,  certain  tracts  were  allotted  to  various  citizens,  whose 
descendants  are  still  occupying  them  and  claim  ownership.  These  were 
called  'allotments,'  and  it  is  probable  that  the  claims  will  be  recognized. 
The  descendants  of  these  original  settlers,  about  sixty  in  number,  laid  claim 
to  the  entire  property  In  order  to  determine  their  rights  the  case  was 
put  through  two  courts,  both  of  which  decided  in  favor  of  the  corporation. 
In  other  words,  the  courts  held  that,  under  the  terms  of  the  grant,  the  land 
belonged  to  the  community  in  common,  not  only  to  those  who  happened  to 
be  here  at  the  time,  but  to  all  who  have  come  since  or  may  come  here- 
after. Under  this  decision  the  court  appointed  a  board  of  trustees,  with 
authority  to  sell  land  and  convey  titles,  and  to  straighten  out  the  tangle. 
The  descendants  of  those  to  whom  the  allotments  were  made  have  had 
their,  titles  confirmed.  The  remainder  of  the  grant  is  being  surveyed  and 
platted  and  will  be  held  for  the  benefit  of  the  community  until  disposed  of. 
The  proceeds  of  all  sales  are  paid  into  the  public  treasury.  Ten  thousand 
acres  were  recently  presented  to  the  National  Association  of  Fraternities 
for  the  use  of  the  sanitarium  mentioned.  The  remainder  of  the  land  will 
be  leased  for  use  as  a  common  grazing  ground  under  proper  regulations." 

In  the  early  days  Las  Vegas  was  a  quasi-military  fort,  the  reports  of 
the  prefects  showing  that  arrangements  were  made  by  which  each  adult 
male  inhabitant  was  to  be  provided  with  arms,  and  all  were  to  be  inspected  . 
everv  eight  days  by  a  lieutenant  of  police.  The  inhabitants  were  con- 
stantly annoyed  by  bands  of  Indians,  and  the  records  show  that  in  1836 
Santiago  Montoya  invited  Don  Miguel  Romero  y  Baca,  who  was  on  a 
visit  to  Las  Vegas  from  Santa  Fe.  to  take  part  in  a  short  expedition  against 
some  Navajo  Indians  who  had  stolen  his  sheep  and  were  holding  captive 
two  of  his  nephews.  The  Romero  family  subsequently  became  identified 
with  the  growing  town  of  Las  Vegas,  members  of  it  attaining  great  promi- 
nence in  its  commercial  and  political  affairs. 

Soon  after  the  American  occupation  of  Santa  Fe,  American  citizens 
began  visiting  Las  Vegas  for  purposes  of  trade,  some  of  them  remaining 
and  establishing  themselves  in  business.  Among  the  earliest  of  these  set- 
tlers from  "the  States"  were  Henry  Connelly,  afterward  governor  of  the 
Territory;  E.  F.  Mitchell,  John  Kitchen  and  his  three  brothers,  Charles, 
Richard  and  James;  Alexander  Hatch.  James  Broadwell,  John  and  An- 
dres Dold,  Frank  O.  Kihlberg.  Dr.  J.  M.  Whitlock  and  George  W. 
Merritt. 

Henrv  Connelly  and  E.  F.  Mitchell  entered  into  partnership  for  gen- 
eral merchandising  some  time  prior  to  1850.  They  occupied  the  building 
known  as  Buffalo  Hall  until  about  1855. 

John  Kitchen  was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  came  in  the  late  '40s.  He 
developed  a  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Gallinas,  and  soon  after  his  arrival 
his  three  brothers  became  settlers.  Charles  Kitchen  purchased  Buffalo  Hall 
of  Connellv  &  Mitchell  and  converted  the  building  into  a  hotel,  saloon  and 
amusement  hall.  Richard  Kitchen  was  engaged  in  the  stock  business. 
James  Kitchen  established  a  general  store  at  Tecolote. 

James  Broadwell,  who  first  came  to  the  Territory  as  a  soldier  in  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  5S3 

army  of  occupation,  afterward  engaged  in  freighting  over  the  Santa  Fe 
trail,  and  still  later  erected  the  hotel  in  Denver  which  bore  his  name. 

John  and  Andres  Dold,  brothers,  had  a  general  merchandise  establish- 
ment on  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza.  Dr.  J.  M.  Whitlock  was  the  first  physi- 
cian to  practice  in  Las  Vegas.  Dr.  Whitlock.  James  Broadwell  and  John 
Sease  erected  a  sawmill  at  the  Hot  Springs  in  1849 — the  first  establishment 
of  its  kind  in  that  part  of  the  Territory. 

Alexander  Hatch  was  also  an  earlv  settler.  Dr.  Stephen  Boyce,  a 
Canadian  by  birth,  engaged  in  practice  at  Las  Vegas  about  1850.  but  soon 
embarked  in  trade  and  abandoned  his  profession.  He  married  Mrs.  Helen 
Hatch  Streeter,  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Hatch.  After  his  death  she 
married  D.  W.  McCormick,  a  well  known  pioneer  of  Trinidad,  Colorado. 
Mr.  Hatch  came  from  Xew  Vork  State  about  1849,  and  f°r  several  years 
had  a  farm  at  Chaperito,  about  thirty  miles  south  of  Las  Vegas.  One  of 
his  daughters  married  E.  F.  Mitchell,  and  another  a  Mr.  McClure,  who 
was  connected  with  the  quartermaster's  department  of  Kearny's  army. 

Frank  O.  Kihlberg,  the  only  one  of  these  pioneers  who  still  resides  in 
Cas  Vegas,  was  engaged  in  business  as  a  general  merchant  and  distiller, 
having  as  a  partner  George  W.  Merritt. 

Mr.  Kihlberg  was  born  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  November  31,  1831,  his 
parents  being  Peter  and  Louise  Kihlberg,  the  former  a  native  of  Sweden 
and  the  latter  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany.  In  his  childhood  days  Frank  O. 
Kihlberg  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Venezuela  and  was  educated  in  the 
Spanish  college  at  Caracas.  The  father  was  engaged  there  in  the  manu- 
facture of  handsome  and  costly  furniture,  all  of  which  was  made  by  hand. 
Having  completed  his  education,  Frank  O.  Kihlberg  spent  nearly  two 
years  as  a  clerk  for  Frederick  Cordes  &  Company,  a  Hamburg  (Germany) 
firm,  doing  business  in  Caracas.  The  revolution  of  1848,  however,  caused 
his  mother  to  leave  Venezuela  for  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  the  father  died 
soon  afterward.  Because  of  these  events  Mr.  Kihlberg  went  to  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  in  May,  1849,  and  thence  to  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  accomplishing 
the  greater  part  of  the  overland  journey  by  stage.  He  continued  in  St. 
Louis  until  July,  1852.  when  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising and  overland  freighting  as  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  identify- 
ing his  interests  with  the  new  west,  where  the  settlers  were  very  widely 
scattered,  there  being  few  evidences  of  improvement  or  civilization  or  indi- 
cation that  rapid  progress  would  soon  be  made.  From  January,  1853,  until 
the  spring  of  1855  he  acted  as  a  clerk  for  Connelly  &  Mitchell  at  Las  Vegas, 
and  in  the  latter  year  became  a  partner  of  George  W.  Merritt  in  the  con- 
duct of  a  general  mercantile  store  in  that  city.  He  continued  in  business 
until  1869  and  in  the  meantime  made  many  trips  to  Kansas  City  for 
freight.  In  the  '60s  he  had  a  train  of  thirty  large  freight  wagons,  carrv- 
ing  from  six  to  seven  thousand  pounds,  and  freighted  extensively  for 
others  as  well  as  for  himself.  The  long  trips  across  the  plains  were  fraught 
with  hardships  and  dangers,  and  he  had  many  encounters  with  the  In- 
dians. During  that  period  he  used  cattle  trains  entirely,  having  six  or 
seven  yoke  of  oxen  in  a  train.  In  the  year  1869  he  went  to  Kansas  Citv 
to  fill  a  contract  for  transporting  military  stores  for  the  government  from 
Fort  Harker.  Kansas,  to  Camp  Supply  and  Fort  Sill,  and  also  from  Fort 
Kit  Carson.  Colorado,  to  New  Mexico,  and  to  military  posts  in  Colorado. 
He  was  thus  engaged  for  two  years. 


5S4  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

After  the  contract  had  been  completed,  Mr.  Kihlberg  established  a 
forwarding  and  commission  house  at  West  Las  Animas.  Colorado,  for- 
warding to  New  Mexico  points  from  1874  until  1876.  During  this  time 
he  made  frequent  trips  to  Las  Vegas,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  returned 
to  the  citv  and  entered  the  real  estate  and  live  stock  business.  He  has 
done  much  surveying  in  this  vicinity,  especially  in  Las  Vegas,  and  has 
intimate  knowledge  of  property  interests  in  the  city  and  surrounding 
districts. 

Mr.  Kihlberg  was  married,  in  1858,  to  Lena  G.  Hoffelmann  in 
Natchez,  Mississippi.  They  had  one  son,  Alfred  E.,  who  was  educated  at 
the  Kemper  school,  Booneville,  Missouri,  and  died  in  St.  Louis,  March  25. 
1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 

With  the  interests  of  Las  Vegas  Mr.  Kihlberg  has  been  identified  from 
the  period  of  its  early  development  down  to  the  present,  and  has  watched 
with  interest  its  growth  since  it  was  a  pioneer  settlement.  Today  it  has 
all  of  the  conveniences,  advantages  and  accessories  of  a  modern  civiliza- 
tion, and  Mr.  Kihlberg  has  always  stood  for  improvement  here.  In  1881 
he  began  building  a  park  in  the  plaza  at  Las  Vegas.  An  attempt  had 
previously  been  made  to  build  a  court.  He  met  with  radical  opposition, 
but  continued  the  work  on  his  own  responsibility,  and  as  time  has  passed 
by  he  has  received  the  indorsement  of  all  public-spirited  citizens  on  account 
of  his  excellent  work  in  this  direction.  One  of  his  pleasant  recollections 
of  a  long  and  useful  life  full  of  dramatic  incidents  and  stirring  events  is 
of  a  great  buffalo  hunt  in  1872,  which  was  planned  for  the  amusement  of 
the  Russian  grand  duke,  Alexis.  This  occurred  near  Kit  Carson,  Colo- 
rado, and  was  participated  in  by  Mr.  Kihlberg,  General  Phil  Sheridan, 
Colonel  William  F.  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill),  General  McCook  and  other 
famous  plainsmen  and  hunters. 

Las  Vegas  was  a  place  of  slow  growth  as  long  as  the  old-school 
Mexican  element  predominated,  and  by  1870,  even,  the  plaza  was  entirely 
unimproved.  In  that  year  Americans  commenced  to  locate  in  business 
in  that  vicinity,  and  the  entire  population  seemed  to  be  inoculated  with 
the  spirit  of  enterprise.  Then  all  the  buildings  but  one  on  the  plaza  were 
adobe  (the  roofs  generally  of  the  same  material),  and  the  only  two-story 
structure  in  the  place  was  Havs'  store  (stone).  The  adobe  court  house, 
which  stood  back  of  Iifeld's  store,  is  now  used  by  C.  Ilfeld  as  a  ware- 
house. In  1870  the  river  covered  most  of  the  present  line  of  Bridge 
street,  and  what  was  not  under  water  was  quite  unimproved. 

If  a  directory  of  that  period  had  been  in  existence  it  would  have 
shown  the  following  residents  and  facts:  Judge  Hubbell.  Major  Breeden 
(brother  of  Colonel  William  Breeden),  and  Max  Frost,  attorneys;  Major 
Havs,  Emil  Wesche,  Rosenwald  Brothers  (Joseph  and  Emanuel),  Dr.  F. 
Knauer.  Charles  Blanchard.  Letcher  (Otto)  &  Ilfeld  (Charles),  Chapman 
&  Dold,  Geof  &  Desmerais,  Brunswick  &  Romero  (Trinidad),  and  Fr. 
Gerselachovsky.  general  merchants — the  last  named  being  a  priest  who 
had  resigned  his  charge  for  a  business  career;  Charles  Kitchen,  Exchange 
Hotel  (site  of  Barber's  saloon)  ;  Pendaries'  Hotel  (site  of  Plaza  Hotel)  : 
Wagner's  Hotel  (site  of  old  First  National  Bank)  ;  a  dancing  hall  on  the 
east  side. 

An  issue  of  the  Las  Vegas  Optic  of  November  5,  1879,  indicates  de- 
cided growth.     Among  the  attorneys  were  Judge   Palen,  Senator  Stephen 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  58& 

B.  Elkins,  Thomas  B.  Catron,  Colonel  William  Breeden,  Conway, 

Frank  Springer,  O.  P.  Lydon  (Old  Town),  and  D.  P.  Shield;  physician 
and  surgeon,  A.  G.  Lane ;  notaries  public,  C.  R.  Browning,  H.  L.  Trisler, 
Russell  Bayly,  J.  Severson,  C.  R.  Browning  (also  real  estate),  and  H.  L. 
Trisler  (also  conveyancer).  Locke  &  Brooks  were  proprietors  of  a  health 
office  in  East  Las  Vegas,  and  made  this  startling  claim :  "All  diseases  in- 
cident to  mankind  cured  on  short  notice."  The  following  were  other 
lines  represented  in  the  columns  of  the  paper,  which  obviously  covered 
the  bulk  of  the  business  houses  in  Las  Vegas.  Unless  otherwise  specified, 
they  were  located  in  East  Las  Vegas:  F.  C.  Martsolf,  contractor;  Miguel 
D.  Marcus.  "The  Boss  Cigar  Store" ;  G.  H.  Moore,  "conductor"  of  Rail- 
road Commissary  Department ;  Kate  Nelson,  restaurant ;  John  J.  Connor, 
boots  and  shoes;  Rupe  &  Castle,  builders'  hardware:  Mills  &  Beecher, 
insurance  agents ;  Browne  &  Inanzanares,  wholesale  grocers,  forwarding 
and  commission  merchants;  Denver  Restaurant  (Old  Town),  H.  H.  Bell, 
proprietor;  O.  L.  Houghton,  hardware;  Erank  Chapman,  general  mer- 
chandise (Old  Town),  C.  E.  Wescbe,  dry  goods  and  groceries  (Old 
Town);  Otero,  Sellar  &  Co.,  commission  merchants;  N.  L.  Rosenthal, 
general  merchandise ;  William  Steele,  Jr..  real  estate ;  Philip  Halzman. 
general  merchandise;  Robinson  House  (opposite  depot),  J.  C.  Robinson, 
proprietor;  F.  E.  Herbert  &  Co..  druggists  (East  and  West  Las  Vegas); 
"Cheap  John  Restaurant";  Santa  Fe  Bakerv,  Quissenberry  &  Willis,  pro- 
prietors ;  St.  Louis  House,  B.  Ladner,  proprietor ;  Chicago  Boot  and  Shoe 
House ;  George  McKay,  Pan  Handle  Restaurant ;  Variety  Hall.  Chase  & 
Patterson,  proprietors;  R.  C.  Richmond,  watchmaker;  C.  W.  Mack,  boots 
and  shoes :  R.  G.  McDonald,  liquors ;  Lockhart  &  Co.,  contractors  and 
builders ;  E.  G.  Arment,  meat  market ;  E.  Munsch,  painter ;  Jaffa  Broth- 
ers, general  merchandise ;  Monarch  Hall,  Ward  &  Tamme,  proprietors ; 
W.  G.  Ward,  contractor  and  builder;  H.  G.  Neill,  justice  of  the  peace. 

The  late  seventies  may  be  said  to  have  closed  the  pioneer  period  of 
Las  Vegas,  and  at  a  banquet  given  by  the  settlers  of  '79,  in  February, 
1902,  a  striking  list  of  departed  pioneers  was  presented  to  the  guests. 
Only  the  "old-timers"  recognized  the  names  of  the  deceased :  Caribou 
Brown,  French  Pete,  Billie  the  Kid,  Dutch  Charlie.  Dirtv-f&ce  Mike, 
Hoodoo  Brown,  Red  Laughlin,  Scar-faced  Charlie,  Pawnee  Bill.  Kickapoo 
George.  Jack-Knife  Jack,  Off  Wheeler,  Sawdust  Charlie,  Johnnie  Behind 
the  Rocks,  Fly-speck  Sam,  Beefsteak  Mike,  Mysterious  Dave,  Hatchet- 
face  Kid,  Broncho  Bill,  Solitaire,  Texas  George,  Durango  Kid.  Jim  Lane, 
Pancake  Billy,  Cock-eyed  Frank,  Rattlesnake  Sam,  Kansas  Kid,  Red  the 
Hack  Driver,  Split-nose  Mike,  Kim  Ki  Rogers,  Charlie  the  Swede.  Web- 
fingered  Billy,  Nigger  Bill,  Curley  Moore,  Light-fingered  Jack,  "Chuck." 
Billy  the  Kid  the  Second,  Prettv  Dick,  Forty-five  Jimmy.  Lucky  Dick, 
Wink  the  Barber.  Red  Mike.  Silent  Henry,  Double-out  Sam,  Dutch  Pete, 
Curley  Bill,  Black  Kid.  "Kingfisher,"  Handsome  Harry  the  Dance-Hall 
Rustler,  Big  George  the  Cook.  Jimmie  the  Duck.  Cock-eyed  Dutch,  Little 
Dutch  the  Detective.  "Smooth,"  Pock-marked  Kid.  Flap-jack  Bill,  Buck- 
skin Joe,'  "Tennessee,"  Brocky-faced  Johnnie,  Piccolo  Johnnie,  Pistol 
Johnnie.  Big-foot  Mike,  China  Jack,  "Pinkev,"  Happv  Tack.  Big  Burns. 
Cold-deck  George.  Hop-fiend  Bill,  Pegleg  Dick.  "Rosebud."  "Sandy"  (Red 
Oaks),  Dutch  the  Gambler  (Jim  Ramsey),  Red-face  Mike,  Dummy  the 
Fox,  Red  River  Tom,  Hold-out  Jack,  Short  Creek  Dave,  "Skinny,"  Long 


586  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Vest  George,  Smokey  Hall,  Bald-faced  Kid,  Cockey  Bill,  One  Armed  Jim 
the  Gambler,  One  Armed  Kelley,  Lord  Locke, '  Long  Lon,  Maroney 
the  Peddler,  "Shakespeare,"  Chuck  Luck  Betts,  Hog  Jones,  Hog- foot 
Jim,  Bostwick  the  Silent  Man,  Hurricane  Bill,  Pawnee  George,  "Blondy." 
Shotgun  Bill,  "Scotty,"  Big  Murphy,  Box  Car  Bill,  Little  Jay.  "Ken- 
tuck,'"  Tommy  the  Poet,  Sheeney  Frank.  "Shorty,"  Skinny  the  Barber. 
Elk  Skin  Davis,  Broken  Nose  Clark,  Soapy  Smith,  Squint-eyed  Bob, 
Stuttering  Tom,  Repeater  Shan,  Buttermilk  George.  Billie-Be-Damned, 
and  Candy  Cooper. 

Schools  of  Las  Vegas. — The  school  buildings  of  the  city  are  two  in 
number,  located  on  Doug-las  and  Baca  avenues,  and  the  town,  or  the 
West  Side,  has  a  substantial  two-storv  structure  of  its  own,  besides  smaller 
buildings,  devoted  to  the  cause  of  education.  The  Douglas  avenue  build- 
ing was  the  first  erected  in  New  Mexico  from  public  moneys.  It  is  a 
handsome  stone  building,  comprising  eigbt  school  rooms  and  two  offices, 
with  large  basement,  and  is  heated  bv  the  hot-water  system. 

The  Baca  avenue  building  is  one  of  the  most  tasteful  and  unique 
edifices  of  the  kind  in  the  west.  It  is  built  of  a  beautiful  red  sandstone, 
and  in  its  towers,  copings  and  general  architectural  features  resembles  a 
feudal  castle.  From  this  fact  it  is  popularly  known  as  the  "Castle"  school 
building.  It  contains  ten  well-lighted  and  commodious  rooms,  two  offices 
and  a  large  basement,  and  is  heated  by  steam.  The  high  school  occupies 
the  entire  upper  floor. 

The  Las  Vegas  citv  schools  now_offer  a  semi-kindergarten  course,  the 
regular  eight  primarv  and  grammar  grades  and  the  full  curriculum  of 
four  years  in  the  higher  branches.  The  high  school  was  not  organized 
upon  its  present  basis  until  in  1002.  One  of  the  recent  additions  to  its 
educational  facilities  is  a  laboratorv  for  physical  and  chemical  work. 

Previous  to  September,  1004.  the  schools  in  the  town  of  Las  Vegas 
were  unclassified,  and  each  was  under  a  separate  board  of  directors.  At 
that  time  the  movement  was  begun  which,  under  the  active  superintendency 
of  Anna  J.  Rieve,  of  Baltimore,  resulted  in  the  grading  of  the  pupils. 
The  system  is  also  now  under  one  board  of  directors.  Progress  has  been 
made  in  the  establishment  of  both  a  library  and  museum,  and  under  the 
new  management  both  schools  and  grounds  have  been  repaired  and 
beautified. 

The  New  Mexico  Normal  University  was  established  at  Las  Vegas 
in  i8q8,  and  has  already  accomplished  a  good  work  in  educating  teachers 
for  the  territorial  schools,  which  in  years  past  have  been  in  sad  need  of 
competent  instructors.  The  number  of  students  now  ranges  from  sixty- 
five  to  ninetv.  For  several  years  past  summer  schools  have  been  held 
under  the  auspices  of  the  faculty  for  the  benefit  of  teachers  who  are  em- 
ployed during  the  winter,  and  the  increasing  attendance  shows  that  they 
are  steadily  gaining  in  popularity. 

The  system  of  the  Normal  University  embraces  a  department  of 
music,  comprising  the  theory  of  music,  sight  reading,  history  of  music, 
ear  training,  interpretation,  voice  culture,  chorus,  piano,  violin  and  other 
strinced  instruments,  ensemble  playing-  and  elementary  harmony. 

Churches  and  Societies  of  Las  Vegas. — Las  Vegas  has  ten  places  of 
^yorship,  nine  church  buildings,  representing  eight  denominations,  and  five 
pastoral  residences.     All  have  Sunday  schools  and  the  usual  societies,  and 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  •  58? 

the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  recently  completed  a  large, 
handsome  and  modern  structure — the  first  of  the  organizations  in  the  far 
southwest  to  be  so  honored. 

The  Catholics,  of  course,  first  occupied  the  field  in  Las  Vegas,  as  they 
did  in  New  Mexico  as  a  whole.  There  are  two  Catholic  churches,  that  on 
the  west  side  being  in  charge  of  Fr.  Paul  Gilberton,  and  that  on  the  east 
side,  of  Fr.  Henry  C.  Ponget. 

The  Baptists  were  the  first  Protestants  to  enter  the  Territory,  coming 
as  early  as  1849.  They  organized  a  congregation  in  Las  Vegas  in  1880 
with  seventeen  members,  and  now  occupy  a  handsome  frame  structure. 
The  Methodists  came  into  New  Mexico  and,  in  August,  1879,  organized 
a  local  society. 

The  Protestant  pioneers  of  Las  Vegas,  however,  were  the  Presby- 
terians, who  established  a  church  on  the  west  side  in  1869.  In  1881  their 
east  side  edifice  was  dedicated.  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  church  was  estab- 
lished in  1879,  being  the  first  of  that  denomination  in  New  Mexico.  The 
Jewish  synagogue  of  the  Congregation  Montefiore  was  also  the  pioneer 
of  that  sect  in  the  Territory,  and  the  society  is  the  wealthiest  in  the  city. 
In  1887  the  African  Methodist  Church  was  organized,  and  has  a  large 
membership. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  recently  completed  the 
first  building  erected  by  that  organization  along  modern  lines  in  the  south- 
west. The  handsome  stone  structure  is  100  feet  deep  and  has  a  frontage 
of  fifty  feet  on  Sixth  street,  has  a  height  of  two  stories  and  basement,  and 
is  located  half  a  block  from  the  principal  business  corner  of  the  city. 

The  Ladies'  Home  was  organized  over  twenty  years  ago  by  the  min- 
isters of  Las  Vegas.  It  is  managed  by  a  board  of  ladies,  and  is  supported 
partly  by  the  Territory  and  partly  by  private  funds.  During  1900,  which 
was  the  busiest  year  in  the  history  of  the  society,  180  patients  were 
cared  for. 

Another  worthy  charity  is  St.  Anthony's  Sanitarium,  erected  in  1896 
by  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  It  is  a  solid  three-story 
structure  built  of  stone,  160  feet  in  length,  and  has  a  broad  veranda  extend- 
ing along  three  sides  of  the  building. 

Las  Vegas  Clubs. — The  Commercial  Club  of  Las  Vegas,  whose  pur- 
poses are  both  social  and  of  a  business  character,  was  organized  in  No- 
vember, 1903,  with  the  following  officers:  A.  A.  Jones,  president;  Max 
Nordhaus,  vice-president,  and  George  P.  Money,  secretary.  It  occupies 
the  building  jointly  erected  by  the  Masons  and  the  Montezuma  Club. 

The  Montezuma  Club  is  strictlv  social  in  its  nature.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  the  fall  of  1886,  with  O.  L.  Houghton  as  president. 

The  Owl  Club  is  a  social  organization  of  young  bachelors. 

The  Las  Vegas  Street  Railway. — This  line,  which  not  only  connects 
the  city  and  town,  but  extends  nine  miles  up  the  picturesque  canyon  on 
the  Gallinas,  is  owned  and  operated  by  the  Las  Vegas  Electric  Railway  & 
Power  Company,  of  which  W.  A.  Buddecke,  late  of  St.  Louis,  is  presi- 
dent. Its  plant  consists  of  a  large  powerhouse  of  stone  and  brick,  a  two- 
story  office  building,  street  car  stables,  shops  and  sheds. 

New  Mexico  Hospital  for  the  Insane. — This  institution  was  created 
by  act  of  February  28,  1889,  and  the  buildings,  at  the  authorized  cost  of 
$25,000,  were  erected  on  land  donated  by  Benigno  Romero.     The  hospital 


588  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

contains  an  average  of  some  150  patients,  and  is  well  conducted.  Its 
grounds  are  neatly  kept,  and  include  a  small  farm,  on  which  the  inmates 
raise  fodder,  vegetables  and  fruits.  In  March,  1905,  an  addition  was  com- 
pleted to  the  main  building  which  added  fifty-five  rooms  to  the  previous 
accommodations.  The  completion  of  this  building  made  it  possible  to 
remove  a  good  number  of  the  insane  from  the  county  jails,  as  well  as  to 
furnish  quarters  for  those  who  were  being  cared  for  in  their  homes.  The 
capacity  of  the  hospital  is  now  about  180  beds. 

The  National  Fraternal  Sanitarium. — The  greatest  sanitarium  in  the 
world  for  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis,  in  all  its  stages  and  by  every 
means  known  to  science  and  medicine,  will  be  established  on  a  tract  of 
land  about  fifteen  miles  square,  six  miles  from  Las  Vegas.  Its  nucleus  is 
the  superb  Montezuma  Hotel,  erected  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Com- 
pany to  take  the  place  of  the  former  structure,  destroyed  by  fire  in  1884. 
The  new  hotel  is  three  stories  in  height,  built  of  stone  and  brick  and 
contains  350  rooms.  There  are  also  a  group  of  cottages,  and  the  famous 
hot  springs,  which  first  called  the  attention  of  the  country  to  Las  Vegas 
as  a  health  resort. 

In  1902  a  movement  for  the  establishment  of  such  a  sanitarium  orig- 
inated with  several  high  officials  of  the  fraternities  of  the  country,  which 
was  finally  recommended  by  the  National  Fraternal  Congress  and  the 
Associated  Fraternities.  The  ultimate  outcome  was  that  163  orders,  rep- 
resenting over  5,000,000  members,  supported  the  enterprise  to  the  extent 
of  almost  $1,000,000  a  year.  Thereupon  the  Santa  Fe  Company  trans- 
ferred the  title  to  all  this  property,  covering  1.000  acres  and  appraised  at 
$1,000,000,  to  a  board  of  trustees  representing  the  fraternal  societies  of 
the  United  States,  among  whose  members  tuberculosis  was  making  such 
fearful  inroads.  The  transfer  was  made  without  consideration  and  upon 
the  only  condition  that  a  sanitarium  should  be  established  and  permanently 
maintained  at  this  point.  If  the  plan  should  ever  be  abandoned,  or  the 
property  be  used  for  any  other  purpose,  it  will  revert  to  the  railroad 
company. 

In  addition  to  this  property  the  citizens  of  Las  Vegas  presented  to 
the  fraternal  trustees  10,000  acres  of  land — a  portion  of  the  old  Mexican 
grant,  which  they  had  held  for  seventy  years.  This  immense  tract  adjoins 
the  Montezuma  property,  and  will  eventually  be  well  covered  with  tents, 
varying  in  sizes  from  those  designed  to  accommodate  families  to  those 
erected  for  individuals. 

With  every  variety  of  amusement  near  at  hand,  surrounded  by  a 
country  of  great  beauty  and  natural  interest,  it  is  believed,  from  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past,  that  the  treatment  of  those  in  the  early  stages  of  tuber- 
culosis will  be  even  more  wonderful  than  in  the  past. 

Gallinas  Park  and  Gallinas  Canyon. — Although  Gallinas  Park,  on  the 
line  of  the  electric  railway,  was  founded  as  late  as  1903,  it  is  already  a 
strong  feature  of  the  attractions  surrounding  Las  Vegas.  It  embraces  a 
race  track,  upon  which  a  world's  record  for  a  mile  was  made  in  June,  1905. 
Over  the  brow  of  a  hill  to  the  northward  is  a  wooded  part,  diversified  bv 
verdant  slopes,  running  water  and  mossv  dells,  and  this  portion  of  the 
grounds  is  becoming  a  very  popular  resort,  both  with  residents  and  vis- 
itors. 

The  Gallinas  Canyon,  near  Las  Vegas,  is  a  continuous  panorama  of 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  589 

picturesque  and  unique  scenery.  A  short  distance  above  the  Montezuma 
Hotel  it  presents  a  phenomenon  which  is  quite  startling.  Here  the  south- 
ern banks  are  so  high  and  steep  that  the  low-lying  winter  sun  never  strikes 
the  surface  of  the  narrow  stream,  the  ice  forming  two  feet  thick.  In 
summer,  even,  its  rays  are  so  short  lived  and  ineffective  that  the  canyon  at 
this  point  never  really  gets  warm,  and  "where,"  as  remarked  by  a  trav- 
eler, "the  thermometer  will  stand  at  freezing  point  for  weeks  at  a  time, 
while  the  people  at  the  hotel  half  a  mile  below  will  be  sitting  on  the 
porches  without  wraps,  and  the  ranchmen  will  be  working  in  their  shirt 
sleeves."  The  natural  ice  factory  and  storage  house  have  been  utilized  by 
a  company,  which  lias  constructed  several  dams  across  the  river  and  erected 
nine  ice  houses  with  a  capactity  of  25,000  tons. 

Margarita  Romero,  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Las  Vegas,  has 
been  an  important  factor  in  the  development  and  progress  here.  He  was  a 
prime  mover  in  having  the  old  town  of  Las  Vegas  incorporated,  that  the 
work  of  public  improvement  might  be  carried  on  and  that  a  postoffice  might 
be  established,  and  he  has  continuously  aided  along  practical  lines  in  the 
work  of  general  development.  He  was  born  in  Santa  Fe  county,  New 
Mexico,  February  22.  185 1,  a  son  of  Miguel  Romero  y  Baca,  who  was 
several  times  probate  judge  of  San  Miguel  and  was  highly  esteemed 
throughout  the  Territory.  He  engaged  in  general  merchandising  in  Las 
Vegas,  establishing  his  "business  about  185 1.  He  was  the  first  jobber  in 
groceries  in  that  city  and  during  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  furnished 
horses  and  supplies  to  the  northern  army.  He  married  Josefa  Delgado, 
who  was  born  November  15,  1816,  at  Santa  Fe.  Her  ancestors  were  of 
high  Castilian  birth  and  held  many  distinguished  offices  during  Spanish 
rule.  They  came  to  Las  Vegas  in  1851  and  were  widely  knownfor  deeds 
of  kindness  and  charity,  as  well  as  for  efficient  service  and  business  ca- 
pacity. Miguel  Romero  y  Baca  died  about  1881  or  1882,  and  his  wife's 
death  occurred  in  Las  Vegas.  August  5,  1877. 

Margarito  Romero  was  educated  in  the  Christian  Brothers  College  at 
Santa  Fe  and  entered  business  life  as  a  salesman  in  the  mercantile  store  of 
M.  Brunswick.  In  this  employ  he  remained  for  five  years.  He  then  es- 
tablished a  general  mercantile  business  and  also  engaged  in  the  cattle  and 
sheep  industry  at  La  Cuesta,  New  Mexico,  in  1880.  There  he  continued 
for  two  years,  after  which  he  removed  his  store  to  Las  Vegas.  During 
the  first  two  years  of  his  connection  with  commercial  interests  in  Las 
Vegas  he  was  in  partnership  under  the  firm  style  of  T.  Romero  &  Brothers. 
He  afterward  established  a  store  of  his  own,  which  he  has  since  conducted, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  is  a  well  known  representative  of  cattle  interests, 
having  a  ranch  at  Trementina.  where  he  runs  about  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle.  A  man  of  resourceful  business  ability,  he  has  extended  his  efforts 
to  other  lines,  carrving  forward  to  successful  completion  whatever  he  un- 
dertakes. In  1895  he  built  a  hotel  of  forty  rooms  at  Porvenir  for  a  health 
resort,  but  this  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1903.  He  also  operates  a  saw- 
mill at  Porvenir  and  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  and  for  the  past 
ten  years  he  has  conducted  trade  as  a  railroad  timber  contractor.  The 
scope  and  variety  of  his  business  interests  indicate  his  capacitv  and  en- 
terprise and  capable  management,  this  bringing  him  gratifying  success. 

Mr.  Romero  was  married  in  1872  in  Santa  Fe  to  Miss  I.  D.  de 
Romero,  of  that  city.     To  them  were  born  seven  children,  but  all  are  de- 


590  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ceased.  Mr.  Romero  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  belong- 
ing to  Las  Vegas  lodge.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  was  treasurer 
and  collector  of  San  Miguel  county  in  1898-99.  during  which  time  he  col- 
lected three  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand  dollars — an  exceptional  rec- 
ord— which  put  the  county  on  a  good  financial  basis.  He  was  the  first 
mayor  of  the  old  town,  serving  for  two  terms  in  1903  and  1904.  In  public 
office  he  has  ever  given  a  practical  and  progressive  administration,  bringing 
to  bear  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties  the  same  safe  and  conservative 
qualities  which  mark  his  business  record. 

Charles  Tamme,  city  clerk  of  Las  Vegas,  was  born  in  the  duchy  of 
Braunschweig,  January  27,  1844.  He  was  educated  in  Germany  and  in 
1865  came  to  the  United  States  for  recreation  and  travel,  intending  to  re- 
turn to  his  native  land.  However,  he  crossed  the  plains  four  or  five  times, 
freighting  with  ox  and  mule  teams.  Being  pleased  with  this  country  he 
determined  to  make  it  his  home  and  has  lived  at  different  times  in  Mil- 
waukee, St.  Joe  and  Neenah,  Wisconsin.  He  has  also  visited  more  west- 
ern and  northern  towns  as  a  freighter  and  in  1867  he  went  to  Trinidad, 
Colorado,  with  government  freight.  In  1871  he  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness in  that  locality,  continuing  therein  for  three  or  four  years,  and  at  the 
same  time  he  occupied  the  position  of  clerk  in  the  United  States  Hotel  at 
that  place. 

In  the  spring  of  1879  Mr.  Tamme  came  to  Las  Vegas,  located  on  the 
east  side  of  the  city  and  engaged  in  business  here.  It  was  largely  through 
his  influence  that  James  Hamilton,  the  noted  shoe  merchant  of  St.  Louis, 
built  an  opera  house  which  he  rented  to  Mr.  Tamme.  and  which  was  called 
the  Ward  &  Tamme  Opera  House.  This  was  in  1882.  In  the  fall  of  1884 
Mr.  Tamme  erected  another  opera  house,  which  is  a  fine,  substantial  build- 
ing. This  was  done  at  the  suggestion  of  Frederick  Warde.  the  actor,  and 
has  been  a  valuable  addition  to  amusement  circles  of  the  city.  He  also 
built  one  of  the  early  business  blocks  here  and  has  erected  one  of  the  finest 
residences  in  Las  Vegas. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Tamme  is  in  harmony  with  many  of  the 
principles  of  democracy,  and  vet  is  liberal.  He  always  takes  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs  concerning  the  progress  and  welfare  of  his  city, 
and  has  been  the  champion  of  many  movements  for  the  general  good.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  city  council  of  Las  Vegas,  elected  in  1882,  and 
also  a  member  of  the  first  citv  council  of  East  Las  Vegas  in  1887.  In 
1897  he  was  chosen  city  clerk  and  has  since  filled  that  position  with  credit 
to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  constituents.  In  fact  he  has  won  high 
encomiums  in  all  the  various  offices  that  he  has  filled. 

Mr.  Tamme  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Emelie  Schaeffer,  a  native  of 
Lee's  Summit,  Missouri,  and  their  children  are:  Eunice,  who  is  a  teacher 
in  the  schools  of  I-as  Vegas ;  Lawrence,  and  Emma.  In  the  same  year  of 
his  marriage  Mr.  Tamme  was  made  a  Mason  in  Las  Vegas,  and  he  now 
holds  membership  in  Chapman  lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Las  Vegas 
chapter  No.  3.  R.  A.  M..  and  Las  Vegas  commandery  No.  2,  K.  T.  He 
is  also  a  clerk  of  the  local  camp  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

D.  C.  Winters,  a  druggist  of  Las  Vegas,  who  came  to  the  Territory 
in  1880,  was  born  in  Par'kersburg.  West  Virginia,  in  1854,  and  went  to 
Colorado  in  1873  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  His  education  was  largely 
acquired  in  the  school  of  experience.     He  was  the  first  druggist  in  Trini- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  591 

dad,  Colorado,  continuing  in  business  there  until  coming  to  New  Mexico, 
when  he  entered  the  employ  of  F.  E.  Herbert  &  Company,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  a  year.  Later  he  was  employed  by  M.  R.  Griswold,  and  in 
1886  established  his  drug  store,  which  is  now  the  oldest  business  of  the 
kind  in  the  Territory  under  the  guidance  of  one  man.  He  was  originally 
in  partnership  with  William  Frank,  who  sold  his  interest  to  E.  G.  Mur- 
phy, and  after  six  or  seven  years  Mr.  Winters  purchased  Mr.  Murphy's 
interest  and  has  since  been  alone  in  business. 

He  was  married  in  Trinidad,  Colorado,  in  June,  1880,  to  Miss  Marion 
A.  Bloom,  and  they  have  three  children :  Marion,  Ruth  and  Frank  W. 
He  has  served  four  years  as  a  member  of  the  East  Las  Vegas  school  board 
and  for  two  years  was  its  president.  He  is  now  a  trustee  of  the  insane 
hospital  at  Las  Vegas,  and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  territorial  council,  so 
that  he  is  the  present  incumbent  in  the  office. 

Robert  L.  M.  Ross,  deputy  county  treasurer  and  collector,  Las  Vegas, 
was  born  in  Dungiven,  County  Derry,  Ireland,  June  18,  1856,  and  was 
educated  at  Foyle  College,  Londonderry,  and  Trinity  College,  Dublin.  He 
came  to  America  in  1877  and  located  in  Boston,  where  he  was  employed 
as  a  clerk  in  a  furniture  establishment  until  1880.  That  year  he  came 
to  New  Mexico  and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  the  eastern  part  of 
San  Miguel  county,  his  nearest  postoffice  being  La  Cinta.  He  was  in  the 
cattle  business  ten  years.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  deputy  probate  clerk 
and  recorder  of  San  Miguel  county,  which  position  he  filled  a  few  months. 
Then  he  turned  his  attention  to  real  estate  and  insurance  in  East  Las 
Ve.q-as,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  eight  years.  Again,  in  1899  and  1900, 
he  served  as  deputv  county  clerk  and  recorder,  and  in  1901  was  appointed 
deputy  treasurer  and  collector  of  the  county  by  Eugenio  Romero,  who  was 
elected  to  the  office  in  1900.  He  is  strong  politicallv  to  a  marked  degree 
because  of  his  superior  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language  and  general 
knowledge  of  the  customs  and  business  methods  of  the  Spanish-American 
people.  He  is  uniformly  courteous  to  all.  and  this,  too,  has  been  a  strong 
factor  in  the  making  of  his  popularity. 

Mr.  Ross  is  prominent  and  active  in  both  church  and  lodge;  is  a 
vestryman  in  St.  Paul's  church  (Episcopal),  and  twice  has  beenworship- 
ful  master  of  Chapman  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Las  Vegas.  In 
1884,  at  Watrous,  New  Mexico,  he  married  Miss  Laura  Shaver,  of  Califor- 
nia, and  they  have  two  children,  Caroline  and  May. 

•  George  A.  Fleming,  who  at  the  organization  of  the  Investment  and 
Agency  Corporation  on  the  20th  of  August,  1905,  became  manager  of  the 
business  and  maintains  his  residence  in  Las  Vegas,  was  born  in  Chicago, 
Illinois.  March  23,  1872.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  that  city,  and 
when  his  education  was  completed  entered  upon  an  active  business  career, 
occupying  several  clerical  and  office  positions  with  important  insurance 
agencies  in  Chicago  until  1896.  He  then  opened  a  general  real  estate  and 
insurance  business  under  the  name  of  George  A.  Fleming  &  Company, 
continuing  this  with  much  success  until  1899,  when  ill  health  forced  him  to 
seek  a  change  of  climate  and  he  came  to  New  Mexico. 

Mr.  Fleming  greatly  improved  under  the  beneficial  climatic  conditions 
of  Las  Vegas  and  re-entered  business  life  here  as  a  lime  manufacturer  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Hot  Springs  Lime  Company.  While  managing  that 
enterprise  he  was  also  bookkeeper  for  James  A.  Dick  and  later  for  the  Dunn 


592  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Builders'  Supply  Company.  He  resigned  the  latter  position  to  accept  the 
office,  of  secretary  and  manager  of  the  Crystal  Ice  &  Cold  Storage  Com- 
pany of  Las  Vegas,  manufacturers  of  artificial  ice,  thus  serving  until  the 
1st  of  January,  1903,  when  he  went  to  Santa  Fe  to  become  chief  clerk  in 
the  office  of  Hon.  James  Wallace  Raynolds,  secretary  of  the  Territory.  The 
legislature  of  1903  created  the  office  of  assistant  secretary  of  the  Terri- 
tory, and  to  this  Mr.  Fleming  was  appointed,  being  the  first  incumbent  in 
the  position.  He  performed  the  duties  of  the  office  in  excellent  manner 
and  established  a  record  for  painstaking  energy  and  capability,  but  re- 
signed in  order  to  return  to  Las  Vegas  and  become  manager  of  the  In- 
vestment and  Agency  Corporation,  organized  on  the  20th  of  April,  1905. 
He  is  peculiarly  fitted,  by  reason  of  his  varied  and  thorough  business  train- 
ing and  by  his  general  acquaintance  throughout  the  Territory,  for  the  duties 
of  the  new  position. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1903,  Mr.  Fleming  was  married  to  Miss  Maude 
E.  Woods,  of  Chicago.  Their  home  soon  became  a  popular  resort  in  lead- 
ing social  circles  of  Santa  Fe,  and  already  they  have  won  many  friends 
in  Las  Vegas,  where  Mr.  Fleming  was  previously  well  known.  When  he 
left  this  city  to  go  to  the  capital  he  was  secretary  of  the  Business  Men's 
Protective  Association,  of  which  he  had  been  one  of  the  first  and  principal 
organizers.  He  was  also  secretary  of  the  Montezuma  Club,  now  known 
as  the  Commercial  Club,  of  Las  Vegas,  and  has  recently  been  elected  its 
treasurer.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  politics  as  a  stanch  and  unfalter- 
ing advocate  of  Republican  principles  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Judge  Henry  S.  Wooster,  justice  of  the  peace  at  Las  Vegas,  comes  of 
an  ancestry  which  in  its  lineal  and  collateral  branches  through  many  genera- 
tions has  been  distinctively  American.  He  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Daniel 
Wooster,  who  at  an  early  day  settled  in  Connecticut,  having  crossed  the 
Atlantic  from  England.  The  judge  was  born  in  Tully,  Xew  York,  April  20, 
1820,  and  remained  a  resident  of  that  state  until  1840,  when  he  went  to 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  four  years.  The  succeeding  six  years  were  passed  in 
Wisconsin,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went  to  California,  re- 
maining on  the  Pacific  coast  for  ten  years.  He  then  returned  to  Beloit, 
Wisconsin,  and  on  leaving  that  place  came  to  Las  Vegas,  where  he  con- 
ducted the  Wooster  House  for  six  years,  making  it  a  leading  hostelry  of 
this  city.  In  January,  1891,  he  was  elected  police  judge  and  justice  of  the 
peace  and  has  since  continuously  filled  both  positions,  his  decisions  being 
strictly  fair  and  impartial.  His  early  political  support  was  given  the  Whig 
party,  and  since  its  dissolution  he  has  been  a  stalwart  Republican. 

Judge  Wooster  was  married  in  Wisconsin  to  Miss  Nancy  Pierce,  a 
native  of  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  whence  she  went  to  the  Badger 
State  in  early  life.  Her  father,  Joseph  Pierce,  was  a  farmer  of  Wisconsin 
and  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the  state  constitution. 
Unto  Judge  and  Mrs.  Wooster  were  born  the  following  named :  Clarence 
A.,  of  Atlanta,  Georgia;  Bennett  P.,  of  Santa  Rosa,  New  Mexico,  and 
Mary,  the  wife  of  George  E.  Johnson,  of  Missouri  Valley,  Iowa.  The  wife 
and  mother  departed  this  life  in  February,  1888. 

For  nearly  thirty  years  Judge  Wooster  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and'  was  also  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows.     He  has 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  593 

now  passed  the  eighty-fifth  milestone  on  life's  journey,  and  is  a  most 
respected  and  venerable  citizen  of  Las  Vegas. 

John  S.  Clark,  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  at  Las  Vegas,  where 
he  arrived  in  1883,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Haywood,  in  Tennessee, 
October  29,  1858,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  but  they  were  of 
a  rather  poor  character  on  account  of  the  war,  which  had  crippled  all  edu- 
cational advancement  as  well  as  commercial  and  industrial  progress.  He 
came  west  to  better  his  conditions,  and  was  married  in  Tennessee  twenty- 
six  years  ago,  on  the  22d  of  January,  1880,  to  Miss  Nannie  C.  Watson. 
They  have  two  children,  Herbert  W.  and  Lawrence  D. 

Mr.  Clark  arrived  in  Las  Vegas  in  1883.  He  was  engaged  in  the 
restaurant  business  for  a  time,  and  was  afterward  for  four  years  associated 
in  the  sheep  business  with  Judge  Mills  and  Governor  Otero,  while  for  four 
years  he  was  coal  oil  inspector  of  the  Territory.  He  entered  the  insurance 
business  in  December,  1904,  and  is  thus  engaged  at  the  present  time.  He 
has  also  been  prominent  in  political  circles,  serving  as  a  member  of  the 
council  of  the  Territory  in  1904-;.  He  became  chairman  of  the  Republican 
central  territorial  committee  in  1898,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee continuously  since  1894.  He  belongs  to  the  Commercial  Club,  to 
Chapman  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Royal  Lodge  No.  3,  of  Las  Vegas, 
and  is  past  high  priest  of  the  chapter.  He  also  belongs  to  Las  Vegas  Com- 
mandery  No.  2,  K.  T..  of  which  he  is  past  eminent  commander,  and  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Albuquerque,  while  of  the  lodge  of  Elks 
of  Las  Vegas  he  is  likewise  a  representative. 

C.  D.  Boucher,  who  is  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  in  Las  Vegas, 
New  Mexico,  came  to  this  Territory  on  a  visit  to  his  brother  in  February. 
1883.  and,  being  so  well  pleased  with  the  country  and  the  climate,  decided 
to  remain  here.  He  obtained  employment  from  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company,  with  which  he  was  connected  in  the  capacity  of  conductor  until 
1898.  That  year  he  purchased  the  grocery  business  of  L  H.  Hofmeister 
in  the  old  town  of  Las  A'egas,  conducted  the  store  there  successfully  till 
August  1,  1903,  when  he  removed  to  the  new  town,  and  here  he  has  since 
continued  to  prosper. 

Mr.  Boucher  was  born  in  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  near  Mendota,  and 
in  the  public  schools  of  bis  native  county  received  the  foundation  for  his 
broader  education  which  he  obtained  in  the  practical  school  of  experience. 
From  Illinois  he  went  to  Dakota.  There  he  took  claim  to  a  tract  of  land, 
and  while  "proving  up"  on  same  conducted  a  grocerv  and  drug  business. 
He  farmed  his  Dakota  land  until  coming  to  New  Mexico,  as  already  stated. 
December  27.  1897,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  be  in  a  wreck  on  the  Cali- 
fornia Limited,  at  Hoehne,  Colorado,  where  he  sustained  injuries  which 
caused  him  to  quit  the  railroad  business. 

At  Raton.  New  Mexico,  in  1888,  Mr.  Boucher  married  Miss  Olive 
Olive  of  that  place,  and  they  have  two  children,  Cecil  and  Rov.  Mr. 
Boucher  for  years  has  been  prominent  and  active  in  Masonic  circles. 
He  is  senior  warden  of  Chapman  Lodge  No.  2  and  eminent  commander 
of  Las  Vegas   Commanderv  No.  2. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


TAOS  COUNTY. 

Taos  is  in  the  northern  tier  of  counties,  extending  from  about  the 
center  of  the  northern  boundary  line  in  a  narrow  formation,  and  covering 
an  area  of  2,300  square  miles.  "  Although  the  smallest  county  in  the  Ter- 
ritory, it  is  larger  than  Delaware  and  almost  twice  the  size  of  Rhode  Is- 
land. It  has  a  population  of  about  1 1,000— substantially  the  same  as  that 
of  Colfax,  Dona  Ana  and  Mora  counties. 

In  a  previous  chapter  it  has  already  been  shown  how  Taos  was  orig- 
inally the  largest  division  of  the  Territory,  and  the  steps  by  which  it  was 
reduced  to  its  present  limits.  Its  first  boundaries,  as  defined  by  the  act 
of  January  9,  1852,  which  divided  New  Mexico  into  nine  counties,  were  as 
follows:  On  the  south,  from  the  first  house  of  the  town  of  Embudo,  on 
the  upper  side,  where  the  canyon  of  Picuries  terminates,  drawing  a  direct 
line  toward  the  south  over  the  mountain  of  Bajillo  at  the  town  of  Rin- 
cones,  until  it  reaches  the  front  of  the  last  house  of  Las  Trambas  on  the 
south  side ;  thence  drawing  a  direct  line  toward  the  east  dividing  the  moun- 
tains until  it  reaches  the  junction  of  the  river  Mora  and  Sapeyo,  and  thence 
to  the  boundary  line  of  the  Territory;  from  the  above  mentioned  house  of 
Embudo  drawing  a  line  toward  the  north  over  the  mountains  and  divid- 
ing the  Rio  del  Norte  in  the  direction  of  the  Tetilla  de  la  Petaca ;  thence 
taking  a  westward  direction  until  it  terminates  with  the  boundary  line 
of  the  Territory,  and  on  the  north  by  all  the  land  belonging  to  the  Terri- 
tory of  New  Mexico. 

Records  Open  with  Revolution. — The  first  existing  records  of  Taos 
county,  under  the  caption  of  "March  term.  1847,"  begin  as  follows:  "Be 
it  remembered  that  on  the  nineteenth  day  of  January,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  forty-seven,  a  revolution  broke  out  in  Don 
Fernandez  de  Taos,  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  among  the  Mex- 
icans, in  which  many  of  the  Americans  in  Fernandez  were  horribly  mur- 
dered, besides  the  books,  papers  and  property  of  this  office  were  destroyed ; 
and  also  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  lamented  Cornelio  Vigil,  the  late 
prefect,  was  one  of  the  murdered,  as  well  as  the  Governor  of  this  Terri- 
tory. On  the  25th  clay  of  February  Vicente  Martinez  took  the  oath  of 
office  as  prefect  for  the  county  of  Taos.  Monday,  the  first  day  of  March. 
A.  D.  1847,  being  the  second  regular  term  of  holding  this  court  (Vicente 
Martinez,  prefect,  presiding,  and  Robert  Cary,  clerk),  the  sheriff,  Archa 
Metcalf,  presented  his  bond  as  such,  and  also  his  bond  as  ex-officio  col- 
lector." 

Thereafter,  the  officers  of  Taos  county,  as  shown  by  the  records  were 
as  below : 

Sheriffs.— 1848,  Richens  S.  Wootton :  1849.  Abrara  Trigg:  1850,  Henry  F.  Mink; 
1851.  Julian  Duran;  1852-3.  Julian  Lodu ;  1854.  Nestor  Martinez:  1855-7,  Ezra  N. 
Depew;    1858-9,   Gabriel   Vigil;    i860,   Juan   Archuleta;    1861,   Gabriel   Lucero ;    1862-3, 


Festival  Scene  at  Taos  Pueblo 


Ancient  Water  Mill.  Ranchos  de  Taos 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  595 

Francisco  Sanchez;  1864-Q,  Aniceto  Valdez;  1870-1,  Julian  Ledoux;  1872-5,  Jose  D. 
Quesnel;  1876,  Guillermo  Trujillo;  1877-S,  Gabriel  Lucero ;  1879,  Santiago  F.  Val- 
dez ;  1880,  Juan  de  Dios  Gonzales ;  1881-2,  Leandro  Martinez ;  1883-4,  Guillermo 
Trujillo;  1885-6,  Bonifacio  Barron;  1887-8,  Lorenzo  Lovato ;  1889-90,  Guillermo  Tru- 
jillo; 1891-4,  Caesario  Garcia;  1895-6,  Francisco  Martinez  y  Martinez;  1897-8,  Lu- 
ciano Trujillo  (killed  December  12,  1898,  and  Higenio  Romero  appointed  to  till 
unexpired  term);  1899-1900,  Higenio  Romero;  1901-4,  Faustin  Trujillo;  1905-6,  Sil- 
viano  Tucero. 

Probate  Clerks.— 1848-50,  Elias  T.  Clark;  1851,  Santiago  de  Valdez;  1852-4, 
Santiago  S.  Valdez ;  1855,  Pedro  Valdez ;  1856,  Inocencio  Valdez ;  1857-9,  Pedro  Val- 
dez;  1860-1,  Gabriel  Vigil;  1862-71,  Leandro  Martinez;  1872-3,  Inocencio  Martinez; 
1874-5,  Maximiano  Romero ;  1876,  Santiago  F.  Valdez ;  1S77-8,  Juan  M.  Montoya ; 
1879,  Vicente  Mares;  1880,  Guillermo  Martinez;  1881-2,  Vicente  Mares;  1883-4,  J- 
U.  Shade;  1885-6,  Juan  B.  Gonzales;  1887-8,  D.  M  Salazar;  1889-90,  Enrique  Gon- 
zales; 1891-2,  Fred  P.  Miller;  1893-4,  Maximiano  Romero;  1895-8,  George  P.  Miller; 
1899-1900,  Jesus  M.  Salazar  (died  March  10,  1900,  and  George  P.  Miller  appointed  to 
fill  unexpired  term);  1901-4,  Tomas  Martinez  y  Gonzales;  1905-6,  Enrique  Gonzales. 
Prefects.— 1848,  Vicente  Martinez,  Jose  Maria  Valdez;  1849-50,  Jose  Maria  Val- 
dez; 1851.  Horace  Long:  1852-4,  Jose  Maria  Martinez;  1855,  Jose  Benito  Mart- 
inez. 

Probate  Judges. — 1856,  Horace  Long ;  1857-9,  Juan  de  Jesus  Valdez ;  1860-1, 
Pedro  Valdez;  1S62-3,  Jose  Maria  Martinez;  1864-5,  Juan  Santistevan;  1866-7,  Pedro 
Sanchez;  1868-9,  Juan  Santistevan;  1870-1,  Pedro  Sanchez;  1872-3,  Jose  Romulo 
Martinez ;  1874-5,  Aniceto  Valdez ;  1S76,  Gabriel  Lucero ;  1877-80,  Antonio  Joseph ; 
1881-2,  Joseph  Clouthier;  1883-4,  Cristobal  Mares;  1885-6,  Antonio  Tircio  Gallegos; 
1887-8,  Manuel  Valdez  y  Lobato ;  1889-90,  Juan  D.  Gonzales;  1891-2,  Higenio  Ro- 
mero; 1893-4,  Gregorio  Griego;  1895-6,  Juan  de  Dios  Martinez;  1903-4,  Lucas  Do- 
minguez ;    1905-6,   Manuel  Garcia. 

County  Commissioners. — 1S76,  Juan  Santistevan  (chairman),  Fred  Mueller;  1877, 
Cristobal  Mares  (chairman),  Pablo  A.  Sanchez,  Albino  Ortego ;  1878,  Cristobal 
Mares  (chairman),  Pablo  A.  Sanchez,  Albino  Ortego;  1879-80,  Alejandro  Martinez 
(chairman),  Buenaventura  Lovato,  Severino  Martinez;  1881-2,  Manuel  Valdez  y 
Lovato  (chairman),  Ferdinand  Meyer.  Juan  B.  Gonzales;  1883-4,  Alexander  Gus- 
dorf  (chairman),  Joseph  Clouthier,  Manuel  la  Chacon;  1885-6,  Gabino  Ribera  (chair- 
man), Manuel  a  Chacon,  Felix  Romero;  1887-8,  Aloys  Scheurich  (chairman),  Ju- 
lian A.  Martinez,  Santiago  Abreuo ;  1889-90.  Aloys  Scheurich  (chairman),  Francisco 
A.  Montova,  Higenio  Romero:  1891-2.  J.  P.  Rinker  (chairman).  Eleonor  Trujillo, 
Manuel  Griego;  1893-4,  J-  Eulogio  Rael  (chairman),  Manuel  Gregario  Vigil,  Delfino 
Martinez;  1805-6,  Aloys  Scheurich  (chairman),  Juan  N.  Vallejos,  Miguel  Antonio 
Romero;  1897-8,  Aloys  Scheurich  (chairman),  Miguel  Antonio  Gonzales,  Rafael 
Gonzales;  1899-1900,  W.  M.  Adair  (chairman).  Francisco  B.  Rael,  Jose  de  Jesus 
Cordova:  1001-2,  J.  M.  Beall  (chairman),  Gregorio  Leyba,  Alexander  Gusdorf; 
1903-4,  Higinio  Romero  (chairman),  Manuel  a  Chacon,  Alexander  Gusdorf;  1905-6, 
Alexander  Gusdorf   (chairman),  Manuel  a  Chacon,  Jose  A.  Lopez. 

The  Turbulent  Taos  Valley. — The  valley  of  Taos,  with  its  two  great 
Pueblos,  the  old  town  of  Fernando  de  Taos  and  the  still  more  ancient 
settlement  known  as  Ranchos  de  Taos,  is  one  of  the  most  fascinating  and 
historical  points  in  the  entire  West.  Taos  was  for  many  years  following 
the  American  occupation,  the  chief  political  storm-center  of  the  Territory. 
The  presence  there  of  such  men  as  Charles  Bent,  the  first  Governor  (whose 
death  in  the  revolution  of  1847  is  among  the  first  events  officially  recorded 
in  the  county)  ;  Colonel  Christopher  ("Kit")  Carson,  the  famous  scout 
and  guide ;  Colonel  Cerean  St.  Vrain,  the  well  known  merchant ;  "Don 
Carlos"  Beaubien.  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  notorious  Max- 
well land  grant  and  first  Chief  Justice  of  New  Mexico;  Father  Martinez, 
demagogue,  traitor,  conspirator  against  peace  and  as  great  a  rascal  as 
ever  remained  unhung  in  New  Mexico,  whether  viewed  from  a  political 
or  moral  standpoint — such  as  these  gave  the  community  a  position  in  Ter- 


596  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ritorial  affairs  equal  to  that  of  Santa  F'e,  the  capital.  The  halo  of  romance 
and  the  glamour  of  tragedy  with  which  it  became  invested  in  the  early  days, 
though  somewhat  dimmed  during  the  more  peaceful  years  that  have  fol- 
lowed, still  surround  the  name  of  Taos,  and  always  will. 

Among  the  Americans  and  other  foreigners  who  became  the  pioneer 
white  settlers  of  Taos  and  the  valley  near  by,  besides  those  mentioned, 
were  Theodore  Mignault,  who  was  manager  of  Bent  &  St.  Vrain's  store, 
and  afterward  a  partner  of  Marceline  St.  Yrain,  a  nephew  of  the  Colonel ; 
Henry  Green,  a  West  Point  graduate  and  formerly  an  officer  in  the  regular 
army;  Jesse  Turley,  a  Missourian,  who  established  a  trading  post  there; 
James  Herbert  Ouinn  who  organized  several  scouting  parties  in  times 
of  trouble;  Theodore  Weedon,  or  Wheaton,  a  lawyer  who  came  from  Mis- 
souri in  1846;  Charles  Hardt,  who  also  migrated  from  that  state  in  1846, 
and  had  a  ranch  near  town:  "Squire"  Hardt,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
overland  trade  for  several  years ;  Webster,  a  merchant  and  miller,  who 
became  very  wealthy ;  the  three  Buedners — Solomon,  Samson  and  Joseph — 
who  had  a  general  merchandise  business ;  Frederick  Mueller,  who  married 
a  daughter  of  Charles  H.  Beaubien,  and  "Uncle  Dick"  Woolton. 

The  erection  of  the  church  at  Fernando  de  Taos  was  begun  in  1796, 
but  the  edifice  was  not  completed  until  1806.  The  ancient  church  at  the 
Pueblo,  which  was  ruined  during  the  bombardment  of  1847,  was  at  one 
time  the  headquarters  of  the  Roman  Catholic  diocese. 

While  the  present  village  of  Fernando  de  Taos,  the  county  seat,  has 
been  the  scene  of  crimes  innumerable  and  the  hotbed  of  most  of  the  early 
conspiracies  against  the  American  government,  few  criminals  of  note  have 
made  that  town  their  headquarters  since  the  establishment  of  peaceful 
conditions  following  the  Civil  War.  Cue  notorious  character,  however, 
made  such  a  record  there  that  the  closing  incident  in  his  career  deserves 
a  permanent  place  in  the  historic  literature  of  Xew  Mexico.  "Colonel" 
Thomas  Means,  a  surveyor  by  profession,  came  to  the  Territorv  soon  after 
the  inauguration  of  civil  government  by  the  Americans.  He  lived  in  Colfax 
county  for  some  time,  and  for  years  was  more  or  less  identified  with  the 
tragic  episodes  which  marked  the  early  history  of  the  infamous  Maxwell 
land  grant.  He  finally  settled  down  in  Taos,  where  he  made  life  one  con- 
tinuous round  of  misery  for  all  who  were  forced  into  contact  with  him. 
He  exhibited  an  insolence  and  obstreperous  disposition  that  constantly 
precipitated  him  into  trouble  until  he  became  such  a  nuisance  to  the  more 
peaceablv  inclined  inhabitants  as  to  render  drastic  measures  necessary.  He 
would  not  only  grossly  insult  and  frequentlv  attack  anybody  who  came 
within  his  reach,  but  beat  his  wife  so  badly  on  innumerable  occasions 
that  her  life  was  despaired  of.  Finding  that  appeals  to  courts  of  justice 
were  of  no  avail,  in  1868  a  number  of  citizens  decided  to  organize  that 
common  frontier  institution  known  as  a  Vigilance  Committee  and  put  an 
end  to  "Colonel"  Means  and  all  his  meanness.  After  an  unusually  ag- 
gravating outbreak  on  his  part,  following  a  pointed  warning  as  to  what 
his  fate  would  be,  he  was  taken  from  his  home  to  the  old  court  house  and 
hanged  from  a  beam  in  the  ceiling  in  front  of  the  judge's  bench.  The 
day  following  was  one  of  general  rejoicing  that  the  communitv  had  been 
summarily  rid  of  one  of  its  most  disagreeable  and  dangerous  factors. 
Thus  ended  the  career  of  one  of  the  most  widely  known,  and  at  one  time 
one  of  the  most  influential,  men  of  northern  New  Mexico. 


Ancient  Church,  Ranchos  de  Ta 


Church  Interior,  Ranchos  de  Taos 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  597 

An  episode  which  for  a  time  threatened  the  peace  of  Taos  county, 
and  by  some  was  regarded  as  a  possible  cause  of  a  repetition  of  the  bloody 
scenes  of  1847,  occurred  at  Fernando  de  Taos  in  December,  1898.  (  hi  the 
twelfth  of  that  month,  which  is  celebrated  by  the  native  inhabitants  as 
Saint  Guadalupe  Day,  in  honor  of  one  of  their  most  honored  patron  saints, 
practically  all  the  Mexican  inhabitants  of  Taos  and  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, most'  of  whom  are  members  of  the  order  of  Penitentes,  were  parading 
the  streets  of  the  village  carrying  an  image  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe. 
Two  young  men  who  were  strangers  to  the  scene,  and  who  were  not  aware 
of  its"  significance  nor  of  the  custom  of  the  superstitious  Penitentes — Bert 
Phillips," the  famous  Indian  painter,  and  Mr.  Myers— stood  upon  the  side- 
walk watching  the  procession.  An  official  who  accompanied  the  procession 
stepped  up  to"  them  and  ordered  them  in  Spanish  to  remove  their  hats  out 
of  respect  to  the  saint.  As  they  did  not  understand  the  Spanish  tongue 
they  did  not  comply  with  the  request,  whereupon  the  constable,  or  deputy 
sheriff,  attempted  to  pull  their  hats  off.  At  this  Myers  promptly  knocked 
the  officer  down.  Soon  afterward  both  Phillips  and  Myers  were  arrested 
and  placed  in  the  wretched  building  which  served  the  purposes  of  a  jail. 
Pail  was  immediately  offered  for  their  release  pending  a  hearing,  but  the 
sheriff,  Luciano  Trujillo,  who  in  the  meantime  had  been  drinking  heavily 
and  had  become  ugly,  refused  to  accept  bail,  declaring  that  the  two  men 
must  stay  in  jail  and  freeze  to  death,  for  all  he  cared.  Later,  however, 
he  consented  to  allow  them  their  freedom  on  bail. 

Early  that  evening  Trujillo,  who  had  been  making  dire  threats  against 
Phillips,  Myers  and  Americans  in  general,  entered  a  saloon  where  a  num- 
ber of  Americans  were  congregated.  \mong  them  was  a  youth  named 
Albert  Gifford.  aged  nineteen,  who  had  armed  himself  with  a  revolver  in 
anticipation  of  trouble.  Most  of  the  Americans  present  had  similarly  pre- 
pared themselves  for  protection,  for  it  was  generally  believed  that  Trujillo 
intended  to  kill  upon  the  slightest  provocation.  Hardly  had  the  drunken 
sheriff  entered  the  room  than  somebody  fired  a  shot.  In  an  instant  the 
room  was  a  blaze  of  pistol  shots,  and  when  the  smoke  cleared  Trujillo 
was    found   dead. 

The  dead  sheriff  was  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  of  the  Penitentes, 
and  the  news  of  bis  death  aroused  a  strong-  feeling  of  revenge  in  their 
breasts.  Young  Gifford,  who  was  known  to  have  been  armed  and  who 
was  a  comparative  stranger  in  Taos,  was  at  once  selected  as  the  person 
upon  whom  their  revenge  should  find  an  outlet,  and  a  hunt  for  him  was 
begun  at  once.  Immediately  after  the  shooting-  he  fled  from  the  scene, 
and  the  chase  proved  fruitless,  as  he  was  hidden  by  faithful  friends.  The 
entire  American  community,  less  than  a  dozen  adults,  became  alarmed  at 
tin-  aspect  of  affairs  and  stood  on  guard  all  that  night,  in  zero  weather, 
fully  armed  and  determined  to  shoot  upon  the  first  indication  of  a  desire 
for  a  fight  upon  the  part  of  the  Mexicans.  For  two  or  three  davs  a  united 
attack  on  the  part  of  the  natives  was  feared,  as  open  threats  of  revenge 
were  made  by  the  Penitentes:  but  Gifford  soon  made  his  escape  and  the 
trouble  quieted  down.  At  no  time  since  the  uprising  of  1847  have  the  Amer- 
ican inhabitants  of  any  portion  of  northern  New  Mexico  stood  in  such 
fear  of  an  organized  native  outbreak  as  on  the  night  of  December  12,  1808. 

Physical  Features.— The  county  is  traversed  from  north  to  south  by 
the  Rio  Grande,  wdiich  from  its  eastern  side  receives  the  Red,  Taos.  Em- 


598  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

budo  and  Ojo  Caliente,  with  smaller  tributaries.  On  the  western  side  the 
valley  is  practically  devoid  of  streams  suitable  for  irrigation  supplies. 

Most  of  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  county  is  occupied  by  the  Taos 
range  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  system,  and  the  Taos  valley  itself  is  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  in  existence.  On  the  east  it  is  surrounded  by  a 
half  moon  of  mountains,  with  no  foothills  extending  into  the  mesas  to 
diminish  the  grandeur  of  the  scene.  Eleven  streams  issue  from  these 
mountains  and  across  the  valley  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  the  Rio  Grande 
cuts  through  it  in  a  canyon '500  feet  deep.  At  places  the  bed  of  the 
parent  stream  sinks  abruptly  from  the  high  table  lands,  or  cuts  through 
the  mountain  spurs.  That  part  of  its  course  known  as  the  Taos  canyon 
is  so  deep  and  abrupt  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  awful  and  remarkable 
gorges  in  the  world. 

Resources. — The  soil  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley  is  a  dark  loam  and 
very  deep,  being  particularly  rich  in  wheat-bearing  properties.  The  grain 
is  large  and  plump,  and  weighs  from  sixty-five  to  sixty-eight  pounds  per 
bushel.  This  county  is  one  of  the  few  sections  of  the  Territory  that  is 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  potatoes,  and  vegetables  grow  to  an  astonishing 
size.  Corn  is  a  staple  crop  and  grasses  of  all  kinds  grow  luxuriantly. 
•Fruits  are  becoming  a  steady  source  of  profit,  the  Taos  vallev  especially 
demonstrating  what  can  be  done,  under  irrigation,  in  the  raising  of  apples, 
peaches,  plums,  pears,  apricots  and  nectarines. 

The  Rio  Grande  gravel,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Red  river  southward, 
carries  fine  gold,  and  in  spots  where  the  windings  of  the  river  or  some 
other  feature  has  caused  it  to  accumulate,  it  is  found  in  large  quantities. 
Red  river,  the  San  Cristobal  and  Arroyo  Hondo  also  are  bordered  by 
placers  of  much  value.  Copper  and  silver  are  found  in  the  mountains 
east  of  the   Rio  Grande  and  above  Rinconada. 

Taos. — The  town  by  this  name  is  the  county  seat,  and  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  interesting  points  in  New  Mexico.  Its  full  name  is 
Fernando  de  Taos,  or  Don  Fernando  de  Taos,  and  is  only  a  few  miles 
from  the  Indian  pueblo  which  was  such  a  hot-bed  of  revolution  in  the 
Indian  uprisings  against  the  early  Spanish  rule.  The  town,  which  has 
a  population  of  some  1,200  people,  is  quaintly  built  around  a  large  plaza, 
with  a  fenced  park  in  the  center,  and  possesses,  among  other  attractions, 
a  large  adobe  church  of  considerable  antiquity.  Before  the  advent  of 
railroads  it  was  a  commercial  center  of  considerable  importance,  and  was 
the  first  port  of  entry  established  for  merchandise  brought  across  the 
plains  to  the  Territory. 

The  Taos  Pueblos. — Onlv  three  miles  to  the  northeast,  under  the 
shadows  of  great  mountains  and  occupying  both  sides  of  a  clear,  bright 
river,  is  the  pueblo  of  Taos,  with  its  great  terraced  buildings,  presenting 
one  of  the  most  primitive  illustrations  of  Indian  architecture.  At  the 
annual  festival  on  September  30th  tourists  from  all  over  the  world,  and 
Apache  and  Pueblo  Indians  from  every  pueblo  north  of  Santa  Fe  gather 
here.  The  pueblo  of  Taos  guards  the  sacred  fire  of  the  ancient  Aztecs, 
which  is  kept  by  a  company  of  priests.  According  to  tradition  this  fire 
has  not  been  extinguished  for  a  thousand  years.  It  was  removed  to  Taos 
from  the  old  village  of  Pecos,  the  birthplace  of  Montezuma,  in  1837,  and 
the  Children  of  the  Sun  believe  that  as  long  as  it  continues  to  burn  there 
is  hope  of  the  coming  of  their  Messiah,  who  will  return  as  he  left  them, 


j?^ 

IM 

^^■ki 

JE'"B 

9    ttv- 

ttA X^L,. 

.  :«*?. 

:-^ijrt^L    "        | 

Cacique  of  Taos  Pueblo  Who  is  Alleged  to  Have  Held  Office  for  118  Years 


The  Present  Cacique  of  Taos 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  599 

on  the  back  of  an  eagle,  at  dawn.  Hence  the  pious  caciques  climb  to  the 
housetops  every  morning  at  sunrise  and,  shading  their  eyes  with  their 
hands,  gaze  anxiously  toward  the  east. 

The  two  Taos  pueblos,  erected  in  1716,  and  occupied  by  what  is  left 
of  the  ancient  tnbe  of  Tao  Indians,  are  generally  conceded  to  be  the 
most  remarkable  specimens  of  Indian  architecture  in  America.  They  are 
certainly  the  greatest  of  American  pyramids.  The  Taos  pueblos  number 
something  less  than  500  souls.  In  the  main,  their  system  of  government 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  other  pueblos  in  the  Territory.  Their  tradition 
states  that  the  predecessor  of  the  present  casiquis,  or  cacique,  held  office 
for  a  period  of  118  years.  Fifty  years  before  his  death  he  fell  from  the 
roof  of  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  pueblo,  while  enjoying  the  effects  of 
copious  draughts  of  "vino,"  and  broke  his  leg.  Some  of  these  Indians 
have  received  a  fine  English  education,  though  for  the  greater  part  they 
profess  to  be  unable  to  understand  or  speak  this  language.  Like  the  in- 
habitants of  most  of  the  other  pueblos,  each  person  has  three  names — 
first,  the  one  by  which  he  is  known  by  the  Mexicans,  usually  a  name  more 
or  less  common  among  the  descendants  of  the  Spanish,  like  Antonio,  Ro- 
mero, Jose  Concha,  or  Juan  Gonzales ;  second,  the  name  inherited  from 
his  Indian  ancestors ;  third,  an  interpretation  of  the  latter,  such  as  Yellow 
Shell,  Yellow  Deer,  or  Gray  Wolf.  They  keep  several  "fiestas,"  or  festi- 
vals— notably,  the  feast  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  December  12th,  and 
San  Geronimo  (St.  Jerome)  day,  September  30th.  They  occupy  a  fertile 
tract  of  17,000  acres,  a  grant  from  the  Spanish  government.  It  was  orig- 
inally much  larger,  but  for  protection  against  the  Comanches,  Kuowas, 
Cheyennes  and  Utes,  who  formerly  caused  them  great  annoyance,  they  gave 
the  east  part  of  their  grant  to  Mexican  settlers,  with  the  understanding 
that  the  latter  would  assist  them  in  repelling  invasions  from  Taos  canyon. 

In  September,  1896,  the  federal  government  organized  a  day  school 
at  the  pueblo,  which  is  now  conducted  ten  months  each  year.  Previous  to 
that  time  the  only  schools  there  were  those  founded  by  the  Franciscan 
missionaries  and  afterward  maintained  in  an  indifferent  manner  by  the 
Jesuits. 

Ranchos  de  Taos  is  located  about  four  miles  south  of  Fernandez  de 
Taos,  is  in  the  center  of  fertile  agricultural  and  fruit  lands,  and  has  several 
flour  mills,  schools  and  Presbyterian  missions.  Arroyo  Hondo,  Arroyo 
Seco  and  Colorado  are  little  towns  north  of  Taos,  engaged  in  mining, 
agriculture  and  stock  raising,  and  Ojo  Caliente  (Hot  Spring)  is  a  health 
resort  on  a  creek  by  that  name  and  near  the  southwestern  boundary  line 
of  the  county.  It  is  at  an  altitude  of  6,292  feet,  and  the  temperature  of 
the  waters  is  about  no  degrees  Fahrenheit. 

The  main  centers  of  population,  in  Taos  county,  lie  east  of  the  main 
channel  of  the  Rio  Grande,  away  from  the  Rio  Grande  &  Denver  Rail- 
road, which  passes  through  its  southwestern  corner,  and  follows  its  west- 
ern boundary,  or  runs  a  short  distance  from  it  in  Rio  Arriba  county. 

Thomas  Paul  Martin,  M.  D.,  of  Taos,  is  a  man  whose  influence,  both 
professional  and  social,  has  been  felt  in  New  Mexico,  where  he  has  re- 
sided for  the  past  seventeen  years.  Dr.  Martin  was  born  in  Shippens- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  October  31,  1864.  He  received  a  high  school  educa- 
tion, to  which  he  added  a  course  in  the  State  Normal  School  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  he  prepared  himself  for  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the  College 


600  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  at  Baltimore,  where  he  graduated  in  1886. 
The  following  year  he  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  Johns  Hopkins  University.  He  spent  two  and  a  half  years  in 
Mercy  Hospital,  Pittsburg,  and  a  year  and  four  months  in  the  Baltimore 
City  Hospital.  Thus  equipped  for  his  life  work,  he  came  to  New  Mexico 
in  1890  and  located  at  Taos,  where  he  soon  gained  recognition  and  a  fol- 
lowing among  the  best  people  of  the  locality,  and  built  up  a  practice  that 
extends  over  a  wide  Territory.  He  is  physician  for  the  pueblos  and 
United  States  examining  surgeon,  and  for  eight  years  was  a  member  of 
the  Territorial  Board  of  Health.  To  him  belongs  the  distinction  of  having 
helped  to  organize  the  first  medical  society  in  New  Mexico.  Also,  he  was 
instrumental  in  securing  for  the  Territory  its  first  medical  legislation. 

Deeply  interested  in  the  people,  the  conditions  and  the  history  of  New 
Mexico,  Dr.  Martin  has  found  here  material  which  he  has  woven  into 
numerous  articles,  Indian  love  stories,  etc.,  which  have  appeared  in  various 
periodicals. 

He  is  a  charter  member  of  Santa  Fe  Lodge,  No.  460,  B.  P.  O.  E., 
and  in  Masonry  he  has  advanced  to  the  thirty-second  degree.  His  Ma- 
sonic membership  includes  the  following:  Cumberland  Valley  Lodge,  No. 
315,  Pennsylvania;  Santa  Fe  Lodge  of  Perfection,  No.  1;  Mackey  Chapter 
of  Rose  Croix,  No.  1  ;  Denver  Council  of  Kadosh,  No.  1  ;  Colorado  Con- 
sistory, No.  1  ;  Ballut  Abyad  Temple,  A.  A.  O.  N.  M.  S.  And  at  this 
writing  he  is  deputy  for  all  Masonic  bodies  in  the  northern  counties  of 
New  Mexico1.     Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 

Dr.  Martin  has  a  wife  and  one  son,  Jack.  Mrs.  Martin,  formerly 
Miss  Janet  Wilson,  is  a  native  of  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  a  daughter 
of  the  Rev.  Edward  Nelson  Wilson,  a  Presbyterian  minister  of  British 
Columbia. 

Don  Juan  Santistevan,  a  retired  merchant  of  Taos,  was  born  at 
Truchas,  in  Rio  Arriba  county,  New  Mexico,  son  of  Manuel  Santistevan 
and  Rosalia  Medina  Santistevan,  both  natives  of  Santa  Fe  county.  Manuel 
Santistevan  was  a  farmer.  He  moved  with  his  family  from  Rio  Arriba 
county  to  Taos  county  in  1841,  and  the  house  they  then  occupied  on  the 
La  Loma  is  still  standing.  He  died  in  1851,  and  his  wife  died  May  22, 
1879,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Don  Juan  Santistevan,  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  began 
work  for  Air.  Smith  Towne  of  Taos,  sweeping  out  the  store  and  clerking, 
and  a  few  months  later  entered  the  employ  of  Woolton  &  Williams,  gen- 
eral merchants,  with  whom  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1852.  The 
rest  of  that  year  and  a  part  of  the  year  following  he  worked  for  Solomon 
Beuthner,  after  which  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Peter  Joseph,  in  the  same 
house  in  which  Mr.  Santistevan  now  lives,  and  remained  with  him  until 
Mr.  Joseph's  death,  in  1863.  By  the  terms  of  Mr.  JosepUs  will  Mr. 
Santistevan  and  Kit  Carson  were  made  administrators,  and,  Carson  being 
in  the  armv  at  the  time,  Mr.  Santistevan  settled  the  estate.  Then,  for 
about  a  year,  he  was  with  Goodman  &  Friedman,  as  a  partner  in  their 
general  merchandise  business,  and  in  1865  left  them  to  become  associated 
with  Messrs.  St.  Vrain  and  Hurst,  under  the  firm  name  of  Santistevan, 
St.  Vrain  &  Co.  Colonel  St.  Vrain  moved  to  Mora  county  in  1867,  and 
Mr.  Santistevan  and  Mr.  Hurst  continued  here  together  until  1869,  when 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  601 

the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Hurst  retiring  and  Mr.  Santistevan 
conducting  the  business  alone  until  1902,  when  he  retired. 

For  years  Mr.  Santistevan  was  also  extensively  interested  in  sheep 
raising,  at  one  time  having  as  many  as  35,000  head  of  sheep  on  his  range. 
And  in  connection  with  this  business  he  bought  and  sold  large  quantities 
of  wool,  sometimes  buying  wool  on  the  sheep,  at  so  much  per  fleece,  and 
having  the  shearing  done.  Ten  to  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  fleece  was 
the  usual  price.  And  he  shipped  his  wool  by  wagon  train  to  Kansas 
City   and  other  points. 

In  this  connection  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  Mr.  Santistevan's  career 
as  a  merchant  covers  a  longer  period  than  that  of  any  other  man  in  Taos, 
and  there  are  few  men,  if  any,  in  the  Territory  who  have  been  in  business 
longer  than  he. 

He  has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  one  of  the  first  commis- 
sioners of  Taos  county  and  also  in  the  earlv  history  of  the  county  served 
as  probate  judge.  For  fourteen  years  he  was  postmaster  of  Taos,  having 
received  his  first  appointment  from  President  Grant ;  took  the  first  census 
of  Taos  county  in  1870.  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  terri- 
torial legislature  in  1880-81,  and  of  the  council  in  1889;  has  frequently 
been  a  delegate  to  territorial  conventions,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the  Phila- 
delphia convention  that  nominated  McKinley  and  Roosevelt  in  1900.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 

Mr.  Santistevan  married  Justa  Sandoval,  a  native  of  Taos,  daughter 
of  Benito  Sandoval.  She  died  in  1894,  leaving  seven  children,  all  daugh- 
ters, namely :  Rafaelita,  wife  of  Manuel  Pacheco ;  Jacintita,  wife  of  Maxi- 
miano  Romero;  Virginia,  wife  of  Agapito  Martinez;  Perfectita,  wife  of 
Dr.  William  A.  Kittredge;  Cirila,  widow  of  Romulo  Martinez;  Margarita, 
wife  of  Donaciano  Cordova ;  Victoriana,  wife  of  Bernabe  Gonzales. 

New  Mexico  has  been  the  home  of  few  artists.  Of  those  who  have 
made  the  territory  their  temporary  home  and  have  painted  its  scenery  and 
its  Indian  inhabitants,  none  have  achieved  success  comparative  to  that  which 
has  accompanied  the  work  of  Bert  Phillips,  who,  since  September,  1898, 
has  been  studying  Indian  life  at  Taos.  Air.  Phillips  was  born  at  Hudson, 
New  York.  July"  15,  1868,  the  son  of  William  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Jessup) 
Phillips.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  began  the  study  of  art  in  the  Academy 
of  Design,  later  going  to  Paris  for  further  study.  Upon  his  return  to 
America  he  opened  a  studio  in  New  York.  In  Columbia  county,  New 
York,  he  afterward  spent  some  time,  painting  among  the  Shaker  settle- 
ment there.  Since  coming  to  New  Mexico  he  has  done  his  best  and  most 
noteworthv  work.  Those  of  his  Indian  paintings  which  have  attracted  the 
mose  widespread  attention  include.  "A  Prince  of  the  Royal  Blood,"  a  full 
length  portrait  of  one  of  the  Taos  Pueblo  Indians,  now  the  property  of 
William  H.  Bartlett,  of  Chicago:  "The  Drummer,"  a  figure  picture  now 
owned  by  T.  A.  Schomberg.  of  Trinidad,  Colorado;  "Medicine  Water,"  a 
painting  of  one  of  the  principales  of  Taos  Pueblo,  owned  by  Henry  Koeh- 
ler,  of" St.  Louis;  and  "The  Apache  Chief,"  a  portrait  of  an  old  Apache 
scout  who  served  under  Kit  Carson,  owned  by  C.  K.  Beekman,  of  New 
York.  Besides  these,  two  of  his  paintings  were  purchased  by  Joseph  G. 
Butler.  Jr.,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  one  by  Paul  Morton,  one  by  Frederick- 
Remington,  and  five"  bv  Stanley  McCormick.  of  Chicago.  The  greatest 
encouragement  Mr.  Phillips  has  received  in  his  work  has  come  from  other 


602  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

artists  who  have  seen  his  pictures  on  exhibition  at  the  Academy  of  Design 
in  New  York.  Many  of  these  complimentary  letters  have  come  from  men 
whom  Mr.  Phillips  has  never  met.  He  has  received  letters  of  praise  from 
such  artists  as  E.  A.  Burbank,  Lorado  Taft,  Frederick  Remington  and 
other  artists  of  note,  all  of  which  he  cherishes  highly. 

Mr.  Phillips  was  married  at  Shippensburg.  Pennsylvania,  October  15, 
1899,  to  Rose  H.  Martin.  They  have  two  children,  Ralph  Jessup  and  Mar- 
garet Elizabeth. 

Patrick  Lyons,  one  of  the  prosperous  and  prominent  ranchers  of  Taos 
county,  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Kilriney,  county  Kildare,  Ireland,  in 
February,  1831,  and  was  educated  in  the  national  schools  of  his  native 
land.  In  1854  he  was  drafted  into  the  English  army  for  the  war  between 
England  and  Russia,  and  to  avoid  military  service  there  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  in  New  York,  where,  strange  to  say,  he  immediately  enlisted 
in  the  First  Regiment  of  Mounted  Rifles.  This  command  came  west,  had 
headquarters  for  a  time  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas ;  came  to  Fort  Union, 
New  Mexico,  and  took  part  in  the  Navajo  war.  Mr.  Lyons  remained  in 
the  army  five  years — years  of  almost  constant  Indian  fighting — and  during 
that  time  had  the  good  fortune  never  to  be  ill  or  in  the  hospital.  He  was 
present  at  the  "cleaning  up"  of  the  southern  army  under  General  Sibley. 
In  the  battle  of  Pigeon's  Ranch  he  was  in  the  detail  that  attacked  the  rear 
of  the  Texan  army  under  Colonel  Chavez.  In  1862  he  left  the  army  and 
entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  commissary  department,  herding 
cattle  for  the  government,  which  he  continued  for  a  year  and  a  half.  After 
this  he  went  to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  on  a  prospecting  tour,  and  spent 
two  years  in  mining  at  Summit  City  Gulch,  at  first  working  for  wages, 
at  fourteen  dollars  per  day.  Later  he  made  a  trip  north,  almost  to  the 
Canadian  line,  and  was  prevented  from  going  further  on  account  of  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians.  From  Virginia  City,  in  1865,  he  went  down  on 
the  Laramie  river,  trapping  and  hunting  near  Fort  Laramie.  While  there 
that  winter  he  had  charge  of  a  herd  of  cattle  for  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Ward.  Next  we  find  him  at  Leavenworth.  Kansas,  and  for  two  years  he 
worked  in  the  quartermaster's  department  at  old  Fort  Riley.  From  Kansas 
he  came  to  Elizabethtown,  New  Mexico,  and  was  among  the  first  to  begin 
mining  operations  in  Grouse  Gulch.  Also,  he  opened  Michigan  Gulch,  at 
first  working  by  the  day  for  a  company.  Afterward  he  bought  out  the 
company,  with  the  exception  of  one  man,  John  Moore,  and  continued 
mining  successfully  for  three  or  four  years.  Then  he  went  into  the  cattle 
business.  First  he  bought  about  200  head  of  milch  cows,  to  this  herd  added 
some  fine  Kentucky  bulls,  and  took  his  stock  into  the  Moreno  valley  and 
Comanche  gulch.  He  had  four  ranches  in  Van  Bimmer  canyon,  with  twenty- 
two  miles  of  grazing  land  These  claims  he  subsequently  sold  to  the  Max- 
well Land  Grant  Company.  Previously  he  bought  a  place  in  Taos  county, 
and  in  the  '80s  came  and  located  here  permanently,  afterward  buying  an 
adjoining  place,  and  here  he  has  since  continued  to  make  his  home  and 
devote  his  time  to  farming.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lyons,  formerly  Miss  Lucy 
Pew,  are  the  parents  of  two  daughters,  Mary  and  Lulu,  the  former  the 
wife  of  Frank  Staplin.  Lulu  is  the  wife  of  Alphonso  Hoy.  Politically  Mr. 
Lyons  is  a  Republican. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


RIO  ARRIBA  COUNTY. 

Rio  Arriba  was  one  of  the  original  nine  counties  into  which  the  Ter- 
ritory was  divided  by  the  act  of  January  9,  1852,  and  its  boundaries  are 
therein  described  as  below  :  On  the  south  from  the  Puertacito  of  Pojuaque, 
drawing  a  direct  line  toward  the  west  in  the  direction  of  the  mesilla  of 
San  Ildefonso;  from  the  mesilla,  crossing  the  Rio  del  Norte  toward  the 
west,  and  continuing  until  it  reaches  the  boundaries  of  the  Territory ;  draw- 
ing a  direct  line  from  the  said  Puertacito  de  Pojuaque  toward  the  east 
until  it  reaches  the  last  house  of  the  town  of  Cundiyo  toward  the  south, 
continuing  the  same  line  until  it  reaches  the  highest  point  of  the  mountain 
of  Nambe;  thence.,  following  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  toward  the 
north,  until  it  reaches  the  southern  boundary  of  the  county  of  Taos,  this 
shall  constitute  the  eastern  boundary,  and  on  the  north  the  boundary  of 
the  county  of  Taos,  and  on  the  east  the  boundary  line  of  the  Territory. 

As  thus  described,  the  old  county  comprised  virtually  the  northwest- 
ern portion  of  the  Territory,  and  it  was  not  until  the  formation  of  San 
Juan  count)'  to  the  west,  in  1884,  that  it  assumed  its  present  bounds.  As 
now  constituted  it  has  an  area  of  7,150  square  miles,  and  a  population  of 
about  14,000 — nearly  the  same  as  Valencia.  It  is  located  in  the  first  north- 
ern tier  of  counties  and  the  second  from  the  west. 

Physical  Features  and  Resources. — The  main  channel  of  the  Rio  Grande 
cuts  through  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  county,  the  Rio  Chama,  which 
is  its  main  branch  in  Rio  Arriba,  rising  in  Colorado  and  flowing  south 
and  southeast,  drains  much  of  the  central,  eastern  and  southeastern  sec- 
tions. Jt  receives  many  affluents  from  the  north  and  south,  all  of  which 
are  bordered  by  fertile  valleys.  The  northeast  corner  of  the  countv  is 
watered  by  the  Rio  San  Antonio  and  Rio  de  los  Pinos,  running  through 
a  fine  country  eastward  to  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  principal  agriculture  of  Rio  Arriba  county  is  found  in  these  val- 
leys. Wheat  is  raised  in  these  sections  in  considerable  quantities  both  for 
home  consumption  and  export.  The  Gallinas  valley  is  also  a  producer  of 
that  cereal.  Some  of  the  largest  and  finest  orchards  in  the  Territory  are 
in  the  Rio  Grande  valley ;  in  fact,  the  first  fine  peaches  that  were  intro- 
duced from  the  east  were  planted  at  Rinconada.  All  kinds  of  fruit  do  well 
in  this  section  of  the  county,  plums  and  prunes  being  perhaps  the  surest 
and  most  prolific  crops. 

The  soil  of  the  valleys  is  composed  of  a  rich  silt,  of  inexhaustible 
fertility,  and,  with  proper  irrigation,  the  possibilities  are  great.  Besides 
the  river  valleys  there  is  a  valley  called  Laguna  de  los  Caballos,  about 
eighteen  miles  southwest  of  Tierra  A'marilla,  the  county  seat.  The  lake 
itself  has  an  area  of  about  20.000  acres  and  it  will  store  enough  water  to 
irrigate  10,000  acres  of  land.  North  and  northwest,  to  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  the  county,  are  some  twenty  lakes,  varying  in  area  from  100  to  600 


604  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

acres,  with  water  sufficient  tc  irrigate  probably  25,000  acres.  The  quality 
of  the  surrounding  land  is  generally  excellent.  This  country  is  already 
a  paradise  for  sportsmen,  as  almost  all  kinds  of  fish  and  game  are  plentiful. 

Altogether  Rio  Arriba  county  has  a  very  diversified  surface.  In  the 
middle  and  east  it  is  marked  by  great  ranges  of  mountains,  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Divide  coining  down  through  its  central  districts.  On  the  west 
the  water  flows  through  the  San  Juan  system  toward  the  Gulf  of  California, 
and  on  the  east  through  the  Rio  Grande  system  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  great  lumber-producing  region  of  the  county,  and  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant in  New  Mexico  is  east  of  the  Divide  and  the  lake  country.  Pifion 
and  cedar  are  annually  cut  in  great  quantities  from  the  Tierra  Amarilla 
grant,  in  the  vicinity  of  Chama,  and  from  the  Petaca  grant,  further  east. 
Tres  Piedras,  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  county,  a  station  on  the  Denver 
&  Rio  Grande,  is  an  important  shipping  point. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Rio  Arriba  are  principally  gold  and  copper, 
together  with  mica  and  some  other  industrial  minerals.  Along  the  Chama 
river  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles,  commencing  about  five  miles  above 
Abiquiu,  are  extensive  placer  gravel  beds.  There  are  other  deposits,  both 
in  leads  and  placers,  about  twenty  miles  west  of  Tres  Piedras,  and  at  a 
place  called  Bromide,  nearer  that  town,  are  rich  silver  deposits.  Copper 
is  found  in  the  main  range  of  mountains  in  the  east,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Abiquiu.  on  the  Arroyo  Cobre.  The  largest  beds  of  mica  are  near  the  town 
of  Petaca.  The  largest  coal  fields  are  near  Amargo  and  Monero,  the  latter 
a  station  on  the  branch  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  which  penetrates 
the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

Towns. — Tierra  Amarilla,  the  county  seat  of  Rio  Arriba,  is  the  center 
of  a  finely  cultivated  country,  well  irrigated  and  attractive.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  towns  in  this  section  of  New  Mexico,  having  been  settled  under 
a  grant  from  the  Mexican  government  in  the  'thirties.  Its  trade,  especially 
in  live  stock,  wool  and  grain,  is  quite  large.  Los  Ojos,  Park  View,  La 
Puenta  and  a  number  of  small  towns  surround  and  depend  upon  it. 

Chamita,  near  the  southeastern  boundary,  on  the  line  of  the  Denver 
&  Rio  Grande,  is  in  the  midst  of  a  splendid  fruit  country,  and  Abiquiu, 
twenty  miles  to  the  northwest,  on  the  Chama  river,  is  surrounded  by  wheat 
fields,  ranches  and  deposits  of  gold  and  copper.  The  old  Indian  pueblo 
of  Abiquiu  has  been  deserted  for  some  time,  but  the  modem  town  covers 
much  of  the  same  ground.  Chama,  near  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
county,  is  surrounded  by  fine  pine  forests  into  which  the  saw  mills  are 
rapidly  eating,  by  sandstone  quarries  and  big  sheep  and  cattle  ranches, 
it  being  quite  a  brisk  shipping  center  for  building  material  and  live- 
stock. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


VALENCIA  COUNTY. 

As  described  by  the  Territorial  act  of  January  9,  1852,  dividing  New 
Mexico  into  nine  counties,  Valencia  had  the  following  bounds :  On  the 
south,  drawing  a  line  from  a  point  between  the  town  of  Jose  Pino  and  the 
house  of  Jose  Antonio  Chavez  toward  the  east  in  the  direction  of  the  Bocas 
de  Abo,  and  continuing  said  line  along  the  Gabilan  mountain  until  it  ter- 
minates with  the  boundaries  of  the  Territorv ;  drawing  a  direct  line  from 
the  starting  point  of  the  eastern  line,  crossing  the  Rio  del  Norte,  touching 
the  dividing  line  between  Belen  and  Sabinal ;  continuing  the  line  in  the 
direction  of  the  Puerto  de  la  Bolita  de  Oro  until  it  terminates  with  the 
boundary  of  the  Territorv ;  on  the  north  to  be  bounded  by  the  county  of 
Bernalillo. 

Valencia  is  in  the  first  tier  of  western  counties,  and  has  as  its  northern 
neighbor  the  old  county  of  Bernalillo  and  the  new  county  of  McKinley, 
and,  as  its  southern,  Socorro,  also  one  of  the  original  nine  counties,  but  now 
sadly  reduced  in  territory.  The  county  of  Valencia  has  a  population  of 
14,000  and  an  area  of  9,400  square  miles. 

Resources  of  the  County. — Even  after  the  cutting  off  of  the  county 
of  Torrance  in  1904,  Valencia  remained  one  of  the  larsrest  counties  in  New 
Mexico,  being  a  little  larger  than  New  Hampshire  and  smaller  than  Ver- 
mont. The  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  its  southeastern  portion  is  its 
garden  spot,  producing  good  crops  of  wheat,  barley,  oats,  corn,  beans,  chile 
peppers,  alfalfa  and  fruits.  The  greatest  spread  of  orchards  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Los  Lunas,  the  county  seat,  and  Belen,  the  largest  town  and 
commercial  center.  In  the  valleys  of  the  San  Jose,  peaches  and  grapes  are 
the  staple  fruit  crops,  and  there  are  single  farms  that  yield  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  pounds  of  the  Mission  grape. 

Among  connoisseurs  the  wine  and  brandy  of  Valencia  county  have  a 
high  reputation.  Only  the  finest  fruit  is  used  to  distill  brandy,  and  the 
wine  is  made  of  pure  juice  without  artificial  sweetening.  To  satisfy  those 
who  prefer  a  very  sweet  wine,  the  vintners  take  the  residue  of  the  grapes 
after  the  wine  is  made,  press  it  and  boil  the  juice  down  to  a  thick  syrup. 
This  is  added  to  the  wine  as  a  sweetener.  The  Mission  grape  is  almost  as 
sugarv  as  a  raisin,  and  its  wine  really  needs  no  added  sugar. 

In  addition  to  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  the  valleys  of  the  San  Jose  and 
the  Rio  Puerco  are  very  fertile,  and  in  the  different  settlements  all  along 
them  small  grains  and  fruits  are  raised  in  abundance. 

The  highlands,  valleys  and  hillsides  are  covered  with  rich  grass,  and 
the  numerous  springs  and  creeks  make  it  possible  to  produce  wool,  mutton 
and  beef  at  low  cost.  The  wool  industry  has  proven  to  be  the  most  profit- 
able, and  some  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  New  Mexico  have  derived  their 
revenues  from  the  prosecution  of  this  industry  in  Valencia  countv.  The 
Rio  Grande  valley  of  the  county  has  always  been  the  home  of  many  of  the 


606  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

wealthiest  and  most  influential  families  among  the  Spanish  population,  and 
from  here  nearly  all  the  governors  who  were  residents  of  New  Mexico  were 
appointed. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Valencia  county  are  extremely  varied.  A  few 
miles  west  of  the  Rio  Grande  the  coal  measures  begin,  and  extend  almost 
in  a  continuous  body  to  the  western  boundary,  including  an  area  nearly  a 
hundred  miles  long  by  fifty  wide.  Coal  crops  out  on  all  the  higher  mesas. 
Salt  is  found  in  large  quantities  in  the  Zuni  mountains,  the  lakes  of  brine  in 
that  region  being  well  known.  There  are  gold  and  copper  mines  in  this 
district.  Gypsum  is  found  near  El  Rito,  adjoining  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
Railroad,  and  is  considered  very  valuable  as  a  fertilizer.  In  the  western 
part  of  the  county  along  the  line  of  the  same  road  are  extensive  deposits 
of  sandstone  and  granite  and  other  building  stone. 

Towns. — Los  Lunas,  the  county  seat,  is  beautifully  situated  in  the  Rio 
Grande  valley,  on  die  main  line  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  At  this  point  for 
miles  the  valley  presents  a  continuous  succession  of  prosperous  looking 
farms  and  orchards,  with  an  occasional  postoffice  and  surrounding  settle- 
ment. But  the  greatest  commercial  development  is  further  south,  with 
Belen  as  its  center. 

With  the  construction  of  that  portion  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railway  system,  known  as  the  Belen  Cut-Off,  in  1904-0,  the  section  of 
the  Territory  immediately  affected  began  to  develop  very  rapidly.  The 
town  of  Belen,  at  first  little  more  than  a  railroad  construction  camp,  de- 
veloped into  a  place  of  1,200  people  in  1906.  The  site  is  now  owned  by  the 
Belen  Town  and  Improvement  Company,  of  which  John  Becker  is  presi- 
dent and  William  M.  Becker,  secretary.  In  1905-6  a  public  schoolhouse 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $16,000;  a  commercial  club  was  organized;  a  roller 
flour  mill  was  built,  with  a  capacity  of  150  barrels  per  day;  a  large  winery 
was  established,  and  a  weekly  newspaper — the  Belen  Tribune — began 
publication,  under  the  management  of  William  M.  Berger.  The  Commer- 
cial Club  was  incorporated  January  8,  1906,  by  Charles  Reinken  (president )  : 
William  M.  Berger  (vice-president),  H.  Emory  Davis  (secretary),  and  John 
Becker,  Jr.  (treasurer),  and  erected  a  two-story  brick  building  costing 
$8,000.  The  railroad  works  at  Belen  include  a  large  roundhouse,  a  forty- 
eight  pocket  coal  chute,  a  handsome  Harvey  eating  house,  somewhat  after 
the  design  of  the  Castenada  at  Las  Vegas,  a  Harvey  curio  shop,  a  com- 
modious depot,  offices,  etc.  The  railroad  yards  are  a  mile  and  a  half  long, 
six  hundred  feet  wide,  and  will  contain  upward  of  sixty  miles  of  track. 
Large  quantities  of  wood,  hay,  beans,  flour,  fruit  and  wine  are  shipped 
annually.  The  railroad  has  allowed  the  impression  to  go  forth  that  all 
fast  limited,  mail  and  freight  trains,  will  pass  over  this  part  of  the  line, 
making  a  great  saving  in  distance  and  time  between  Chicago  and  the 
Pacific  coast. 

In  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  in  what  is  called  the  San  Mateo 
country,  near  Mount  Taylor,  are  San  Mateo,  San  Rafael  and  Cubero,  Mex- 
ican towns  of  importance,  and  in  the  far  west,  in  the  Zuni  district,  is  the 
Mormon  town  of  Kamah. 

Some  Early  Settlers. — Demas  Provencher,  or  Provencer,  a  native  of 
France,  was  one  of  the  early  inhabitants  of  Valencia  ( now  a  part  of  Mc- 
Kinley)  county.  He  established  a  general  merchandising  business,  and 
erected  a  mill  at  El  Gallo,  three  miles  southwest  of  Grant's  station,  adjoin- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  607 

ing  the  present  San  Rafael,  and  upon  the  site  of  old  Fort  Wingate.  He 
became  widely  known  throughout  that  section  of  the  Territory,  and  by 
reason  of  his  generous  disposition,  his  public  spirit  and  inclination  to  be  of 
practical  use  to  the  community  at  large,  was  highly  respected.  He  married 
a  sister  of  Father  Bran,  a  French  Catholic  priest  stationed  at  El  Gallo.  In 
1892.  while  engaged  in  canvassing  the  votes  cast  in  his  precinct  at  an 
election,  in  company  with  another  official,  he  was  killed  by  a  shot  fired 
through  the  window  near  which  he  sat.  As  he  had  no  known  enemies,  it 
was  generally  believed  that  the  shot  was  intended  for  his  companion,  and 
that  it  was  fired  by  Jose  el  Coyote,  a  Mexican  desperado  who  had  been  the 
author  of  numerous  criminal  disturbances. 

Ramon  A.  Baca,  who  lived  at  San  Mateo  in  the  davs  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  Civil  war,  was  another  widely  known  man.  It  is  said  that  when 
he  first  located  there  he  was  so  utterlv  destitute  that  he  killed  a  prairie 
dog  with  his  gun  in  order  to  provide  food  for  his  wife  and  children.  He 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  raising  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  and  amassed 
a  fortune.  For  years  he  lived  like  a  feudal  lord,  spending  his  money  like 
Croesus,  entertaining  lavishly,  and  making  his  journey  through  the  country 
with  a  coach  and  four  horses.  During  the  Apache  wars  he  commanded  a 
company  of  native  militia,  great  pomp  and  dignity  characterizing  all  his 
military  movements,  though  the  records  do  not  mention  any  especially  active 
service  performed  by  him.  Like  many  of  his  contemporaries,  he  suffered 
the  loss  of  his  entire  fortune  during  the  panic  of  1893-4.  and  died  about 
two  years  later  in  comparative  poverty. 

Judge  J.  M.  Latta.  of  Boston,  Mass.,  who  organized  the  Zurii  Mountain 
Cattle  Company  about  1883  and  for  some  time  thereafter  was  occupied  in 
the  industry  with  headquarters  at  Bluewater.  was  one  of  the  widely  known 
operators  in  that  section.  W.  IT.  TIulvcv.  his  nephew,  now  a  banker  of 
Chicago,  was  his  ranch  foreman  and  superintendent  for  several  years. 
Judge  Latta  came  into  the  Territory  as  a  tie  contractor  with  the  Atlantic  & 
Pacific  Railroad. 

Ridener  &  Baker,  a  wholesale  grocery  firm  of  Kansas  City,  with  Jose 
Joseph  E.  Saint,  entered  the  cattle  business  in  1883.  organized  a  corpora- 
tion known  as  the  Acoma  Land  &  Cattle  Companv,  with  headquarters  at 
Acoma  station.  Their  operations  were  quite  extensive  for  many  vears,  but 
they  suffered  severe  financial  reverses  about  18Q4. 

Paul  B.  Dalies,  vice-president  of  the  Tohn  Becker  Company  at  Belen, 
Valencia  countv,  located  at  this  place  in  1889  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
John  Becker  Company,  with  which  he  has  since  been  connected,  his  ability 
and  fidelitv  winning  him  successive  promotions  until  in  1902,  upon  the  in- 
corporation of  the  company,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  vice-president. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  Orphan  Children's  Home 
at  Belen,  under  appointment  from  Governor  Otero. 

William  M.  Berger.  attornev  and  counselor  at  law,  and  secretary  and 
general  manager  of  the  Town  and  Improvement  Companv  of  Belen,  Xew 
Mexico,  is  a  native  of  New  York  city,  and  in  early  manhood  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war  as  first  sergeant  in  Company  G,  of  the  Eighth 
Regiment  of  Xew  York  Volunteers.  He  served  in.  the  campaigns  of  the 
Armv  of  the  Potomac,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Armv  of  the  Re- 
public, and  held  important  staff  appointments  under  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  that  organization.     Following  his  return  from  the  war  he  studied 


608  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

law  with  the  Hon.  Solomon  Noble,  corporation  attorney,  and  ex- 
Judge  Stemmler  of  New  York,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  Em- 
pire state  in  1868,  after  which  he  practiced  continuously  in  New  York 
city  until  1880,  being  attorney  for  Steinway  &  Sons,  piano  forte  manufac- 
turers, until  1880.  That  year' witnessed  his  arrival  in  Santa  Fe,  New  Mex- 
ico, where  he  opened  a  law  office  and  also  operated  largely  in  real  estate 
speculations.  He  conducted  large  real  estate  operations  in  Las  Vegas,  New 
Mexico,  where  his  labors  were  a  decided  impetus  in  establishing  and  con- 
ducting the  new  town  of  Las  Vegas:  He  also  established  the  new  town  of 
Santa  Fe,  assisted  in  organizing  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  Board  of  Under- 
writers and  the  first  fire  department  of  the  Territory.  In  Santa  Fe  he  as- 
sisted in  the  organization  of  the  Territorial  Historical  Society,  and  has 
been  re-elected  its  secretary  for  the  twenty-sixth  time.  He  is  the  pioneer 
insurance  agent  of  the  Territory,  and  has  sold  real  estate  and  has  conducted 
real  estate  operations  also  in  Silver  City,  Deming  and  Socorro.  He  is  now 
building  up  the  new  town  of  Belen  and  is  secretary  and  general  manager 
of  the  Belen  Town  and  Improvement  Company,  also  secretary  and  general 
manager  of  the  Willard  Town  and  Improvement  Company.  He  is  like- 
wise general  counsel  for  the  John  Becker  Company,  who  have  mercantile 
establishments  in  Belen  and  other  towns  of  New  Mexico.  He  left  Santa 
Fe  in  1903  and  removed  to  Belen,  where  he  opened  an  office  and  is  now 
conducting  the  extensive  real  estate  operations  above  mentioned,  having 
negotiated  many  important  property  transfers.  For  five  years  he  was 
owner  and  editor  of  the  weekly  Capitol  at  Santa  Fe,  from  1897  until  1902, 
and  now  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  Belen  Tribune,  located  at  Belen,  a 
Republican  paper  of  considerable  influence  in  New  Mexico.  Thus  his  inter- 
ests have  been  closely  associated  with  many  movements  which  have  had 
direct  and  important  bearing  upon  the  Territory,  its  substantial  growth  and 
improvement. 

Mr.  Berger  is  a  charter  member  of  the  New  Mexico  Bar  Association, 
and  during  the  peripd  of  his  residence  in  the  Territory  has  continued  in 
the  practice  of  law  as  well  as  in  real  estate  operations,  and  in  many  fields 
of  activity  into  which  he  has  directed  his  energies.  He  was  United  States 
receiver  of  public  money  of  New  Mexico  at  Santa  Fe  from  1889  until  1893, 
serving  with  high  honor,  but  refused  a  reappointment  under  the  Cleveland 
administration.  He  made  the  first  call  and  was  the  first  president  of  the 
Territorial  Fire  Association  of  New  Mexico.  He  was  the  organizer  and 
first  president  of  the  Territorial  Press  Association,  of  which  he  is  now  the 
secretary.  He  is  vice-president  of  the  Good  Roads  Association  and  founder 
of  the  Educational  Association  of  New  Mexico.  Prominent  in  Masonry,  he 
has  filled  all  of  the  chairs  in  the  lodge  and  Royal  Arch  Chapter,  and  is  a 
member  of  Montezuma  Lodge  No.  1,  of  Santa  Fe.  He  is  also  a  leading  and 
active  member  of  Santa  Fe  Lodge  No.  1.  K.  of  P.:  past  grand  chancellor  of 
the  Territorv  and  supreme  representative.  Few  citizens  have  taken  a  more 
active  part  in  advancing  the  material,  intellectual  and  political  progress  of 
the  Territory  than  Mr.  Berger.  His  mind  seems  to  have  compassed  the 
entire  measure  of  possibilities,  looking  beyond  the  exigencies  of  the  present 
to  the  opportunities  of  the  future,  and  while  working  toward  the  ideal,  he 
has  used  the  means  at  hand  in  practical  methods  that  have  produced  valued 
and  beneficial  results. 

He  is  a  married  man,  having  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Combes,  of  New 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


tiO<) 


York  city.  They  have  two  daughters,  Miss  Ella  May  and  Miss  Edna  E., 
both  of  whom  have  filled  and  are  now  filling  positions  of  trust  and  honor  in 
the  Territory. 

Simon  Neustadt,  a  merchant  and  postmaster  at  Los  Lunas,  took  up  his 
abode  in  that  city  in  1879  and  entered  mercantile  circles  as  a  successor  to 
his  brother,  Samuel  Neustadt,  who  removed  to  Albuquerque,  where  with 
another  brother,  Louis  Neustadt.  be  opened  a  general  mercantile  store  in 
what  was  then  the  Armijo  Hotel.  This  was  continued  for  five  years,  when 
the  firm  sold  out,  Samuel  remaining  in  New  Mexico,  while  Louis  went  to 
New  York. 

Simon  Neustadt  continued  merchandising  for  about  seven  years  at  Los 
Lunas,  and  then  removed  to  El  Paso,  but  in  1887  returned  and  again  en- 
tered mercantile  circles  by  purchasing  the  store  of  Louis  and  Henry  Huning, 
continuing  in  that  business  for  three  years.  He  then  bought  out  L  F.  Levy, 
which  store  he  has  occupied  continuously  since,  being  one  of  the  enterprising 
merchants  of  the  town.     In  1896  he  was  appointed  postmaster. 

George  H.  Pradt,  a  civil  engineer  living  in  Laguna,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, reared  in  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1869  to  make 
a  survey  of  the  Navajo  Indian  reservation.  After  completing  this  work 
he  returned  to  the  east,  but  in  the  meantime  had  become  greatly  interested 
in  and  attached  to  this  part  of  the  countrv,  and  resolved  to  locate  perma- 
nently in  the  Territory'.  Accordinglv  he  arrived  in  1872  at  Santa  Fe,  and 
was  employed  in  the  surveyor  general's  office.  He  made  his  headquarters 
at  Santa  Fe  while  engaged  on  government  surveys  until  1876,  when  he 
came  to  Laguna,.  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  acted  as  public  land  sur- 
veyor until  1903,  and  also  did  private  surveying  and  general  engineering 
work,  while  for  several  years  he  was  county  surveyor  of  Valencia  county. 
He  has  devoted  about  five  years  to  the  cattle  business,  and  whatever  he 
undertakes  he  carries  forward  to  successful  completion. 

Mr.  Pradt  has  not  only  become  well  known  in  connection  with  the 
practice  of  his  chosen  profession,  but  also  has  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaint- 
ance by  reason  of  what  he  has  done  in  behalf  of  public  welfare.  For  one 
term  he  was  governor  of  the  Laguna  Pueblo  Indians.  He  served  in  the 
New  Mexico  militia  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  of  Company  I,  Second 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  in  1882,  while  in  7883  he  became  captain  and  in  the 
same  year  was  made  major  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Cavalry.  He  acted  as 
lieutenant-colonel  from  1885  until  1887  in  the  Second  Regiment  of  Cavalry, 
and  in  1890  was  commissioned  captain  of  Company  C  of  the  First  Regiment 
of  Infantry,  while  in  1892  and  189^  he  was  major  and  inspector  of  rifle 
practice  on  the  governor's  staff.  He  also  served  in  Company  K  of  the 
Fortieth  Regiment  of  Wisconsin  Volunteers  as  corporal  in  the  Civil  war, 
and  in  Company  A.  Forty-ninth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  partici- 
pated in  manv  engagements  along  the  Mississippi  and  in  various  military 
movements  in  northern  Mississippi  and  Tennessee,  mostly  against  the  bush- 
whackers. He  is  a  member  of  G.  K.  Warren  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  Albuquerque, 
and  thus  maintains  pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades.  He  has 
acted  as  deputy  United  States  marshal  and  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the 
duties  of  those  positions  were  performed  in  a  most  capable  manner.  He  dis- 
plays the  same  fidelity  of  which  he  gave  proof  when  on  southern  battlefields 
in  the  Civil  war  and  which  has  always  characterized  his  public  service, 
whether  in  office  or  out  of  it. 


610  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Simon  Bibo,  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Laguna,  New  Mexico,  ar- 
rived in  die  Territory  in  1866,  traveling  to  Santa  Fe  with  a  bull  train, 
bringing  merchandise  over  the  Santa  Fe  trail  for  Spiegelberg  Brothers,  of 
that  city.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  Spiegelberg  Brothers  until  1869,  when 
he  established  a  mercantile  store  at  Seboyeta.  In  1870  he  took  government 
contracts  for  Fort  Apache  and  freighted  from  Seboyeta  by  bull  trains. 
In  1873  he  established  a  store  at  Bernalillo  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Nathan  Bibo.  this  relation  being  maintained  until  he  sold  out  in  1892  to 
Joe  Bibo. 

Mr.  Bibo  opened  the  first  road  from  Zufii  to  Fort  Apache.  In  1880, 
when  the  railroad  was  built,  he  opened  a  store  at  Grants,  which  he  con- 
tinues to  the  present  time,  and  in  1893  he  established  a  branch  store  at 
Laguna.  He  now  has  large  stores  at  Laguna,  Grants  and  Seboyeta,  and  is 
thus  closely  associated  with  the  mercantile  interests  of  this  section  of  the 
Territory.  His  brother.  Solomon  Bibo,  established  a  store  at  Cubero  in 
1885.  and  in  1898  Simon  Bibo  purchased  that  store,  but  in  1904  sold  it  to 
Emil  and  Leopold  Bibo.  In  connection  with  his  extensive  mercantile  in- 
terests he  is  likewise  interested  in  buying  and  selling  sheep,  lambs  and  wool. 
His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican  party. 

John  M.  Gunn,  a  cattleman,  miller  and  merchant  living  at  Laguna,  is 
a  native  of  Hardin  county,  Ohio.  He  came  to  Laguna  in  1881,  and  here 
became  connected  with  the  cattle  industry  and  with  surveying.  Four  years 
later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,  K.  C.  C.  Gunn,  in  the  cattle 
business,  with  which  they  have  since  been  identified.  In  1904  they  estab- 
lished a  mercantile  store  at  I-aguna  under  the  firm  name  of  Gunn  Brothers. 
In  1893  Mr.  Gunn  built  a  flour  mill  at  Laguna.  which  he  enlarged  in  1903 
until  it  has  a  capacity  of  forty  barrels  a  day.  Here  he  has  a  steam  plant 
and  the  grain  used  is  principally  raised  in  this  vicinity.  The  chief  brand  of 
flour  is  the  "Pansy,"  and  he  supplies  a  large  local  demand  and  does  custom 
work.  He  also  has  a  cattle  ranch  about  twenty-five  miles  south  of  Laguna. 
He  located  large  beds  of  lithographic  limestone,  which  are  now  being 
operated  by  the  New  Mexico  Pumice  Stone  Company,  and  the  officers  of  this 
enterprise  are :  E.  E.  Lemke,  president :  John  Davern,  vice-president ; 
M.  YV.  Flournoy.  treasurer,  and  E.  B.  Christy,  secretary.  Mr.  Gunn  is 
interested  'largely  in  this  undertaking. 

He  has  had  some  military  experience,  having  served  as  first  lieutenant 
of  the  Laguna  troop  of  mounted  militia  in  the  Apache  war.  He  also  served 
for  several  years  in  the  Territorial  militia,  reaching  the  rank  of  captain. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SOCORRO  COUNTY. 

As  defined  by  the  territorial  act  of  January  g,  1852,  Socorro  county 
stretched  across  New  Mexico,  with  the  following  bounds:  On  the  south, 
drawing  a  direct  line  to  the  eastward  from  the  Muerto  Spring  in  the  Jornada 
in  the  direction  of  La  Laguna,  and  continuing  until  it  terminates  with  the 
boundary  of  the  Territory ;  drawing  a  direct  line  toward  the  west  from  said 
Muerto  Spring,  crossing  the  Rio  del  Norte  and  continuing  in  the  same 
direction  until  it  terminates  with  the  boundary  of  the  Territory,  shall  be  the 
southern  boundary,  and  the  northern  boundary  is  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  county  of  Valencia. 

As  now  constituted,  Socorro  is  by  far  the  largest  county  in  New  Mexico, 
having  an  area  of  15,386  square  miles,  or  about  the  size  of  Maryland,  Dela- 
ware and  Rhode  Island  combined.  It  is  in  the  first  tier  of  counties  to  the 
west,  and  is  still  bounded  by  Valencia,  with  a  portion  of  Torrance  county 
on  the  north,  and  Grant,  Sierra  and  Dona  Ana  on  the  south,  Lincoln  lying 
to  the  east.     It  has  a  population  of  over  12,000. 

COUNTY    OFFICERS. 

The  records  of  the  county  are  quite  incomplete,  but  from  those  in  exist- 
ence the  following  are  ascertained  to  have  held  the  offices  named  : 

Probate  Judges. — 1851-4,  Pedro  Baca ;  1855-6,  Juan  Jose  Baca ;  1857-60,  Manuel 
Vigil  :  1861-3.  Pedro  Baca;  1S64.  L.  M.  Baca;  1865-6,  Jose  Antonio  Baca  v  Pino; 
1867,  J.  M.  Shaw;  1868-9.  Vivian  Baca;  1870-2.  Dionicio  Jaramillo ;  1873,"  L.  M. 
Baca;  1874-5,  Matias  Contreras ;  1876,  Numa  Raymond:  1877-8,  Estanislao  Mon- 
toya;  1870-80.  Desiderio  Montoyri  :  1881-2,  Pedro  Baca;  1885-7,  George  W.  Hollen- 
beck;  1888.  Esquipula  Pino:  1890-00.  Francis  Buchanan;  1891-2.  Esquipula'  Pino; 
1895-4.  Camilo  Baca;  1895-6,  Candelaria  Garcia;  1897-1902,  Jose  E.  Torras ;  1003-4, 
Mauricio  Miera ;   1905-6.  Henry  Dreyfus. 

Probate  Clerks. — 1857-8,  Vicente  St.  Vrain ;  1859-60,  Andres  Romero;  1863-5, 
L.  M.  Vaca  (also  spelled  Baca);  1866-7.  Julian  J.  Truiillo;  Pedro  A.  Baca:  1872-3, 
Sevara  A.  Baca;  1875,  Desiderio  Montoya;  1876-84.  J.  M.  Chaves;  1885-6.  E.  V. 
Chaves;  1887-8,  Jesus  M  Luna  y  S. ;  1889-92.  E.  V.  Chavez;  1893-4.  Estanislao  Pino; 
1895-6,  Elfego  Baca:  1897-8.  Edward  L.  Fortune;  1899-1902.  Hermene  G.  Baca; 
1903-6,  Boleslo  A.  Pino. 

Sheriffs. — 1857-60,  Luis  Tafoya ;  1862,  Miguel  de  Luna;  1865-8.  Jesus  Ribera ; 
1S74-6.  Luis  Tafoya;  1877-80,  Juan  Maria  Garcia;  1881-2.  Andre  Montoya;  1883-4. 
Pedro  A.  Simpson  :  1885-8.  Charles  T.  Russell ;  1889-92.  Charles  A.  Robinson ;  1893-4, 
Leopoldo  Contreras;  1895-8,  H.  O.  Bursum ;  1899-1902.  C.  F.  Blackington ;  1903-6, 
Leandro  Baca. 

Treasurers. — 1866,  Atanacio  Abeyta :  1882.  Antonio  Jose  Luna ;  1885.  J.  W. 
Terry:  1887-8.  Millard  W.  Browne;  18S0-90.  W.  D.  Burlingame;  1S91-2.  Millard  W. 
Browne:  1893-6,  E.  L.  Browne;  1807-1902.  Abram  Abeyta:  1903-4,  Hermene  G.  Baca; 
1905-6,  Jose  E.  Torres. 

Assessors. — 1887-90,  Leandro  Baca;  1S01-2,  Justiniano  Baca;  1893-6,  Nestor  P. 
Eaton;  1807-8,  Cipriano  Baca:  1890-1900,  Constancio  Miera:  1901-4.  Benjamin  San- 
chez :  1905-6.  John  F.  Fullerton  (resigned,  and  A.  B.  Baca  appointed  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term"). 


H12  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

County  Commissioners. — 1876,  Antonio  Abeytia  y  Armijo  (chairman),  Julian 
Montoya.  Tomas  Gonzales:  1877-8,  Deonicio  Jaramillo  (chairman),  Geronimo  Cha- 
vez, Rafael  Tofoya ;  1879-80,  Jose  M.  Apodaca  (chairman),  Felipe  Peralta,  Lucas 
Pino;  1881-2,  Tomas  Cordova  (chairman),  Julian  Montoya,  Richard  Stackpole  (J. 
M.  Shaw  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Richard  Stackpole )  :  1883-4, 
Matias  Contreras  (chairman),  F.  M.  Speare.  Vivian  Baca;  1885-6,  Matins  Contreras 
(chairman),  Vivian  Baca,  J.  W.  Virgin;  1887,  Dinnicio  Jaramillo  (chairman),  Lu- 
ciana  Chavez,  Alexander  Laird:  188S.  C.  N.  Blackwell  (chairman),  Luciano  Chavez, 
S.  C.  Vaughn;  1889-90,  John  M.  Tyler  (chairman),  W.  W.  Jones.  Nestor  Gonzales 
(J.  W.  McMullen  appointed  to  succeed  J.  M.  Tyler);  1891-2,  Eutimio  Montoya 
(chairman),  Arcadio  Sais,  W.  W.  Jones;  1S93-4,  C.  T.  Brown  (chairman).  Anas- 
tacio  Trupillo,  W.  W.  Jones;  1895-96,  C.  T.  Brown  (chairman),  Anastacio  Trujillo, 
Clement  Hightower:  1897-8.  \V.  W.  Jones  (chairman).  Ramon  C.  Montoya,  Manuel 
A.  Pino;  1899-1900.  A.  Schley  (chairman).  F.  G.  Bartlett,  Gregorio  Baca;  1901-2, 
John  Greenwald  (chairman).  M.  Contreras,  A.  E.  Rouiller;  1903-4.  John  Greenwald 
(chairman),  Abram  Contreras.  Carnio  Padilla ;  1905-6,  F.douardo  Jaramillo  (chair- 
man), Abram  Contreras,  Alfredo  Armijo. 

Physical  Geography. — When  it  is  remembered  that  Socorro  county  ex- 
tends from  central  New  Mexico  to  the  Arizona  boundary,  a  distance  of  nearly 
170  miles,  and  that  its  north  and  south  expansion  is  about  two-thirds  as 
great,  one  is  prepared  for  the  statement  that  its  physical  features  are  varied. 
It  contains  the  most  magnificent  area  of  valley  land  of  any  county  in  the 
Territory,  and  the  greatest  variety  of  natural  resources.  Roughly  esti- 
mated, of  its  area  of  9,600,000  acres  2,700,000  are  mountainous  and  the 
balance  fit  for  agriculture  or  pasture. 

Socorro  county  has  three  distinct  classes  of  lands :  The  agricultural, 
which,  as  a  rule,  are  found  on  the  Rio  Grande  and  other  streams  which 
traverse  the  Territory :  the  uplands,  or  mesas,  especially  adapted  to  grazing, 
and  which  abound  with  nutritious  grasses,  and  the  mountain  ranges,  several 
of  which  are  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  timber.  In  the  western 
part  of  the  county,  near  the  Arizona  line,  are  found  the  Tularosa  and  San 
Francisco  with  their  multitude  of  affluents,  and  along  their  valleys  are  other 
large  bodies  of  good  land. 

The  Rio  Grande  valley  in  this  county  is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the 
Socorro,  Magdalena  and  San  Mateo  mountains,  whose  average  elevation  is 
about  ,9,000  feet,  with  some  peaks  reaching  a  height  of  over  10.000  feet. 
On  the  east  the  Sierra  Oscura,  part  of  the  frontal  range  of  the  Rockies,  walls 
in  the  valley.  The  first  named  ranges  are  very  precipitous  on  their  eastward 
faces,  and  their  rocks  are  granitic  or  eruptive  in  character.  Between  the 
Black  Range  and  the  Mogollons  is  a  great  timber  belt,  whose  forests  con- 
tinue to  the  summits  of  the  bounding  mountains,  and  within  this  area  runs 
the  continental  divide. 

Resources. — On  account  of  its  great  extent  and  physical  diversity,  the 
resources  of  Socorro  county  are  of  wonderful  variety,  embracing  agricul- 
tural and  horticultural  crops  of  both  the  temperate  and  warmer  zones,  live- 
stock of  all  kinds,  and  minerals  of  a  bewildering  range.  The  farms  of  the 
count)-  are  principally  found  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  beginning  at  Sabinal, 
about  thirty  miles  north  of  Socorro,  and  then  stretching  down  to  the  beau- 
tiful fields  of  San  Marcial,  near  the  southern  boundary.  Most  of  this 
section  is  easily  irrigated,  and  much  more  land  than  is  now  cultivated  might 
easily  be  reclaimed.  On  the  ninety  miles  of  the  course  of  the  Rio  Grande  in 
this  county  there  are  over  150,000  acres  of  land  easy  to  reclaim  in  the  first 
bottoms.    On  the  mesas  and  bench  lands  there  are  100,000  acres  more. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  613 

Wheat  is  the  largest  product  of  the  valley,  and  is  of  a  very  superior 
quality.  Every  year  sees  a  greater  acreage  of  alfalfa,  which  is  a  very  profit- 
able crop.  Corn  with  proper  care  will  yield  seventy  bushels  to  the  acre. 
Oats,  barley  and  rye  furnish  unfailing  crops  far  in  excess  of  those  produced 
in  the  Atlantic  states  on  the  same  acreage.  All  the  products  of  the  eastern, 
and  with  few  exceptions  those  of  the  Gulf  states,  thrive  in  this  valley  and 
vield  unfailing  crops. 

The  cattle  interests  of  Socorro  county  are  very  large,  both  the  abundant 
forage  and  the  climate  being  especially  favorable  to  the  growth  of  this 
branch  of  live  stock.  The  mild,  open  winters  permit  the  animals  to  use 
their  food  for  the  making  of  flesh  and  not  for  the  creation  of  heat.  The  im- 
mense flocks  of  sheep  range  principally  over  the  western  sections  of  the 
countv.  and  here  are  also  the  largest  cattle  ranches.  It  is  the  region  from 
which  flow  the  headwaters  of  the  San  Francisco  and  Gila  rivers,  each  with 
its  numerous  feeders.  It  is  also  a  fortunate  peculiarity  of  this  portion  of 
Socorro  county,  not  only  that  there  are  numerous  small  streams  which  come 
from  the  mountains  and  run  some  distance  into  the  plains,  but  that  many 
springs  are  scattered  over  the  country. 

As  a  mineral  county  Socorro  is  remarkably  rich,  and  the  deposits  are 
well  distributed  in  the  mountainous  regions,  which  are  not  confined  to 
special  sections.  In  the  celebrated  Magdalena  district,  with  Kelly  as  its 
center,  are  argentiferous  galena,  gray  copper,  copper  pyrites,  iron  and  zinc. 
The  Water  canyon  district  to  the  east  produces  placer  gold,  galena,  copper, 
zinc  and  manganese.  In  the  Socorro  mountain  district  are  found  chloride 
of  silver,  blue  carbonate  of  copper,  green  carbonates  of  copper,  galena,  while 
far  to  the  west,  in  the  ranges  of  the  Mogollon  and  Datil  districts,  are  rich 
deposits  of  gold,  silver,  variegated  copper,  silver-bearing  gray  copper  and 
galena.  Of  all  the  mineral  districts  in  Socorro  county  the  greatest  output 
has  come  from  the  silver-lead  mines  at  Kelly,  which  for  years  supplied  the 
Rio  Grande  smelter  at  Socorro  with  the  great  bulk  of  the  ore  treated  there. 

The  City  of  Socorro. — Socorro,  the  county  seat,  is  a  city  of  about  1,500 
people.  It  is  the  first  important  point  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley  south  of 
Albuquerque,  and  before  the  advent  of  railroads  into  the  Territory,  in  1879- 
80,  it  promised  to  rival  Santa  Fe.  Many  of  the  early  settlers,  who  were 
driven  from  the  provincial  capital  either  by  Indians  or  Mexican  revolu- 
tionists, located  at  this  point,  which  therefore  came  to  be  called  Socorro — 
translated,  meaning  "succor,"  or  "stop  here." 

Socorro  was  incorporated  as  a  city  through  the  efforts  of  William  T. 
De  Baun,  who  was  elected  its  first  mayor  in  1882.  But  the  sturdy  growth 
of  Albuquerque  and  Las  Vegas  to  the  north  cut  off  much  of  its  trade.  This 
general  cause  for  its  retarded  progress  was  intensified  by  local  obstacle1-. 
which  are  explained  hereafter. 

The  city  of  Socorro  reached  the  climax  of  its  prosperitv  in  1883-4. 
In  that  vear  the  new  town  of  Lake  Vallev  received  a  great  impetus,  and 
many  who  had  interests  in  Socorro  joined  the  rush  to  the  new  place.  In 
1884-5  August  Billings  erected  a  smelter  about  two  miles  west  of  Socorro, 
chieflv  for  the  smelting  of  lead  ores,  which  carried  an  average  of  $5  to  $6  in 
silver  per  ton.  After  a  few  years  of  operation  under  private  control,  the 
smelter  was  sold  to  the  trust  and  soon  afterward  was  shut  down. 

About  this  time  the  United  States  Land  Court  decided  that  the  Socorro 
land  grant  of  about  880.000  acres  was  fraudulent  and  set  it  aside.     This  de- 


614  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

cision  was  the  climax  to  the  woes  of  the  community,  from  which  it  never 
has  recovered.  In  passing  upon  this  grant  the  court  set  aside  four  square 
leagues  of  land  as  a  community  grant  for  Socorro  city,  thus  quieting  titles ' 
which  otherwise  would  have  been  rendered  void. 

Like  most  Xew  Mexican  towns  in  the  early  days,  Socorro  suffered 
greatly  from  the  presence  of  a  strong  rough  element.  Following  the  murder 
of  Conkling,  editor  of  a  local  newspaper,  who  was  attempting  to  maintain 
order  while  conducting  Christmas  Eve  festivities  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  (in  1880),  a  committee  of  safety  was  organized  in  January,  1881. 
There  has  been  a  great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  character  of  the  work 
of  this  committee  and  its  effect  upon  the  growth  of  the  community.  Though 
some  condemned  the  measures  which  it  adopted  to  end  the  reign  of  terror 
following  the  Conkling  tragedy,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  accomplished  some 
beneficial  results. 

Several  instances  are  recited  where  the  Mexican  inhabitants  were  sum- 
marily dealt  with,  being  given  no  opportunity  to  defend  themselves.  On  the 
other  hand,  many  men  were  punished  for  crimes  committed,  who,  without 
the  presence  of  the  committee,  might  have  continued  their  lawless  depreda- 
tions. In  1884,  after  a  killing  by  the  committee,  a  public  meeting  was  called 
in  the  old  court  house.  The  result  was  a  compromise  between  the  friends 
and  enemies  of  the  committee  by  which  the  organization  was  dissolved. 
But  not  long  afterward  the  body  was  reorganized  for  the  purpose  of  hang- 
ing, without  process  of  law,  a  notorious  character  named  Joseph  Fowler, 
who  was  a  ranchman  residing  near  Socorro. 

After  selling  his  ranch  for  $50,000,  Fowler  came  to  town,  drank  heavily, 
and  during  his  spree  stabbed  a  man  named  Kahl,  a  prospector  of  Engle. 
He  was  tried  and  convicted  of  the  crime,  but  appealed.  While  in  jail,  pend- 
ing the  appeal  and  under  a  heavy  guard,  a  mob  composed  largely  of  the 
original  members  of  the  committee  of  safety  overpowered  the  guard,  took 
the  prisoner  from  the  jail  and  hanged  him.  Fowler  was  accused  of  several 
murders,  and  the  simple  accusation  seems  to  have  been  equivalent  to  convic- 
tion. The  news  of  this  lynching  brought  Socorro  into  such  notoriety  that 
the  majority  of  law-abiding  people  of  the  Territory  shunned  the  town  there- 
after, and  its  decline  from  that  day  forth  was  steady. 

San  Marcial. — Although  not  an  incorporated  town,  San  Marcial  is  a 
place  of  about  1,000  inhabitants,  located  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  south  of 
Socorro.  In  the  early  days  it  was  a  stage  station  on  the  road  to  Fort  Craig, 
and  prior  to  the  eighties  quite  a  settlement  had  been  established.  Just  after 
the  railroad  had  reached  this  point,  in  the  winter  of  1880-1,  San  Marcial 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  but  its  rebuilding  soon  began. 

By  the  fall  of  1881  Fred  M.  Spear  had  erected  a  general  store.  At  its 
completion  there  were  three  shacks  in  town,  but  his  building  was  of  rather  a 
more  durable  character,  and  is  considered  the  commencement  of  the  new- 
town. 

The  chief  drawback  to  the  rebuilding  of  San  Marcial  was  the  difficulty 
of  obtaining  good  titles  to  property.  It  was  a  typical  "squatter  town,"  and 
previous  to  the  latter  portion  of  1882  the  titles  rested  solely  on  quit-claim 
deeds,  which  were  little  better  than  none  at  all.  After  the  test  ejectment  suit 
against  Simon  Levser  had  been  decided  in  the  courts  against  the  property 
holder,  the  San  Marcial  Land  and  Improvement  Company  was  organized 
to  protect  buyers  of  real  estate.     They  filed  a  town-site  plat  in  October, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  615 

1882,  and,  through  Hugh  H.  Smith  and  Thomas  Biggs,  the  original  heirs, 
gave  a  clear  title  to  settlers  of  4,000  acres  of  land.  The  tract  was  formerly 
a  portion  of  the  Armenderez  grant.  Martin  Zimmerman  was  president  oi 
the  company,  and  a  man  named  Sedgwick  was  its  attorney. 

At  this  time,  which  is  the  real  commencement  of  the  founding  of  the 
new  town,  Simon  Leyser  was  also  re-establishing  himself  as  a  general  mer- 
chant, being,  after  Mr.  Spear,  the  pioneer  in  that  line.  Isaac  and  Abram 
Schey  were  also  engaged  in  general  merchandising,  and  W.  H.  Featherson 
was  the  first  grocer.  E.  C.  Rockwell  was  proprietor  of  a  grocery  and 
bakery,  and  J.  V.  Allen,  who  later  started  a  dry  goods  and  hardware  store, 
kept  a  saloon.  G.  P.  Edwards  was  both  druggist  and  postmaster,  and  Dr. 
C.  G.  Cruikshank  practiced  medicine.  Dr.  C.  F.  Davis  (deceased)  was  also 
in  that  professional"  field.  H.  H.  Howard,  the  editor,  is  now  dead,  while  his 
wife  is  postmistress  of  San  Marcial.  J.  E.  Nichols,  who  is  still  living,  in 
1882  was  running  a  real  estate  and  an  insurance  office  and  a  barber  shop. 
L.  C.  Broyles,  J.  M.  Broyles  and  James  G.  Fitch  (now  of  Socorro)  were 
also  in  business,  and  an  attorney  named  Clark  had  but  recently  hung  his  sign. 

Other  Towns. — The  other  growing  towns  in  the  county  are  mostly  lo- 
cated in  the  mining  districts.  Magdalena,  in  the  district  by  that  name,  is 
twenty-three  miles  northwest  of  Socorro,  and  is  the  center  of  a  carbonate 
ore  camp;  with  Kelly,  the  center  of  numerous  silver-lead  camps,  it  is  con- 
nected with  the  county  seat  by  a  spur  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  road.  Carthage, 
a  little  further  to  the  south,  and  the  shipping  point  for  the  surrounding  coal 
fields,  has  similar  railroad  facilities.  Limitar,  Polvadera  and  La  Joya.  north 
of  Socorro,  rely  for  their  growth  upon  agriculture,  horticulture,  viniculture, 
wine  and  stock-raising.  In  the  western  part  of  the  count)'  are  Cooney, 
located  on  the  creek  by  that  name,  in  the  Moeollon  mountains,  and  known 
as  a  gold,  silver  and  lead  camp ;  Alma,  at  the  mouth  of  Cooney  creek  and 
canyon,  the  center  of  an  extensive  stock  country  and  a  trading  point  for  the 
mining  district;  and  Joseph,  on  Tularosa  creek,  near  the  Arizona  line,  lo- 
cated in  a  region  of  ancient  ruins,  in  which  the  most  beautiful  Aztec  pottery 
has  been  found. 

Leandro  Baca,  sheriff  of  Socorro  county,  was  born  in  Lajoya,  New 
Mexico,  March  8,  1851,  a  son  of  Tomas  and  Consicion  (Chaves)  Baca,  both 
natives  of  Valencia  count v.  New  Mexico.  The  father  was  a  farmer, 
freighter  and  stock  raiser,  and  freighted  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail  to  Kansas 
City,  Leavenworth  and  to  California,  making  these  trips  in  1848  to  sell 
sheep,  in  company  with  Governor  Otero's  father.  The  round  trip  required 
fourteen  months.  They  drove  overland  across  the  country,  with  the  usual 
experiences  and  hardships  of  such  a  journey  in  pioneer  times.  In  later 
years  Tomas  Baca  was  proprietor  of  a  store  at  Lajoya,  and  also  owned  a 
sheep  ranch,  which  he  conducted  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1897, 
when  he  was  seventy-two  years  of  age.    His  wife  passed  away  in  1891. 

Leandro  Baca  spent  his  entire  life  on  his  father's  ranch  at  Lajoya,  and 
entered  in  freighting  before  the  days  of  railroad  transportation,  making  trips 
as  far  east  as  Kit  Carson.  He  also  went  to  Tucson,  San  Francisco,  Fort 
Wing-ate  and  the  White  mountains,  and  was  a  well  known  factor  in  those 
early  freighting  days.  In  1874  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  sheep  industry 
at  Lajoya,  where  he  made  his  home  until  coming  to  Socorro.  In  the  mean- 
time he  also  conducted  a  mercantile  enterprise  at  Lajoya.  Called  to  public 
office  in  1887,  he  removed  to  Socorro,  and  for  four  years  served  as  assessor 


616  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  the  county.  In  1891  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  sheriff  under  Leo- 
poldo  Contreras,  thus  serving  for  two  years.  On  retiring  from  that  office 
he  concentrated  his  energies  upon  his  sheep  and  cattle  business,  continuing 
actively  as  a  rancher  until  1902,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff,  to  which 
position  he  was  re-elected  in  1904,  having  given  such  capable  service  in  his 
first  term  that  he  was  once  more  the  people's  choice  for  the  office.  He  dis- 
charges his  duties  without  fear  or  favor,  and  is  a  safeguard  to  all  interests 
of  the  county  that  come  within  law  and  order.  His  political  allegiance  is 
given  to  the  Democracy.  In  addition  to  discharging  his  official  duties,  he 
also  gives  supervision  to  his  ranching  interests.  He  was  always  a  Democrat 
until  December,  1905,  when  he  changed  to  the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Baca  has  been  married  twice.  On  the  16th  of  January,  1871,  he 
wedded  Genoveba  Jaramillo,  who  died  January  16,  1890,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren: Josefa,  the  wife  of  Justiniano  Baca;  Esteban  J.;  Jesusa,  the  wife  of 
Francisco  Esquibel,  and  Tomas  A.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1891,  Mr.  Baca 
wedded  Mariana  Padilla,  and  they  have  one  child,  Domitilia. 

John  W.  Terry,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  in  Socorro,  is  a 
native  of  Illinois,  born  in  Jersey  county,  on  the  12th  of  October,  1836,  his 
parents  being  Jasper  M.  and  Mary  Ann  (Waggoner)  Terry.  He  supple- 
mented his  early  educational  privileges  by  study  in  Shurtleff  College  at 
Alton,  Illinois,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1861  with  the  degree  of  bach- 
elor of  arts.  Later  he  became  a  student  in  Colgate  University  at  Hamilton, 
New  York,  from  which  he  won  the  Master  of  Arts  degree  in  1865,  but  in 
the  meantime  he  had  rendered  active  service  to  his  country  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  August,  1862.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in 
raising  Company  C  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, of  which  he  became  first  lieutenant.  He  was  with  Grant  in  Ten- 
nessee, Louisiana  and  Mississippi  until  after  the  capitulation  of  Vicksburg, 
having  participated  in  the  entire  siege  of  the  citv,  his  brigade  being  in  the 
center  of  the  line  which  took  formal  possession. 

Following  his  graduation  from  Shurtleff  College,  Mr.  Terry  was  or- 
dained to  the  Baptist  ministry,  and  subsequent  to  the  close  of  the  war  he 
continued  his  studies  in  the  theological  department  of  Colgate  University. 
He  engaged  in  preaching  at  Madison,  Indiana,  and  at  Centralia,  Illinois, 
and  for  six  months  was  associated  in  church  work  with  Professor  William 
I.  Knapp  in  Madrid,  Spain.  This  was  in  1871.  In  the  meantime  he  had 
spent  one  year,  1869-70,  in  travel  in  Europe.  In  1873  he  went  to  Trinidad, 
Colorado,  and  having  retired  from  the  active  work  of  the  ministry  he  formed 
a  partnership  in  the  banking  business  with  Colonel  George  R.  Swallow. 
In  the  fall  of  1879  ne  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  where  he  conducted  a 
real  estate  office,  and  in  December,  1881,  he  came  to  Socorro.  In  the  spring 
of  1882  he  established  a  bank  here,  which  he  conducted  for  three  and  a  half 
years,  and  has  since  given  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  business  and  to 
dealing  in  live  stock  and  alfalfa  farms.  He  organized  a  large  stock  ranch 
in  connection  with  the  firm  of  Liggitt  &  Meyers,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
under  the  name  of  the  Magdalena  Land  &  Cattle  Company,  but  after  about 
a  year  disposed  of  his  interests,  in  1887.  His  attention  is  now  given  to  real 
estate  operations. 

In  1874  Mr.  Terry  was  married  to  Mary  A.  Bascom,  a  native  of  Rock 
Island,  Illinois.  Their  children  are :  Paul  J.,  agent  for  Wells-Fargo  Ex- 
press Company  at  Ciudad  Juarez;  John  Bascom,  a  graduate  of  the  Uni- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  61< 

yersity  of  California  of  the  class  of  1905.  and  now  chemist  for  the  Standard 
Oil  Company  at  Point  Richmond,  and  Helen,  who  is  attending  school  in 
Painesville,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Terry  has  been  prominent  in  community  and  territorial  interests  in 
New  Mexico.  He  has  served  as  county  treasurer  of  Socorro  county  and  a 
member  of  the  city  council  of  the  city  of  Socorro.  He  was  a  Lincoln  Re- 
publican in  earlier  days,  stanchly  upholding-  the  administration  during  the 
period  of  the  Civil  war,  and  he  now  entertains  liberal  political  views,  but 
has  never  been  an  active  partisan.  He  has,  however,  served  as  chairman  of 
the  Republican  county  central  committee  and  of  the  county  executive  com- 
mittee. For  one  year  he  served  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  School  of  Mines  of  New  Mexico.  He 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Trinidad,  Colorado,  _but  is  not  affiliated  with  the 
craft  at  the  present  time. 

Joseph  Price,  member  of  the  Price  Brothers  Mercantile  Company  at 
Socorro,  is  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1864. 
Throughout  his  entire  life  he  has  been  connected  with  commercial  pursuits, 
carrying  on  business  in  that  line  in  Oneonta,  New  York,  until  he  came  to 
New  Mexico.  The  Price  Brothers  Mercantile  Company  was  established  in 
1881  and  the  members  of  the  firm  were  Joseph  Price  and  M.  Loewenstein. 
Since  that  time  a  wholesale  and  retail  general  mercantile  business  has  been 
conducted.  The  company  has  also  carried  on  a  banking  business  for  about 
eight  years  and  has  a  state  bank,  which  is  known  as  the  Socorro  State  Bank. 
Joseph  Price  went  to  Socorro  in  1887  to  take  charge  of  the  business,  which 
had  been  established  by  his  brother,  Morris  Price,  now  of  Roswell,  and 
has  acted  as  manager  of  the  enterprise  for  the  past  nineteen  years,  develop- 
ing the  business  along  modern  lines  of  progress  until  the  trade  of  the 
house  has  now  reached  large  and  profitable  proportions.  In  community 
affairs  he  has  also  beeen  interested,  supporting  those  measures  which  are 
a  matter  of  civic  pride.  He  has  been  school  director  and  for  several  years 
was  president  of  the  board  of  education,  but  has  never  been  an  office  seeker. 
For  thirty-seven  years  he  has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
being  raised  in  Oneonta  Lodge  No.  466.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Oneonta,  New 
York.  In  1873  he  married  Miss  Carrie  Stern,  and  their  children  are  Jennie, 
the  wife  of  L.  B.  Stern,  of  Albuquerque ;  Essie  L.,  the  wife!  of  Simon  Bitter- 
man  ;  Lena  E.,  and  Edward  L.  Price. 

Jasper  Newton  Broyles.  a  merchant  and  banker  of  San  Marcial,  to 
whom  the  city  is  indebted  for  active  and  effective  co-operation  in  move- 
ments for  the  general  good,  was  born  July  24,  1859,'  and  came  to  San 
Marcial  as  ticket  agent  on  the  Santa  Fe  railroad  in  1882.  Nine  months 
later  he  established  a  freight  depot,  which  he  conducted  for  three  years,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1886  he  established  a  small  grocery  business,  and  has  since 
been  identified  with  commercial  interests.  For  several  years  he  and  his 
brother  Lee  occupied  the  same  store,  but  were  not  partners.  Jasper  N. 
Broyles  carried  a  stock  of  groceries  and  furniture,  and  in  1898  enlarged  the 
scope  of  his  business  by  adding  dry  goods  and  hardware,  so  that  he  now 
has  a  well  equipped  general  store.  In  1904  he  purchased  a  drug  store, 
which  he  has  since  owned  and  conducted.  In  1892  he  established  a  private 
bank,  which  institution  has  been  a  source  of  benefit  to  the  community  as 
well  as  of  individual  profit. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Broyles  has  taken  a  very  deep  and  helpful 


618  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

interest,  giving  active  aid  to  many  plans  and  movements  that  have  resulted 
beneficially  for  the  city.  At  one  time  he  was  a  school  director,  and  he  is  a 
zealous  and  active  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  In 
1902  he  established  the  Holiness  and  Missionary  School,  which  has  since 
been  successfully  conducted.  He  nrefers  that  the  students  shall  be  orphans 
or  poor  children  who  would  otherwise  be  denied  educational  advantage, 
and  yet  admission  to  the  school  is  not  limited  to  any  people,  class  or  com- 
munity. The  school  is  governed  by  a  local  board  and  supported  by  gratui- 
ties. Mrs.  Brovles  is  at  the  head  of  the  institution,  and  her  co-workers  are 
Mrs.  S.  Rose,  Mrs.  J.  W.  McCoach,  C.  L.  Harley,  J.  N.  Broyles  and  M.  T. 
Dye.  The  last  named  was  the  first  superintendent.  Regular  instruction  in 
secular  branches  is  given,  but  prominence  is  given  also  to  instruction  in  the 
Bible.  There  is  an  average  attendance  of  between  eighty  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  pupils  of  all  ages.  There  are  three  buildings  devoted  to  school 
purposes  and  from  three  to  five  teachers  are  constantly  employed.  This 
school  was  founded  to  take  the  place  of  the  poor  schools  in  San  Marcial. 
It  has  had  a  steady  growth  and  is  a  most  noteworthy  and  commendable  in- 
stitution, doing  a  great  and  good  work.     . 

Mr.  Broyles  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Zena  Haney,  of  Lacygne, 
Kansas,  and  their  children  are  Lawrence  W.,  Rose,  Ruth  and  Philip,  all  at 
home.  Mr.  Broyles  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  Lodge 
.No.  14.  Aside  from  his  business,  his  attention  is  chiefly  directed  to  the 
Holiness  Mission  and  Bible  School,  which  he  organized  and  in  the  work 
of  which  he  receives  the  active  assistance  of  his  wife.  Prospering  in  his 
business  undertakings  he  has  manifested  the  true  spirit  of  philanthropy  in 
the  assistance  which  he  has  given  to  his  fellowmen,  and  his  broad  humani- 
tarian principles  find  exemplification  in  his  practical  aid  to  children  who 
would  otherwise  be  denied  educational  facilities.  Mr.  Broyles  put  in  an 
electric  light  plant  this  year,  which  is  well  patronized  by  citizens  and  the 
railroad. 

Jose  E.  Torres,  county  treasurer  and  collector  of  Socorro  county,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Socorro,  where  he  yet  makes  his  home,  his  natal  day 
being  May  28,  1859,  a  son  of  Balentin  and  Josefa  (Ortiz)  Torres.  His  en- 
tire life  has  been  passed  in  the  city  of  his  nativity,  and  in  early  manhood  he 
became  connected  with  the  cattle  business,  while  since  1901  he  has  given  his 
attention  to  merchandising.  He  still,  however,  has  farming  and  ranching 
property  and  is  running  cattle  on  the  range.  His  fellow  townsmen,  recog- 
nizing his  worth  and  ability,  have  called  him  to  various  public  offices.  He 
was  first  elected  city  marshal  on  the  Republican  ticket  in  April,  1889,  serv- 
ing for  a  two  years'  term,  and  subsequently  was  elected  city  counsel,  con- 
tinuing in  that  office  for  four  terms.  As  mayor  of  the  city  he  gave  a  public- 
spirited,  practical  and  progressive  administration.  He  was  for  three  terms 
probate  judge  of  the  county,  and  in  1904  was  elected  county  treasurer  and 
collector. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1889,  Mr.  Torres  was  married  to  Miss  Guadalupe 
Padilla,  and  to  them  have  been  born  the  following  children :  Josefa,  Del- 
fino,  Valentia,  Esteban,  Moriana,  Jose  Felipe,  Juana  Maria,  and  Guadalupe. 

Frank  Johnson,  a  cattle  rancher  and  market  man  residing  at  San 
Marcial,  was  born  in  Stockton,  California,  October  1,  1853.  The  years  of 
his  minority  passed,  he  made  his  way  to  Texas  and  the  Indian  Territory  in 
the  spring  of  1873  and  traveled  quite  extensively.     In  1874  he  established  a 


£,0^24 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  «19 

milling  business  at  Henrietta.  Clay  county,  Texas,  where  he  remained  until 
1881,  when  he  went  to  old  Mexico,  where  during  the  construction  of  the 
Mexico  Central  railroad  the  firm  of  Brandt  &  Johnson,  grading  contractors, 
laid  a  considerable  stretch  of  the  road.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  two  and 
a  half  years,  and  on  the  igth  of  August,  1885,  he  located  thirty-five  miles 
west  of  San  Marcial.  since  which  time  he  has  made  his  home  in  New 
.Mexico.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  handling  as  high  as 
two  thousand  head  in  a  year,  and  he  has  a  home  both  on  the  ranch  and  in 
town.  The  ranch  is  situated  fifteen  miles  northwest  of  San  Marcial.  Both 
branches  of  his  business  are  proving  profitable,  for  he  is  conducting  a  good 
meat  market  in  San  Marcial,  attended  with  a  liberal  patronage,  and  he  is 
widely  recognized  as  a  business  man  of  marked  enterprise  and  keen  dis- 
cernment. 

( )n  the  20th  of  January,  1870,  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Jessie 
Johnson,  and  they  have  a  son,  Kelder,  who  is  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  management  and  conduct  of  the  ranch.  Mr.  Johnson  has  always  been  a 
Democrat,  but  is  not  an  active  politician.  He  has  been  a  Mason  since  1893 
and  has  served  for  the  third  time  as  master  of  Hiram  Lodge  No.  13,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.  He  also  belongs  to  Santa  Fe  Lodge  of  Perfection  and  the 
Wichita  Consistory,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the 
Scottish  Rite,  and  he  is  now  senior  deacon  in  the  grand  lodge  of  New 
Mexico. 

Patrick  Higgins,  owning  and  operating  a  ranch  at  Reserve,  New 
Mexico,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Territory  since  1862.  He  came  to  this 
section  of  the  country  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  First  California  In- 
fantry, having  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  from  Los  Angeles, 
California,  on  the  9th  of  October,  1861.  He  was  a  native  of  Minister,  in 
County  Limerick,  Ireland,  born  March  17,  1835,  and  his  education  was  ac- 
quired in  the  national  schools  of  that  country.  For  four  years  he  was  a 
sailor  on  board  the  Jessie,  visiting  all  ports  of  Europe,  after  which  he  went 
to  Quebec,  Canada,  to  visit  his  uncle.  While  there  he  secured  his  release 
from  the  ship,  and  soon  afterward,  leaving  his  uncle's  home,  he  began  raft- 
ing on  Canadian  waters,  being  thus  engaged  until  1852,  when  he  went  to 
California,  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast.  He  was 
engaged  in  mining  in  that  state  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Los  Angeles 
on  the  9th  of  October  for  service  in  the  Union  armv  during  the  Civil  war. 
He  re-enlisted  at  Fort  Cummings  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  First  Vet- 
eran Infantry  of  Colorado,  becoming  first  sergeant.  The  regiment  was 
constantly  in  active  service  in  suppressing  the  Indian  uprisings  in  the  south- 
west. Mr.  Higgins  was  wounded  by  an  arrow  in  the  right  leg  and  by  a 
bullet  in  the  left  leg,  and  he  afterward  lost  the  use  of  his  left  hand  and 
arm  when  engaged  in  trouble  with  horse  thieves  in  1877.  He  was  at  that 
time  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Socorro  county,  a  position  which  he  filled 
for  fourteen  years.  Both  the  thief  and  Mr.  Higgins  shot  at  the  same  time, 
and  the  former  was  killed,  while  the  latter  was  shot  in  the  arm. 

On  being  discharged  from  the  LJnited  States  service  at  Santa  Fe  on 
account  of  his  wounds,  having  been  in  the  hospital  for  some  time,  Mr.  Hig- 
gins located  in  Socorro,  where  he  established  a  blacksmith  and  carpenter 
shop,  continuing  in  the  business  from  1872  until  1874.  He  then  removed  to 
Water  Canyon,  where  for  eight  months  he  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness.    He  removed  to  Tularosa,  where  he  secured  a  ranch  of  one  hundred 


620  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  sixty  acres  on  the  old  Apache  reservation,  from  which  the  Indians  had 
been  recently  removed.  He  then  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  which  he 
conducted  for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1897  he  bought  a  ranch  on  the 
Frisco  river.  He  has  sold  his  cattle  and  is  now  giving  his  attention  to 
farming.    He  resides  in  Socorro. 

Mr.  Higgins  was  married  in  1863  to  Miss  Perfeta  Sanchez,  and  they 
have  twelve  living  children  and  three  who  are  deceased.  Mr.  Higgins  is  a 
member  of  Slough  Post  No.  7,  G.  A.  R.  Thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
experiences  of  military  service  and  pioneer  life  in  the  southwest,  he  has 
contributed  to  the  work  of  subduing  the  red  race  and  reclaiming  this  region 
for  the  purposes  of  civilization,  and  has  now  settled  down  to  the  quiet  life 
of  a  farmer,  his  labors  adding  to  the  agricultural  development  and  pros- 
perity of  his  county. 

Richard  C.  Patterson,  a  mining  prospector  and  rancher  of  Carlsbad, 
New  Mexico,  is  one  of  the  prominent  and  well  known  pioneer  settlers  of  the 
Territory.  He  located  in  this  section  of  the  country  when  it  was  a  wild  and 
unsettled  district,  when  marauding  bands  of  Indians  committed  many  depre- 
dations and  atrocities,  and  when  only  here  and  there  could  be  found  a 
settlement  to  show  that  the  white  man  had  started  upon  the  attempt  to 
reclaim  this  district  for  the  uses  of  civilization.  He  is  familiar  with  the 
history  of  those  wild  but  picturesque  days,  and  can  relate  from  experience 
many  interesting  incidents  concerning  pioneer  existence  in  New  Mexico. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  born  in  Veazie,  Maine,  about  four  miles  above 
Bangor,  on  the  7th  of  March,  18^7.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
and  for  eight  years  was  on  a  whale  ship,  during  which  time  he  visited  all 
parts  of  the  world.  In  1858  he  made  his  way  to  California  and  was  engaged 
in  placer  mining  in  that  state.  There  he  enlisted  for  service  as  a  soldier  in 
the  Civil  war,  and  in  1862  he  came  to  New  Mexico  in  the  volunteer  service, 
landing  on  the  Rio  Grande  river.  He  was  attached  to  Company  G,  First 
Regiment  of  California  Infantry,  and  later  he  re-enlisted,  becoming  first 
sergeant  of  Company  B  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Veteran  Infantry.  The 
command  was  engaged  in  constant  service  in  suppressing  the  Indians  and 
preventing  outbreaks  against  the  white  men,  and  in  this  way  Mr.  Patterson 
saw  arduous  frontier  service  until  mustered  out  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
on  the  15th  of  September,  1866.  In  that  year  he  settled  at  Monticello,  New 
Mexico,  where  he  began  farming.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  three  years, 
when  he  turned  his  attention  to  mining  in  the  Magdalena  mountains.  He 
built  a  small  smelter  in  the  Patterson  canyon,  which  he  operated  until  1875, 
in  which  vear  he  removed  to  the  Patterson  ranch  and  began  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  was  the  first  to  take  up  land  in  the  western  part  of 
Socorro  county,  and  during  those  early  days  had  many  brushes  with  the 
Indians.  At  that  time  the  nearest  postofnce  was  at  Socorro,  one  hundred 
miles  awav,  and  the  nearest  neighbor  was  fortv  miles  distant.  Mr.  Patter- 
son was  a  leader  in  movements  against  the  Indians  and  horse  thieves.  The 
red  men  were  very  numerous  in  those  early  days,  and  while  engaged  in 
defending  the  frontier  settlers  against  their  depredations  he  has  killed 
seventeen  Indians  and  has  been  himself  wounded  twice.  He  continued 
ranching  on  the  Patterson  ranch  until  the  spring  of  1903.  when  he  sold  that 
property  and  removed  to  a  ranch  at  Polvadera,  New  Mexico,  comprising 
two  hundred  acres  of  land.    A  postoffice  was  established  at  Patterson  about 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  G21 

1885.  His  attention  is  now  given  to  the  management  and  conduct  of  his 
ranch  property  and  to  prospecting  in  mining  districts. 

Mr.  Patterson  was  married,  in  June,  1867,  to  Miss  Francisquita  Chaves, 
and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children,  James,  Mary  and  Julia,  the  last 
named  being  the  wife  of  Ceorge  Sickles.  The  family  home  is  near  Carls- 
bad. Mr.  Patterson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  belonging  to 
Socorro  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  His  mind  bears  the  impress  of  the 
earlv  historic  annals  of  the  Territory,  and  he  has  broad  information  con- 
cerning its  history  from  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  to  the  present  time, 
watching  with  interest  the  changes  that  have  occurred  and  the  wonderful 
transformation  that  has  been  wrought  as  hardy,  resolute  frontier  settlers 
have  reclaimed  the  district  for  the  uses  of  the  white  race. 

Charles  M.  Grossman  is  proprietor  of  a  ranch  twenty-five  miles  west 
of  San  Marcial,  on  which  he  is  raising  cattle,  horses  and  mules.  He  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  August  ti,  1874,  and  comes  of  German 
ancestry.  He  arrived  in  New  Mexico  in  1896  when  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
two  years,  and  was  employed  for  two  years  on  a  ranch.  At  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  purchased  cattle  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  business 
on  his  own  account.  He  now  has  about  one  thousand  acres  of  patented 
land  and  about  one  thousand  head  of  cattle,  and  has  become  recognized  as 
a  leading  and  prosperous  ranchman,  whose  practical  efforts  are  factors  in 
his  success. 

On  the  29th  of  October,  1889,  Mr.  Crossman  was  married  to  Miss  Lula 
M.  Darrow.  a  native  of  Abilene,  Kansas,  and  they  have  a  daughter,  Maude 
Louise.  His  political  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  but  he  is 
without  aspiration  for  public  office.  Fraternallv  he  is  connected  with  San 
Marcial  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Edward  W.  Brown,  owner  of  a  cattle  ranch  forty  miles  southeast  of 
San  Marcial,  in  Socorro  county,  was  born  in  Kerrville,  Texas,  in  April, 
1858,  and  was  reared  to  ranch  life,  so  that  practical  experience  equipped 
him  for  the  duties  which  he  assumed  on  embarking  in  business  on  his  own 
account.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1884,  spending  the  first  year  in 
Lincoln  county,  and  since  1886  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  cattle  business 
in  Socorro  county.  He  has  a  large  ranch  and  has  run  as  high  as  thirty-five 
hundred  head  of  cattle.  At  different  times  he  has  engaged  in  the  butchering 
business  at  San  Marcial  and  Alamogordo,  but  at  all  times  has  continued  his 
ranching  interests,  which  are  extensive  and  profitable. 

Mr.  Brown  is  an  earnest  Democrat,  but  has  no  desire  for  the  honors 
and  emoluments  of  office.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  at  Alamogordo.  He  was  married  in  1883  to  Miss  Nettie  Johnson, 
who  died  in  1892,  leaving  two  sons,  James  PI  and  Stephen  I.  Brown.  His 
present  wife  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Mary  Latham. 

Boleslo  A.  Pino,  probate  clerk  at  Socorro,  was  born  there  May  13, 
1869,  a  son  of  Juan  Pino  y  Baca  and  Erinea  (Baca)  Pino.  The  father, 
born  in  Socorro,  is  still  living  in  the  town,  and  has  devoted  the  years  of  his 
manhood  largely  to  the  cattle  business,  although  in  early  life  he  was  a 
freighter  over  the  Santa  Fe  trail  to  the  St.  Louis  &  Kansas  City  Railroad. 
At  one  time  he  was  sheriff  of  Socorro  county,  and  he  is  still  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business. 

Boleslo  A.  Pino  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Socorro  and  in 
St.  Michael's  College  at  Santa  Fe,  where  he  studied  for  three  years.     He 


622  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

entered  business  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  mercantile  establishment,  where  he 
remained  five  years,  and  for  two  years  was  manager  for  the  Park  City 
Mercantile  Company,  while  for  nine  years  he  served  as  bookkeeper  for 
Henry  Chambon.  In  the  meantime  he  served  as  city  clerk  for  one  term, 
elected  in  1900,  and  in  1902  and  again  in  1904  was  elected  probate  clerk  on 
the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  has  made  a  clean 
record  as  an  official.  In  addition  to  discharging  the  duties  of  the  office,  he 
gives  supervision  to  a  cattle  ranch  which  he  owns  in  Socorro  county. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  1890,  Mr.  Pino  married  Teresa  Pino,  and  their 
children  are  Soila,  Ines,  Lucela,  Erinea  and  Isabel.  The  parents  are  com- 
municants of  the  Catholic  church,  and  Mi.  Pino  has  always  given  his 
political  allegiance  to  the  Democracy. 

John  F.  Cook,  who  died  in  Socorro  February  17,  1906,  had  located 
there  in  1881,  coming  to  New  Mexico  from  Pueblo,  Colorado.  He  was  born 
and  reared  in  Washington  county,  Virginia,  his  natal  day  being  June  29, 
1842.  In  the  place  of  his  nativity  he  was  educated  and  he  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  in  the  old  Dominion.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Confederate  service  as  a  private  of  Company  D, 
First  Virginia  Cavalry,  with  which  he  was  connected  until  December,  1861. 
He  then  re-enlisted  for  the  remainder  of  the  war  in  Stewart's  Artillery,  and 
missed  only  two  important  battles  in  the  operations  of  the  armies  in  the 
east.  With  his  command  he  surrendered  at  Appomattox,  being  at  that  time 
with  the  army  under  Lee. 

When  the  war  was  over  Mr.  Cook  went  to  Missouri  and  followed 
farming  in  that  state  and  in  Kansas.  He  then  went  to  Colorado  and  was 
engaged  in  carpentering  at  Pueblo.  In  the  meantime  he  had  been  married, 
near  Parsons,  Kansas,  in  1875,  to  Miss  Annetta  Fisher,  and  to  them  was 
born  a  son,  George  E.  Cook. 

On  leaving  Colorado  in  1881,  Mr.  Cook  located  in  Socorro,  where  he 
began  business  as  a  contractor  and  carpenter.  He  assisted  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  smelter,  and  after  it  was  opened  he  continued  as  boss  carpenter 
for  two  years.  He  was  then  chosen  deputy  sheriff  of  Socorro  county,  filling 
the  office  until  1892,  in  which  year  he  took  charge  of  the  smelter  as  guard 
of  the  property  and  agent  for  the  St.  Louis  Smelting  &  Refining  Company 
in  the  Territory,  which  position  he  held  until  his  death.  He  was  also 
connected  with  the  cattle  business,  having  clone  operations  in  this  line  in 
1894,  and  in  the  eighties  he  prospected  to  some  extent,  but  his  attention  in 
later  years  was  confined  to  his  duties  in  connection  with  the  smelting  com- 
pany and  to  his  cattle  interests. 

Mr.  Cook  was  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason.  He  belonged  to  Rio 
Grande  Lodge  No.  9,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Albuquerque ;  the  Santa  Fe  Lodge 
of  Perfection  No.  1,  and  the  Consistory,  and  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine  at  Albuquerque.  He  had  membership  relations  with 
the  Elks  Lodge  No.  461  at  Albuquerque,  and  in  politics  was  a  stalwart 
Democrat. 

W.  J.  Hanna,  librarian  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  at  San  Marcial,  has 
been  a  resident  of  the  Territory  since  1881.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Penn- 
sylvania, where  his  childhood  and  youth  were  passed.  He  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  1881  and  entered  the  water  service  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company,  having  charge  as  foreman  of  the  water  service  south  of  Albu- 
querque until  June,  1905,  when  he  was  transferred  to  his  present  position, 


i 


v*^* 


John  F.  Cook 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  «23 

that  of  librarian  of  the  Santa  Fe  reading  room  at  San  Marcial.  His  per- 
sonal popularity  and  other  qualities  well  qualify  him  for  this  position.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  San  Marcial  Lodge  No.  14,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

Edward  S.  Stapleton,  deputy  sheriff  of  Socorro  county,  was  born  in, 
that  county  October  8,  1859,  a  son  of  Robert  H.  and  Pabla  (Baca)  Staple- 
ton,  the  latter  a  daughter  of  Pedro  A.  Baca,  who  was  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Civil  war  and  also  a  member  of  the  militia.  The  father  came  to  New 
Mexico  with  the  United  States  troops  in  1848,  and  was  afterward  made 
colonel  in  the  militia.  He  had  the  contract  to  build  Fort  Craig,  and  he 
became  largely  interested  in  business  enterprises  in  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory. He  purchased  two  thousand  acres  of  land  south  of  San  Marcial,  well 
known  as  the  Stapleton  ranch,  and  he  had  sawmills  and  threshing  machines, 
and  he  used  thirty-two  teams  in  his  various  business  enterprises.  As  a 
merchant  he  was  carrying  a  stock  of  goods  valued  at  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  thousand  dollars,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  Texas  and  other 
southern  troops  during  the  Civil  war,  and  for  which  he  never  received  any 
remuneration.  He  was  in  the  fight  at  Glorieta  and  fled  to  the  hills  to  save 
his  life.     He  afterward  retired  to  Socorro,  where  he  died  July  8,  1891. 

Edward  S.  Stapleton  has  spent  his  life  in  Socorro  county  and  was 
educated  in  St,  Michael's  College  at  Santa  Fe,  from  which  he  was  gradu- 
ated in  1874.  When  at  home  he  assisted  in  operating  the  sawmill  until 
1881,  when  he  was  married  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming  and  mer- 
chandising, continuing  in  business  three  miles  north  of  Socorro.  He  was 
thus  engaged  until  he  became  chief  deputy  sheriff  in  December,  1904,  and 
he  still  retains  his  farming  interests.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the 
Democracy.  Mr.  Stapleton  was  married  August  2,  1881,  to  Emitira  Baca, 
and  their  children  are :  Robert,  Vivian,  Lesandro,  Edonardo,  Jacob,  Pablita, 
Isabel  and  Ernest  Stapleton. 

Conrada  A.  Baca,  deputy  county  treasurer,  living  at  Socorro,  was  born 
about  three  miles  north  of  this  city,  in  Socorro  county,  November  26,  1865, 
and  his  parents,  Jose  and  Asencion  (Baca)  Baca,  were  also  natives  of  that 
county,  and  the  father  followed  merchandising  throughout  his  entire  life  in 
Socorro  and  Frisco.  In  1878  he  represented  his  district  in  the  general  as- 
sembly as  a  member  of  the  house,  and  has  also  been  county  treasurer,  and 
was  county  judge  of  El  Paso  county,  Texas,  from  1880  until  1882,  thus 
becoming  an  active  factor  in  public  life. 

Conrada  A.  Baca  was  educated  in  Socorro,  and  in  1877  went  to  El 
Paso  county,  Texas,  locating  at  Ysleta,  where  he  remained  for  six  years. 
He,  too,  was  prominent  and  influential  in  local  public  affairs,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  city  council  for  one  term,  as  deputy  assessor  in  1886  and 
deputy  sheriff  from  1900  until  1902.  In  the  latter  year  he  was  storekeeper 
in  the  penitentiary  for  six  months,  and  in  January,  1903,  he  was  appointed 
deputy  treasurer  and  collector  in  Socorro  county,  serving  under  H.  E.  Baca 
for  two  vears,  and  since  that  time  under  Mr.  Terres.  He  has  also  been 
clerk  of  the  board  of  education  since  1903,  and  he  is  identified  with  com- 
mercial interests  as  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Jose  Baca  &  Com- 
pany, the  partnership  having  continued  five  years.  In  1903  he  began  rais- 
ing Angora  goats  on  a  ranch  in  Socorro  county,  below  San  Marcial,  and 
this  business  also  claims  a  part  of  his  time  and  attention. 

On  the  10th  of  March,  1883,  Mr.  Baca  married  Juanita  Shaw,  and  their 


624  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

children  are:  Jose  S.,  Lillie  R..  Tuan,  David  and  Piedad,  all  yet  living. 
The  parents  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

J.  J.  Leeson,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Socorro,  was  horn  in  New 
Orleans,  Louisiana,  September  2,  1845,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  that  city  and  also  attended  the  State  Military  School.  He  en- 
tered the  Confederate  service  as  a  member  of  Company  C.  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment of  Louisiana  Volunteers,  and  after  the  close  of  trie  Civil  war  he  went 
to  Mexico,  there  spending  two  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period 
he  went  to  Colorado  on  a  prospecting  tour.  In  1879  Mr.  Leeson  arrived 
in  Socorro,  New  Mexico,  but  shortly  afterward  returned  to  Colorado,  hut 
in  1880  came  again  to  this  city,  induced  by  its  bright  prospects.  Since  his 
arrival  here  he  has  been  engaged  more  or  less  in  mining  pursuits,  and  in 
1 88 1  he  established  his  general  mercantile  business  in  Socorro.  During  the 
Indian  outbreak  of  1882  Mr.  Leeson  served  as  First  Lieutenant  of  Socorro 
Rangers  under  Colonel  E.  W.  Eaton.  In  his  political  affiliations  he  is  a 
Democrat,  and  has  served  as  president  of  the  Immigration  Bureau,  under 
Governor  Thornton,  and  as  commissioner  and  manager  of  the  exhibits  of 
the  Territory  at  the  Nashville  and  Omaha  Expositions.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order,  and  instituted  the  Rio  ( irande 
Lodge,  No.  3,  at  Socorro  in  1881,  and  later  instituted  nine  lodges  in  the 
Territory.  He  is  past  supreme  representative  to  the  Supreme  Lodge,  and 
filled  all' the  chairs  in  the  subordinate  and  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Territory. 

Mr.  Leeson  was  married  at  Hot  Springs,  Arkansas,  in  1869,  to  Miss 
Rosa  E.  Neal,  of  Kemper  county,  Mississippi.  Their  only  child  is  Lulu, 
the  wife  of  William  O'Gara,  and  they  also  have  one  daughter,  Lavina. 

Samuel  C.  Meek,  of  Socorro,  came  to  New  Mexico  in  the  United 
States  service,  at  that  time  serving  as  bugler  of  Company  G,  First  In- 
fantry of  California  Volunteers.  He  enlisted  for  the  Civil  war  from  Grass 
Valley,  Nevada  county,  California,  and  re-enlisted  in  Company  B,  First 
Veteran  Infantry  of  that  state,  fighting  against  the  Navajos  until  their 
surrender.  He  was  mustered  out  of  service  on  the  15th  of  September, 
1866,  at  Los  Pinos.  From  that  time  until  December,  1866,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  post  saddler  at  Los  Pinos,  and  on  the  6th  of  January,  1867,  he 
located  at  Socorro  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  thus  continuing 
until  1869,  when  he  sold  his  farm.  In  the  following  year,  1870.  Mr.  Meek 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Socorro.  In  1875  he  entered  the  mer- 
cantile business  on  his  own  account,  in  which  he  remained  for  one  year, 
when  he  returned  to  Socorro,  and  in  187=;  was  re-elected  justice  of  the 
peace.  He  was  afterward  made  deputy  clerk  of  Socorro  county,  serving 
in  that  official  position  until  1882,  and  in  1886  was  appointed  deputy  as- 
sessor for  two  vears.  when  he  was  again  given  the  deputy  clerkship.  Dur- 
ing 1893  and  1894  he  served  as  deputy  sheriff  and  collector,  from  1895  to 
1896  was  deputy  assessor,  and  from  that  time  until  the  present  has  been  a 
notary  public,  translator  and  abstractor. 

John  Greemvald,  a  prominent  miller  of  Socorro,  has  been  a  resident  of 
the  Territory  since  1880.  He  was  born  in  Odessa.  Russia,  in  1842.  but 
left  his  native  country  to  avoid  becoming  a  serf,  and  his  educational  train- 
ing was  received  in  Ohio.  When  the  Civil  war  was  inaugurated  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  First  New  York  Mounted  Rifles,  Company  F,  with  which 
command  he  remained  throughout  the  period  of  hostilities,  and  among  the 
engagements  in  which  he  participated  was  that  of  Cold  Harbor. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  625 

When  his  adopted  country  no  longer  needed  his  services  Mr.  Green- 
wald  left  the  army  and  made  his  way  to  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  took  up 
the  trade  of  milling,  and  for  seven  years  he  conducted  a  mill  in  southern 
Illinois,  when  he  was  taken  ill  with  malaria  and  pneumonia,  and  this  caused 
his  removal  to  New  Mexico  in  1880.  On  his  arrival  in  this  city  he  em- 
barked in  the  real  estate  business  and  also  engaged  in  mining  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Magdalena.  after  which  he  again  resumed  milling,  conducting  a 
mill  for  Louis  Heming  in  Valencia  county.  In  1893  he  erected  a  flour 
mill  in  Odessa,  being  supplied  with  grain  from  the  surrounding  valley. 
This  was  known  as  the  Golden  Crown  Flouring  Mill,  but  in  1901  was  sold 
to  the  Crown  Milling  Company.  Prior  to  the  sale,  however,  the  mill  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire  and  was  rebuilt  by  the  present  company. 

In  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1872,  Mr.  Green wald  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  M.  A.  Racine,  and  to  them  have  been  born  three  children : 
Viola,  the  wife  of  Dr.  Harrington ;  Emma,  the  wife  of  H.  M.  Dougherty, 
and  John,  secretary  of  the  Crown  Milling  Company,  of  Socorro. 

A.  D.  Coon,  an  orchardist  and  mine  operator  at  Socorro,  was  born  in 
Owego,  New  York,  October  27,  1845,  ar,d  was  there  educated.  He  was 
reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming  and  gained  a  knowledge  of  mining 
in  the  lead  mines  of  Joplin,  Missouri,  where  he  remained  for  about  six 
years,  after  which  he  came  to  Socorro.  He  arrived  in  New  Mexico  in  1879 
attracted  by  mining  inducements.  He  began  working  in  the  silver  mines, 
holding  claims  in  Socorro  mountains,  where  he  operated  the  Dewey  mine. 
Large  quantities  of  silver  have  been  taken  out  from  this  mine,  which  is 
soon  to  be  put  in  active  operation  again  and  there  is  much  ore  in  sight. 
Mr.  Coon  has  been  continuously  connected  with  the  mining  operations  of 
the  Territory  since  his  arrival  and  is  thus  contributing  largely  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  natural  resources  of  the  state.  In  1886  he  also  turned 
his  attention  to  horticultural  pursuits,  setting  out  fifty  acres  to  all  kinds 
of  fruit  trees,  having  between  six  and  seven  thousand  trees.  He  did  this 
as  an  investment  in  order  to  wait  for  a  raise  in  silver  and  has  found  it  a 
very  profitable  source  of  income,  the  only  detriment  being  the  lack  of  water 
and  the  storms  which  occasionally  visit  the  district  and  have  proved 
hazardous  to  the  orchards.  However,  success  has  usually  attended  him  and 
he  has  harvested  some  fine  fruit  crops.  He  has  also  done  some  farming 
and  has  made  manv  experiments  in  horticultural  and  agricultural  interests. 

Mr.  Coon  was  married  in  Socorro  in  1886  to  Miss  Mary  H.  Rose,  and 
they  have  a  daughter,  Gladys.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  serving 
as  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Socorro.  Since  coming  to  the  Territory 
he  has  prospered  in  his  business  undertakings,  owing  to  his  careful  di- 
rection and  enterprise,  and  is  now  in  possession  of  a  handsome  competence 
which  has  come  as  the  reward  of  his  labors. 

Richard  Stackpole,  a  farmer  of  Socorro,  was  born  in  Ireland,  July  10, 
1846,  and  was  educated  in  the  national  schools  of  that  country.  He  came 
to  America  in  1863  and  for  two  years  was  employed  in  the  Corliss  Machine 
shops  before  enlisting  for  service  in  the  regular  army.  He  became  a  recruit, 
joining  the  army  at  Providence.  Rhode  Island,  and  for  three  years  did 
active  service  in  the  south  during  the  reconstruction  period.  In  1869  he 
came  to  New  Mexico  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Fifteenth  Regiment  of 
Infantry,  having  re-enlisted  at  Clarksville,  Texas,  in  1868.  He  served  for 
two  vears  at  Fort  McCrea  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  first  sergeant. 


62G  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

He  was  then  engaged  for  three  years  in  the  Indian  service,  collecting  the 
Apache  Indians  and  moving  them  to  Tularosa,  where  an  agency  was  estab- 
lished, and  afterward  moving  them  back  to  the  Hot  Springs  reservation. 
He  acted  for  some  time  as  foreman  of  the  Southern  Apache  Indian  reser- 
vation. 

When  his  service  among  the  Indians  was  ended  Mr.  Stackpole  retired 
from  the  Indian  service  and  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  in  Ala- 
macita,  where  he  remained  for  a  year.  He  afterward  engaged  in  freighting 
for  four  or  rive  years  in  New  Mexico  and  has  continued  in  freighting  and 
farming  to  the  present  time.  He  had  trouble  with  the  Apache  Indians  dur- 
ing the  Apache  war  in  the  San  Mateo  mountains,  during  which  he  lost  his 
horses  and  cattle. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Stackpole  has  been  deeply  and  helpfully  in- 
terested, recognizing  public  needs  and  doing  everything  in  his  power  to 
meet  them.  For  the  past  eight  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  and  he  assisted  largely  in  instituting  the  public  school  system  in 
Socorro  county.  In  1880  he  was  county  commissioner,  and  for  four  years 
was  a  member  of  the  citv  council.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  an  advo- 
cate of  Republican  principles,  but  at  local  elections  casts  an  independent 
ballot,  supporting  the  men  whom  he  thinks  best  qualified  for  office.  Mr. 
Stackpole  was  married  in  1877,  in  San  Marcial,  to  Miss  Elicia  Torres,  and 
to  them  were  born  twelve  children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased. 

P.  N.  Yunker,  who  is  conducting  a  blacksmithing  and  carriage  shop  in 
Socorro,  was  born  in  Denmark,  March  6,  1854.  and  a  public  school  educa- 
tion fitted  him  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties.  In  early  life  he 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  and  saw  military  service  in  the  army  of  Den- 
mark. In  1875,  when  twenty-two  years  of  ase,  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  was  employed  in  New  Jersey  and  in  New  York  until  1877,  when  he 
went  to  Texas  and  entered  the  cattle  business,  which  he  successfully  fol- 
lowed. For  sixteen  years  he  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  the  raising  of 
cattle  and  afterward  removed  to  California,  where  he  engaged  in  dealing 
in  real  estate  for  six  years.  He  first  came  to  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico 
in  1880  for  the  purpose  of  mining  and  prospecting.  He  afterward  located 
on  a  ranch  at  Lemitar,  and  in  1893  resided  in  Socorro.  There  he  estab- 
lished a  hotel,  which  he  conducted  until  the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire 
in  1905.  He  was  also  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  dealt  in  feed  and  car- 
ried on  an  implement  and  commission  business  in  Socorro.  He  likewise 
established  a  blacksmith  shop,  but  has  disposed  of  all  of  his  business  inter- 
ests in  Socorro  with  the  exception  of  the  blacksmith  and  carriage  shop, 
concentrating  his  energies  upon  these  lines  of  business  since  October,  1905. 
While  engaged  in  farming  he  planted  a  twenty-acre  orchard  of  prunes, 
peaches,  English  walnuts,  plums  and  apricots.  He  did  much  experimenting 
and  found  that  English  walnuts  and  apricots  could  not  be  profitably  raised 
here,  but  that  other  trees  produced  good  crops.  He  has  sixty-five  acres 
planted  to  alfalfa  and  one  hundred  acres  of  his  land  is  under  irrigation.  He 
also  has  a  small  bunch  of  cattle  on  his  place  and  raises  hogs  on  an  extensive 
scale.     Mr.  Yunker  was  married  in   1881   to  Miss  Margaret  M.  Dickman. 

William  Gardiner,  a  cattleman  of  Magdalena,  New  Mexico,  came  to 
the  Territory  and  located  at  Socorro  in  1894,  and  has  since  been  a  factor 
in  the  commercial  and  agricultural  interests  here.  He  was  born  in  Somer- 
set, England,  April  25,  1850,  and  acquired  a  public  school  education.     In 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  627 

1873  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  in  Greene  county,  Illinois,  followed 
the  trade  of  a  machinist,  which  he  had  previously  learned  in  his  native  land. 
He  afterward  entered  mercantile  circles  in  Wrightsville,  Illinois,  where  he 
conducted  a  hardware  store  and  dealt  in  other  kinds  of  goods.  Removing 
from  Illinois  to  the  southwest,  he  was  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Socorro 
until  1899,  when  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  cattle  business  at  Bear 
Springs,  nine  miles  north  of  Magdalena,  known  as  the  headquarters  or  the 
old  Fowler  place,  a  range  ten  miles  square.  Here  he  has  since  engaged  in 
the  cattle  business,  having  large  herds  upon  his  ranch. 

Mr.  Gardiner  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Susanna  Pickard,  and  they 
have  five  living  children :  Henry,  George.  Charlie,  Margaret  and  Otis. 
The  daughter  is  the  wife  of  W.  P.  Sanders.  Mr.  Gardiner  is  a  member  of 
Magdalena  Lodge,  No.  18.  K.  P.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Cattle  and  Horse  Protective  Association  of  Central  New  Mexico,  and  is 
now  serving  as  a  member  of  the  executive  committee,  and  as  the  treasurer. 
He  has  become  thoroughly  identified  with  stock  raising  in  the  southwest, 
and  the  extent  and  importance  of  his  business  make  him  one  of  the  leading 
representatives  of  this  department  of  industrial  activity. 

H.  W.  Russell,  a  mine  operator  at  Magdalena,  whose  residence  in  the 
Territory  dates  from  January,  1881.  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Michigan, 
April  3,  1853.  His  preliminary  education  was  supplemented  by  study  in 
the  University  of  Michigan  for  two  vears  in  the  department  of  the  School  of 
Mines.  On  leaving  home  he  had  gone  to  Utah,  where  he  was  quite  success- 
ful in  his  mining  ventures,  and  it  was  subsequent  to  his  return  that  he  be- 
came a  university  student.  He  afterward  went  to  Leadville,  Colorado, 
where  he  worked  in  the  mines  from  1879  until  coming  to  New  Mexico. 
arriving  in  Socorro  in  January,  1881.  Here  he  began  silver  mining,  open- 
ing and  superintending  the  Merritt  mine.  In  1882  he  came  to  Magdalena, 
where  he  took  up  mining  claims  and  employed  a  number  of  workmen  on 
the  Young  America,  south  of  Kelly,  which  is  now  producing  lead,  zinc, 
copper  and  gold  in  paying  quantities,  having  produced  to  date  ore  to  the 
value  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The  work  of  development 
has  been  carried  on  thus  far  to  only  a  slight  degree,  so  that  there  is  a  bright 
future  before  the  mine.  Mr.  Russell  was  also-  superintendent  at  Silver 
Monument  mine  in  the  Black  Range  for  five  years,  from  1888  until  1893, 
and  in  1887  was  superintendent  of  a  mine  in  old  Mexico.  In  1886  he  was 
superintendent  of  the  Graphic,  opening  it  when  it  was  owned  by  Governor 
Thornton  and  Messrs.  Shelby  and   Mandesfield. 

On  the  1 6th  of  September,  1885,  Mr.  Russell  was  married  in  Magda- 
lena to  Miss  Ada  M.  McClellan,  and  their  children  are  Ora,  Rolla  and 
Aileen.  Rolla  was  born  September  18,  1800,  a  day  after  the  last  two  white 
men  were  killed  by  Apaches  at  the  mine  of  which  Mr.  Russell  was  superin- 
tendent. He  served  as  a  private  with  the  Socorro  Rangers  in  the  Apache 
war  and  aided  in  driving  the  Indians  from  the  country,  so  that  no  more 
horrors  occurred  as  the  result  of  their  cruelty  and  depredations.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  San  Marcial  Lodge,  No.  1,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  in  poli- 
tics is  a  Democrat.  He  has  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  mining 
operations  in  his  section  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  the  work  of  development 
has  contributed  to  the  substantial  progress  and  prosperity  of  the  Territorv. 

Joseph  Brown,  superintendent  of  the  Graphic  mine  at  Kelly,  Xew 
Mexico,  came  to  this  place  in  1887,  and  has  since  been  identified  with  the 


62S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

development  of  the  rich  mineral  resources  of  the  Territory.  He  was  born 
in  Newport,  Ontario,  Canada,  May  10,  1861,  and  acquired'  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  there.  He  afterward  mastered  the  machinist's  trade  and 
was  employed  as  machinist  and  engineer  in  different  places  until  coming 
to  Kelly,  in  1887.  Here  he  was  employed  in  the  Kelly  mine  for  about  three 
years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  accepted  the  position  of  engineer 
in  the  Graphic  mine,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  about  eleven  years,  or 
until  1 901,  when  he  was  made  superintendent,  which  is  his  present  connec- 
tion with  the  company.  Practical  experience  in  all  departments  of  mining 
has  made  him  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  business  and  qualified  him  for 
the  important  positions  which  devolve  upon  him  in  his  present  connection. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  member  of  Socorro  Lodge,  No.  8,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
He  was  married  in  Kelly  to  Miss  Kate  Klemmer  and  to  them  have  been 
born  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  Lovell,  Carl,  Ruth  and  Joseph  Brown. 

Michael  Wolf,  proprietor  of  a  ranch  and  also  of  a  meat  market  at 
Kelly,  was  born  in  Allen  county,  Ohio,  July  24,  1865,  and  after  acquiring 
a  public  school  education  he  learned  the  tailor's  trade  in  his  native  state, 
but  was  obliged  to  abandon  it  on  account  of  his  eyesight.  He  then  came  to 
New  Mexico  in  1885  and  entered  the  cattle  business,  in  which  he  continued 
until  1890,  spending  that  period  upon  a  ranch  on  the  Tularosa  river.  From 
1890  until  1895  he  was  engaged  in  raising  horses  on  the  same  ranch  and 
found  it  a  profitable  source  of  income.  In  later  vears  he  began  raising  An- 
gora goats  upon  the  same  ranch.  This  has  proved  a  profitable  industry, 
and  he  has  since  carried  on  his  ranching  interests,  while  in  1905  he  opened 
a  butcher  shop  and  hotel  in  Kelly,  which  he  is  also  conducting.  Mr.  Wolf 
was  married  in  Frisco,  New  Mexico,  to  Miss  Ada  A.  Wilson.  Since  coming 
to  the  Territory  he  has  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  in  business  life,  and 
although  he  came  without  capital,  is  now  in  possession  of  a  comfortable 
property  and  good  business  interests. 

C.  C.  Clark,  a  mine  promoter  of  Kellv,  in  which  connection  he  has 
been  closely  associated  with  the  development  of  the  rich  mineral  resources 
of  the  Territory,  came  to  this  place  in  1883,  and  has  since  been  a  factor  in 
its  mining  interests.  He  was  born  in  Orneville,  Maine,  in  1839,  and  after 
acquiring  his  preliminary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ohio  attended 
Matimee  Academy  in  that  state.  He  was  afterward  graduated  from  Behm's 
Commercial  College  at  Evansville,  Indiana,  and  in  his  teens  engaged  in 
teaching  school,  continuing  in  that  occupation  for  several  years.  He  after- 
ward followed  merchandising  in  Evansville  until  his  health  failed,  when  he 
went  upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman.  He  was  connected  with  whole- 
sale and  retail  interests,  selling  all  kinds  of  fancy  goods,  millinery,  sewing 
machines,  musical  instruments  and  other  commodities.  In  1880  he  went  to 
Colorado  Springs,  Colorado,  where  he  continued  until  his  mining  interests 
called  him  to  New  Mexico,  in  1883.  Previous  to  this  time  his  attention 
was  largely  given  to  mercantile  interests.  In  1866  Mr.  Clark  was  married 
in  Indiana  to  Miss  India  Eva  Jones,  and  their  children  are :  Vivian  V.,  a 
mining  engineer  and  metallurgist;  Matie  Pearl,  and  William  W.,  a  me- 
chanical and  electrical  engineer. 

As  stated,  Mr.  Clark  arrived  in  New  Mexico  in  1883,  and  has  con- 
ducted a  hotel  at  Kelly  since  that  time.  He  has  engaged  in  operating  mines 
on  his  own  account  since  1885,  and  also  in  prospecting.  He  has  operated 
in  Arizona  and  other  districts  of  the  southwest  and  is  now  a  promoter  of 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  G2i1 

mining  interests,  securing  the  co-operation  and  capital  for  development  of 
the  rich  mineral  resources  of  New  Mexico  and  thus  contributing  in  sub- 
stantial measure  to  its  upbuilding  and  progress.  He  is  a  prominent  mem- 
ber of  Magdalena  Lodge  No.  18,  K.  of  P.,  and  also  became  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  fraternity  while  in  Goshen,  Indiana,  in  1872.  His  interest  in 
community  affairs  has  been  proved  by  his  active  co-operation  in  many 
movements  for  the  public  good.  He  built  the  first  public  schoolhouse  in 
Socorro  county,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  of  Kelly  for  several  years.  He 
is  quite  active  in  politics  as  a  supporter  of  Democratic  principles,  doing  all 
in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure  the  success  of  the  party.  A 
close  study  of  the  possibilities  of  the  Territory  has  well  qualified  him  for 
his  work  as  a  promoter  and  he  is  accomplishing  much  in  this  direction. 

Tames  Cowell,  of  Kelly,  a  representative  of  mining  interests,  was  born 
on  the  Isle  of  Man,  May  3,  1847,  and  in  his  youth  was  employed  in  the 
mines  in  the  north  of  England,  largely  in  Northumberland  county.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1877  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  made  his 
way  to  Colorado,  working  in  the  mines  of  Central  City  and  elsewhere  in 
that  state  until  coming  to  New  Mexico  in  1880.  He  went  first  to  George- 
town, where  he  followed  mining  until  1881,  when  he  removed  to  Socorro 
and  worked  in  the  Torrance  mine  until  188^.  He  then  came  to  Kelly,  where 
he  located  some  claims  and  bought  others.  He  has  produced  zinc  and  lead 
ore  from  his  Black  Hawk  group  of  claims  in  paving  quantities,  and  is  still 
working  these  profitably.  He  is  also  sinking  a  shaft  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Kelly  mine,  and  has  good  prospects  for  profitable  operations  in  this. 

In  1882  Mr.  Cowell  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Counihan  and  their 
children  are:  Mamie,  Lillie,  Florence,  Jay,  Morris  and  Clarence.  The 
eldest  daughter  is  the  wife  of  Milton  Craig.  Mr.  Cowell  was  for  nine- 
teen years  an  Odd  Fellow  in  good  standing,  but  is  not  in  active  connection 
with  the  organization  at  present,  as  there  is  no  lodge  at  Kelly. 

I.  I.  Sheridan,  who  figures  prominently  in  Republican  circles  in  New 
Mexico  and  is  a  resident  of  San  Antonio,  was  born  at  Sutter  Creek,  Amador 
county,  California,  July  29,  1866.  He  located  in  Silver  City,  New  Mexico, 
in  1892,  acting  as  a  messenger  between  that  place  and  El  Paso,  Texas,  for 
the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Companv.  In  1894  he  was  appointed  under  sheriff 
of  Grant  county  under  A.  B.  Laird,  and  filled  that  position  for  two  years, 
after  which  he  received  appointment  as  chief  deputy  in  the  office  of  tax 
collector  of  Grant  county.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  to  United 
States  Marshal  Foraker,  and  in  iqoi  was  appointed  chief  deputy  in  the 
county  treasurer's  office  of  Bernalillo  county,  serving  for  two  years  under 
Charles  K.  Newhall  and  three  years  under  Hon.  JFrank  A.  Hubbell.  During 
the  years  1903  and  1904  he  was  secretary  of  the  Republican  territorial  cen- 
tral committee,  and  his  influence  has  been  a  notent  factor  in  Republican 
circles.  Fraternally  Mr.  Sheridan  is  connected  with  Albuquerque  Lodge, 
No.  461,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  with  all  of  the  Masonic  bodies  of  Albuquerque. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


SANTA  FE  COUNTY. 

While  the  most  interesting  historically,  Santa  Fe  county  is  the  smallest 
in  the  Territory,  and  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  its  population  has 
been  almost  stationary — that  of  the  city  of  Santa  Fe  has  decreased  about 
1,000.  It  is  one  of  the  very  few  sections  of  the  country  into  which  the 
extension  of  the  railroad  has  had  a  deteriorating  effect,  as  thereafter  it  no 
longer  received  the  great  influx  of  overland  trade  flowing  through  the 
great  Southwest,  of  which  for  thirty  years  it  had  enjoyed  a  virtual  mo- 
nopoly. 

The  present  area  of  Santa  Fe  county  is  2,212  square  miles,  and  its 
population  about  13,000.  It  is  located  north  of  the  central  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory, in  the  second  irregular  tier  of  counties  from  the  northern  boundary, 
and  has  a  beautiful  situation  in  the  broad  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

Original  Boundaries. — As  described  by  the  Territorial  Act  of  January 
9,  1852,  the  boundaries  of  Santa  Fe  county  (one  of  the  nine  counties  into 
which  New  Mexico  was  first  divided)  were  as  follows :  On  the  east,  from 
the  point  of  Torreones,  drawing  a  direct  line  across  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  until  it  reaches  the  angle  formed  by  the  eastern  and  southern 
boundaries  of  the  county  of  Rio  Arriba;  from  the  above  mentioned  point 
of  Torreones  drawing  a  direct  line  toward  the  south,  touching  the  point 
called  Salinas  in  the  mountain  of  Galisteo,  and  continuing  said  line  until 
it  reaches  the  Cibolo  Spring;  from  this  point  to  the  westward,  and  turning 
the  point  of  San  Ysidro  toward  the  north  in  the  direction  of  Juana  Lopez, 
touching  the  mouth  of  L.as  Bocas  Canyon,  and  thence  drawing  a  direct  line 
toward  the  north  until  it  reaches  the  boundaries  of  the  county  of  Rio 
Arriba. 

Physical  Features  and  Resources. — Though  one  of  the  smallest  coun- 
ties in  New  Mexico.  Santa  Fe  is  one  of  the  most  diversified.  The  moun- 
tains in  the  eastern  portion  are  full  of  picturesque  scenery,  the  northern 
and  central  sections  are  finely  adapted  to  horticulture  and  the  central  and 
southern  sections  present  a  variety  of  mineral  wealth  seldom  surpassed. 
On  the  eastern  boundary  the  main  range  of  the  Rockies  protects  the  plains 
from  violent  winds,  while  on  the  west  the  Temez  and  Valle  mountains  per- 
form the  same  office.  Most  of  the  streams  in  the  county  emanate  from  the 
western  side  of  the  Santa  Fe  range  of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  flow  west- 
erly into  the  Rio  Grande,  which  itself  cuts  off  a  northwestern  corner  in  its 
course  from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest.  The  chief  affluents  of  the  parent 
stream  are  the  Santa  Cruz  river,  flowing  down  from  the  canyons  near 
Chimayo ;  Nambe  creek  and  its  numerous  heads,  rising  at  Baldy  and  Lake 
peaks,  and  Galisteo  creek,  originating  with  its  branches,  near  the  summit 
of  the  southern  end  of  the  Santa  Fe  range.  Their  waters  are  derived  from 
snow,  rain  and  springs  in  the  mountains,  in  Archaean  rocks,  flowing  thence 
through  carboniferous  beds  to  the  limestone  beds  which  fill  the  vallev  be- 


Old  Capitol  Building.  Santa  Fe — Destroyed  by  Fr 


Ancient  Spanish  Church,  Santa  Fe 


The  Ancient  Governors  "Palace.     Santa  Fe 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  631 

tween  the  mountain  range  and  the  Rio  Grande,  overlaid  nearer  the  latter 
river  in  places  by  sheets  of  lava,  which,  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream,  were 
thrown  out  from  the  Tetilla,  an  extinct  volcano,  and  on  its  west  side  from 
craters  further  west. 

The  soil  is  excellent,  and  produced  large  crops  of  the  best  quality,  with 
the  needed  supply  of  water.  Cereals  are  raised  to  perfection  in  the  valleys 
of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries,  and  the  fruits  of  the  Santa  Fe 
orchards  are  famous,  including  apricots,  peaches,  pears,  raspberries,  straw- 
berries, plums  and  nectarines.  Of  the  vegetables,  perhaps  asparagus  and 
celery  are  the  richest  and  finest.  The  choicest  orchards  and  gardens  are 
in  the  city  itself  and  vicinity.  The  tirst  really  fine  orchard  in  the  Southwest 
was  in  the  "Bishop's  Garden,"  planted  by  Archbishop  Lamy,  at  Santa  Fe. 
There  is  something  in  the  location  which  seems  to  add  to  the  flavor  as  well 
as  the  beauty  of  the  fruit.  At  Tesuque,  six  miles  north,  was  the  Miller 
apple  orchard,  which  for  years  was  a  wonderfully  productive  enterprise. 
At  Pojuaqua  and  Fspanyola — in  fact,  throughout  the  Rio  Grande  and  Santa 
Cruz  valleys — are  excellent  orchards,  and  the  horticultural  interests  are 
spreading  over  the  county,  as  they  are  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory. 

'While  mineral  wealth  of  some  kind  is  to  be  found  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  Santa  Fe  county,  yet  it  is  the  southern  section  that  is  famous  in  this  re- 
spect. The  knowledge  of  these  mines  is  nothing  new.  Even  Cabeza  de 
Vaca  speaks  of  seeing  a  turquoise  from  these  mines,  and  in  Coronado's  time 
this  stone  was  regarded  as  the  most  precious  possessions  of  the  Indians  as 
far  west  as  Arizona.  The  silver  mines  of  Cerrillos  were  worked  to  an 
enormous  extent  during  the  early  Spanish  occupation.  Over  forty  ancient 
mines  have  been  discovered,  and  there  are  probably  as  many  more  so 
thoroughly  filled  as  to  defy  detection.  In  the  midst  of  this  silver  district 
rises  the  dome  of  Mount  Chalchuitl  (whose  name  the  Mexicans  gave  to 
the  turquoise,  its  much  valued  mineral),  the  summit  of  which  is  about 
7,000  feet  above  tide,  and  is  therefore  almost  exactly  on  a  level  with  the 
plaza  of  Santa  Fe. 

The  observer  is  deeply  impressed  on  inspecting  this  localitv  with  the 
enormous  amount  of  labor  which  in  ancient  times  has  been  expended  here. 
The  waste  of  debris  excavated  in  the  former  workings  cover  an  area  of  at 
least  twenty  acres.  On  the  slopes  and  sides  of  the  great  piles  of  rubbish 
are  growing  large  cedars  and  pines,  the  age  of  which, — judging  from 
their  size  and  slowness  of  growth  in  this  very  dry  region, — must  be  reckoned 
by  centuries.  It  is  well  known  that  in  1680  a  large  section  of  the  mountain 
suddenly  fell  in  from  the  undermining  of  the  mass  by  the  Indian  miners, 
killing  a  considerable  number,  and  that  this  accident  was  the  immediate 
cause  of  the  uprising  of  the  Pueblos  and  the  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards 
in  that  year,  just  two  centuries  since. 

The  irregular  openings  in  the  mountains,  called  "wonder  caves,"  and 
the  "mystery,"  are  the  work  of  the  old  miners.  It  was  this  sharp  slope 
of  the  mountain  which  fell.  In  these  chambers,  which  have  some  extent 
of  ramification,  were  found  abundantly  the  fragments  of  their  ancient  pot- 
tery, with  a  few  entire  vessels,  some  of  them  of  curious  workmanship, 
ornamented  in  the  style  of  color  so  familiar  in  the  Mexican  pottery.  As- 
sociated with  these  were  numerous  stone  hammers,  some  to  be  held  in  the 
hand  and  others  swung  as  sledges,  fashioned  with  wedge-shaped  edges 
and  a  groove  for  a  handle.     A  hammer  weighing  over  twenty  pounds  was 


632  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

found  to  which  the  wyth  was  still  attached,  with  its  oak  handle, — the 
same  scrub  oak  which  is  found  growing  abundantly  on  the  hillsides, — now 
quite  well  preserved  after  at  least  two  centuries  of  entombment  in  this 
perfectly  dry  rock. 

The  stone  used  for  these  hammers  is  the  hard  and  tough  hornblende 
andesite,  or  propylite,  which  forms  the  Cerro  d'Oro  and  other  Cerrillos 
hills.  With  these  rude  tools  and  without  iron  or  steel,  using  fire  in  place 
of  explosives,  these  patient  old  workers  managed  to  break  down  and  re- 
move the  incredible  masses  of  the  tufaceous  rocks  which  form  the  mounds 
already  described. 

That  considerable  quantities  of  the  turquoise  were  obtained  can  hardly 
be  questioned.  We  know  that  the  ancient  Mexicans  attached  great  value 
to  this  ornamental  stone,  as  the  Indians  do  to  this  day.  The  familiar  tale 
of  the  gift  of  the  large  and  costly  turquoise  by  Montezuma  to  Cortez  for 
the  Spanish  crown,  as  narrated  by  Clavigero  in  his  history  of  Mexico,  is 
evidence  of  its  high  estimation. 

The  Indians  used  stone  tools  almost  entirely.  Their  hammers,  which 
are  found  in  the  debris  of  the  old  mines  and  scattered  about  the  country, 
are  of  various  forms,  some  being  quite  large  and  pointed  to  take  the  place 
of  picks.  The  ore  and  debris  were  removed  from  the  mine  in  leather 
baskets  on  the  backs  of  the  enslaved  pueblo  or  peoned  Mexicans.  Their 
ladder  ways  were  round  poles,  about  eight  inches  in  diameter,  having 
notches  cut  in  them  twelve  inches  apart  for  steps.  These  ladders  were 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet  long,  reaching  from  one  landing  to  another. 
The  ore  was  smelted  in  small  furnaces  constructed  of  stones  cemented 
together  with  mud.  Vast  quantities  of  gold  and  silver  were  obtained  in 
this  manner  in  other  mines. 

For  over  a  century  and  a  half,  after  the  Revolution  of  1680,  there 
was  no  mining  done  in  this  vicinity,  when  suddenly  the  old  placers  were 
discovered  at  the  place  now  called  Dolores,  and  soon  hundreds  of  men  were 
at  work  washing  out  the  precious  yellow  metal.  A  few  years  later  history 
repeated  itself  at  the  new  placers,  now  Golden.  This  was  before  the  Amer- 
ican occupation,  and  Mexicans  by  the  thousand  passed  the  winter  here  in 
order  to  utilize  the  snow  which  fell  at  that  season, — for  the  difficulty  in 
these  placers  was  the  lack  of  water.  The  gravel  had  to  be  carried  in  bags 
on  the  back  for  miles  to  some  spring,  or  else  the  water  had,  equally  labori- 
ously, to  be  brought  to  the  placers.  In  the  winter  they  took  the  snows  in 
the  canyons  and  of  the  blizzards  and  melted  it  by  means  of  heated  rocks, 
and  with  the  scanty  supplies  of  water  thus  obtained  washed  out  the  precious 
metal.     Modern  science  has,  however,  improved  upon  this  operation. 

Countv  Officials. — Commencing  with  18=52,  when  Santa  Fe  county  was 
formally  organized  by  enactment  of  the  Territorial  legislature,  the  pro- 
bate judge  takes  the  place  of  the  prefect,  who  held  sway  during  Mexican 
times,  and  for  a  few  years  after  New  Mexico  became  American  soil.  The 
records  of  the  county  are  fairly  complete,  but  where  any  omissions  appear 
it  has  been  impossible  to  supply  them  from  any  data  in  the  office  of  the 
probate  clerk.     Following  is  the  list: 

1848 :— Prefect,  Francisco  Ortiz;  probate  clerk,  J.  M.  Giddings :  sheriff,  E.  J. 
Vaughn. 

1849:— Prefect,   Francisco   Ortiz;    clerk,   J.    M.   Giddings;    sheriff,   C.   H.    Merritt. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  633 

1851  :— Prefect,  Lewis  D.  Shutz  and  Horace  L.  Dickinson;  clerk,  J.  M.  Gid- 
dings;  sheriff,  J.  G.  Jones. 

1852:— Probate  judge,  Thomas  Ortiz;  clerk,  J.  M.  Giddings ;  sheriff,  R.  M. 
Stephens. 

1853 :— Probate  judges,  Jose  E.  Ortiz  and  Facunda  Pino;  clerk,  J.  H.  Mink; 
sheriff,   Lorenzo   Labadi. 

1S54: — Probate  judge,  Facunda  Pino;  clerk,  J.  H.  Mink;  sheriffs,  Lorenzo 
Labadi   and   Jesus   Maria    Baca. 

1855: — Probate  judge,  Facunda  Pino;  clerk,  Jesus  Maria  Sena  y  Baca;  sheriff, 
Jesus  Maria   Baca. 

1858: — Probate  judge,  Anastacio  Sandoval;  clerk,  David  J.  Miller. 

1859: — (Same  as  above.) 

i860; — Probate  judge,   Anastacio  Sandoval;   clerk,   Facemdo   Pirio. 

1860-3: — Probate  judge,   Anastacio    Sandoval;   clerk,   Facemdo   Pirio. 

1865: — Probate  judge,  Miguel  E.  Pino;  clerk.  Antonio  Ortiz  y  Salazar;  sheriff, 
Jose  D.  Sena ;  coroner,  Juan  Marquez.  Elected  in  September  of  this  year :  Probate 
judge,  Antonio  y  Salazar;  clerk,  Miguel  E.   Pino;  sheriff,  Jose  D.  Sena. 

1866: — (Same  as  above.) 

1867: — Probate  judge,  Antonio  Oritz  y  Salazar;  clerk,  Trinidad  Alarid;  sheriff, 
Jose  D.  Sena ;  coroner,  Jose  Ortiz.  Elected  in  September  of  this  year :  Probate 
judge,  Antonio  Ortiz  y  Salazar;  clerk,  Trinidad  Alarid;  sheriff,  Jose  D.  Sena; 
coroner,  Jose  Ortiz. 

1868: — (Same  as  above.)  Elected  in  September  of  this  year:  Probate  judge, 
Antonio  Ortiz  y  Salazar:  clerk,  Trinidad  Alarid;  sheriff,  Jose  D1.  Sena;  coroner, 
Jose  Trujillo;  treasurer,  Ambrosio  Ortiz. 

1S69-70:—  (Same   as  above.) 

1871  : — Elected  in  September  of  this  year:  Probate  judge,  Felipe  Delgado; 
clerk,  Samuel  Ellison ;  sheriff,  Carlos  Conklin ;  treasurer,  J.  Antonio  Rodrequez ; 
coroner,  Francisco  Montoya. 

1872: — (Same  as  above.) 

1873: — Probate  judge,  Gaspar  Ortiz  y  Alarid;  clerk,  Ambrosio  Ortiz;  sheriff, 
Carlos  M.   Conklin 

1874: — Probate  judge,  Gaspar  Ortiz  y  Alarid;  clerk,  Ambrosio  Ortiz;  sheriff, 
Carlos  M.  Conklin ;  treasurer,  Juan  Miguel  Ortega. 

1875: — Elected  in  September  of  this  year:  Probate  judge,  Nicholas  Pino; 
clerk,  Ambrosio  Ortiz;  sheriff.  Carlos  M.  Conklin;  treasurer,  Eugenio  Griego;  cor- 
oner. Santiago  Cabeza  de  Baca. 

1S76 : — The  first  board  cf  county  commissioners  was  organized  on  March  I, 
1876,  in  conformity  with  the  law  of  January  13th  preceding,  with  Antonio  Ortiz  y 
Salazar  as  president,  and  W.  W.  Griffin  and  Aniceto  Abeytia  as  commissioners. 
Ambrosio  Ortiz   was   probate   clerk. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  board,  March  nth.  S.  Seligman  was  appointed  to 
succeed  Abeytia.  At  the  annual  election,  held  in  November  following,  these  officers 
were  elected   for  the  term  beginning  January   1.   1877: 

1877 : — Commissioners,  Lehman  Spiegelberg,  Trindad  Alarid,  Julian  Provencio ; 
probate  judge,  Jose  A.  Ortiz;  commissioner  of  schools.  J.  A.  Truchard :  probate 
clerk,  Jose  B.  Ortiz ;  sheriff,  Martin  Quintana ;  treasurer,  Jose  Maria  Martin ;  cor- 
oner, Ramnn  Padia.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  elected  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners Trinidad  Alarid  was  elected  president.  At  succeeding  elections  the  records 
show  that  the  following  principal  officials  were  elected : 

1878: — Probate  judge,  Jose  A.  Ortiz:  probate  clerk,  Luciano  Baca;  sheriff,  Jose 
D.  Sena;  treasurer,  Juan  Garcia:  county  commissioners,  Antonio  Ortiz  y  Salazar 
(chairman),  William  H.  Manderfield.  Solomon  Spiegelberg.  (Abraham  Staab  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Mr.  Spiegelberg. ) 

1S79: — Probate  judge,  Jose  A.   Ortiz:   clerk.  Luciano   Baca. 

18S0: — Probate  judge.  Gaspar  Ortiz  y  Alarid:  sheriff,  Romulo  Martinez:  probate 
clerk,  Charles  M.  Conklin  treasurer.  Albion  Bustamante ;  county  commissioners, 
Solomon   Spiee"lberg    (chairman),   Nazario   Gonzales.  James   A.   Donavant. 

1881  :— Probate  judge.  Gaspar  Ortiz  v  Alarid:  clerk,   Carlos  M.   Conklin. 

1882 :— Probate  judge.  Luciano  Baca:  probate  clerk.  Francisco  Chavez;  sheriff, 
Romulo  Martinez:  treasurer.  Antonio  Jose  Rael ;  commissioners.  Solomon  Spiegel- 
berg (chairman).  Nazario  Gonzales.  Romaido  Sena.  (William  H.  Nesbitt  and 
Jesus  Maria  Alarid  were  afterward  appointed  to  succeed  Messrs.  Gonzales  and 
Sena  as  commissioners,  and  Atanasio  to  succeed   Chavez   as  clerk. 


U34  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

1S84: — Probate  judge,  Willi  Spiegelberg ;  clerk,  John  Gray;  assessor,  Francisco 
Chavez;  sheriff,  Romulo  Martinez;  treasurer,  Sabiniano  Sena;  commissioners,  B. 
Seligman   (chairman),  Jose  .Maria  Martinez  y  Sandoval,  Nazario  Gonzales. 

1886: — Probate  judge,  Francisco  Delgado;  clerk,  Marcelino  Garcia;  sheriff, 
Francisco  Chavez;  treasurer,  Nicolas  Garcia;  assessor,  Vicente  Mares;  commis- 
sioners, B.   Seligman    (chairman),   F.   Martinez,   P.  A.   Peirsol. 

18S8: — Probate  judge,  Luciano  Baca;  clerk,  Marcelino  Garcia;  sheriff,  Francisco 
•Chavez;  treasurer,  Gavino  Ortiz;  assessor,  Eugenio  Yrisarri ;  commissioners.  Dr. 
John  H.  Sloan  (chairman),  Teodoro  Martinez,  Richard  Green  (George  T.  Wyllys 
appointed  to  succeed  Green). 

1890: — Probate  judge,  Luciano  Baca;  clerk,  Pedro  Delgado;  sheriff,  Francisco 
Chavez ;  assessor,  Manuel  Valdes ;  treasurer,  Gavino  Ortiz ;  commissioners,  Charles 
M.  Creamer  (chairman),  George  T.  Wyllys,  Higenio  Martinez.  Charles  M.  Conklin, 
Juan  Garcia  and  J.  B.  Mayo  were  afterward  appointed  member  of  the  board,  those 
originally  declared  elected  having  been  unseated  on  account  of  gross  irregularities 
in  the  election.  Marcelino  Garcia  was  also  appointed  clerk  in  place  of  Delgado. 
Still  later,  George  W.  North,  Dr.  J.  H.  Sloan  and  Frederick  Grace  were  appointed 
county  commissioners  in  place  of  the  second  board.  By  order  of  Judge  Leeds,  of 
the  First  District  Court,  they  recanvassed  the  original  vote  and  declared  the  following 
as  the  legally  elected  officials:  Probate  judge,  Antonio  J.  Ortiz;  assessor,  Manuel 
Valdez ;  clerk,  Pedro  Delgado;  sheriff,  Francisco  Chavez;  treasurer.  Gavino  Ortiz; 
commissioners,  William  H.  Nesbitt,  Juan  Garcia.  Charles  M.  Creamer  and  Abraham 
Staab,  candidates  for  county  commissioner,  having  each  received  an  equal  number  of 
votes,  Ints  were  drawn  and  Staab  was  declared  elected. 

The  contest  over  this  election  was  long  and  bitter,  Marcelino  Garcia,  the  clerk, 
having  refused  to  attest  the  certificates  of  election  and  declining  to  attend  the 
meetings  of  the  board   of  commissioners,   Harrv   S.  Clancy  was  chosen  to  the  office. 

1891 : — At  the  meeting  of  the  board  held  January  2d  of  this  year  the  clerk  re- 
fused to  recognize  the  new  commissioners,  on  the  ground  that  his  records  showed 
that  other  persons  had  been  elected.  J.  B.  Mayo  was  made  chairman  of  the  board 
in  May  following,  and  Charles  H.  Spiess  was  chosen  clerk.  Delgado  was  committed 
for  contempt  in  refusing  to  obey  the  order  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court 
commanding  him  to  recognize  the  last  named  board,  but  was  finally  released  and 
acted  as  clerk.  Max  Frost  was  afterward  appointed  to  the  board  to  fill  a  vacancy, 
and  Ignacio  Lopez  was  appointed  to  succeed   Spiess. 

1892: — Probate  judge.  Aniceto  Abeytia ;  clerk,  Atanacio  Romero;  sheriff.  Charles 
M.  Conklin;  treasurer,  H.  B.  Cartwright ;  commissioners,  Austin  L.  Kendall  (chair- 
man),  Charles   W.    Dudrow,   Victor  Ortega. 

1894 :— Probate  judge.  Apolonio  Chavez;  clerk,  A.  P.  Hill;  sheriff,  Charles  M. 
Conklin ;  treasurer,  H.  B.  Cartwright.  W.  P.  Cunningham ;  collector,  Solomon 
Spiegelberg;  assessor.  Francisco  Gonzales  y  Baca;  treasurer.  H.  B.  Cartwright;  com- 
missioners.   Charles   W.   Dudrow    (chairman),    William    C.   Rogers,    Pedro   A.   Lujan. 

1896: — Probate  judge.  Telesfaro  Rivera;  clerk,  Atanasio  Romero:  sheriff,  Harry 
C.  Kinsell ;  collector,  Frederick  Mueller;  assessor,  J.  R  Hudson;  treasurer.  H.  B. 
Cartwright;  commissioners,  Charles  W.  Dudrow  (chairman).  J.  T.  McLaughlin,  Jose 
A.  Luce.ro. 

1898: — Probate  judge,  Jose  Amada  Lucero ;  clerk,  Atanasio  Romero:  sheriff, 
Charles  W.  Dudrow;  treasurer,  Frederick  Mueller;  assessor.  Telesfaro  Rivera;  com- 
missioners, James  D.  Hughes.  J.  T.  McLaughlin.  Augustin  Maestas. '  Mr.  Dudrow  re- 
signed as  sheriff  before  the  end  of  the  year,  and  Harry  Kinsell  was  appointed  in  his 
place,  Mr.  Dudrow  being  appointed  county  commissioner  to  succeed  Mr.  Hughes, 
and  elected  chairman  of  the  board. 

1900:— Probate  judge,  Antonio  C.  de  Baca:  clerk,  Manuel  Delgado:  sheriff, 
Marcelino  Garcia;  assessor.  Anastacio  Gonzales;  treasurer,  Frederick  Mueller;  com- 
missioners, W.   H.  Kennedy    (chairman).   Arthur  Seligman.  Jose  A.   Lujan. 

1902: — Probate  judge,  Marcos  Castillo;  clerk.  Celso  Lopez:  sheriff,  Harry  C. 
Kinsell ;  assessor,  M.  A.  Ortiz ;  treasurer.  George  W.  Knaebel :  commissioners, 
Austin  L.  Kendall  (chairman),  Nicolas  Quintana,  Arthur  Seligman  (held  over, 
under  the  new  law). 

1904: — Probate  judge,  Candelario  Martinez:  clerk,  Marcos  Castillo:  treasurer, 
Celso  Lopez;  sheriff.  Antonio  J.  Ortiz;  assessor.  Anastacio  Gonzales;  commissioners. 
Arthur  Seligman  (chairman),  Jose  Inez  Roybal,  Austin  L.  Kendall  (held  over). 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  bii0 

Repudiated  its  Railroad  Bonds.— Santa  Fe  is  one  of  the  few  coun- 
ties of  the  United  States,  at  least  within  late  years,  which  has  repudiated 
any  portion  of  its  bonded  indebtedness,  thereby  admitting  its  inability 
to  meet  the  payment  of  bonds  which  were  issued  under  its  own  authority. 
In  1882  the  county  issued  bonds  amounting  to  about  $1,000,000  to  en- 
courage the  construction  of  railroads.  They  were  bought  principally  by 
two  large  firms  in  New  York,  who  within  the  past  few  years  have 
been  taking  vigorous  steps  to  enforce  the  payment  of  the  matured  bonds, 
both  principal  and  interest.  As  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  taxable 
property  in  the  county  is  less  than  $2,000,000,  the  situation  for  the  tax 
payers  has  certainly  been  a  serious  one  from  the  commencement  of  legal 
proceedings.  In  the  fall  of  1900  Las  Vegas  attorneys,  representing  the 
New  York  bondholders,  obtained  judgments  against  the  county  for  over 
$130,000.  In  the  winter  of  1901  the  county  commissioners  made  a  levy 
of  82  mills  on  the  dollar  to  provide  for  their  payment,  but  the  tax 
payers  refused  to  meet  it.  After  dragging  along  for  five  years,  an- 
other attempt  was  made  in  1906  to  force  a  payment,  the  United  States 
Court  finally  issuing  a  mandamus  ordering  the  county  board  to  make 
another  levy.  Other  strenuous  legal  measures  have  been  taken,  and  it 
is  said  that  efforts  are  being  made  to  effect  a  compromise  on  all  cases, 
and  the  entire  issue  of  railroad  bonds,  on  the  basis  of  60  cents  on  the 
dollar.  As  Congress  has  pronounced  the  bonds  valid,  although  they 
were  at  one  time  said  to  be  illegal,  it  is  intimated  that  the  national  body 
may  be  appealed  to  in  order  to  prevent  the  county  from  going  into 
actual  bankruptcy.  Somewhat  similar  cases  are  St.  Clair  County,  Mo., 
which  repudiated  its  bonded  indebtedness,  and  Wilkes  county.  N.  C, 
which  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  upon  having  defaulted  in 
the  payment  of  their  bonds. 

THE    CITY    OF    SANTA    FE. 

Santa  Fe  (Holy  Faith)  is  a  contraction  from  La  Villa  Real  de 
Santa  Fe  de  San  Francisco,  and  for  three  hundred  years  has  not  only 
been  an  important  center  of  the  Catholic  faith,  but  the  seat  of  temporal 
power  under  Spanish,  Pueblo,  Mexican  or  American  rule.  The  Old 
Palace,  now  chiefly  occupied  by  the  museums  of  the  Territorial  Historical 
Society,  has  been  the  official  home  of  fifty  Spanish,  fifteen  Mexican  and 
fifteen   American  Governors. 

Santa  Fe  was  not  chartered  as  a  city  until  1891,  its  older  portions 
being  cut  irregularly  by  narrow  and  crooked  streets  and  having  an  at- 
mosphere of  the  middle  ages ;  in  the  modern  city  the  thoroughfares  are 
broad  and  straight,  but  even  there  one  notices  an  absence  of  much  of  the 
bustle  which  is  characteristic  of  Albuquerque  and  Las  Vegas,  and  which 
may  be  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  it  has  no  street  cars. 

Santa  Fe  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  vote  of  its  inhabitants,  on 
the  2d  of  June,  1891.  Its  first  officers  were:  Mayor,  William  T.  Thorn- 
ton; clerk,  James  D.  Hughes;  treasurer,  Marcus  Eldodt ;  aldermen,  Fran- 
cisco Delgado,  Ricardo  Gorman,  Martin  Quintana,  Marcelino  Garcia,  Will- 
iam S.  Harroun,  Gerard  D.  Koch,  Narciso  Mondragon,  George  W.  Knaebel. 

The  great  fascination  attaching  to  Santa  Fe  lies  in  the  magic  of  the 
ancient   days  which   still   clings   to   its   structural   remains.      Its   European 


63G  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

occupation  is  second  only  to  St.  Augustine,  among  the  historic  cities  of 
the  United  States,  while'  the  commencement  of  the  native  occupation  is 
lost  in  the  dimness  of  the  past.  San  Miguel  church,  a  plain  little  adobe 
structure,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  original  church  erected  by  the  Spanish 
explorers;  but  the  first  building  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians  in  1680, 
restored  in  1710,  and  modified  within  recent  years.  Its  old  walls  are 
supported  by  stone  buttresses.  Within  are  seen  quaint  specimens  of  carv- 
ings on  the  roof  timbers  and  gallery,  with  burned  designs  for  variety. 
Across  the  street  is  the  adobe  house,  which  was  long  pronounced  to  be  the 
oldest  dwelling  in  the  United  States,  and  in  which  it  is  said  Coronado_  lodged 
when  he  visited  the  pueblo,  Tequayo,  then  standing  on  the  site  of  Santa 
Fe  ;  but  while  this  is  the  only  remnant  of  the  ancient  Indian  pueblo,  its 
claim  to  being  the  earliest  pioneer  of  American  dwellings  has  been  exploded. 

The  Plaza  occupies  a  square  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  in  which  are 
two  monuments  and  a  memorial  fountain.  Facing  it  on  the  north  is  the 
Palace,  already  mentioned,  a  massive,  one  story  building,  a  block  in  length, 
erected  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  and  marking  the  founding  of 
Santa  Fe  by  Juan  de  Onate  about  1605.  Originally  it  was  a  square,  with 
a  large  court  in  which  the  Spanish  garrison  was  quartered;  but  with  hos- 
tile tribes  around,  even  with  the  erection  of  this  imposing  evidence  of 
Spanish  power  the  settlement  did  not  rapidly  increase,  and  by  1617  there 
were  only  48  colonists  and  soldiers  in  the  province. 

The 'little  band  of  Spanish  settlers  at  Santa  Fe,  with  the  Palace  as 
the  nucleus  of  the  place,  appealed  to  His  Royal  Highness,  at  various  times, 
for  protection  from  the  Pueblo  Indians,  and  by  1630  the  garrison  and 
the  colonists  numbered  about  250.  In  August,  1680,  the  rebellious  In- 
dians, led  by  a  native  named  Pope,  killed  400  of  the  2,500  colonists, 
soldiers  and  priests  scattered  through  the  province  and  then  laid  siege  to 
the  capital.  For  ten  days  the  savages  stormed  the  Palace,  where  Gov- 
ernor Otermin,  with  1,000  of  the  survivors,  had  taken  refuge.  On  the 
20th  the  Spaniards  made  a  sortie,  killed  300  of  the  Indians,  captured  50 
(whom  they  afterward  hanged),  and  on  the  following  day  evacuated  the 
Palace  and  Santa  Fe,  starting  on  their  long  overland  journey  for  El  Paso. 

Santa  Fe  remained  in  possession  of  the  Pueblo  Indians  for  twelve 
years,  and  during  that  period  the  Palace  was  occupied  by  native  chiefs, 
or  rulers.  In  September,  1692,  it  was  easily  recaptured  by  Governor  Vargas, 
who  resettled  the  town  with  800  new  colonists  and  a  garrison  adequate 
for  the  defense  of  the  place.  During  the  following  winter  the  Indians 
made  another  attempt  at  mastery,  but  were  beaten  off  and  seventy  prisoners 
hanged  in  the  Plaza.  Notwithstanding,  they  continued  their  hostilities 
and  attacks,  and  during  the  eighteenth  century  several  attempts  were  made 
to  move  the  provincial  capital  further  south,  and  nearer  the  seat  of  the 
Spanish  power  in  Mexico. 

By  the  middle  of  the  century  the  French  Canadian  trappers  com- 
menced to  trade  with  Santa  Fe  from  the  north,  while  a  brisk  traffic  sprang 
up  with  Chihuahua  from  the  south.  Earlv  in  the  nineteenth  century  the 
greater  and  more  enduring  trade  originated  between  the  Mexican  province 
of  New  Mexico  and  the  American  frontier.  With  the  discovery  of  gold 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  the  tremendous  overland  emigration  thither,  in 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Santa  Fe  became  the  great  supply 
station    for   the   interminable    caravans   of   gold-seekers    who    followed    the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  637 

southern  route  to  the  promised  land,  and  the  Santa  Fe  trail  became 
famous  the  world  over.  From  that  time  on  for  thirty  years  the  interest 
of  the  country  centered  not  in  the  .governor's  palace,  as  the  headquarters 
of  the  .American  government,  but  in  its  general  merchandise  and  other 
supply  houses. 

Don  Manuel  Armijo  was  still  in  the  gubernatorial  palace  in  1846, 
and  hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  American  army  under  General  Kearny, 
issued  a  proclamation  stating  what  he  would  do  to  them,  and  started  north 
with  his  troops;  but  when  about  thirty  miles  away  from  Santa  Fe  changed 
his  mind,  marched  south,  abandoned  the  capital  and  the  palace,  and  headed 
for  the  City  of  Mexico. 

General  Kearny  modestly  took  possession  of  Santa  Fe  on  the  19th 
of  August,  1846,  and  first  made  a  speech  in  behalf  of  his  government, 
declaring  the  good  intentions  of  the  American  army  of  occupation.  It  was 
responded  to  by  Donaciano  Vigil,  who,  although  a  full-blooded  Spaniard, 
pledged  his  allegiance  to  the  government  of  the  United  States,  and  in 
doing  so  spoke  for  the  remaining  citizens  of  Santa  Fe.  That  Kearny  and 
the  United  States  government  had  full  confidence  in  him  is  evident,  since 
a  short  time  afterward  he  was  appointed  governor  of  the  Territorv,  under 
most  tragic  and  momentous  circumstances. 

Upon  taking  possession  of  the  palace.  General  Kearny  issued  a  busi- 
ness-like proclamation,  to  this  effect : 

"NOTICE! 

"Being  duly  authorized  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  of  America.  I  here- 
by make  the  following  appointments  for  the  government  of  New  Mexico,  a  territory 
of  the  said  United  States: 

"The  officers  thus  appointed  will  be  obeyed  and  respected  accordingly. 

"Charles  Bent  to  be  governor. 

"Doniciano  Vigil  to  be  secretary  of  Territory. 

"Richard  Dallam  to  be  marshal. 

"Francis  P.  Blair  to  be  United  States  district  attorney. 

"Charles  Blummer  to  be  treasurer. 

"Eugene  Leitensdorfer  to  be  auditor  of  public  accounts. 

"Joel  Houghton,  Antonio  Jose  Otero  and  Charles  Beaubien  to  be  judges  of  the 
superior  court. 

"Given  at  Santa  Fe.  the  capital  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  this  22nd  day  of 
September,  1846,  and  in  the  seventy-first  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States. 

"S.   W.   Kearny. 
"Brigadier   General   United   States   Army." 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  note  that  General  Kearny's  daughter, 
Mrs.  Barstow,  of  St.  Louis,  has  recently  presented  a  portrait  of  her  brave, 
manly  father  to  the  Historical  Society,  and  that  Mrs.  Prince,  regent  of 
the  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  has  erected  in  the  plaza  a  tablet  to  mark 
the  exact  spot  where  he  took  possession  of  the  Territory  in  the  name  of 
the  United  States. 

Charles  Bent,  named  as  governor  in  the  Kearny  proclamation,  was 
proprietor  of  Bent's  Fort,  a  trading  post  on  the  Arkansas  river,  and  one 
of  the  most  popular  stopping  places  on  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  But  a  few  days 
after  his  appointment  he  was  assassinated  at  the  pueblo  of  Taos  (which 
seemed  to  be  the  hotbed  of  Indian  revolutionists  and  murderers),  and 
Mr.    Vigil   was   appointed   his   successor.      Frank    P.    Blair,    who    was   ap- 


638  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

pointed  district  attorney,  afterward  became  a  prominent  Republican  sen- 
ator from  Missouri. 

During  the  winter  following  the  occupation  of  Santa  Fe  by  the  Ameri- 
can troops  an  adobe  fort  and  blockhouse  was  erected  on  the  northern 
heights  of  the  town,  and  named  in  honor  of  Secretary  of  War  Marcy. 
The  earthworks  are  still  standing,  under  which  were  buried  200  Missouri 
volunteers  of  the  Mexican  war.  On  the  road  to  Fort  Marcy  is  what  is 
known  as  the  Garita,  an  old  Mexican  fort,  near  the  west  wall  of  which 
the  leaders  of  the  revolution  of  1837  were  executed — those  concerned  in 
the  assassination  of  Perez  and  other  provincial  officials. 

The  palace,  on  the  plaza,  witnessed  the  assembling  of  the  first  terri- 
torial legislature,  and  in  1848  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Mexico  was  pro- 
claimed within  its  walls.  Santa  Fe  was  established  as  the  territorial  seat 
of  government,  July  14,  1851,  and  became  the  official  residence  of  the 
governors.  For  about  a  month — in  March  and  April,  1862 — it  was  in 
possession  of  the  Confederate  troops,  the  Union  forces  reoccupying  it 
April  nth. 

Tbe  old  palace  was  abandoned  by  Governor  Otero  as  an  executive 
residence  upon  the  completion  of  the  first  territorial  capitol.  It  was  not 
until  1884  that  practical  plans  were  entered  upon  for  the  construction  of 
a  modern  capitol  building.  By  act  of  March  14,  1884,  provision  was  made 
for  the  erection  of  a  territorial  penitentiary  at  Santa  Fe,  at  a  cost  not 
exceeding  $150,000,  the  governor,  the  attorney  general  and  the  treasurer 
being  constituted  a  board  of  managers  for  the  institution,  which  was  com- 
pleted in  the  following  year.  On  the  day  following  the  appropriation  for 
the  penitentiary  an  attempt  was  made  to  pass  a  measure  appropriating 
$300,000  for  a  new  capitol.  This  action  excited  great  indignation  through- 
out the  Territory.  People  outside  of  Santa  Fe  were  almost  unanimously 
against  the  measure,  which  was  condemned  as  an  attempt  on  the  part  of 
the  "Santa  Fe  ring"  to  bleed  the  taxpayers  for  their  personal  benefit. 
Charges  were  made  that  the  legislature  was  organized  and  managed  in 
furtherance  of  a  deliberate  scheme  to  raid  the  public  treasury  for  the 
benefit  of  the  few.  A  memorial  was  sent  to  Congress  asking  for  an  in- 
vestigation and  mass  meetings  of  citizens  were  held  in  many  places.  The 
opposition  to  the  bill  in  the  legislature  was  led  by  Major  William  H. 
Whiteman.  representing  Bernalillo  county  in  the  house.  The  opposition, 
while  it  did  not  prevent  the  passage  of  the  measure,  succeeded  in  reducing 
the  original  amount  of  the  appropriation.  The  bill,  which  was  passed 
March  28,  1884,  created  a  bonded  indebtedness  of  $200,000  against  the 
Territory,  and  appointed  as  capitol  building  committee  the  governor  of 
the  Territory  and  his  successor  in  office,  together  with  the  folio-wing  named : 
Mariano  S.  Otero,  Narciso  Valdez.  William  L.  Rynerson,  Jose  Montano, 
Antonio  Abeytia  y  Armijo,  Ramon  A.  Baca,  Vicente  Mares,  John  C.  Joseph. 
Cristobal  Mares,  Lorenzo  Lopez,  Rafael  Romero  and  A.  S.  Potter. 

The  cost  of  the  capitol  in  round  numbers  was  $250,000.  It  was  built 
of  yellow  sandstone.  In  1886  the  legislature  met  for  the  first  time  in  the 
new  capitol,  and  six  years  later,  May  12,  i8q2,  the  building  was  burned, 
presumablv  at  the  hands  of  an  incendiary.  There  was  no  insurance,  but 
most  of  the  records  were  saved. 

February  5,  1895,  a  capitol  rebuilding  board  was  established  by  act 
of  the   legislature,   and   after  much  delay  the  new  capitol   was  completed 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


(Kill 


and  dedicated  June  4,  1900.  The  present  capitol,  of  similar  design  to  the 
first,  is  built  of  cream  colored  brick  upon  a  granite  foundation,  crowned 
with  a  tasteful  dome,  and  was  completed  at  a  cost  of  $200,000. 

When  It  First  Became  the  Capital. — The  appearance  of  Santa  Fe  is 
thus  described  in  "Mayer's  History  of  New  Mexico,"  which  was  pub- 
lished in  the  year  of  the  territorial' organization  and  shortly  before  Santa 
Fe  was  formally  established  as  the  capital:  "Santa  Fe  is  an  irregular, 
scattered  town,  built  of  adobes,  or  sun-dried  bricks,  while  most  of  its 
streets  are  common  highways  traversing  settlements  interspersed  with  ex- 
tensive cornfields.  The  only  attempt  at  anything  like  architectural  com- 
pactness and  precision  consists  of  four  tiers  of  buildings,  whose  fronts  are 
shaded  with  a  fringe  of  rude  partales  or  corridors.  They  stand  around 
the  public  square,  and  comprise  the  palacio,  or  governor's  house,  the  custom 
house,  barracks,  calabozo.  casa  consistarial,  the  military  chapel,  besides 
several  private  residences,  as  well  as  most  of  the  shops  of  the  American 
traders." 

In  the  early  clays  following  the  American  occupation  there  was  a 
very  bitter  feeling  of  prejudice  against  the  Americans,  and  they  were  in 
constant  danger  of  assault  from  Mexicans,  who  would  frequently  pitch 
stones  from  the  roofs  of  the  adobe  houses  onto  the  heads  of  the  hated 
"( iringoes."  All  Americans  carried  "six-shooters"  and  bowie  knives,  ac- 
cording to  Charles  L.  Thayer.  In  1850  there  was  three  times  as  much 
land  under  cultivation  by  the  Mexicans  as  now.  The  American  military 
force  of  occupation  was  large,  and  everything  was  bought  in  the  open 
market  at  enormous  prices — corn  at  $25  per  fanega  (about  two  and  a  half 
bushels'),  wheat  at  about  the  same  price,  and  hay  at  $60  per  ton.  Money 
was  extremely  plentiful  and  times  were  prosperous. 

In  1849  the  military  chapel,  built  during  the  Mexican  regime,  was 
located  on  the  west  side  of  the  plaza,  the  Mexican  postoffice  also  standing 
in  this  locality.  There  were  no  American  schools  until  late  in  the  fifties, 
when  a  small  private  establishment  was  opened. 

Among  the  residents  of  Santa  Fe  who  located  in  1849  ar>d  remained 
there  for  some  time  mav  be  mentioned  Colonel  Ceran  St.  Vrain,  the  well 
known  merchant  and  public  character;  Joseph  Hersch,  who  operated  a 
flour  mill  and  kept  a  store  on  the  site  of  the  Hotel  Normandie ;  Charles 
Lawrence  Thayer,  Jacob  Spiegelberg  and  Major  John  R.  Wells;  Sigmund 
Seligman,  merchant,  and  joab  Houghton,  who  operated  a  general  store 
and  was  the  first  chief  justice  of  the  Territory.  In  1852  Rumney,  Ardinger 
&  Green  opened  the  historic  "Exchange  Hotel."  Mr.  Rumney  had  been 
chief  clerk  in  the  United  States  commissary  department,  and  Mr.  Green 
was  a  private  citizen  from  Missouri. 

Religious  Establishments. — Santa  Fe  is  the  seat  of  a  Roman  Catholic 
archbishopric,  and  the  establishment  of  the  church  is  contemporary  with 
the  founding  of  the  place.  After  San  Miguel,  the  first  Catholic  edifice 
erected  was  by  the  custodian  of  missions,  who,  in  1623.  commenced  to 
build  a  church — probably  on  the  site  of  the  present  cathedral.  After  five 
years  it  was  completed,  but  was  destroyed  in  the  revolt  of  1680.  The 
cathedral  is  a  modern  sandstone  structure  built  around  an  older  parish 
church  known  as  the  Parroquia.  and  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  plaza, 
opposite  the  palace.  The  handsome  stone  reredos  of  the  cathedral  were 
erected  by  Governor  Marin  del  Valle  and  his  wife  in  1761,  and  the  Rosario 


640  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Chapel  is  said  to  mark  the  spot  where  Vargas  made  his  vow  before  he 
recaptured  the  city  from  the  pueblos  in  1692.  The  cathedral  also  con- 
tains a  museum  of  old  Spanish  paintings  and  other  curios. 

Besides  the  cathedral  there  are  two  other  Roman  Catholic  churches, 
a  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  an  English  and  Spanish  Presbyterian 
church,  the  Allison  Presbyterian  mission,  and  the  English  and  Spanish 
M.  E.  church.  Among  the  important  charities  are  the  St.  Vincent's  Hos- 
pital, Sanitarium  and  Orphanage  and  the  Industrial  School  for  Deaf 
and  Dumb. 

Other  Points  of  Interest. — 1'he  territorial  library  is  of  interest  to 
historical  students,  for  although  it  contains  but  5,000  books,  it  embraces 
valuable  Spanish  and  Mexican  archives  covering  the  period  1621-1846. 
The  three  public  school  libraries  number  about  the  same  volumes.  The 
press  of  the  city  is  represented  by  one  English  daily  and  two  Spanish 
weeklies. 

Aside  from  the  four  city  schools,  the  educational  institutions  consist 
of  St.  Michael  College,  established  by  the  Christian  Brothers  in  1859  and 
the  first  college  in  New  Mexico;  Academy  of  Our  Lady  of  Light,  under 
the  control  of  the  Sisters  of  Loretto  and'  the  oldest  girls'  school  in  the 
southwest  (founded  in  1852),  and  the  government  school  for  Indians 
(Dawes  Institute),  attended  by  300  natives,  and  St.  Catherine's  Indian 
School. 

Santa  Fe  has,  of  course,  the  territorial  penitentiary,  representing  a 
financial  outlay  of  $150,000.  and  claims  one  of  the  finest  systems  of  water- 
works in  the  southwest.  The  supply  is  drawn  from  reservoirs  above  the 
city,  on  Santa  Fe  creek.  The  canyon  dam  is  350  feet  at  its  base  and  120 
feet  at  its  deepest  part.  The  works  supply  not  only  water  for  domestic 
use  and  irrigation,  but  electric  power. 

The  present  population  of  Santa  Fe  is  about  5,600,  and  it  has  been 
gradually  decreasing  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century;  in  1890  the  figures 
were  6,165,  ar,d  in  1880,  6,635. 

Cerrillos,  at  one  time  one  of  the  busiest  mining  towns  in  the  Terri- 
tory, in  recent  years  has  suffered  through  the  abandonment  of  the  quartz 
mines  in  the  surrounding  country,  the  closing  of  two  of  her  principal  coal 
mines  and  the  burning  of  the  third.  For  many  years  the  town  was 
famous  for  the  coal  which  bore  its  name.  The  earliest  mining  operations 
by  white  men  began  late  in  the  seventies.  In  1879  the  Cash  Entry  mine, 
which  was  discovered  by  Charles  Dimmick,  was  opened  and  the  mining 
of  lead  and  silver  ores  was  begun.  The  property  was  soon  afterward 
bought  by  George  Holman,  of  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts,  who  sunk  a  hun- 
dred-foot shaft  and  removed  practically  all  of  the  paying  ore  ever  taken 
from  the  mine.  Some  of  it  was  valued  as  high  as  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
per  ton.  Below  the  hundred-foot  level  zinc  and  lead  were  found,  but 
water  in  large  quantities  made  the  operation  of  the  mine  difficult.  In  1883 
the  property  was  purchased  by  Chicago  capitalists,  who  erected  a  patent 
process  concentrator  and  continued  operations  until  1886,  when  Wilson 
Waddingham  purchased  it  and  disposed  of  a  half  interest  therein  to 
English  investors.  On  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  patented  ground 
they  sunk  a  shaft  seven  hundred  feet,  but  found  little  but  zinc.  Thev  then 
opened  the  Central  mine,  a  lead  producer,  working  to  a  depth  of  nearly 
five  hundred  feet,  and  Joplin,  Missouri,  capitalists  erected  a  concentrator. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  °41 

This  mine  was  closed  in  1892.  It  is  now  owned  by  Captain  W.  E.  Dame. 
These  were  the  two  principal  mines  of  the  district',  excepting  the  valuable 
coal  properties. 

Coal  was  first  found  on  the  Ortiz  mine  grant,  the  title  to  which  was 
confirmed  by  Congress  about  1871.  The  grant  conflicted,  however,  with 
that  known  as  the  Juana  Tcpez  grant,  the  older  of  the  two,  which  pre- 
vailed. Before  the  Civil  war  a  number  of  federal  officials  purchased  the 
Ortiz  grant,  which  they  sold  to  the  New  Mexico  Mining  and  Milling 
Company,  and  a  part  of  the  owners  of  the  Juana  Topez  grant  sold  their 
claims  to  the  Xew  Mexico  Fuel  and  Iron  Company.  Both  grants  stood 
the  test  of  the  courts,  and  litigation  looking  to  partition  is  still  pending. 

As  early  as  1871  anthracite  coal  was  mined  commercially  near  Cer- 
rillos.  The  production  of  bituminous  coal  begun  in  1882.  W..C.  Rogers, 
an.  early  merchant  at  Carbonateville,  or  Turquesa,  worked  the  coal  banks 
at  an  early  day.  Other  earlv  developers  were  O'Mara,  Uptegrove,  Will- 
iam Kesse  and  Richard  Green.  Between  1887  and  1892  the  coal  mining 
industry  was  on  the  boom,  at  least  nine  companies  teaming  and  shipping. 
In  1892  most  of  the  coal  land  was  secured  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  Com- 
pany, which  continued  to  operate  the  field  until  December,  1905,  when 
the  mine  caught  fire.  Since  that  time  Cerrillos  has  become  well  nigh 
depopulated. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  properly  called  Los  Cerrillos 
were  O'Mara,  who  erected  the  first  hotel ;  D.  D.  Harkins,  who  built  the 
second  hotel ;  William  Nesbit,  who  conducted  a  saloon  and  served  as 
county  commissioner  for  many  years ;  Uptegrove.  builder  of  the  Central 
Hotel ;  W.  C.  Hurt,  merchant  and  miner ;  Dr.  Richards,  who  conducted  a 
drug  store  and  spent  a  small  fortune  in  the  quartz  mine  known  as  the 
"Marshall  Bonanza":  Judge  N.  B.  Laughlin,  a  pioneer  quartz  miner  at 
Carbonateville  and  owner  of  Laughlin's  addition  to  Cerrillos;  Arthur 
Boyle,  who  leased  the  Waldo  mine  about  1882;  Michael  O'Neil,  E.  F. 
Bennett  and  Austin  L.  Kendall. 

Mr.  Kendall,  who  is  now  postmaster  of  the  town  and  a  member  of 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Santa  Fe  county,  has  resided  in  the 
Territory  since  1880.  The  first  six  years  of  his  residence  here  he  devoted 
to  the  livery  business  in  Santa  Fe.  From  1886  to  1889  he  conducted  a 
general  store  at  Dolores,  or  the  Ortiz  mine  crant,  but  since  the  latter 
year  has  resided  in  Cerrillos.  After  a  short  time  devoted  to  mercantile 
business  he  operated  the  waterworks  from  the  time  they  were  constructed, 
in  1892,  until  1804.  For  about  ten  years  be  has  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  has  been  postmaster  since  March  12,  1900,  and  has  twice  been 
county  commissioner — from  1802  to  1894,  and  from  1902  to  the  present 
time.  Judge  Kendall  was  born  in  Danville.  Vermont,  October  2,  1837. 
In  1855  he  went  to  Mobile.  In  October  of  the  latter  year  he  sailed  from 
New  Orleans  to  join  the  expedition  of  General  William  Walker,  the  noted 
filibuster,  but  left  this  historic  expedition  at  the  first  opportunity  and  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  the  east.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  connected 
with  the  quartermaster's  department,  and  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  cele- 
brated fight  between  the  Monitor  and  the  Merrimac  in  Hampton  Roads. 
From  1873  to  1880  he  resided  in  Kansas,  and  during  1875  served  the 
government  as  scout  on  Indian  duty.  Judge  Kendall  is  a  Republican. 
He   is   prominent   in    Masonic   circles,    a    past    master   of   Cerrillos    Lodge 


642  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

No.  19,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  lodge  and  chapter  of  Perfection  in  Santa  Fe, 
and  the  Scottish  Rite  in  Denver.  He  took  the  Scottish  Rite  degree  in 
Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1863,  a  short  time  after  being  made  a  Mason 
in  Chelsea,  Massachusetts.  In  Kinsley,  Kansas,  he  was  master  of  the 
local  lodge  for  one  term. 

Charles  Lawrence  Thayer,  of  Santa  Fe.  is  one  of  the  survivors  of  the 
pioneers  who  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1849.  Born  at  Milton,  Massa- 
chusetts, August  8,  1823,  in  January,  1849,  ne  left  New  Orleans  with  the 
intention  of  seeking  the  gold  fields  of  California.  Between  St.  Louis  and 
Fort  Leavenworth  twenty-three  of  his  party  died  of  the  cholera,  and  he 
himself  was  ill  of  that  disease.  On  recovering,  he  drove  an  ox  team  for 
the  government  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Santa  Fe,  125  citizens'  wagons 
being  escorted  by  the  government  train,  which  arrived  in  August. 

Mr.  Thayer  went  to  El  Paso  in  two  weeks,  but  while  preparing  to 
continue  his  journey  to  the  coast  was  robbed  of  all  he  had  by  a  man 
whom  he  had  befriended.  Being  stranded  financially,  he  returned  to 
Santa  Fe  in  June.  1850.  On  this  trip  he  had  as  traveling  companion  the 
noted  gambler.  Major  John  R.  Wells,  of  Mississippi,  who  was  carrying 
$15,000  in  gold  packed  on  horseback.  At  the  government  post  at  Dona 
Ana  an  officer  informed  them  of  the  intention  of  four  soldiers  to  steal 
this  rich  luggage,  their  murder  and  the  robbery  being  planned  to  take 
place  as  they  passed  Point  of  Rocks  on  the  Jornada  del  Muerto.  They 
succeeded  in  foiling  the  thieves  by  burying  the  gold  under  a  cottonwood 
tree  and  returning  to  the  barracks  until  the  danger  was  over. 

Since  coming  to  Santa  Fe  the  second  time  Mr.  Thayer  has  been  a 
continuous  resident  of  the  capital  city,  and  has  become  one  of  the  most 
widely  known  pioneer  inhabitants  of  New  Mexico. 

Bernard  Seligman  came  to  Santa  Fe  in  1856  from  Germany,  and 
engaged  in  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Seligman  &  Clever,  which 
partnership  was  maintained  until  the  election  of  Mr.  Clever  as  delegate 
to  Congress.  Mr.  Seligman  was  several  times  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture, serving  in  both  houses,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  for  three  terms.  He  was  also  territorial  treasurer,  was 
commissioner  to  the  exposition  in  Vienna  in  1872  and  to  the  exposition  in 
Paris  about  1881.  He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  building  the  court 
house,  and  to  his  efforts  in  the  legislature  is  due  the  passing  of  the  me- 
chanic's lien  law,  one  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture. He  served  in  the  army  with  commission  from  Governor  Connelly  as 
captain  and  quartermaster,  and  was  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  died  in  Philadelphia.  February  3, 
1904. 

Arthur  Seligman.  son  of  Bernard  Seligman.  was  born  in  Santa  Fe 
in  1871.  On  completing-  his  education  he  engaged  as  bookkeeper  for 
Seligman  Brothers.  The  present  firm  was  organized  in  1903,  and  Arthur 
Seligman  became  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the 
commission  of  irrigation,  and  is  still  a  member  of  said  commission.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Buffalo  Pan-American  Exposition  Commission,  and 
was  also  a  member  of  the  St.  Louis  World's  Fair  Commission  and  its 
treasurer.  For  six  vears  he  has  been  a  member  and  for  two  years  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  countv  commissioners,  and  has  likewise  been  and  is 
at  present  chairman  of  the  Democratic  county  central  committee.     He  was 


Most  Rev.  J.  B.  Lamy 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


643 


made  a  Mason  in  Montezuma  Lodge,  is  secretary  of  the  chapter,  and  has 
attained  the  Scottish  Rite  degrees.     He  is  also  an  Elk. 

Alexander  L.  Morrison,  of  Santa  Fe,  is  one  of  the  few  American 
survivors  of  the  Mexican  war  now  residing  in  New  Mexico.  His  life  has 
been  an  active  one.  He  was  born  in  County  Antrim,  Ireland,  in  October, 
1832,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847.  In  New  York  cit-v  lle  en~ 
listed  in  the  Second  New  York  Volunteers,  was  assigned  to  Colonel  Bur- 
nett's regiment,  and  in  January,  1848,  left  for  Vera  Cruz.  The  fighting 
in  New  "Mexico  was  practically  at  an  end  when  his  command  arrived  in 
that  country,  but  he  filled  up  his  term  of  six  months,  being  discharged  in 
New  Orleans  in  July,  1848.  In  1851  he  was  married  in  Troy,  New  York, 
to  Jane  Clark,  and  a  few  davs  later  removed  to  Chicago.  He  served  in 
the  Illinois  legislature,  voting  for  General  John  A.  Logan  for  the  United 
State  senate.  "During  President  Arthur's  administration  he  was  appointed 
United  States  marshal  for  New  Mexico,  and  performed  the  duties  of 
that  office  from  1882  until  1885.  For  two  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business  in  Arizona.  Soon  after  Harrison  became  president  he  ap- 
pointed Mr.  Morrison  register  of  the  United  States  land  office  in  Santa 
Fe,  which  position  he  filled  four  years.  At  the  beginning  of  McKinley's 
administration  he  was  appointed  United  States  collector  of  internal  revenue, 
and  filled  that  office  in  Santa  Fe  until  he  resigned  in  May,  1905.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  his  office  was  one  of  four  that  stood  first  in  the  matter 
of  conduct  during  his  incumbency  of  the  office,  according  to  official  reports. 
In  November,  1905,  Mr.  Morrison  became  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Western  Catholic  Review,  a  monthly  publication,  issued  from  Prescott, 
Arizona. 

Upon  his  return  from  a  journey  to  France  in  1867,  among  those  who 
accompanied  Archbishop  Lamy  to  America  were  his  two  nephews,  John 
B.  Lamy  and  his  brother,  Antonie  Lamy,  the  latter  of  whom  was  then  pre- 
paring for  the  priesthood.  Antonie  Lamy  was  graduated  from  the  Theo- 
logical Seminary  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1871.  and  after  coming  to 
New  Mexico  had  charge  of  the  parishes  at  Taos.  El  Rito  and  Manzano. 
He  died  in  1876  and  his  body  was  buried  in  the  church  at  Manzano. 

John  B.  Lamy  came  to  America  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was 
born*  in  the  native  town  of  Archbishop  Lamy  in  1842.  The  first  twenty 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  with  his  brother.  Father  Antonie.  In  October, 
1871,  he  married  Mercedes,  sister  of  Don  Felipe  Chaves,  and  soon  after 
engaged  in  sheep  raising,  to  which  he  devoted  ten  years.  When  he  dis- 
posed of  his  sheep  he  invested  the  proceeds  in  real  estate  in  Santa  Fe,  to 
the  care  and  management  of  which  he  has  since  given  his  time.  Mr.  Lamy 
has  been  successful  in  his  undertakings.  He  exhibits  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs,  but  has  never  sought  political  honors. 

Celso  Lopez,  county  treasurer  of  Santa  Fe,  was  born  in  the  capital 
city  in  1874.  and  was  educated  in  St.  Michael's  College.  In  the  years  1903 
and  1904  he  served  as  probate  clerk  and  the  succeeding  two  years  was  col- 
lector and  treasurer  of  the  county.  He  is  now  serving  as  a  member  of 
the  city  council  for  the  second  term  and  is  recognized  as  a  leader  in  Repub- 
lican ranks.  His  father,  Rafael  Lopez,  also  a  native  of  Santa  Fe,  repre- 
sented one  of  the  old  Spanish  families  and  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  business  here,  but  died  in  1901. 

Jacob  Weltmer,  of  Santa  Fe,  who  was  elected  department  commander 


644  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of  New  Mexico  in  1905,  has  been 
a  resident  of  the  Territory  since  1874.  He  was  born  in  Palmyra,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1841,  and  in  July.  1863,  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-sixth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry,  serving  during'  the  invasion  of  Pennsylvania.  On  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  re-enlisted  in  the  Forty-fourth  Wiscon- 
sin Volunteer  Infantry,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville. 

Jacob  Weltmer  became  a  resident  of  Santa  Fe  in  1874.  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  business.  From  1876  until  1880  he  was  employed 
as  chief  deputy  and  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  United  States  collector  of 
internal  revenue  in  Santa  Fe,  and  from  1888  until  1892.  during  the  Harri- 
son administration,  he  was  postmaster  of  the  city.  Mr.  Weltmer  has  ex- 
hibited  a  keen  interest  in  educational  matters  and  was  largely  instrumental 
in  securing  the  erection  of  the  present  attractive  high  school  building  on 
the  Fort  Marcy  reservation,  in  the  north  end  of  the  city.  The  building 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Grand  Army  post  was  turned  over  to  the  schools, 
largely  through  Mr.  Weltmer's  efforts,  as  president  of  the  school  board, 
ami  this  act  finally  led  up  to  the  transfer  of  the  reservation  to  the  city, 
the  agitation  which  followed  resulting  in  the  construction  of  the  present 
handsome  high  school  building  on  that  portion  of  the  reservation  already 
occupied  by  the  old  school  building.  Mr.  Weltmer's  service  on  the  school 
board  was  characterized  by  a  rare  manifestation  of  public  spirit.  Since 
1 88 1  he  has  conducted  a  stationery  and  book  store  in  Santa  Fe. 

The  Castillo  family  came  from  Spain  at  the  same  time  as  the  de  Vaca 
family.  Marcos  Castillo  was  born  in  Bernalillo  county,  now  Sandoval,  in 
1859,  a  son  °f  Jose  Antonio  Castillo.  In  1862  the  senior  Castillo  was 
killed  by  the  Navajo  Indians,  who  also  stole  six  or  seven  thousand  head 
of  sheep.  The  widow  was  left  with  her  son.  Marcos  Castillo,  who  early 
learned  and  followed  the  painter's  trade,  while  later  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising from  1888  until  1890.  In  the  meantime  he  was  called  to  office, 
serving  as  probate  judge  from  7883  until  1885.  and  in  1884  was  elected 
probate  clerk  and  recorder.  In  1891  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board 
of  education  of  Santa  Fe  for  two  years  and  since  T904  he  has  been  probate 
clerk  and  ex-officio  recorder,  proving  a  capable  official.  His  political 
allegiance  is  given  to  the  Republican  party. 

Charles  W.  Dudrow,  engaged  in  the  lumber,  coal  and  transfer  busi- 
ness at.  Santa  Fe.  was  born  in  Frederick.  Maryland,  in  184.1.  and  became 
a  resident  of  Santa  Fe  in  1870.  For  several  years  he  was  employed  by 
Barlow  &  Sanderson,  the  noted  overland  stage  line  men.  as  express  mes- 
senger. In  1880  he  engaged  in  his  present  business  and  for  several  years 
has  conducted  a  lumber  and  coal  vard  at  Cerrillos.  His  business  interests 
are  capablv  conducted  and  guided  by  sound  judgment,  so  that  his  efforts 
result  successfully.  He  is  widely  known  throughout  the  northern  part  of 
the  Territory  and  is  active  in  public  affairs.  He  was  twice  elected  sheriff 
but  declined  to  serve,  and  for  several  terms  he  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  and  chairman  of  that  body. 

Leo  Hersch,  a  wholesale  grain  dealer  at  Santa  Fe,  in  which  city 
he  was  bom  in  1869,  pursued  his  education  in  St.  Michael's  College,  and 
has  since  been  connected  with  the  wholesale  grain  trade.  Interested  in 
municipal  affairs,  he  served  for  three  vears  as  a  member  of  the  town  board. 
His  father.  Joseph  Hersch.  was  born  in  Germany  and  in  1847  became 
a  resident  of  Santa  Fe  as  a  government  contractor.     He  put  up  the  first 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  645 

steam  mill  west  of  the  Missouri  river  at  a  time  when  flour  was  worth 
twenty-five  dollars  per  hundred  pounds.     He  died  in  1901. 

Frank  Owen,  manager  of  the  Santa  Fe  Water  and  Light  Company, 
was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1869,  and  was  educated  in  the  University  of  Vir- 
ginia, winning  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1889,  and  his  Master  of  Arts 
degree  in  1893.  In  March.  1904,  he  came  to  Santa  Fe  as  manager  of  the 
Water  and  Light  Company.  He  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  past  chan- 
cellor of  Greenville  Lodge,  Texas.  He  is  also  a  past  noble  grand  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  lodge  of  the  same  place  and  holds  membership  relations  with 
the  Elks. 

Page  B.  Otero,  of  Santa  Fe.  has  been  identified  with  public  affairs  for 
several  years.  A  son  of  Miguel  A.  Otero,  deceased,  he  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  January  14,  1858,  and  concluded  his  classical  studies  in  the 
University  of  St.  Louis  and  Notre  Dame  (Indiana)  College.  He  studied 
medicine  for  three  years  in  Chicago,  but  did  not  work  up  to  a  degree, 
abandoning  his  studies  to  assist  his  father  in  his  mercantile  undertakings 
in  Kansas,  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  In  1880  he  helped  to  organize  the 
New  Mexico  Telephone  Company,  with  headquarters  in  Las  Vegas,  became 
superintendent  of  line  construction,  and  established  exchanges  at  Las  Vegas, 
Santa  Fe,  Albuquerque  and  Socorro.  He  was  afterward  engaged  in  mining 
in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  After  serving  for  a  while  as  deputy  United 
States  marshal  he  went  to  Roswell  in  1890  and  engaged  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness with  Pat  F.  Garrett  for  a  year,  while  "later  he  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  the  Mining  Exchange  building  in  Denver.  He  then  became 
chief  deputy  UJnited  States  marshal  under  Romulo  Martinez,  serving  from 
1885  to  1889.  From  1891  to  1892  he  was  deputy  sheriff  and  tax  collector 
of  Bernalillo  county.  During  most  of  the  life  of  the  UJnited  States  court 
of  private  land  claims  he  acted  as  special  agent  for  the  government  and 
arrested  James  Addison  Reavis,  the  notorious  swindler.  Upon  the  outbreak 
of  the  Spanish-American  war  he  entered  the  First  New  Mexico  Volunteer 
Cavalrv  as  first  lieutenant,  was  promoted  to  major,  and  remained  with 
that  command  until  it  was  mustered  out.  Upon  his  return  he  was  again 
identified  with  the  land  court.  He  framed  and  caused  to  be  introduced  the 
bill  creating  the  office  of  game  warden  for  New  Mexico,  was  appointed 
to  that  office  by  his  brother,  Governor  Otero,  and  occupied  it  until  the  ap- 
pointment of  his  successor  April  27.   1906. 

A.  J.  Fischer,  a  druggist  of  Santa  Fe.  was  born  in  St.  Louis  in  1867, 
and  came  from  that  city  to  Santa  Fe  in  1883.  In  1888  he  was  a  student  in 
the  St.  Louis  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  graduated  as  Ph.  G.,  and  since  his 
return  has  continuously  resided  in  Santa  Fe.  He  was  chief  clerk  in  the 
postoffice  from  181)4  until  1896,  and  in  the  latter  year  purchased  the  store 
which  he  has  conducted  continuously  since.  For  the  past  three  years  he 
has  been  secretary  for  the  territorial  board  of  pharmacy,  and  is  secretary  of 
the  Elks  Lodge  No.  460. 

H.  B.  Cartwright  was  born  at  Kossuth,  Des  Moines  county,  Iowa, 
in  1852.  He  located  in  Santa  Fe  in  1880.  He  was  first  engaged  in  a  book- 
selling and  news  business  but  in  1881  engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  busi- 
ness. He  was  successful  in  building  up  a  large  and  paving  establishment, 
and  in  1902  found  that  it  was  desirable  to  divide  the  business  so  as  to  have 
the  wholesale  and  retail  parts  of  the  store  conducted  separately.  This 
was  done,  and  since  that  time  the  firm  of  H.  B.  Cartwright  &  Bro.,  with 


646  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

H.  B.  Cartwright  as  president  and  manager,  has  been  doing  an  exclusively 
wholesale  grocery  trade.  Mr.  Cartwright  is  a  man  of  great  energy  and 
force  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  buyers  in  the  grocery  trade  of 
New  Mexico.  He  has  filled  a  number  of  offices  in  his  county,  having  been 
the  treasurer  and  collector  for  a  number  of  terms.  He  is  a  Mason,  belong- 
ing to  both  the  Scottish  Rite  and  Knight  Templars,  and  is  a  Noble  of  the 
Mystic   Shrine. 

Samuel  G.  Cartwright,  a  brother  of  H.  B.  Cartwright,  was  born  in 
1869.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  at  the  State  University 
of  Iowa,  graduating  in  the  class  of  1892  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  B. 

He  joined  his  brother  in  the  grocery  business  in  1892  and  aided  him 
in  building  up  a  prosperous  trade.  When  the  retail  and  wholesale  depart- 
ments of  the  store  were  separated,  in  1902,  S.  G.  Cartwright  was  made 
manager  of  the  retail  store,  which  is  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Cartwright-Davis  Co.  He  has  also  held  a  number  of  local  and  territorial 
offices,  being  at  this  time  a  trustee  and  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb  Asylum. 

He  was  married  in  1904  to  Miss  Bertha  Straub  at  Mount  Pleasant, 
Iowa.  They  have  three  children,  Miriam,  Edward  William  and  George 
Dewey. 

Isaac  Sparks,  of  Santa  Fe,  was  born  in  Pimiento,  Indiana,  in  1866, 
and  after  residing  for  a  time  in  Denver,  Colorado,  came  to  Santa  Fe  in 
1891  as  manager  of  the  electric  light  company.  He  is  also  owner  of  the 
telephone  system,  and  is  still  manager  of  both  the  water  and  electric  light 
works.  In  1902-3  he  served  as  mayor  of  the  city,  and  has  been  an  influen- 
tial factor  in  municipal  affairs. 

H.  S.  Kaune  has  resided  in  Santa  Fe  since  1887,  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  merchandising  in  the  city  since  1896.  He  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1856,  and  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years  came  to  the  Territory, 
where  for  ten  years  he  has  conducted  a  prosperous  commercial  enterprise. 
Since  1904  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  Santa  Fe,  and  is  a 
public-spirited  citizen  who  does  all  in  his  power  for  the  advancement, 
progress  and  welfare  of  this  portion  of  the  country. 

William  Bolander,  a  pioneer  harness  maker  of  Santa  Fe,  who  came 
to  this  city  in  1867,  arrived  in  the  Territory  in  1866  as  a  saddler  for  the 
government  at  Fort  Marcy.  He  made  the  journev  with  a  train  to  Albu- 
querque and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  pioneer  settlers  of  this  portion  of  the 
country.  He  was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  his  first  western  experience 
was  with  the  wagon  train  to  Utah  in  1 86 1.  Returning  to  the  middle  west, 
he  enlisted  in  the  Nineteenth  Indiana  Battery,  which  was  assigned  to  the 
Fourteenth  Army  Corps,  and  he  participated  in  the  campaigns  in  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  and  the  march  to  the  sea,  being  mustered  out  at  Indianapolis, 
Indiana.  In  1866  he  went  to  Albuquerque  with  an  overland  train,  but 
later  returned  to  the  east  and  came  with  another  train  in  1867,  when  he  be- 
came a  saddler  at  F'ort  Marcy,  and  was  such  until  1867,  when  he  started 
a  business  of  his  own.  He  was  with  the  army  until  1865.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  McRae  Post,  G.  A.  R..  which  was  the  first  post  organized, 
but  which  later  ceased  to  exist.  Afterward  he  joined  the  present  post, 
Carlton,  at  Santa  Fe,  and  he  has  also  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since  1861,  in 
which  order  he  filled  every  office. 

J.  S.  Candelario,  a  prominent  curio  dealer  of  Santa  Fe,  was  born  in 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  647 

Bernalillo  county,  New  Mexico,  in  1864.  His  father,  J.  A.  Candelario, 
came  from  Spain  and  became  connected  with  the  curio  business  in  1869, 
since  which  time  the  enterprise  has  been  conducted  with  constantly  grow- 
ing success,  the  same  being  one  of  the  representative  establishments  of  this 
class  in  the  southwest.  J.  S.  Candelario  has  served  as  public  officer  several 
times  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  also  a  past  chancellor  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  lodge  and  a  past  noble  grand  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

'Mr.  Candelario  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  promoting  the  growth 
of  the  city  and  Territory,  and  is  a  successful  merchant  and  proprietor  of 
the  original  old  curio  store  at  Santa  Fe. 

J.  V.  Conway,  proprietor  of  the  Normandie  Hotel  at  Santa  Fe,  was 
born  on  the  Cimarron,  in  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  in  1872.  He 
was  educated  at  St.  Michael's  College,  at  Santa  Fe,  and  after  pursuing  a 
business  course  joined  his  father  in  the  restaurant  business,  conducting  the 
Bon  Ton  on  San  Francisco  street  in  Santa  Fe.  The  father  died  in  1898 
and  J.  V.  Conway  continued  as  proprietor  of  the  restaurant  until  July,  1905, 
when  he  purchased  the  Normandie,  which  he  has  since  conducted.  He  is 
an  enterprising  business  man  and  has  been  a  factor  in  progressive  citizen- 
ship.    For  four  years  he  served  as  county  superintendent  of  schools. 

Norman  L.  King,  chief  draftsman  in  the  surveyor  general's  office  at 
Santa  Fe,  was  born  in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1871,  and  acquired  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Maryland  Agricultural  College.  He  came  to  Santa  Fe  in 
February,  1895,  and  has  since  been  connected  with  the  surveyor  general's 
office  as  a  draftsman.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Montezuma  Lodge  No.  1, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  is  now  junior  warden,  and  he  is  also  exalted 
ruler  of  the  Elks. 


648  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


MORA  COUNTY. 

On  February  i,  i860,  the  original  Mora  county  was  created  from  Taos, 
and  constituted  all  the  territory  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  Taos  county,  to  the  territorial  boundary.  By  act  of  January 
18,  1862,  its  boundaries,  which  were  substantially  the  same,  were  defined 
as  follows :  On  the  north  and  east,  the  limits  of  the  Territory  of  New- 
Mexico ;  on  the  south,  the  northern  limits  of  the  countv  of  San  Miguel; 
and  on  the  west,  the  tops  of  the  ridge  of  mountains  which  divide  the  valley 
of  Taos  from  Mora  and  Rayado.  In  1868  the  boundary  between  Mora  and 
Taos  counties  was  relocated,  in  1869  the  northern  part  of  Mora  was  set 
oflf  to  form  Colfax  county,  and  in  1893  Union  county  was  organized ;  thus 
the  county  was  reduced  to  its  present  bounds. 

As  now  constituted  Mora  county  has  an  area  of  10,304  square  miles, 
being  slightly  smaller  than  Taos.  It  lies  in  the  northeastern  portion  of  the 
Territory,  in  the  second  tier  of  counties  both  from  the  east  and  the  north. 
It  has  a  population  of  2,500,  half  of  which  is  included  in  Mora,  the 
county  seat. 

Physical  Features  and  Resources. — The  physical  feature  which  gives 
Mora  countv  most  of  its  beauty,  and  at  the  same  time  is  of  greatest 
practical  value,  is  its  series  of  magnificent  valleys.  As  one  enters  the 
county  from  the  southwest  the  first  garden  spot  that  attracts  attention 
is  the  beautiful  emerald  green  of  Cherry  Valley  and  Watrous.  These 
beautiful  valleys  are  watered  by  the  Sapello  and  Mora,  from  which  lead 
irrigation  ditches  in  all  directions.  The  streams  are  banked  with  cotton- 
wood,  elder,  wild  plum  and  cherry  trees,  and  the  fields  spread  with  or- 
chards, gardens  and  lovelv  homes,  while  great  fields  of  alfalfa  wave  green 
and  purple.  This  was  the  first  section  in  New  Mexico  to  be  settled  by 
American  farmers.  The  Mora  Valley  itself,  surrounding  the  town  by  that 
name,  extends  for  nearly  fifteen  miles  along  the  river,  with  a  width  vary- 
ing from  half  a  mile  to  a  mile,  and  contains  about  6,000  acres.  It  is 
divided  into  small  farms,  all  highlv  cultivated  and  especially  celebrated 
for  its  wheat.  Surrounding  the  valley  on  all  sides  are  lofty  mountains, 
clothed  with  gigantic  pines.  Another  charming  valley,  larger  in  extent,  is 
that  of  La  Cueva.  situated  just  outside  of  the  Canyoncito  of  the  Mora,  and 
watered  by  the  Cebolla  and  Coyote.  It  lies  in  a  perfect  amphitheater  of 
hills,  and  these  are  overtopped  with  mountains.  The  floor  of  the  valley 
is  a  smooth  plain,  over  50,000  acres  in  extent,  and  is  the  scene  of  the  great 
operations  of  the  La  Cueva  Ranch  and  Cattle  Company,  noticed  at  length 
elsewhere. 

The  western  half  of  the  county  is  a  beautiful  farming  country,  being 
protected  from  high  winds  by  the  main  range  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
Within  the  main  valley  flow  the  Mora,  the  Coyote.  Cebolla,  La  Jara  and 
Sapello.   each   of  which    runs   through   a    fertile   valley   of   its   own.      The 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  6« 

prairies  are  covered  with  gama  and  blue-joint  grass,  and,  as  they  are  cut 
with  ravines,  furnish  plenty  of  shelter  for  cattle  and  sheep,  the  raising  of 
which  still  forms  the  main  industry  of  the  county.  Wheat,  oats  and  corn 
are  all  grown  on  irrigated  lands,  although  the  nights  are  too  cool  in  the 
western  portions  of  the  county  to  raise  some  varieties  of  the  latter  grain 
with  great  success. 

As  to  fruits,  it  has  been  found  by  experience  that  the  late  blooming 
trees  are  the  surest  to  bear.  The  German  prune  has  produced  fine  crops 
of  superior  fruit.  Of  cherries,  the  early  Richmond  is  the  safest.  Peaches 
and  apricots  will  only  bear  in  very  sheltered  locations.  It  is  generally 
necessary  to  protect  the  orchards  against  the  prevailing  southwest  winds 
by  strips  of  quick-growing  trees,  such  as  the  white  willow. 

The  banks  of  all  the  water  courses  bear  cottonwood,  elder,  wild  plums 
and  cherries.  In  the  central  portions  of  the  plains  are  found  scattered 
pinyon  and  cedar,  and  the  foothills  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  are 
covered  with  pine  timber  of  large  growth  ami  much  value,  considerable  of 
which  has  already  been  cut. 

The  mineral  resources  of  Mora  county,  though  little  developed,  are 
various.  The  gold  region,  which  is  well  known  a  little  further  north,  ex- 
tends along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Las  Vegas  range  into  this  county.  Mica 
is  found  in  many  localities,  one  of  which  (Talco)  takes  its  name  from 
this  substance.  There  are  also  deposits  of  iron  and  coal,  but  the  most 
generally  diffused  mineral  is  copper.  This  colors  the  rocks  over  many 
square  miles,  the  most  important  mine  being  near  Coyote. 

The  County  Officers. — From  the  records  of  the  county,  which  are 
fairly  complete,  the  following  list  of  officers  has  been  compiled : 

Probate  Judges: — 1860,  Vicente  Romero;  1861-2,  Dolores  Romero;  1864-5,  Jose 
Ledoux ;  1866-9,  Vicente  Romero;  1870,  Jose  Ledoux,  Santiago  Valdez ;  1871,  Santi- 
ago Valdez;  1872-4,  Dolores  Romero;  1875-6,  Vicente  St.  Vrain  ;  1876.  Henrv  Robison; 
1877-80,  Anastacio  Trujillo;  1881-2,  Pablo  Valdez:  1883-4,  Dolores  Romero;  1885-6, 
Feliciano  A.  Gutierrez;  1887-8.  Dolores  Romero;  1889-90,  S.  E.  Tipton;  1891-2,  Fran- 
cisco Lujan;  1893-4,  J-  M.  Gonzales;  1895-6.  Juan  A.  de  Luna:  1897-8.  E.  H.  Biern- 
baum;  1899-1900,  Ignacio  Pacbeco ;  1901-2,  R.  Arellano;  1903-4,  Gavino  Ribera  ;  1905-6, 
Andreas  Medina. 

Probate  Clerks: — 1860,  Severino  Martinez;  1861,  Nicolas  Valdez;  1864-9,  Pablo 
Valdez;  1870-1,  Severino  Martinez;  1872-6,  Anastacio  Trujillo:  1877-8.  Pablo  Valdez; 
1879-84,  Jobn  Florence;  1885-90,  Agapito  Abeyta,  Jr.;  1891-2.  Charles  U.  Strong; 
1893-4,  Teodocio  Gonzales ;  1895-6.  Palemon  Ortiz ;  1897-8,  Emelio  Ortiz ;  1899-1900, 
Tito  Melandez;  1001-2.  Emilio  Ortiz;   1903-6,  E.  H.  Biernbaum. 

Sheriffs :— 1862,  William  Gandert ;  1864.  Trinidad  Lopez;  1875-6,  Pablo  Valdez; 
1878-84.  Henry  Robison :  1885-6.  Luciano  Gallegos ;  1887,  John  Doherty :  1888,  Macorio 
Gallegos;  1889-90,  Juan  Navarro;  1891-2.  Agapito  Abeyta.  Jr.;  1893-4,  J"an  Navarro; 
1895-6,  J.  R.  Aguilar;  1897-8,  Eusebio  Chavez;  1899-1900.  Rafael  Romero  y  Lopez; 
1901-2,  Teodoro  Roybal :   1903-4,  Tito  Melendez  ;   1905-6,  J.   D.  Medina. 

Assessors: — 18S8,  Francisco  Miera :  1889-90,  A.  L.  Branch:  1891-2,  Macario  Gal- 
legos; 1893-4,  P-  Garcia;  1895-6,  B.  A.  Romero;  1807-8,  Bias  Gallegos:  1899-1900.  Tito 
Maes;  1901-2,  F.  S.  Ortega;  1903-4.  Anastacio  Medina  :  1905-6.  R.  T.  Maes. 

Treasurers  and  Collectors: — 1879-80,  Juan  Jose  Gallegos:  1889-90,  Morris  Strouse ; 
1891-2.  Pablo  Mares:  1893-4.  J.  H.  Daniel:  1895-6.  P.  D.  St.  Vrain;  1897-8.  Simon 
Vorenberg;  1899-1900,  Juan  B.  Martinez;  1901-2.  Charles  W.  Holman ;  1903-4,  Rumal- 
do  Roybal ;  1905-6,  Daniel  Cassidy. 

County  Commissioners: — 1S75-6,  Vicente  Romero  (chairman),  L.  Frampton,  No- 
berto  Saabedra;  1877-8,  Vicente  Romero  (chairman),  Juan  J.  Gallegos,  L.  Frampton; 
1879-80,  Anastacio  Trujillo  (chairman),  Dolores  Romero,  Bernardo  Salazar;  1881-2. 
Rumaldo  Gonzales  (chairman),  Ramon  Rivera,  Jose  Manuel  Gonzales;  1883-4,  S.  E. 
Tipton    (chairman),    Rumaldo   Gonzales,   Lorenzo    Romero;    1885-6,    B.    M.    St.  Vrain 


650  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

(chairman),  Pablo  Mares,  Teodocia  Maldonado;  1887-8,  Teodocio  Maldonado  (chair- 
man), Elisio  Borrego,  Rafael  Saabedra ;  1889-90,  Alijandro  Lucero  (chairman),  Frank 
Roy,  Francisco  A.  Mestas ;  1891-2,  William  Gandert  (chairman),  Augustin  Vigil,  Ra- 
mon Rivera;  1893-4,  B.  Salazar  (chairman),  D.  Pacheco,  A.  Vigil  y  Valdez;  1895-6, 
Sacramento  Baca  (chairman),  Tito  Malendez,  Gavino  Ribera;  1897-8,  Juan  P.  Aragon 
(chairman),  Tomas  D.  Romero,  J.  D.  Medina;  1899-1900,  Joseph  B.  Watrous  (chair- 
man), Francisco  Pacheco,  Lucas  Maestas  (Watrous  resigned  in  September,  1899,  and 
E.  H.  Biernbaum  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term)  :  1901-2,  A.  C.  Martinez 
(chairman),  Francisco  A.  Vigil,  Juan  de  Matamares ;  1901-2,  A.  C.  Martinez  (chair- 
man), Matias  Maetas,  Antonio  Montoya;  1903-4,  Matias  Maestas  (chairman), 
Francisco  A.  Vigil,  Manuel  Lopez;  1905-6,  Andreas  Gendart  (chairman),  Francisco 
A.  Vigil,  Juan  de  Materes. 

Mora,  the  County  Scat. — The  first  settlement  at  Mora,  the  present 
county  seat,  was  made  upon  land  granted  by  Governor  Perez,  in  1835. 
Upon  the  creation  of  the  county  from  Taos,  in  i860,  a  little  crude  adobe 
building  was  erected  for  a  court  house,  and  the  structure  is  still  standing. 
The  present  court  house,  built  in  1889,  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  is  composed 
of  brownstone,  taken  from  quarries  in  Mora  county.  The  place  is  a  typical 
New  Mexican  town,  and  has  a  population  of  1,200  people. 

La  Cueva  Ranch  Company,  whose  vast  interests  lie  along  the  Mora 
river,  owns  one  of  the  most  valuable  pieces  of  property  in  New  Mexico. 
As  a  ranch,  no  other  in  the  Territory,  except  Hagerman's,  approaches  it 
in  the  proportion  under  cultivation.  It  is  beautifully  located,  is  thirteen 
miles  in  length,  has  fifty-five  miles  under  fences,  and  comprises  nearly 
26,000  acres  of  land  segregated,  by  court  decree,  from  the  Mora  grant, 
and  40.000  acres  leased  from  the  Fort  Union  reservation.  The  company 
was  incorporated  in  1882,  and  averages  between  4,000  and  5,000  cattle  in 
winter  quarters. 

More  than  2,000  acres  of  the  tract  are  under  cultivation.  A  ditch  eight 
feet  wide  carries  a  generous  supply  of  running  water  from  Mora  river 
to  a  lake  700  acre<=  in  extent,  and  numerous  smaller  lakes,  which  serve  as 
reservoirs  of  irrigation.  This  tract  under  cultivation  and  irrigation  pro- 
duced, during  the  season  of  1905,  about  750,000  pounds  of  grain  and  3,000 
tons  of  alfalfa  and  other  feed,  and  comprises  one  of  the  finest  fruit  orchards 
in  the  southwest.  The  company  deals  quite  extensively  in  farm  products 
and  operates  a  flour  mill  and  a  general  merchandise  store.  But,  of  course, 
the  main  business  of  the  concern  is  the  raising  of  cattle  for  the  market 
and  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred  Short  Horn.  Hereford  and  Galloway 
cattle,  milch  cows  and  fine  horses  and  mules.  The  present  officers  of  the 
company  are:  Adin  H.  Whitmore,  president;  D.  C.  Deuel,  treasurer  and 
manager,  and  Hugh  Loudon,  secretary.  Its  postoffice  is  La  Cueva,  Mora 
county,  and  its  telephone,  telegraph  and  express  station.  Las  Vegas. 

The  basis  of  this  magnificent  property  was  the  great  tract  of  land 
originally  bought  by  Vicente  Romero  from  the  earlier  squatters.  In  this 
way  he  acquired  possession  of  about  40,000  acres  of  land,  and  from  him 
the  company  trace  title  to  their  broad  estate.  Vicente  Romero  was  a 
prominent  freighter  and  sheep  man,  and  is  said  to  have  passed  much  of 
his  time  as  a  "nomad,  sleeping  in  caverns  while  caring  for  his  flocks  and 
lands;  hence  the  name  which  has  descended  to  the  present — La  Cueva, 
"the  cave." 

The  founder  of  the  ranch  gave  his  son  Rafael  a  good  education,  in 
anticipation    of    the    time    when    intelligent     and     enterprising    Americans 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  G51 

should  control  the  best  interests  of  the  country.  The  first  La  Cueva  Com- 
pany was  capitalized  at  $150,000,  and  $100,000  of  stock  issued.  D.  C. 
Deuel  owned  a  third  interest,  and  C.  T.  White  and  Rafael  Romero  the 
balance.  Subsequently  Messrs.  Deuel  and  White  purchased  the  interests 
of  Mr.  Romero  and  his  mother.  Still  later  Hugh  Loudon  and  Major 
A.  H.  Whitmore  bought  the  Romero  stock,  and  the  present  company  was 
organized.  Mr.  Deuel  still  owns  a  majority  of  the  stock,  in  which  there 
are  few  small  holders. 

Other  Towns. — Watrous  is  a  flourishing  town  on  the  Santa  Fe  rail- 
road, in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  twenty  miles  north  of  Las  Vegas. 
It  is  situated  in  the  center  of  the  beautiful  valley  by  that  name.  Mr. 
Watrous,  for  whom  it  was  named,  settled  there  long  before  the  American 
occupation,  and  for  years  his  family  was  in  control  of  most  of  the  land  in 
that  vicinity.  Watrous  is  in  the  center  of  a  growing  agricultural  com- 
munity, the  surrounding  country  being  systematically  irrigated  and  pro- 
ducing good  crops  of  alfalfa,  grain,  fruits  and  vegetables.  Near  by,  on 
the  Val  Mora  ranch,  is  a  growing  sanitarium  for  consumptives,  patronized 
by  patients  from  the  middle  west  and  largely  controlled  by  physicians  of 
Chicago.  Detroit  and  Milwaukee. 

Wagon  Mound  is  a  newer  town,  to  the  north  of  Watrous  and  close  to 
the  famous  elevation  known  as  the  "Wagon  Mound,"  which  was  the  land- 
mark of  those  crossing  the  prairies  long  years  ago.  It  is  an  important 
mercantile  point  for  the  shipment  of  wool  and  sheep. 

Colmor,  a  station  on  the  boundary  line  between  Colfax  and  Mora 
counties,  is  chiefly  noticeable  on  account  of  its  name — a  composite  made  of 
the  first  three  letters  of  these  counties. 

Garret  Eckerson.  manager  for  the  La  Cueva  Ranch  Company  in 
Mora  county,  New  Mexico,  is  a  fair  type  of  the  genial,  hospitable 
westerner. 

Mr.  Eckerson  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  state.  He  was  born  in  the 
Hudson  valley,  New  York,  September  14.  i860,  son  of  Albert  Bogart  and 
Anna  (Henion)  Eckerson.  With  a  love  for  adventure  and  ambitious  to 
see  something  of  the  world,  Mr.  Eckerson,  when  a  young  man  yet  in  his 
teens,  left  his  eastern  home  and  went  first  to  Illinois  and  afterward  to 
Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  he  reached  his  majority.  Then,  in  1881, 
he  again  turned  his  face  westward.  New  Mexico  his  objective  point. 
Arrived  here,  he  entered  the  employ  of  Clark  &  Sheppard,  an  eastern  firm 
that  had  large  cattle  interests  in  New  Mexico.  For  the  past  seven  years 
he  has  had  charge  of  cattle  for  the  La  Cueva  Ranch  Company,  ten  miles 
north  of  Watrous,  Watrous  being  his  postofnce.  In  addition  to  acting  as 
manager  for  this  company,  Mr.  Eckerson  also  has  stock  interests  of  his 
own,  having  a  number  of  cattle  which  he  keeps  on  the  company's  land. 
His  residence  is  the  old  Shoemaker  place,  well  known  in  this  locality  for 
many  years,  and  especially  popular  since  Mr.  Eckerson  has  made  it  his 
home  and  extended  its  hospitality  to  both  friend  and  stranger.  Mr.  Ecker- 
son is  unmarried. 

Estaban  H.  Riernbaum,  countv  clerk  of  Mora  county,  Mora.  New 
Mexico,  was  born  here  September  1,  1864,  son  of  Henry  and  Junita 
(Leyva)  Biernbaum,  the  former  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of 
New  Mexico,  and  is  the  eldest  of  their  four  children.  Henrv  Biernbaum 
was  one  of  the  prominent  early  pioneers  of  New  Mexico.  For  a  number 
Vol.  11.    0 


652  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  years  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  New  Mexico  and  Colorado,  and 
is  now  living  retired  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 

Estaban  B.  Biernbaum  was  reared  in  Mora,  where  he  received  his 
education  in  the  Christian  Brothers  College.  At  the  early  age  of  sixteen 
he  engaged  in  merchandising  on  his  own  account  at  Weber,  Mora  count}-, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  great  flood  of  1904,  in  which  he 
sustained  heavy  loss.  In  the  meantime  he  had  acquired  large  stock  in- 
terests, cattle  and  sheep,  and  many  hundreds  of  broad  acres.  He  now  has 
three  hundred  acres  under  cultivation  and  eight  hundred  acres  which  will 
be  cultivated  as  soon,  as  irrigation  is  obtained  here. 

For  years  Mr.  Biernbaum  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in  the  Repub- 
lican ranks  of  Mora  county,  and  has  a  number  of  times  been  honored  with 
official  preferment.  He  was  elected  probate  judge  in  1896,  and  served  a 
term  of  two  years ;  was  appointed  by  Governor  Otero  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  of  which  he  was  made  chairman  in  1899; 
in  1902  was  elected  county  clerk,  received  the  nomination  again  and  was 
re-elected  to  succeed  himself.  Previous  to  this  he  was  chairman  of  the 
county  central  committee  for  eight  years. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Biernbaum  is  identified  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  having  membership  in  Montezuma  Camp  No.  2,  of  Las  Vegas. 
While  a  resident  of  Weber,  he  was  married  there,  in  1889,  to  Miss  Emma 
Weber,  daughter  of  Frank  Weber,  and  they  have  one  child,  Frank. 

Henry  Biernbaum,  father  of  Estaban  H.  Biernbaum.  the  present 
county  clerk  of  Mora  county,  was  himself  for  a  number  of  years  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  New  Mexican  interests.  He  was  born  in  Hesse- 
Cassel,  Germany,  and  when  a  young  man  emigrated  to  this  country,  land- 
ing in  the  United  States  in  1850  and  the  following  year  coming  to  New 
Mexico.  His  first  employment  here  was  as  clerk  in  the  mercantile  estab- 
lishment of  Spiegelberg  Brothers  at  Santa  Fe.  Subsequently  he  was  in 
business  for  himself  in  San  Juan  and  Pueblo,  for  three  or  four  years. 
Then  he  spent  three  or  four  years  in  San  Miguel,  and  thence  to  Mora, 
where  he  made  his  home  for  ten  years.  While  in  Mora  he  served  as  treas- 
urer of  Mora  county  one  term,  and  was  well  known  and  highly  respected 
throughout  the  county.  His  next  move  was  to  Trinidad,  Colorado,  where 
he  opened  a  large  mercantile  establishment,  which  he  conducted  until  1888. 
Since  then  he  has  lived  retired  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  While  in 
the  west  he  was  interested  in  ranching  and  the  cattle  business  also,  and 
had  at  different  times  big  government  contracts. 

Mr.  Biernbaum  married,  in  Mora,  in  1863,  Miss  Junita  Leyva,  and 
the  fruits  of  this  union  are :  Estaban  H,  Mary,  Isabelle,  wife  of  F.  M. 
Sanchez,  and  Henry,  deceased. 

Frank  Weber,  deceased,  was  born  in  Germany,  and  when  a  young 
man  came,  in  1847,  t0  tne  United  States,  beine  led  hither  by  a  spirit  of 
adventure.  He  remained  in  New  Orleans,  working  at  his  trade,  until 
1848,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  army.  The  following  year  he 
was  sent  to  New  Mexico  and  was  stationed  first  at  Santa  Fe  and  later  at 
Fort  Union,  as  a  sergeant.  At  the  close  of  his  army  service,  in  1851,  he 
engaged  in  business  at  what  was  then  called  Golondrines,  now  Weber, 
where  he  conducted  a  general  merchandise  store  and  also  was  interested  in 
ranching.  He  was  one  of  the  first  men  in  his  locality  to  plant  fruit  trees 
and  he  "gave  considerable  attention  to  fruit  culture.     In   1874  he  sold  his 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  653 

store  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  brewery  business,  which  he  continued 
up  to  1883,  after  which  his  whole  time  was  devoted  to  farming.  He  died  at 
his  homestead  April  15,  1892. 

Through  Mr.  Weber's  influence  a  number  of  Germans  came  to  this 
country,  made  homes  and  prospered  in  New  Mexico.  Each  year,  for 
several  years,  he  met  and  conducted  wagon  trains  to  his  locality. 

Here,  in  185*'),  Mr.  Weber  married  Miss  Gregoria  Landoval,  a  native 
of  Taos  county,  Xew  Mexico.  Of  the  six  children  of  this  union,  three, 
Henry,  John  and  Joseph,  are  deceased;  Emma  is  the  wife  of  E.  H.  Biern- 
baum,  of  Mora  county,  and  Thomas  and  Fred  reside  at  Weber. 

Daniel  Cassidy.  a  merchant  of  Cleveland  and  treasurer  of  Mora 
county,  has  been  identified  with  this  county  since  October  21,  1881,  when 
he  came  here  from  Ireland.  Mr.  Cassidy  was  born  in  County  Donegal, 
Ireland.  October  11,  1850.  was  educated  in  the  national  schools  of  his 
native  land,  and  was  married  there  a  few  years  previous  to  his  coming  to 
America.  Arrived  in  New  Mexico,  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
general  merchandise  store  of  James  Dougherty  at  Cleveland ;  worked  for 
him  ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  the  business  and 
became  proprietor  of  the  store.  Later,  in  May,  1904,  in  partnership  with 
Harry  Dougherty,  he  bought  a  general  store  at  Mora.  Also  he  is  inter- 
ested in  ranching,  having  acquired  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  valuable  land  near  Cleveland  and  two  thousand  acres  on  Ocata  Mesa, 
and  owns  considerable  stock,  both  sheep  and  cattle. 

For  the  past  ten  years  Mr.  Cassidy  has  been  a  Republican,  taking  an 
active  part  in  local  politics,  and  in  1904  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  to  the  office  he  now  holds,  that  of  county  treasurer.  February  21, 
1875,  he  married,  at  Letterkenny,  Ireland,  Miss  Susan  A.  Langan,  a 
native  of  that  place.  Their  children  are:  Daniel  J.,  a  resident  of  Mora; 
Anna  Theresa,  wife  of  Joe  Dougherty,  of  Folsom,  New  Mexico,  and 
Maggie  A.,  James,  Bessie  S.,  Charles  and  Joseph,  at  home. 

Rafael  Tobias  Maes,  county  assessor  of  Mora  county,  and  a  resident 
of  Wagon  Mound,  is,  as  his  name  indicates,  of  Spanish  descent.  He  was 
born  in  Taos  county.  New  Mexico,  May  25,  1863,  son  of  Jose  Maria  and 
Maria  Antonia  (Pacheo)  Maes,  natives  of  Embudo,  Rio  Arriba  county, 
New  Mexico.  Jose  Maria  Maes  was  a  cattle  and  sheep  rancher  of  Taos 
county,  a  temperate,  honest,  industrious  farmer,  well  known  and  highly 
respected.  He  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-six  years  and  died  in 
August,  1905;  his  wife  died  October  17,  1803,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  lived  on  his  father's  ranch  in  Taos  county 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  Then  he  came  to  Wagon  Mound, 
where  for  five  years  and  nine  months  he  clerked  in  a  store.  Returning  to 
Taos  in  1889,  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper,  and  was 
thus  occupied  until  1890,  when  he  was  appointed  chief  deputy  United 
States  marshal  for  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba  counties,  with  headquarters  at 
Taos.  This  office  he  filled  two  years.  The  next  two  years  he  clerked,  and 
served  as  deputy  county  clerk  of  Taos  county. 

In  1893  Mr.  Maes  returned  to  Wagon  Mound  and  engaged  in  the 
hay  and  sheep  business  in  partnership  with  J.  R.  Aguilar,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Aguilar  and  Maes,  which  partnership  continued  three  years. 
During  1896  Mr.  Maes  conducted  the  business  under  his  own  name. 
In  April,    1897,  he  returned  to  Taos  county,   where  he   farmed  till    1899. 


654  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

February  i,  1900,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Wagon  Mound.  In  the 
meantime  he  had  returned  to  Mora  county  and  located  on  his  ranch  on 
the  Mora  grant,  where  he  lived  seven  months.  He  still  owns  the  ranch 
and  a  number  of  cattle  and  horses.  Until  March  31,  1905,  he  filled  the  posi- 
tion of  postmaster,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year  he  was  elected  to  his 
present  office,  that  of  county  assessor. 

Mr.  Maes,  married,  August  10,  1895,  Miss  Anna  Maria  Paltenghe, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  viz.,  Tobias  Louis, 
Antonia,  Julianita,  Saul  and  Eloida. 

Hon.  Ozro  Amander  Hadley,  who  has  figured  prominently  in  political 
circles  in  the  southwest  and  is  today  a  leading  representative  of  ranching 
interests  in  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Cherry  Creek,  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York,  June  30,  1826,  a  son  of  Alvah  and  Eunice  (Bates)  Hadley. 
He  was  reared  to  farm  life,  and  after  acquiring  his  elementary  education 
in  die  public  schools  of  New  York  continued  his  studies  in  Fredonia  Acad- 
emy. In  1855  he  removed  from  the  east  to  Rochester,  Minnesota,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance  business,  and  in  i860  he  was  elected 
auditor  of  Olmstead  county  upon  the  Republican  ticket.  So  capably  did 
he  discharge  his  duties  he  was  retained  in  that  position  for  six  consecutive 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  made  his  way  to  the  southwest,  coming  to 
Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  there  to  engage  in  the  cotton  business.  For  sixteen 
years  he  remained  in  that  state,  and  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  political 
leaders  of  the  commonwealth.  In  1868  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket  to  the  state  senate,  becoming  its  president,  and  upon  the  election  of 
General  Powell  Gayton,  then  governor  of  Arkansas,  to  the  United  States 
senate,  and  the  resignation  of  the  lieutenant-governor  in  1871,  Senator  Had- 
ley became  governor  and  filled  that  office  for  two  years.  While  serving  as 
chief  executive  he  was  able  to  effect  many  compromises  that  proved  of  re- 
markable value  to  the  state.  In  the  incipient  race  war  in  Chicot  county  he  ef- 
fected a  compromise  between  the  parties  there,  and  the  difficulty  in  Pope 
county  arising  between  the  Federal  and  Confederate  soldiers,  who  were 
about  equally  divided,  among  whom  bitter  feeling  ran  high,  he  also  man- 
aged at  length  to  restore  peace.  He  had  to  send  troops  there,  but  no  blood 
was  shed.  Governor  Hadley  made  his  way  to  the  scene  of  the  depredations 
and  delivered  a  specific  speech  that  tended  largely  to  subdue  the  bitter  agita- 
tion. He  received  most  courteous  and  respectful  treatment  from  all  par- 
ties and  from  the  people  of  the  state  at  large  while  governor.  He  is  a  warm 
personal  friend  of  Opie  Read,  whom  he  knew  as  a  boy. 

In  1873  Governor  Hadley  went  to  Europe,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
and  spent  one  vear  there  on  a  business  and  pleasure  trip.  The  following 
year  was  passed  upon  a  plantation,  after  which  he  was  appointed  register  in 
the  United  States  land  office,  acting  in  that  capacitv  for  two  years.  By  Presi- 
dent Grant  he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  postmaster  at  Little  Rock,  fill- 
ing the  office  for  five  or  six  years,  during  which  time  he  gave  a  public-spirited 
and  efficient  administration,  but  at  length  he  resigned  in  order  to  remove 
to  New  Mexico.  He  has  figured  prominently,  conspicuously  and  honorably 
in  connection  with  national  as  well  as  state  politics.  In  1872  he  was  a  dela- 
gate  to  the  convention  which  nominated  General  Grant  for  his  second  term 
as  president,  and  in  1876  he  went  as  a  delegate  to  the  national  Republican 
convention  at  Cincinnati,  where  Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  nominated,  but 
Mr.  Hadley  gave  his  support  to  Blaine.     Again  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  055 

convention  in  1880,  when  James  A.  Garfield  was  nominated.  He  has  been 
a  delegate  to  the  New  Mexico  territorial  convention,  and  has  been  chairman 
of  the  pension  commission  for  six  vears. 

Coming  to  the  Territory,  Mr.  'Hadley  first  located  on  Eagle  Tail  ranch, 
in  Colfax  county,  which  he  purchased  in  1879.  He  purchased  a  small  herd 
of  cattle  at  that  time,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  old  home,  but  came 
again  in  1880  on  the  first  train  which  passed  through  the  Raton  tunnel. 
He  has  made  his  home  permanently  here  since  1881,  and  has  been  identified 
with  the  interests  of  this  part  of  the  country  since  1878,  when  he  made  his 
first  trip  to  the  district  in  company  with  Senator  Dorsey.  He  remained  a 
resident  on  the  Eagle  Tail  ranch  for  four  years,  devoting  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  cattle  industry,  and  in  1885  he  removed  to  Dorsey  ranch  at 
Chico  Springs,  becoming  its  manager  and  at  the  same  time  retaining  the 
ownership  of  the  Eagle  Tail  ranch.  He  occupied  that  property  until  1897, 
when  he  sold  out.  He  continued  as  manager  of  the  Chico  Springs  ranch 
until  1 89 1,  but  in  the  meantime,  in  1889,  came  to  Mora  county,  where  he 
has  since  made  his  home  upon  the  place  formerly  owned  by  William  Tipton. 
He  sold  all  of  his  cattle  in  the  summer  of  1905,  and  the  ranch  is  now  de- 
voted principally  to  alfalfa.  It  contains  nine  hundred  acres,  with  a  main 
ditch  of  thirty-five  hundred  rods.  He  also  leases  twenty-five  thousand  acres 
of  land,  and  is  today  the  owner  of  one  of  the  finest  ranches  in  New  Mexico, 
being  a  model  property  in  all  respects. 

Mr.  Hadley  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Cordelia  Kilbourne,  a  native 
of  Chautauqua  county,  New  York,  in  1849,  an^  f°r  more  than  a  half  cen- 
tury traveled  life's  journey  together,  but  were  separated  by  the  death  of 
the  wife  in  June,  1903.  There  were  two  daughters :  Altie  E.,  the  wife  of 
W.  H.  Hallett,  deceased,  and  Addie  A.,  who  married  General  Keyes  Dan- 
forth,  and  after  his  death  became  the  wife  of  Louis  C.  Tetard,  but  she  has 
now  passed  away. 

Mr.  Hadley  holds  an  enviable  position  in  public  esteem.  The  life  of  no 
man  is  free  from  mistakes,  but  all  accord  to  Mr.  Hadley  an  honesty  of  pur- 
pose and  devotion  to  the  general  good  that  is  above  question.  Faultless  in 
honor,  fearless  in  conduct  and  stainless  in  reputation,  he  has  been  a  firm 
supporter  of  the  principles  that  he  has  believed  to  be  right.  Figuring 
prominently  in  political  circles  for  many  years,  he  is  now  devoting  his  at- 
tention to  private  interests,  and  that  he  maintains  high  ideals  in  this  regard 
is  indicated  by  the  splendid  apoearance  of  his  ranch. 

Captain  W.  B.  Brunton  (Company  A  Second  Regiment  Iowa  Cavalry), 
a  rancher  and  cattleman  of  Shoemaker,  New  Mexico,  has  resided  in  the 
Territory  since  1883.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  either  at  East  Liberty  or 
East  Pittsburg,  April  27.  1838.  and  in  1856  became  a  resident  of  Iowa, 
engaging  in  farming  in  Muscatine  county  until  the  Civil  war,  when,  aroused 
bv  a  spirit  of  patriotic  devotion  to  the  Union,  he  enlisted  as  a  member 
of  Company  A,  Second  Regiment  of  Iowa  Cavalry.  He  became  first  ser- 
geant and  was  promoted  through  successive  ranks  to  the  captaincy,  being 
mustered  out  as  such  at  Selma.  Alabama,  September  19,  1865.  He  was 
with  General  Pope's  Army  of  the  Mississippi  and  participated  in  the  battles 
of  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10.  He  was  ordered  to  Corinth  under 
General  Halleck.  participated  in  the  siege  and  battle  there  and  was  in  the 
campaigns  in  Tennessee.  Mississippi  and  Alabama.  The  last  battle  in 
which  he  participated  was  at  Nashville  under  General  Thomas.     When  the 


656  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

war  was  over  and  the  volunteers  were  discharged  Mr.  Brunton  entered 
the  regular  service  June  18,  1867,  continuing  with  the  army  until  he  re- 
signed May  17,  1873.  He  entered  the  service  as  second  lieutenant,  but 
when  he  resigned  was  first  lieutenant  with  the  brevet  rank  of  captain,  for 
gallant  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

He  resigned  while  in  Brazil  on  a  leave  of  absence  and  there  turned 
his  attention  to  railroad  construction,  working  as  a  sub-contractor  and 
contractor  in  Brazil  for  nine  years,  and  during  two  years  of  that  period 
was  in  a  commission  house.  His  last  work  in  South  America,  however, 
was  doing  railroad  work.  Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1883,  he  came 
to  New  Mexico  and  purchased  his  present  place  near  Shoemaker.  He 
was  induced  to  go  into  the  cattle  business  and  ranching  and  has  since  con- 
tinued in  this  line  of  business  activity,  owning  eleven  thousand  acres  and 
also  leasing  twenty  thousand  acres  of  cattle  land.  He  operates  extensively 
in  the  cattle  industry  and  is  meeting  with  gratifying  success  in  his  under- 
takings. 

In  1870,  at  Bloomfield,  Iowa,  Captain  Brunton  was  married  to  Miss 
Laura  B.  Eichelberger,  who  died  in  Iowa  in  1878.  Their  children  are: 
Mary  D.,  the  wife  of  Lewis  J.  Bauer,  Jr. ;  and  John,  a  miner  of  Idaho. 
Captain  Brunton  is  a  commander  of  Sherman  Post  No.  1,  G.  A.  R.,  Las 
Vegas.  He  was  elected  department  commander,  G.  A.  R.,  May  4,  1906,  at 
Las  Cruces.  He  has  served  as  school  director  for  two  terms  and  is  a  stalwart 
Republican,  who  has  frequently  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  county  and 
territorial  conventions  of  his  party. 

Anastacio  Medina,  of  the  firm  of  Ortega  &  Medina,  Wagon  Mound, 
Mora  county,  was  born  in  Taos  county,  this  Territory,  April  15,  1872, 
son  of  Felipe  and  Doloritas  (Martinez)  Medina.  He  was  reared  at  Coyote, 
in  Mora  county,  to  which  place  he  was  taken  when  three  years  old,  and 
where  his  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  a  sheep  ranch.  Since  1894  he  has 
lived  in  Wagon  Mound,  and  since  1904  has  been  in  partnership  with  F.  S. 
Ortega.  Previous  to  that  he  was  associated  with  his  brother  and  Patricio 
Sanchez. 

Politically  Mr.  Medina  has  always  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party 
and  has  taken  a  commendable  interest  in  public  affairs.  In  the  fall  of  1892 
he  was  elected  county  assessor  of  Mora  county,  for  a  term  of  two  years, 
and  served  acceptably  in  that  capacity.  Mr.  Medina  married,  in  1892, 
Miss  Sara  Montaya,  a  native  of  Coyote.  Three  daughters  and  one  son 
have  blessed  their  union,  namely :     Doloritas,  Maclobia,  Felipe  and  Adela. 

Eugenio  Romero,  a  merchant  of  Mora.  New  Mexico,  is  a  native  of 
the  county  in  which  he  now  lives  and  was  born  on  his  father's  ranch  May 
18.  1872.  As  the  name  indicates,  Mr.  Romero  is  of  Spanish  origin.  His 
father,  Jose  de  Jesus  Romero,  was  born  in  Rio  Arriba  county.  New  Mexico, 
May  15,  1834,  son  of  Juan  Jose  Romero,  whose  whole  life  was  passed  in 
Rio  Arriba  county.  The  mother  was,  before  her  marriage,  Maria  Rita 
Salagar.  Her  grandfather,  Diego  Dtiran,  was  a  native  of  Spain,  from 
which  place  he  emigrated  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

Eugenio  Romero  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  caring  for  his  father's 
stock.  He  attended  school  in  Mora  and  here  as  clerk  in  the  general  store 
of  Lowenstein,  Strausse  &  Co.  he  received  his  business  training.  After 
clerking  for  them  twelve  years  he  was  taken  into  the  company  as  a  partner 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  657 

and  as  such  was  associated  with  them  for  three  and  a  half  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  sold  his  interest  to  the  firm.  Then  he  bought  a  lot 
and  built  his  present  store,  which  he  opened  August  5,  1901,  and  in  which 
he  has  since  successfully   conducted  a  general  mercandise  business. 

Politically  he  is  a  Democrat  and  religiously  a  Catholic,  and  both  in 
church  and  in  public  affairs  he  is  a  prominent  and  active  factor.  Septem- 
ber 21,  1896,  Mr.  Romero  married  Miss  Amelia  Regensberg,  daughter  of 
Jacob  Regensberg,  of  Guadalupita,  Mora  county.  Their  marriage  has  been 
blessed  in  the  birth  of  three  daughters :  Isavelita,  Sofia  and  Leonor.  Mr. 
Romero  was  a  visitor  to  the  St.  Louis  Fair  and  to  him  belongs  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  the  first  man  from  New  Mexico  to  place  his  name  on  the 
register,  the  entry  bearing  date  of  May  17,  1904. 

Louis  Kahn,  who  died  at  Mora  in  February,  1906,  had  a  life  of  ad-- 
venture  worthy  of  record  on  these  pages.  He  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, September  22,  1830,  and  spent  his  boyhood  attending  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land.  In  1847,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  came  to 
America,  landing  in  New  York,  and  a  month  later  going  to  Philadelphia, 
and  thence  to  Mississippi.  In  the  latter  state  he  bought  a  team  and  stock 
of  goods,  and  peddled  through  the  country,  and  while  thus  occupied  he  was 
a  victim  of  the  western  fever,  which  overtook  so  many  of  the  more  enter- 
prising young  men  of  that  day.  Accordingly,  in  March,  1849,  ne  started 
west  with  a  wagon  train,  of  which,  a  portion  of  the  way,  he  was  in  charge. 
En  route  to  Colorado,  they  met  Col.  Ceran  St.  Vrain,  who  was  coming  to 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  and  they  joined  him  and  his  party  and  arrived  in 
Santa  Fe  August  15,  1849.  From  1849  to  1867  Mr.  Kahn  was  engaged 
in  freighting,  with  wagon  trains  composed  of  eight  to  ten  wagons,  from 
Santa  Fe  and  Las  Vegas  to  Westport,  Kansas  City  and  Leavenworth,  as 
well  as  other  points.  While  on  one  of  these  trips,  at  Junction  City,  on 
the  Lost  Spring,  he  narrowly  escaped  death  by  cholera.  At  times  the  In- 
dians were  troublesome  and  rendered  frontier  life  wildly  exciting.  Mr. 
Kahn's  most  serious  trouble  with  the  red  men  was  in  1864,  about  seventy- 
five  miles  from  Las  Vegas,  when  he  fought  the  Indians  from  ten  o'clock 
in  the  morning  to  sundown.  All  his  men,  eleven  in  number,  were  killed, 
himself  alone  escaping.  He  was  wounded  three  times  with  the  red  man's 
arrows,  in  the  arm,  the  scalp  and  the  small  of  the  back.  August  8,  i860, 
when  the  Navajo  Indians  made  a  raid  on  his  property,  Mr.  Kahn  lost 
forty-six  yoke  of  oxen,  ninety-four  cattle  and  fifteen  head  of  thoroughbred 
horses.  And  the  last  freighting  trip  he  made,  in  1867,  was  one  on  which 
he  had  considerable  trouble  with  the  Indians. 

In  1867  Mr.  Kahn  settled  down  to  keeping  store,  meat  market,  etc., 
in  Sapello,  New  Mexico,  where  he  remained  two  years.  From  that  time 
until  1874  he  farmed  and  traveled,  and  in  1874  he  located  in  Mora,  where 
he  since  made  his  home.  He  was  in  the  butcher  business  here  for  a  few 
years  and  from  that  turned  to  hotel  keeping,  in  which  he  was  engaged 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  owned  a  hundred  acres  of  land  under  irriga- 
tion and  had  a  fine  fruit  orchard,  from  which  fresh  supplies  were  obtained 
for  his  hotel.    Mr.  Kahn  was  also  largely  interested  in  the  Taos  grant. 

Mr.  Kahn  served  five  years  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Mora. 

In  June,  1851,  at  San  Miguel,  Mr.  Kahn  married  Miss  Candelaria 
Salazar,  who   died   November  6,    1903,   leaving  a   family  of  five  children: 


658  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Antonia,  Mary,  Rayitas,  Regina  and  Julia.  The  last  named  is  the  wife 
of  Charles  U.  Strong  of  Mora.    The  daughters  are  in  charge  of  the  hotel. 

Don  Epimenio  Martinez,  territorial  sheep  inspector,  Wagon  Mound, 
Mora  county,  New  Mexico,  figures  as  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential 
men  of  his  "locality.  Mr.  Martinez  was  bora  in  Taos  county,  New  Mexico, 
July  17,  1859,  son  °f  Don  Pablo  and  Libranda  (Romero)  Martinez,  both 
natives  of  Taos  county  and  still  living  there,  thirty-five  miles  east  of  Taos, 
the  former  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  years  and  the  latter  at  sixty.  Don 
Pablo  Martinez  is  a  nephew  of  old  Father  Antonio  Martinez,  is  a  man 
of  superior  ability,  and  has  served  in  various  official  capacities,  having  filled 
the  offices  of  sheriff  of  Taos  county,  deputy  United  States  marshal,  justice 
•of  the  peace  and  probate  judge.  During  the  Civil  war  he  served  three 
years  in  the  Union  arm}-. 

Up  to  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Don  E.  spoke  only  the  Spanish 
language,  which  alone  was  used  in  his  father"s  family.  Then  he  began 
the  study  of  English.  Soon  afterward  he  moved  to  Colfax  county  and 
took  claim  to  a  tract  of  government  land,  where  has  since  sprung  up  the 
town  of  Martinez,  named  in  honor  of  him,  and  there  he  remained  for 
about  twelve  years,  conducting  a  sheep  and  cattle  ranch  and  doing  some 
farming.  Also  for  four  years  of  that  time  he  kept  a  store.  In  these  under- 
takings he  prospered  and  accumulated  money.  At  the  end  of  the  twelve 
years  he  moved  to  Moulding  Place,  six  miles  east  of  Wagon  Mound,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  From  time  to  time  he  has  acquired  land 
until  now  he  owns  some  fifty  claims,  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each, 
aggregating  eight  thousand  acres,  and  is  ranked  as  the  richest  man  in  the 
county.  Three  of  his  ranches  are  unsurpassed  by  any  others  in  Colfax 
and  Mora  counties,  and  his  residence  at  Moulding  Place,  erected  at  a  cost 
of  seven  thousand  dollars,  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  country  homes  in 
the  Territory. 

Mr.  Martinez  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  for  years  has  been  actively 
identified  with  public  affairs.  In  1887  he  was  justice  of  the  peace  in  Colfax 
county :  was  elected  probate  judge  of  that  county  in  1888,  and  served  a 
term  of  two  years,  he  being  the  first  man  in  the  county  elected  to  that 
office  on  the  Republican  ticket.  While  there,  he  was  a  candidate  for  county 
treasurer,  but  was  defeated.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  territorial  sheep 
inspector,  and  served  as  such  for  a  period  of  seven  years,  until  1904,  when 
he  resigned.  He  was  again  appointed  to  this  position  August  1,  1905,  and 
is  the  incumbent  of  the  office  at  this  writing.  In  the  advancement  of  edu- 
cational matters  Mr.  Martinez  has  always  shown  a  keen  interest  and  for 
years  he  was  a  school  director.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  building 
of  the  school  house  at  Wagon  Mound  and  also  it  was  largely  due  to  his 
efforts  that  a  school  was  secured  at  Martinez.  During  the  year  1899  he 
was  postmaster  of  Wagon  Mound. 

Mr.  Martinez  was  appointed  and  commissioned  by  the  governor  to 
represent  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  at  the  Paris  exposition  in  1900, 
and  while  there  he  had  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  meeting  the  president 
of  France  and  many  of  the  monarchs  of  the  different  nations  of  the  old 
world.  He  saw,  too,  the  greatness  and  beauty  of  the  different  countries 
and  the  magnificent  palaces  of  the  once  great  Napoleon,  likewise  the  pal- 
aces of  Marie  Antoinette  of  Versailles  and  the  castles  of  King  Philip  XIV. 
He  spent  one  month  in   Paris,  where  he  made  many  friends,  and  at  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  659 

exposition  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  samples  of  all  of  the  manufactured 
products  of  the  world,  as  well  as  the  evidence  of  the  civilization  of  different 
countries  as  represented  in  their  ancient  and  modern  customs,  dress  and 
practices.  From  Paris  he  made  his  way  to  many  of  the  leading  cities  of 
Germany  and  Italy,  passing  through  the  San  Gotthard  tunnel,  twelve  miles 
in  length.  He  visited  Lake  Corfio,  the  city  of  Milan  and  its  surroundings, 
the  palaces  of  Victor  Emanuel,  Venice  with  its  San  Marcos  church  and 
tower,  also  the  great  Doges  palaces  and  the  golden  stairs.  He  also  saw 
some  of  the  finest  crystal  manufactories  of  the  world  and  that  Campanile, 
built  over  a  thousand  years  ago.  He  says  that  one  of  the  happiest  periods 
of  his  life  was  spent  on  the  Grand  Canal  at  Venice  as  he  rode  for  hours 
on  the  night  of  July  26,  1900,  in  one  of  the  finest  gondolas  of  that  city. 
He  visited  Florence  on  his  way  to  Rome,  where  he  arrived  on  the  28th 
of  July.  At  ten  o'clock  that  night,  when  in  the  Plaza  de  Ricord,  the 
telegram  was  received  of  the  assassination  of  King  Humbert.  He  visited 
the  ruins  of  the  Coliseum,  also  St.  Peter's  and  the  Vatican  and  many  other 
points  of  interest  of  "the  eternal  city."  Later  he  went  to  Naples  and  to 
Pompeii  and  climbed  Mount  Vesuvius.  There  he  had  a  very  narrow  escape, 
being  robbed  by  a  gang  of  highwaymen,  who  took  all  of  his  money  and 
valuable  possessions  that  he  had  with  him,  but  he  fortunately  escaped  with- 
out personal  injury.  He  afterward  visited  Christopher  Columbus'  native 
city  and  various  points  of  interest  in  Spain,  together  with  other  places, 
modern  and  historic,  on  the  continent. 

Mr.  Martinez,  on  the  roth  of  January.  1906,  was  appointed  a  commis- 
sioner to  represent  Mora  county  as  one  of  the  vice-presidents  at  the  Fall 
Annual  Fair  held  in  Albuquerque  in  September  of  that  year.  He  is  num- 
bered today  among  the  prosperous  merchants  of  his  town,  being  a  member 
of  the  Wagon  Mound  Mercantile  Company. 

April  22,  1887,  Mr.  Martinez  married  Miss  Parfirio  Mares.  They 
have  two  adopted  daughters. 

Juan  Rafael  Aguilar,  a  merchant  and  sheep  rancher  of  Wagon  Mound, 
Mora  county,  was  born  in  Taos,  New  Mexico.  February  9,  i860,  son  of 
Pablo  and  Ramona  (Pacheco)  Ag^uilar.  Pablo  Aguilar,  son  of  Salvador 
Aguilar,  was  born  and  reared  in  Taos,  and  made  that  place  his  home  until 
1872,  when  he  moved  with  his  family  to  Ocate.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
cattle  raiser.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  deceased,  her  death  having  occurred 
in  1882  and  his  in  1894. 

Juan  Rafael  Aeruilar  was  twelve  vears  old  at  the  time  his  patents 
moved  to  Ocate.  There  he  lived  until  he  was  twenty,  when  he  came 
to  Wagon  Mound,  which  then  consisted  of  only  three  adobe  houses.  He 
entered  the  employ  of  Schmidt  &  Reinkin,  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the 
town,  and  clerked  for  them  for  a  period  of  thirteen  years.  In  1893  he 
engaged  in  the  sheep  and  cattle  business  on  land  which  he  owns  east  and 
south  of  Wagon  Mound,  and  which  he  has  continued  successfully  up  to  the 
present  time.  He  has  thoroughly  posted  himself  on  the  sheep  industry  and 
so  successful  has  he  been  in  this  business  that  he  has  come  to  be  regarded 
as  an  authority  on  the  subject  in  his  locality.  Also,  since  1903.  he  has  con- 
ducted a  store  in  Wagon  Mound,  which  he  keeps  chiefly  for  his  own 
convenience. 

Mr.  Aguilar  is  politically  a  Republican,  and  for  years  has  figrured 
prominently  in  public  affairs  in  his  county.  Since  1893  he  has  been  a  notary 


660  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

public.  In  1894  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Mora  count)'  for  a  term  of  two 
years.  Since  1903  he  has  been  sheep  inspector,  the  duties  of  his  office 
being  to  make  inspection  of  all  shipments  made  at  Wagon  Mound.  In 
1902  he  was  appointed  a  United  States  commissioner.  This  office  he  re- 
signed in  1903,  but  was  reappointed  the  following  year.  For  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Wagon  Mound  school  board. 

Mr.  Aguilar  has  an  interesting  family.  October  5,  1885.  he  married 
Miss  Cleofas  Mascarenes.  a  native  of  Ciruela.  Mora  county,  and  the  fruits 
of  their  union  are  eight  children :  Claudia,  Adelina,  Alfonso,  Celina,  Pablo, 
Antonita,   Sofronia  and  Corina. 

Francisco  Sales  Ortega,  one  of  the  enterprising  and  public-spirited 
citizens  of  Wagon  Mound,  Mora  county,  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  this 
county,  January  29,  1864,  son  of  Luciano  and  Ascencion  (Aldecoa)  Ortega. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Mora  county,  died  on  the  Ortega  ranch  in  the  Red 
River  country,  this  county,  in  1893 ;  and  his  mother,  born  in  Sonora,  old 
Mexico,  died  in  1890.  Luciano  Ortega  was  in  early  life  a  strong  Democrat 
but  later  transferred  his  franchise  and  influence  to  the  Republican  party. 
For  years  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

Francisco  was  reared  on  his  father's  ranch  above  Mora,  which  was 
the  family  home  until  1885,  when  they  moved  to  the  Red  River  country, 
where  he  lived  until  1902.  that  year  taking  up  his  residence  in  Wagon 
Mound.  He  was  already  interested  in  the  livery  business  here,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Ortega  &  Medina,  and  has  since  continued  the  business 
under  the  same  name.  Mr.  Ortega  owns  the  new  residence  he  occupies 
and  also  has  other  town  property  here. 

Politically  he  is  a  Republican.  In  1900  he  was  elected  assessor  of 
Mora  county,  and  served  a  term  of  two  years.  Mr.  Ortega's  family  con- 
sists of  wife  and  daughter.  Mrs.  Ortega,  formerly  Miss  Maximiana  Stines. 
is  a  native  of  Watrous,  New  Mexico.  The  daughter,  Adela,  is  the  wife  of 
Jose  de  la  Luz  Silva,  of  Wagon  Mound. 

Albert  Tison,  who  owns  and  conducts  a  ranch  at  Wagon  Mound, 
dates  his  residence  in  the  Territory  from  June,  1859.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri.  January  8,  1839,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Chicago,  Illinois.  When  a  young  man  of  twenty  years  he  started  to 
Pike's  Peak,  but  met  one  thousand  wagons  and  three  thousand  people  re- 
turning from  the  Colorado  gold  fields  and  giving  unfavorable  reports  of 
mining  conditions  there.  In  consequence  he  changed  the  course  of  his 
travel  at  F'ort  Mann  and  made  his  way  to  New  Mexico,  on  the  old  Santa 
Fe  trail.  He  located  in  Taos,  where  he  engaged  in  clerking  in  the  general 
mercantile  store  of  Ferdinand  Maxwell  for  two  years.  He  afterward  re- 
turned to  "the  states,"  where  he  remained  until  the  Civil  war  was  ended, 
his  attention  being  given  to  general  agricultural  pursuits  in  St.  Louis 
county,  Missouri. 

In  1865  Mr.  Tison  again  came  to  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  and 
has  since  been  engaged  in  cattle  raising,  ranching  and  general  live  stock 
business.  He  first  followed  ranching  near  Cimarron  on  the  Maxwell  grant 
and  in  1884  took  up  his  present  ranch  two  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of 
Wagon  Mound,  where  he  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  patented 
land  with  a  large  public  range.  He  runs  about  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle  on  an  average  throughout  the  year.  He  cuts  sixty  acres  of  hay  and 
has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  cultivated  land.     In  1882  he  engaged 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  661 

in  the  saloon  business  at  Wagon  Mound,  which  he  continued  for  four  or 
five  years,  but  his  attention  is  now  given  entirely  to  his  ranching  interests. 

In  1873  Mr.  Tisoii  was  married  at  Cimarron  to  Miss  Frances  Ocosta, 
of  Santa  Fe.  He  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  pioneer  experiences  in  the 
Territory  and  in  the  west.  He  crossed  the  plains  a  number  of  times  during 
the  '60s,  but  had  no  trouble  with  the  Indians.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  of 
Colfax  county  in  an  early  daw  filling  the  office  during  the  time  of  the  noted 
trouble  over  the  Tolby  murder.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart 
Democrat. 

Patricia  Sanchez,  a  merchant  and  farmer  of  Mora,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 10,  1867,  at  Raciada,  this  Territory,  son  of  Felipe  and  Bonifacia  (Lujan) 
Sanchez.  Felipe  Sanchez,  also  a  native  of  Xew  Mexico,  was  born  in  1829; 
has  been  engaged  in  ranching  and  the  cattle  business  all  his  life,  and  now 
has  a  hundred  acres  of  land  under  cultivation.  In  his  younger  days  he 
served  in  the  United  States  army  against  the  Indians.  His  children  are : 
Jesus  Maria;  Julia,  wife  of  Juan  B.  Sanchez;  Jose  Ignacio;  Pascoala,  wife 
of  Jose  Martinez;  Patricio,  whose  name  introduces  this  sketch;  Eulgio; 
Consolacion,  wife  of  Manuel  Martin;  and  Ignc-s,  wife  of  Casto  Mastas. 

Patricio  Sanchez  received  his  education  in  the  Christian  Brothers  College 
at  Mora,  and  when  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  worjd  he 
went  to  Las  Vegas,  where  for  four  months  he  was  driver  on  a  street  car. 
Returning  to  Mora,  in  189c  he  engaged  in  the  liquor  business,  which  he  has 
since  continued.  Also  he  is  interested  in  cattle  and  sheep  ranching,  and  has 
under  cultivation  about  fifty  acres  of  land :  owns  city  real  estate,  and  has  a 
half  interest  in  the  general  merchandise  store  at  Ledoux,  New  Mexico. 

Always  more  or  less  interested  in  public  affairs,  Mr.  Sanchez  has  for 
years  been  called  upon  to  act  in  some  public  capacity.  He  was  school 
superintendent  of  Mora  county  in  1897  and  1898.  Previous  to  that,  from 
1892  to  1896,  he  was  deputy  collector  and  treasurer;  was  deputy  assessor 
three  years,  and  at  this  writing  is  deputy  sheriff.  Politically  he  has  always 
been  a  Republican.  February  18,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Loretta  Mucy. 
They  have  no  children. 

Hon.  Juan  Navarro,  a  farmer  of  Mora.  New  Mexico,  is  a  native  of 
this  place,  born  September  it,  1848,  son  of  Francisco  and  Maria  Antonia 
(  Martinez)  Navarro.  He  was  educated  in  the  Christian  Brothers  College 
at  Mora  and,  being  the  son  of  a  prominent  farmer,  early  became  familiar 
with  all  the  details  of  ranch  life.  On  reaching  his  majority  he  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account,  in  which  he  has  since  been  interested,  now 
having  seventy  acres  under  cultivation,  besides  other  lands  used  for  stock 
purposes. 

For  years  Mr.  Navarro  has  figured  prominently  in  local  and  terri- 
torial politics,  as  one  of  the  stanch  workers  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Mora  county  for  the  term  of  two  years.  1888  to  1890, 
which  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  the  county,  and  on  his  retirement 
from  the  sheriff's  office  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  territorial  council 
to  represent  district  No.  1.  comprising  Mora.  Colfax  and  Union  counties. 
He  served  as  representative  in  1900  and  1901.  For  the  past  eight  vears 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  penitentiary  board,  of  which  at  this  writing  he 
is  secretary.  Mr.  Navarro  married,  in  1863,  at  Mora,  Miss  Margareta 
Galleyos,  a  native  of  this  place.     They  have  no  children. 

Carl  Harberg,  general  merchant,  Cleveland,  New  Mexico,  was  born 


662  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

in  Morsberg,  Germany,  November  22,  1861.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  German  gymnasium  and  in  a  seminary,  preparing  himself  for  a  teacher. 
He  did  not.  however,  take  up  the  work  of  teaching.  He  served  one  year 
in  the  Crerman  army,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  in  1881,  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  and  direct  to  New  Mexico. 

Arrived  here,  he  located  at  Mora,  where  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in 
the  wholesale  mercantile  establishment  of  Loewenstein,  Strausse  &  Com- 
pany, with  whom  he  remained  ten  years.  Then  he  was  one  year  with  the 
St.  Yrain  Mercantile  Company,  which  failed,  and  after  the  failure  he 
went  to  Sonora,  old  Mexico.  The  climate  in  the  latter  place,  however,  not 
being  conducive  to  his  health,  he  soon  returned  to  Mora,  and  re-entered  the 
employ  of  Loewenstein,  Strausse  &  Company,  with  whom  he  continued 
until  1897,  when,  in  partnership  with  E.  Romero  and  brother  Joe,  he  bought 
the  store  of  Loewenstein,  Strausse  &  Company  at  Cleveland.  This  busi- 
ness was  then  run  under  the  firm  name  of  Carl  Harberg  &  Co.  In  1890 
Mr.  Harberg  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partners  and  has  since  conducted 
the  business  successfully  in  his  own  name.  In  addition  to  merchandising, 
he  is  interested  in  cattle  and  sheep  ranching. 

At  Trinidad.  Colorado,  April  29,  1895,  Mr.  Harberg  married  Miss 
Julia  Klein,  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  the)-  have  two 
children,  Carrie  and  Solomon.  Fraternally  Mr.  Harberg  is  identified  with 
Chapman  Lodge  No.  2,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  Las  Vegas. 

Richard  Parr  Strong,  a  retired  rancher  of  Mora,  New  Mexico,  is  a 
native  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  He  was  born  in  County  Wicklow.  Ireland, 
August  26,  1 83 1,  and  was  reared  and  received  his  education  in  the  city 
of  Dublin.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  came  to  America,  landing  in 
New  York  city,  where  he  remained  a  year  and  a  half,  employed  in  a 
furniture  warehouse.  October  21,  1851,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
army.  First  Regular  Mounted  Cavalry ;  re-enlisted  August  27,  1856,  and 
served  a  term  of  ten  years,  until  August  18.  1861,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged.  The  latter  part  of  his  army  life  covered  the  first  five  months 
of  the  Civil  war. 

Mr.  Strong  first  came  to  New  Mexico  from  Texas,  with  Major  Pope, 
to  look  for  artesian  water,  and  spent  five  weeks  at  Galisteo,  Santa  Fe 
county.  In  August,  1856.  he  again  landed  at  Santa  Fe,  thence  to  old 
Fort  Massachusetts,  from  there  to  the  Presidio,  ten  miles  south  of  Taos, 
known  as  Fort  Canton  Burgwyn,  and  thence  to  Fort  Union,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  and  was  discharged. 

After  leaving  the  army  Mr.  Strong  took  claim  to  a  tract  of  govern- 
ment land,  on  which  he  settled  and  where  he  has  since  lived,  all  this  time 
interested  in  the  stock  business.  Also  for  several  years,  from  1864  to 
1875.  he  was  engaged  in  freighting  with  his  own  teams,  and  in  that  time 
made  seven  trips  over  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  to  Kansas  City  and  Leaven- 
worth, the  average  time  for  each  trip  being  three  months.  In  the  forty- 
nine  years  Mr.  Strong  has  lived  in  New  Mexico  he  has  had  trouble  with 
the  Indians  only  once.  That  was  in  August,  1864,  when  he  was  on  his 
first  freighting  trip,  and  was  attacked  by  a  partv  of  twenty-five  renegade 
Indians  who  were  encamped  on  Cow  creek.  The  Indians  stole  all  of  his 
horses  and  killed  two  of  his  men.  In  referring:  to  his  early  experience  in 
the  west,  Mr.  Strong  says  that  in  1866  he  came  over  the  plains  alone  with 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  663 

two  wagons,  and  two  hours  after  he  crossed  the  Wankarusha  bridge  in 
Kansas  it  was  burned  by  Quantrell. 

In  Taos,  New  Mexico,  March  i,  1857,  Mr.  Strong  married  Miss 
Fanny  Ryan,  a  native  of  Ladvsbridge,  County  Cork,  Ireland,  Father  Ortiz 
performing  the  ceremony.  The  children  born  to  them  are  as  follows : 
jane,  born  in  Taos,  December  5.  1857,  is  deceased;  Mary,  born  in  Taos, 
May  25,  1859,  is  deceased;  Charles,  born  in  Fort  Union,  January  6,  i860, 
is  deceased;  William  P.,  born  in  Ocate,  May  25,  1862,  is  a  resident  of 
Garrett,  Oklahoma;  Daniel  (and  all  the  other  children,  natives  of  Ocate), 
born  October  12,  1865,  is  deceased;  Richard,  born  January  8,  1868,  is 
deceased;  Charles  U.,  born  January  19,  1869,  is  a  resident  of  Mora;  Ann, 
born  Febraarv  2,  1871,  is  deceased;  John  R.,  born  October  2,  1874,  is  a 
resident  of  Wagon  Mound;  Tulia  C,  born  April  24.  1881,  is  the  wife  of 
W.  L.   Blattman.  of  Ocate. 

Charles  Ulick  Strong,  clerk  in  the  store  of  Dougherty  &  Cassidv,  of 
Mora,  New  Mexico,  and  also  deputy  county  treasurer  and  collector  of 
Mora  county,  was  born  in  Ocate,  this  county,  January  19.  1869,  son  of 
Richard  P.  and  Fannie  (Ryan)  Strong.  His  father,  a  rancher,  Charles  U., 
received  his  early  training  on  the  farm.  He  was  educated  in  the  Chris- 
tian Brothers'  schools  at  Mora  and  Santa  Fe.  and  his  first  business  venture 
was  in  a  store  with  his  brother,  William  P.,  at  Ocate,  where  he  remained 
four  years,  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  was  then  elected  county 
clerk  of  Mora  county  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  served  a  term  of  two 
years.  After  this  he  entered  the  employ  of  J.  J.  Smith,  dealer  in  general 
merchandise  at  Wagon  Mound.  Four  months  later  Mr.  Smith  was  killed, 
after  which  Mr.  Strong  went  to  Mora  as  clerk  for  the  St.  Vrain  Mercantile 
Company,  with  which  he  was  connected  in  that  capacity  until  1896.  In  the 
meantime  he  served  as  county  commissioner  one  term.  From  1896  to 
1898  he  owned  and  ran  a  store  in  Mora,  which  he  sold,  and  until  1903  he 
clerked  for  P.  D.  St.  Vrain.  Mr.  St.  Vrain  was  deputy  county  treasurer 
of  Mora  county  four  years,  the  work  being  performed  by  Mr.  Strong,  who, 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  was  appointed  deputy,  and  is  now  serving  as  such. 
And  he  has  had  a  clerkship  with  Dougherty  &  Cassidv  since  the  establish- 
ment of  their  business,  May  I,   1904. 

The  only  lodge  in  which  Mr.  Strong  has  membership  is  the  Fraternal 
Union  of  America,  at  Mora,  of  which  he  is  secretary.  December  4,  1892, 
he  married  Miss  Julia  Kahn,  daughter  of  Louis  Kahn,  and  they  have  six 
children :    Daniel,  Annie,  Emma,  Margaret.  Julia  and  Josephine. 

Martin  C.  Needham,  a  rancher  residing  nine  miles  from  Watrous, 
has  been  identified  with  this  Territory  for  twenty-five  years,  having  come 
here  in  government  employ  in  1880.  Mr.  Needham  is  a  native  of  Oakland, 
California,  born  November  8.  1857.  anc^  was  reared  in  Grundy  county. 
Illinois,  to  which  place  he  was  taken  when  three  years  old.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  went  to  Colorado.  There,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ouray,  he  worked 
as  steamfitter  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  New  Mexico  as  a  machinist  for 
the  government,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  Union  till  the  abandonment 
of  that  post  in  1891.  While  at  the  fort  he  bought  an  undivided  interest 
in  the  Mora  grant,  and  since  1891  has  made  his  home  on  the  ranch,  giving 
his  attention  to  the  cattle  business.  Also  he  is  agent  for  the  Butler  in- 
terests here,  which  represent  eighty-five  per  cent  of  the  grant,  and  since 
he  has  acted  in  this  capacity  he  has  ejected  from  the  grant  no  less  than 


664  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

thirty-five  squatters,  paying  them,  of  course,  for  the  improvements  they  had 
made  on  their  claims,  and  at  this  writing  there  are  five  injunctions  pending. 
September  26.  1887,  Mr.  Needham  married  Miss  Anna  Riley,  and  their 
family  consists  of  one  son  and  two  daughters :  Stephen,  Mary  Agnes  and 
Margaret. 

S.  E.  Tipton  resides  at  Watrous,  New  Mexico,  his  native  city.  He 
was  born  August  5,  1850,  and  pursued  his  education  in  the  Brothers'  Col- 
lege, and  at  the  Presbyterian  school  of  Dr.  MacFarland  at  Santa  Fe  from 
November,  1864,  to  1869.  He  entered  the  ranching  business  with  his 
father,  W.  B.  Tipton,  who  had  come  to  the  Territory  in  1847  from!  Boone 
county,  Missouri,  having-  traveled  with  an  ox  team  across  the  plains.  He 
located  first  at  Santa  Fe,  where  he  engaged  in  placer  mining.  Becoming 
acquainted  with  S.  B.  Watrous.  he  removed  from  Santa  Fe  and  entered 
into  partnership  with  Mr.  Watrous,  they  locating  on  the  Scully  grant,  in 
which  thev  purchased  an  interest.  Mr.  Tipton  was  from  that  time  until 
his  death,  engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  farming,  and  was  a  representa- 
tive pioneer  and  ranchman  of  New  Mexico.  He  wedded  Mary  M. 
Watrous.  daughter  of  S.  B.  Watrous,  the  wedding  being  celebrated  in 
1849.     His  death  occurred  February  17,  1888,  at  Tiptonville,  New  Mexico. 

In  partnership  with  his  father,  S.  E.  Tipton  secured  contracts  for 
supplying  Fort  Union  with  beef  in  1870  to  1873.  The  fort  was  garrisoned 
with  between  five  and  six  hundred  men  and  was  manned  for  government 
service  until  about  May.  i8qi.  when  it  was  abandoned.  During  the  period 
when  he  supplied  the  fort  Mr.  Tipton  was  engaged  in  running  twelve  or 
fifteen  hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  continued  in  cattle  raising  and  ranching 
until  about  1885,  having  a  ranch  in  Cinta  Canyon,  two  miles  wide  and 
seven  miles  long.  After  disposing  of  his  cattle  business,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  farming  and  merchandising,  conducting  a  store  at  Tipton- 
ville, which  place  was  named  for  his  father.  There  he  remained  until 
November,  1888,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  lands  to  Hadlev  &  Hallett 
for  $2=;,ooo,  having  previously  disposed  of  his  store.  He  subsequently 
devoted  two  or  three  years  to  freighting,  and  on  June  13,  1892,  came  to 
Watrous,  where  he  began  work  for  H.  D.  Reinkin. 

On  the  15th  of  October.  1871,  at  Sapello,  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Tipton 
was  married  to  Miss  Sallie  Elizabeth  Hern,  of  that  place.  Their  children 
are:   Jessie  E.,  W.  B.,  Albert  A.,  Herbert  A..  Mary  S.  and  Bessie  E.  Tipton. 

He  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Jennie  A.  Hogsett,  his  present 
wife,  formerly  from  Clay  county,  Missouri,  at  East  Las  Vegas,  October  11, 
1893.     No  children  have  blessed  this  marriage. 

He  has  lived  in  Mora  county  all  his  life,  and  has  no  fault  to  find  as 
yet  to  cause  him  to  remove  from  his  present  pleasant  and  happy  home 
at  Watrous. 

In  politics  Mr.  Tipton  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Democrat.  He  was 
elected  justice  of  the  peace  at  Tiptonville  in  1873.  and  in  November,  1882, 
was  elected  county  commissioner,  and  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  and  at  the  same  time  was  chairman  of  the  school  board. 
He  was  also  elected  probate  judge  of  Mora  countv  for  one  term,  in  No- 
vember, 1888.  and  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  territorial 
legislature  in  1887.  He  served  as  postmaster  of  Tiptonville  for  several 
years,  first  appointment  dated  April  3,  1883.  He  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace  of  Watrous,  precinct  No.   20,  Mora  county,  January   12,    1903, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  66j> 

and  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term  of  two  years.  During  his  term 
as  chairman  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  the  county  debt  was  all 
paid,  and  county  warrants  were  worth  par  value,  dollar  for  dollar,  for 
the  first  time,  to  his  knowledge,  in  the  history  of  the  county.  He  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Watrous  February  20,  1895,  and  served  as  such 
for  a  term  of  four  years. 

Jesse  E.  Tipton,  son  of  S.  E.  Tipton,  was  born  in  Tiptonville,  Novem- 
ber 7,  1872,  and  was  educated  in  Jesuit  College  at  Las  Vegas,  New 
Mexico.  Later  he  entered  the  employ  of  H.  D.  Reinkin,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  eleven  years,  and  in  April,  1901,  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Otto  Lange  under  the  firm  name  of  Lange  &  Tipton,  dealers  in  gen- 
eral merchandise,  in  Watrous.  In  October,  1893,  he  married  Miss  Maude 
Bowmer,  of  Mora  county,  and  their  children  are:  Eugene,  Thelma,  Elmo 
and  Angeline. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


COLFAX  COUNTY. 

The  territory  included  within  the  present  limits  of  Colfax  county  was 
detached  from  the  original  county  of  Mora  in  1869,  and  the  county  seat 
"permanently  established"  at  Elizabethtown  by  legislative  enactment  in 
1870.  In  1872  it  was  removed  to  Cimarron,  and  by  act  of  January  26, 
1882,  it  was  again  transferred  to  Springer,  where  it  remained  "perma- 
nently"— until  changed  to  the  town  of  Raton  in  1897. 

The  Last  County  Seat  Fight. — Following  the  act  of  the  legislature 
removing  the  county  seat  from  Springer  to  Raton,  John  E.  Codlin,  then 
chairman  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Colfax  county,  and 
Manuel  M.  Salazar,  clerk  of  the  board,  in  pursuance  of  the  dictates  of 
public  sentiment  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  brought  an  action 
against  citizens  residing  in  Raton,  raising  the  claim  that  the  chapters  of 
the  law  authorizing  such  removal  and  the  issuing  of  bonds  for  the  erection 
of  a  court  house  and  jail  were  invalid,  in  that  they  were  local  and  special 
laws  and  therefore  in  conflict  with  the  act  of  Congress  of  July  30,  1886, 
forbidding  the  enactment  of  special  laws  locating  or  changing  county  seats 
on  the  part  of  territorial  legislatures.  The  case  was  appealed  to  the  Su- 
preme Court,  which  decided  that  "Congress  has  the  power  to  modify  or 
nullify  laws  enacted  by  the  legislative  assembly  of  a  Territory;  but  if 
Congress  fails  or  refuses  to  act,  such  laws  remain  in  force  so  far  as  con- 
gressional action  is  concerned.  There  was  no  action  by  Congress  as  to 
these  laws."  It  did  not  appear,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  that  the  legislature  intended  to  limit  the  operation  of  this  specific 
act  to  Colfax  county,  but  that,  on  the  contrary,  the  act  at  the  time  of  its 
passage  applied  to  at  least  three  counties,  and  had  unlimited  future  ap- 
plication to  all  counties  similarly  situated.  The  court  therefore  decided  in 
favor  of  the  contention  of  the  citizens  of  Raton. 

County  Officers. — As  the  result  of  the  repeated  removals  of  the  county 
seat,  and  the  gross  carelessness  or  criminal  negligence  of  officials  and  citi- 
zens participating  in  the  contests  for  changes  in  the  location  of  the  court 
house,  nearly  all  the  official  records  of  this  important  county  have  been 
either  lost  or  stolen.  It  is  believed  they  are  not  now  in  existence.  So  far 
as  the  records  at  Raton  show,  the  officials  have  been  as  follows : 

&    County   Clerks :— 189S.   M.   M.    Salazar;    1895-6.   A.    C.   Gutierrez:    1897-8,   M.    M. 
Salazar:  1899-1900.  A.  L.  Hobbs :  1901-2.  M.  M.  Dawson:  1903-6,  J.  P.  Brackett. 

County  Commissioners : — 189s.  Juan  C.  Lucero.  E.  F.  McGarvev,  Jesus  L.  Abreu, 
also  (same  vear").  Thomas  Fisher.  Edward  McBride,  Pedro  Y.  Santistevan ;  1896. 
Thomas  Fisher,  J.  F.  Ruffner.  Pedro  Y.  Santistevan;  1897-8.  John  E.  Codlin,  W.  R. 
Griffin,  J.  F.  Ruffner  (resigned,  and  John  B.  Schroeder  appointed  to  fill  vacancy)  : 
1899-1900,  E.  M.  Hastings  (resigned,  and  Frederick  Brueggeman  appointed  to  fill 
vacancv).  J.  H.  Nash.  Enrique  Chavez;  1001-2.  Edmond  N.  Burch.  Harry  Brainard, 
Tohn  C.  Tavlor;  1003-6.  Edmond  N.  Burch,  Pedro  Y.  Santistevan,  John  C  Taylor. 


Old  Court  House,  Sc 


Abandoned  Court  House  at  Springer,  Colfax  County 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


007 


The  New  Court  House. — At  a  meeting  of  the  county  commissioners, 
held  August  3,  1897,  the  board  ordered  an  advertisement  for  bids  for  a  new 
court  house  at  Raton.  The  bid  of  the  Morrison  Contracting  and  Manu- 
facturing Company  for  $22,350  was  accepted,  and  the  court  house  com- 
pleted during  the  following  year  at  a  total  cost  of  $28,000. 

Colfax  County  in  General. — Colfax  is  in  the  upper  tier  of  counties, 
the  second  from  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  Territory,  bounded  north 
by  the  state  of  Colorado,  east  by  Union  county,  south  by  Mora  and  west 
by  Taos.  Its  territory,  embracing  3,784  square  miles,  lies  on  the  eastern 
slopes  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  beyond  the  Taos  range,  and  the  industries 
of  the  county  are  divided  between  mining  and  the  raising  of  live  stock. 
It  has  a  population  of  more  than  10,000  people,  of  which  Raton  has  3,600. 

About  one-half  the  lands  of  Colfax  are  prairie  and  lie  in  the  southern 
and  eastern  portions,  while  the  northern  and  western  sections  consist  of 
mesas  or  table  lands  and  high  hills  or  mountains.  The  mountain  range 
which  forms  the  western  boundary  is  a  continuation  of  the  Sangre  de 
Cristo  range,  and  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  the  mountains  are 
called  the  Vermejo  peaks ;  in  the  southern  portion,  the  Taos  range.  Some 
of  these  mountain  peaks  are  over  12,000  feet  in  height.  The  soil  in  both 
the  prairie  and  mountain  regions  is  unusually  deep,  and  capable  of  pro- 
ducing immense  crops. 

In  the  western  half  of  the  county  are  the  following  streams,  tribu- 
taries of  the  Canadian,  the  valleys  of  which  afford  the  most  natural  farming 
lands :  Sweetwater,  fifteen  miles ;  Rayado,  twenty  miles ;  Cimarroncito, 
twelve  miles ;  Cimarron,  thirty-two  miles ;  Pohil,  twenty-five  miles ;  Ver- 
mejo, forty  miles ;  Red,  seventy-five  miles ;  Una  de  Gato  and  Chicarica, 
each  fifteen  miles  in  length.  There  is  also  much  fine  agricultural  land  in 
Moreno  valley,  Ute  valley,  Yalle  de  Piedra  and  Ponil  and  Vermejo  parks, 
these  districts  being  in  the  mountains.  The  mountainous  region  is  es- 
pecially adapted  to  the  production  of  onions,  beets  and  cabbage,  and  Irish 
potatoes  also  do  well.  In  the  absence  of  irrigation,  large  portions  of  both 
the  prairie  and  mountain  districts  are  devoted  to  the  grazing  of  cattle  and 
sheep.  The  deciduous  fruits  do  finely  in  Colfax  county,  and  its  horti- 
cultural interests  generally  are  becoming  vearly  more  reliable  sources  of 
income.  There  is  an  abundance  of  timber  for  building  and  fuel,  the  slopes 
of  the  Raton,  Sangre  de  Cristo  and  Taos  mountains  embracing  nearly  half 
a  million  acres  of  yellow  pine  and  cedar.  It  is  in  the  great  area  of  its 
coal  beds,  however,  that  Colfax  county  will  in  the  future  find  its  greatest 
commercial  importance.  It  has  been  estimated  that  it  contains  600,000 
acres  of  coal  land,  which,  for  all  commercial  purposes,  compares  favorably 
with  the  best  soft  coal  of  Pennsylvania. 

Much  of  Colfax  county,  including  the  towns  of  Maxwell  City, 
Springer,  Cimarron,  Gardner  and  Van  Houten,  lies  within  the  famous 
Maxwell  land  grant.  (See  elsewhere.)  The  original  tract,  comprising 
1,750,000  acres,  was  given  by  the  Mexican  government  to  Beaubien  and 
Miranda  for  colonization  purposes.  No  settlements  were  effected,  but 
Carlos  Beaubien  finally  purchased  the  interest  of  his  associate,  and  when 
he  died  his  son-in-law,  Maxwell,  inherited  the  grant.  Many  fortunes  were 
sunk  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  firmly  established 
the  title  with  the  present  owners,  a  syndicate  of  Amsterdam  capitalists, 
who  are  represented  at  Raton  by  J.  Van  Houten.     During  the  past  five 


668  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

years  700,000  acres  have  been  sold  to  ranchmen  and  mining  companies 
and  the  projectors  of  new  towns — a  great  portion  of  this  within  the  limits 
of  Colfax  county. 

The  Colfax  County  Pioneer  Society. — Organized  at  Raton,  on  the 
20th  of  March,  1900.  According  to  its  constitution  those  eligible  to  mem- 
bership are  persons  who  came  to  New  Mexico  prior  to  December  29,  1884, 
or  those  persons  who  were  born  in  Colfax  county  prior  to  that  date.  The 
membership  rolls  contain  the  names  of  the  following  persons,  in  most  in- 
stances the  place  from  which  they  came  and  the  date  of  their  location  in 
the  county  being  given  : 

F.  M.  Darling,  from  Coshocton,  Ohio,  May  1,  1879;  Maud  L.  Dar- 
ling. Coshocton,  Ohio,  September  6,  1879;  Edith  Day  Darling,  Coshocton, 
Ohio,  September  6,  1879;  \V.  H.  Jack,  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  October, 
1879;  William  C.  Wrigley,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  June,  1882;  Dr. 
James  J.  Shuler,  Grove  Hill,  Virginia.  March  16,  1881  ;  Chester  D. 
Stevens,  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  May  5,  1882 ;  Mrs.  C.  D.  Stevens, 
Ogdensburg,  New  York.  May  5,  1882;  Wade  H.  Brackett,  Riceville,  Ten- 
nessee, November,  1876;  Dorothy  Wheeler  Brackett,  Riceville,  Tennessee, 
May,  1883;  Joseph  P.  Brackett,  Riceville,  Tennessee,  November,  1876; 
N.  K.  Oldham,  Holt  county,  Missouri,  February,  1875  ;  Mrs.  Ada  Stevens 
Oldham,  May,  1884;  William  A.  Chapman,  Maiden,  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 1,  1883;  James  K.  Hunt,  June  24,  1874;  Albert  S.  Stevens,  May  6, 
1880;  Mrs.  Mary  McColloch  Young,  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  August  25, 
1875;  Miss  Bice  Young,  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  August  25,  1875; 
Thomas  W.  Young,  Cooper  county,  Missouri,  August  25,  1875;  Daniel 
Troy,  Macomb,  Illinois,  October,  1874;  Mrs.  Fayette  Gillespie.  Macomb, 
Illinois,  October,  1870;  Mrs.  Flora  K.  Troy,  Clinton,  Iowa,  September, 
1876;  Oscar  Troy,  California,  November,  1875;  Mrs.  Louise  Troy,  Clin- 
ton, Iowa,  September,  1876;  William  F.  Degner,  Mecklenburg,  Germany, 
March,  1881  ;  Mrs.  William  F.  Degner,  Springfield,  Illinois,  April,  1885; 
W.  F.  Ruffner,  Hannibal,  Missouri,  August  29,  1883;  Robert  Love,  Lon- 
don, Ontario,  Canada,  January  17.  1884;  T.  F.  McAuliffe,  June  22,  1879; 
A.  V.  McAuliffe,  October,  1872;  D.  B.  Parker,  November,  1870;  Jerome 
Troy.  October  20,  1875 ;  Mrs.  Grace  Troy,  Los  Angeles,  California,  July  29, 
1879;  J.  L.  Smyth.  August  27,  1875:  Alfred  Jelfs,  Marshalltown,  Iowa, 
October  1,  1880":  Alice  Jelfs,  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  October  1,  1880:  John 
Jelfs,  Marshalltown.  Iowa.  July  5,  1880:  Mrs.  B.  Schwachheim,  Iowa,  De- 
cember, 1881 ;  T.  F.  Schwachheim,  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  November  5, 
1880;  Miss  Sadie  Johnson,  born  in  Tohnson's  Park,  New  Mexico,  January 
4,  1884:  G.  E.  Lyon,  April  6,  1877:  Mrs.  F.  C.  Nash,  Winchester,  Ken- 
tucky. June  8.  1881  ;  Marion  Littrell,  November  19,  1873;  Robert  Camp- 
bell/Tune 26,  1882:  I.  M.  Heck.  May  27,  1870;  A.  K.  Letton,  July  15,  1862; 
O.  A.  Larrazola,  November.  1872;  W.  B.  Bunker,  August,  1886;  W.  E. 
Gortner,  Julv  31,  1886:  William  J.  Mills,  July,  1879:  Charles  Springer, 
Iowa,  October^,  1878;  S.  E.  Booth,  Connecticut,  May,  1884;  Albert"  G. 
Shaw  and  wife;  Tonv  Meloche,  France.  August  15,  1858;  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Meloche,  February  20.  1870:  M.  A.  McMartin.  December  2,  1859;  Mrs. 
M.  A.  McMartin.  1879:  Alonzo  Service;  John  E.  McKown,  Virginia,  i860; 
Mrs.  Tohn  F.  McKown.  1880;  John  B.  Dawson,  first  came  in  1853,  settled 
permanently  in  1867;  Mrs.  L.  A.  Dawson,  1870;  A.  G  Dawson,  1867; 
Mrs.  T.  B.  Dawson,  1873;  their  family  all  natives  of  Colfax  county:    S.  M. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  C69 

Dawson,  born  1870;  B.  A.  Dawson,  bom  1872;  M.  M.  Dawson,  born  1874; 
Echvina  Dawson,  born  1880;  Laura  Dawson,  born  1882. 

The  Town  of  Raton. — The  thriving  town  of  Raton,  the  county  seat, 
is  situated  at  the  northern  entrance  of  the  famous  pass  by  that  name,  nearly 
8,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  tunnel  through  which  the  Santa 
Fe  trains  pass  the  Great  Divide  is  half  a  mile  in  length,  and  was  opened 
in  1878,  before  there  was  any  settlement  at  this  point. 

When  it  became  known  that  here  was  to  be  located  a  division  head- 
quarters of  the  railroad  company,  settlers  were  naturally  attracted  to  the 
locality.  John  Jelfs  was  one  of  the  number,  and  when  he  reached  the 
place,  in  July,  1880,  he  found  that  three  inhabitants  had  already  pitched 
their  tents  before  him.  By  this  time  the  line  had  reached  Santa  Fe,  and 
there  were  a  number  of  box  cars  standing  around  Raton.  Jelfs,  who  was 
employed  by  the  railroad,  was  one  of  the  first  to  utilize  one  of  them  as  a 
residence.  Pending  the  erection  of  more  permanent  and  stationary 
structures,  not  a  few  followed  his  example.  Work  on  the  railroad  shops 
continued  briskly  during  1880-81,  the  first  large  building,  the  roundhouse, 
being  completed'  in  the  fall  of  the  latter  year,  and  the  entire  plant  was 
opened  by  the  end  of  1881.  The  roundhouse  then  built  is  now  being  torn 
down  to  make  way  for  a  much  lareer  structure.  The  present  repair  shops 
employ  about  600  men  and  constitute  a  strong  feature  in  the  local  pros- 
perity of  die  town. 

In  the  founding  of  Raton,  several  of  the  first  buildings  occupied  were 
removed  from  Otero,  five  miles  south,  some  of  these  houses  being  still 
standing.  By  the  summer  of  1881  the  settlement  numbered  fully  400 
people,  which"  made  quite  a  respectable  community.  Among  the  pioneers 
in  business  may  be  mentioned  W.  C.  Clark,  who  opened  a  small  grocery 
and  boarding  house,  and  did  not  neglect  the  sale  of  liquor;  George  J.  Pace, 
general  merchandise;  AT.  A.  McMartin,  dry  goods,  next  door  south,  Clark- 
occupying  the  site  of  the  present  Remsberd  store. 

The  Raton  Water  Works. — In  the  early  days  of  Raton  the  town  was 
supplied  with  water  from  a  spring  under  the  rim  rock  of  Barela  Mesa, 
the  pumping  station  being  situated  east  of  town  on  Willow  creek.  This 
crude  system,  which  was  put  in  operation  in  1882,  was  afterward  improved 
by  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad.  Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the 
town,  in  1891,  Dr.  J.  J.  Shuler  organized  the  Raton  Water  Company,  of 
which  Colonel  J.  W.  Dwver  was  president ;  Charles  A.  Fox,  secretary  and 
superintendent ;  other  stockholders.  Dr.  V.  E.  Hestwood,  E.  D.  Sowers 
and  George  J.  Pace.  Ex-Senator  Stephen  A.  Dorsey,  of  Star  Route  fame, 
was  also  interested  in  it. 

The  franchise  to  the  new  company  was  granted  by  Mayor  Tindall 
July  20,  1891,  and  provided  that  the  works  were  to  be  completed  July  1, 
1802.  Thus  authorized,  the  companv  started  the  construction  of  the  first 
reservoir,  damming  Sugarite  creek  for  their  supply ;  but  before  the  com- 
pletion of  the  works  they  were  sold  to  eastern  capitalists,  including  E.  D. 
Shepherd,  of  Xew  York,  who  became  president;  ex-Governor  Cleves,  of 
Maine,  and  William  E.  Hawks,  of  Bennington,  Vermont.  LTider  this  man- 
agement the  works  were  completed  as  a  gravity  svstem.  but  were  rebuilt 
in  1905,  with  a  new  dam  and  wooden  pipes.  They  have  a  present  capacity 
of  3,000,000  gallons  per  day — 120  pounds  pressure  to  the  square  inch. 

Town   Government  of  Raton. — The   first   organized  town   government 


670  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  Raton  was  instituted  in  1891.  Prior  to  that  year  the  community  had 
been  under  the  general  county  government,  the  chief  resident  officers  being 
a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  deputy  sheriff. 

1891 : — At  the  first  regular  meeting  of  town  officers,  held  May  12, 
[891,  were  the  following:  Mayor,  William  Tindall ;  recorder,  Charles  A. 
Fox;  marshal,  Theodore  Gardner;  trustees,  John  Jelfs,  James  Walker, 
Sr.,  Dr.  J.  J.  Shuler  and  Pedro  Padilla. 

1892: — Mayor,  William  Tindall;  recorder,  Harry  W.  Carr ;  marshal, 
James  Howe;  trustees,  John  Telfs,  Dr.  J.  J.  Shuler,  Chester  D.  Stevens, 
C.  C.  Wray. 

1893: — Mayor,  J.  J.  Kellv;  recorder,  Jules  H.  Kleinz;  marshal,  J.  Rus- 
sell Dovle;  trustees,' Dr.  V.  E.  Hestwood,  F.  F.  McAuliffe,  J.  J.  Murphy, 

B.  F.  Houts. 

1894: — Mayor,  W.  E.  Svmons ;  recorder,  J.  H.  Kleinz;  marshal,  J. 
Thomas  Thatcher;  trustees,  G.  W.  Dwyer,  James  McPherson,  John  W. 
Crouse,  Celso  Chavez. 

180,5 : — Mayor,  P.  P.  Fanning;  recorder,  J.  H.  Kleinz;  marshal, 
Charles  Gray;  trustees,  E.  J.  Gibson.  J.  J.  Murphy,  F.  P.  Canton,  A.  K. 
Letton;  school  trustees,  J.  R.  Givens,  James  Walker,  W.  D.  Hays. 

1896: — Mavor,  P.  P.  Fanning;  recorder,  Charles  E.  Hornell;  mar- 
shal, Edward  Coker ;  trustees,  J.  J.  Murphy,  C.  M.  C.  Houck,  F.  R.  Canton, 
O.  B.  Jewett. 

The  City  of  Raton. — Under  the  general  legislative  act  of  1897,  pro- 
viding for  municipal  corporations  in  New  Mexico,  the  citizens  of  Raton 
held  their  first  election  under  a  city  charter  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  April 
of  that  year,  at  which  time  the  following  officers  were  chosen:  Mayor, 
William  M.  Oliver;  clerk,  Charles  E.  Howell;  aldermen.  Tames  R.  Smith, 
W.  W.  Twyman,  J.  J.  Murphy.  C.  E.  Ellicott,  Joseph  R.  Gaines,  Albert  E. 
McCready,  Abran  Cardenas,  Francisco  Salazar.     Mayor  Oliver  appointed 

C.  B.  Th'acker,  marshal,  and  at  the  regular  meeting,  held  April  26,  Jere- 
miah Leahy  was  appointed  city  attorney.  The  chief  municipal  officers 
elected  and  appointed  for  succeeding  years  were  as  below : 

1898: — Mayor,  J.  J.  Murphy;  clerk,  P.  P.  Fanning;  aldermen,  J.  R. 
Smith,  W.  W.  Twyman,  John  Coyle,  J.  W.  Dwyer,  Abran  Cardenas, 
F.  P.  Canton,  G.  M.'  Fetter, "j.  R.  Gaines;  marshal,  James  Welsh;  attorney, 
John  Morrow. 

^99: — Mayor,  M.  B.  Stockton;  clerk,  David  G.  Dwyer;  treasurer, 
S.  W.  Clark;  attornev,  D.  T-  Leahy ;  aldermen,  W.  B.  Thompson,  T.  F. 
McAuliffe,  J.  C.  Orin,  T.  D.  Pacheco;  school  trustees,  E.  O.  Jones,  J.  J. 
Shuler,  W.  M.  Oliver,  T.  B.  Hart,  T.  F.  Schwachheim. 

1900: — Mayor,  J.  J.  Shuler;  clerk,  W.  N.  Morris;  treasurer,  A.  Jelfs; 
marshal,  Robert  Kruger;  attornev,  A.  C.  Voorhees;  aldermen,  J.  C.  Orin, 
T.  F.  McAuliffe.  W.  B.  Thompson,  Charles  Kline,  D.  Gasson,  C.  O. 
Madoulet,  G.  E.  Lyon,  Milton  Tomlinson. 

1901 :— Mayor,'  J.  J.  Shuler ;  clerk,  J.  C.  Orin ;  treasurer,  A.  Jelfs ; 
marshal,  Robert  Kruger ;  attorney,  John  Morrow ;  aldermen.  W.  B.  Thomp- 
son, Charles  Klein,  G.  E.  Lyon,  George  J.  Pace,  M.  Tomlinson.  Henry 
Schroeder,  D.  Cassan,  J.  C.  Miller. 

1902: — Mayor.  C.  M.  Bayne ;  clerk,  J.  C.  Orin;  treasurer,  C.  M.  C. 
Houck;  marshal,  Robert  Kruger;  attorney,  D.  J.  Leahy;  aldermen,  C.  O. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  671 

•Madoulet,  Alfred  Peterson,  George  J.  Pace,  H.  C.  Jones,  Henry  Schroeder, 
J.  C.  Miller,  M.  Naravis,  Con  Murray. 

1903: — Mayor,  C.  M.  Bayne;  clerk,  J.  C.  Orin;  treasurer,  George  B. 
Frisby;  marshal,  Robert  Kruger;  attorney,  D.  J.  Leahy;  aldermen,  C.  O. 
Madoulet,  Alfred  Peterson,  George  J.  Pace,  G.  E.  Lyon,  J.  C.  Miller, 
Henry  Schroeder,  M.  Reybal. 

1904: — Mayor,  John"  C.  Orin;  clerk,  R.  H.  Carter;  treasurer,  George 
B.  Frisbv;  chief  of  police,  J.  J.  Duncan;  attorney,  D.  J.  Leahy;  aldermen, 
J.  A.  Rush,  F.  C.  Nash,  J.  J.  Shuler,  G.  E.  Lyon,  H.  C.  Jones,  J.  M.  San- 
doval, Patrick  Boyle,  Daniel  Sandoval. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  common  council,  held  June  7,  1904,  John  C.  Orin 
was  removed  from  office  as  mayor,  and  G.  E.  Lyon  was  elected  mayor  pro 
tern.  At  the  same  meeting  D.  J.  Leahy  resigned  as  city  attorney,  and 
William  C.  Wrigley  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  At  the  session  of 
June  30th  J.  P.  Brackett  was  appointed  secretary  pro  tern,,  R.  H.  Carter, 
the  city  clerk,  having  refused  to  act  with  G.  E.  Lyon,  the  acting  mayor. 
The  council  by  vote  requested  Mr.  Carter  to  leave  the  records,  seal  of 
office,  etc.,  with  that  body,  but  he  refused  to  do  so,  locking  the  records  in 
the  vault.  Samuel  Ruffner  was  thereupon  appointed  clerk  by  the  mayor 
pro  tern.,  and  the  appointment  was  unanimously  confirmed. 

After  his  removal  from  office  the  deposed  mayor,  John  C.  Orin,  issued 
a  proclamation  calling  for  a  special  city  election,  which  was  attested  by  the 
deposed  city  clerk,  R.  H.  Carter.  At  its  meeting  on  August  29,  1904,  the 
city  council  adopted  a  resolution  declaring  this  alleged  proclamation  null 
and  void,  and  instructed  the  city  attorney  to  publish  a  notice  to  that  effect, 
which  was  done.  Mr.  Carter  was  subsequently  reinstated  as  clerk  by  tacit 
consent  of  the  council. 

1905 : — Mayor,  G.  E.  Lvon ;  clerk,  R.  H.  Carter ;  treasurer,  George 
B.  Frisby ;  aldefmen,  Josiah  A.  Rush,  F.  C.  Nash,  Dr.  J.  J.  Shuler,  H.  C. 
Jones,  Patrick  Boyle,  Daniel  Sandoval,  J.  M.  Sandoval. 

Other  Towns  and  Localities. — The  town  of  Springer,  the  former  county 
seat,  is  one  of  the  most  important  shipping  points  for  sheep  and  cattle 
along  the  Santa  Fe  road.  It  is  also  a  trading  center  for  the  ranchmen  for 
many  miles  around.  Although  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  retarded  its 
growth,  it  is  a  brisk  town  of  1.500  people,  and  still  developing.  In  the 
region  tributary  to  Springer  are  a  number  of  fine  residences  and  ranches. 
Near  the  town  stood  the  palace  built  by  Frank  Sherwin,  of  Chicago,  when 
he  was  manager  of  the  Maxwell  grant,  which  was  burned  a  few  years 
ago.  About  fifteen  miles  away,  in  the  mountains,  Charles  Springer  has  a 
fine  ranch  and  a  stone  mansion  of  half  a  hundred  rooms,  while  Frank 
Springer  is  raising  cattle  on  100,000  acres,  and  also  lives  like  a  king.  Fur- 
ther away,  nearer  Raton,  is  the  tuberculosis  sanitarium,  an  imposing  struct- 
ure which  was  formerly  the  palatial  residence  of  Stephen  Dorsey,  standing 
in  the  midst  of  his  former  gigantic  ranch,  which  he  lost  through  his  gov- 
ernment peculations  and  which  is  now  owned  by  Sol  Florsheim,  of  Las 
Vegas.  Some  forty  miles  from  Springer  is  also  the  chateau  of  a  Giicago 
business  man — Mr.  Bartlett.  of  the  firm  Bartlett,  Frazier  &  Carrington — 
which  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  country  homes  in  the  United  States. 

Cimarron,  the  old  county  seat,  is  better  known  as  the  headquarters  of 
the  Maxwell  grant,  in  the  days  of  Maxwell  himself,  and  was  for  many 
years  a  Lmited  States  army  post,  as  well  as  one  of  the  principal  stations 


672  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

on  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  During  the  exciting  period  between  the  early  days 
of  American  occupation  and  the  advent  of  railroads,  Cimarron  and  the 
notorious  "Clifton  House,"'  south  of  Raton,  were  the  headquarters  of  some 
of  the  most  notorious  bands  of  criminals  which  ever  afflicted  the  western 
frontier.  Murders  were  of  almost  daily  occurrence,  and  it  is  believed 
that  many  Mexican  inhabitants  who  mysteriously  disappeared  in  those 
days  met  death  at  the  hands  of  their  implacable  enemies,  the  soldiers  of  the 
United  States  army.  Among  the  noted  characters  who  have  visited  Cimar- 
ron, in  years  past,'  was  Paul  du  Chaillu,  the  African  traveler,  who  visited 
the  town  for  six  months,  in  1880.  while  collecting  notes  for  a  "write-up 
on  the  Maxwell  land  grant,''  his  companion  being  Frank  R.  Sherman. 

Elizabethtown,  the  first  county  seat,  lies  in  the  midst  of  a  gold  region 
in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  and  years  ago  was  the  center  of  a  great 
mining  boom.  The  Aztec  mine,  which  first  attracted  population  to  this 
locality,  was  in  its  time  famous  throughout  the  west.  The  neighboring 
streams  abound  in  placer  gold,  and  the  entire  region  is  still  productive. 

Maxwell  City  is  on  the  railroad  midway  between  Raton  and  Springer. 
It  was  projected  by  the  Maxwell  Grant  Company  as  the  headquarters  of 
its  operations  and  the  location  of  the  central  offices.  Blossburg,  to  which 
there  is  a  railroad  spur  from  the  main  line  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.,  is  a  large 
shipping  point  for  coal,  while  Gardner  and  Van  Houten  are  mining  towns. 

Antirne  Joseph  Meloche,  a  ranchman  residing  eighteen  miles  east  of 
Raton  in  Colfax  county,  is  a  pioneer  of  the  Territory  of  1869  and  his 
memory  bears  the  impress  of  its  early  historic  annals  as  well  as  of  its 
later  progress  and  development.  He  has  been  identified  with  many  interests 
which  constitute  an  epochal  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  west  and  the 
southwest.  He  was  born  at  Lachine  on  the  St.  Lawrence  river  near  Mon- 
treal, Canada.  September  21,  1837,  and  left  home  when  little  more  than 
eight  years  of  age,  since  which  time  he  has  been  dependent  entirely  upon 
his  own  resources,  so  that  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  has  resulted 
from  his  earnest  labors.  He  has  faced  difficulties  and  obstacles,  adversity 
and  danger  and  altogether  his  life  has  been  one  of  untiring  industry  and 
enterprise.  On  leaving  home  he  went  to  Hamilton,  Canada,  on  a  boat 
whose  captain  was  a  neighbor  of  the  Meloche  family  in  Canada.  From 
Hamilton  he  proceeded  to  Chicago  and  thence  continued  on  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  it  requiring  three  days  to  make  the  trip  between  the  two  cities, 
which  at  that  time,  however,  were  small  and  inconsequential  places.  He 
worked  for  three  years  in  St.  Louis  and  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois.  He 
was  still  but  a  boy  at  the  time  and  had  practically  no  money.  For  three 
years  he  was  employed  in  a  store  on  Bloody  Island  in  the  Mississippi 
river  and  afterward  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  spent  a  year.  In  the  next 
spring,  1857,  he  started  to  drive  a  six  mule  team  for  the  United  States 
government  to  the  scene  of  the  Cheyenne  war,  the  headquarters  of  the 
troops  being  at  Leavenworth. 

In  December,  1857,  while  returning  to  Fort  Leavenworth  from  the 
Cheyenne  war,  he  met,  at  the  Big  Blue  in  Kansas,  General  Cook  with  the 
Second  United  States  Dragoons  on  his  way  to  the  Mormon  war.  Mr. 
Meloche  and  his  companions  joined  the  troops,  and  after  a  wintry  march, 
through  snow  in  which  the  horses  and  many  of  the  men  were  exhausted, 
reached  Fort  Bridger  on  Christmas  day.  Here  some  ten  thousand  troops 
were  gathered.    The  Second  Dragoons  lost  500  horses  on  the  trip.    Through 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  673 

the  winter  the  troops  were  on  short  rations.  Peace  was  made  between  the 
soldiers  and  Mormons  in  April,  1858,  and  in  the  fall  Camp  Floyd  was  built 
by  the  troops. 

In  the  middle  of  the  summer  Mr.  Meloche  started  as  a  teamster  from 
Salt  Lake  to  California,  driving  for  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  and 
subsequently  he  worked  for  General  W.  S.  Hancock,  then  quartermaster 
general  for  southern  California.  He  continued  in  the  Golden  state  until 
the  fall  of  1S58,  when  he  went  through  Arizona  to  the  Pinos  Altos  mines 
in  New  Mexico.  When  within  fifteen  miles  of  Tucson,  at  early  daylight, 
he  saw  thirty  or  forty  Indians  on  the  war  path,  who  occasioned  him  con- 
siderable annoyance  but  at  length  allowed  him  to  depart  in  peace.  He 
remained  for  four  or  five  days  at  Tucson  and  there  met  Judge  McKown, 
the  noted  San  Francisco  editor,  who  a  short  time  before  had  killed  another 
editor  in  San  Francisco.  In  company  with  Judge  McKown.  Mr.  Meloche 
continued  the  journey  from  Tucson  to  Pinos  Altos.  He  was  driven  from 
here  by  Indians  and  after  some  adventures  about  Fort  Stanton,  on  the 
23d  of  August,  1859,  he  reached  Santa  Fe,  hunting  work,  on  the  way  to 
the  Missouri  river.  Three  or  four  days  later  he  started  overland  for  Fort 
Union  and  obtained  employment  there  at  driving  a  six-mule  team,  continu- 
ing at  that  place  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  1861  Mr.  Meloche  became  assistant  wagon  master  for  the  gov- 
ernment and  for  four  years  was  full  wagon  master,  traveling  sometimes  to 
Albuquerque,  again  to  Fort  Craig,  Fort  Fillmore,  Fort  Stanton.  Fort  Win- 
gate  and  other  points.  In  1865  he  wintered  six  hundred  and  fiftv  cavalrv 
horses  for  the  government  at  Maxwell,  New  Mexico,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1866  he  began  operating  a  Maxwell  farm  on  the  shares  and  also  raising 
cattle.  This  was  his  first  real  independent  business  venture.  In  1867  he 
located  a  pre-emption  homestead  and  timber  claim,  which  is  his  present 
place  of  residence.  Now,  in  connection  with  a  partner,  A.  D.  Thompson, 
of  Duluth,  Minnesota,  he  has  twenty-two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land, 
constituting  a  valuable  ranch,  and  his  son,  A.  J.  Meloche,  Jr.,  twenty- 
eight  years  of  age,  acts  as  his  manager.  Since  coming  into  possession  of 
his  ranch  Mr.  Meloche  has  continuously  carried  on  general  farming  and 
stock  raising,  developing  a  business  of  considerable  importance  and  becom- 
ing one  of  the  well  known  ranch  men  of  the  Territory.  In  earlv  davs  he 
had  considerable  trouble  with  the  white  cattle  thieves,  who  threatened 
him  and  ordered  him  out  of  the  country,  but  he  was  not  afraid  of  them, 
although  he  was  always  alert  and  watchful.  He  says  "they  were  good  at  a 
bluff"  but  he  never  shot  at  them.  He  relates  an  incident  of  a  call  from 
some  desperadoes  who  wanted  him  and  came  to  him  on  horseback,  but  his 
dauntless  spirit  showed  them  that  they  had  better  not  interfere  with  him. 
He  received  many  letters  to  "bundle  up  and  leave  or  we  will  kill  you,"  hut 
he  sent  back  word,  "Come  on.  I  will  be  ready  for  you."  Some  of  the  same 
band  of  men  afterward  robbed  a  LTnited  States  coach  of  the  Butterfield  line 
at  Apache  Pass  and  seven  of  the  number  were  handed  for  the  crime.  In 
1891-2,  Mr.  Meloche  lost  over  twenty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  cattle 
because  of  the  severe  winter.  He  has  had  at  times  as  high  as  one  thousand 
head  of  cattle  and  at  one  time  owned  between  four  and  five  hundred  head 
of  horses.  He  now  has  an  extensive  ranch  well  stocked,  and  the  business 
under  the  active  management  of  his  son  and  the  careful  direction  of  Mr. 
Meloche  is  proving  profitable.     In  the  fall  of   1904  he  erected  his  present 


674  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

handsome  residence,  which  is  one  of  the  beautiful  homes  in  his  part  of 
the  Territory. 

In  1870,  in  Daviess  county,  Missouri,  Mr.  Meloche  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Ann  Isbell  and  they  became  the  parents  of  five  children,  of 
whom  a  daughter  and  son  are  now  deceased.  The  others  are :  Minnie, 
the  wife  of  Charles  B.  Pirn,  of  Raton;  Mrs.  Pearl  Skiles,  of  Raton;  and 
Antime  Joseph,  Jr. 

Mr.  Meloche  in  1869  joined  Kit  Carson  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Elizabethtown  and  is  now  a  member  of  Raton  lodge.  He  was  also  formerly 
identified  with  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Raton.  In  politics  he  has  always 
been  a  stanch  Democrat  and  he  served  as  postmaster  at  Yermejo,  New 
Mexico,  for  three  years,  being  commissioned  by  General  Grant.  His  life 
history,  if  written  in  detail,  would  furnish  a  chapter  more  thrilling  and 
interesting  than  any  tale  of  fiction.  As  it  is,  he  is  a  typical  frontiersman 
who  has  aided  in  blazing  the  way  of  civilization  and  has  remained  to  carry 
on  the  work  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  development  of  the  natural  re- 
sources of  the  Territory  and  the  establishment  of  business  enterprises  which 
work  for  activity  and  prosperity  in  the  southwest. 

John  Jelfs,  vice-president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Raton,  and 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  town,  was  born  near  London,  England,  August 
8,  1836.  Emigrating  to  the  United  States  in  1872,  he  was  employed  by  the 
Iowa  Central  Railroad  Company  until  1880,  at  which  time  he  removed  to 
New  Mexico.  Later  he  came  to  Raton,  then  a  small  railroad  camp,  and 
here  he  became  foreman  of  the  shops  then  being  constructed  by  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  Company.  When  he  reached  Raton  he  found  but  three  other 
people  at  this  place,  all  of  whom  were  employes  of  the  railroad  company. 
and  no  houses  had  been  constructed  at  that  time.  Mr.  Jelfs  was  one  of 
the  first  citizens  of  the  new  town  to  take  up  his  abode  in  a  box  car  belong- 
ing to  the  railroad  company,  and  by  the  spring  of  1881  sixty-three  box 
cars  were  occupied  in  this  manner  as  homes. 

From  1881  until  1898  he  retained  his  position  as  foreman  of  the  rail- 
road shops,  and  then  resigned  his  position  to  identify  himself  with  the  First 
National  Bank,  in  which  he  was,  in  that  year,  elected  a  director.  Soon 
afterward  he  was  chosen  vice-president  of  the  institution,  which  position 
he  has  continued  to  fill  to  the  present  time. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  town  of  Raton,  in  the  spring  of  1891, 
Mr.  Jelfs  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  serving  two 
terms  in  that  office.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  first  school  board  of  the 
new  town,  and  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Raton  Buildinp-  &  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, having,  served  as  its  president  since  its  organization,  in  1889. 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1858,  Mr.  Jelfs  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Sarah  Bunyan,  a  native  of  England,  and  they  have  become  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  named:  Annie,  the  wife  of  Frank  Henning,  of 
Raton;  Harry,  a  resident  of  Tucson,  Arizona;  Alfred,  who  is  living  in 
Raton ;  and  Alice,  who  is  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Jelfs,  in  his  business 
career,  has  made  consecutive  advancement,  until  he  today  occupies  a  posi- 
tion of  affluence  in  the  community  where  he  has  made  his  home  since  the 
inception  of  the  town. 

Edmund  N.  Burch,  county  commissioner  of  Colfax  county,  was  born 
in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  December  12,  1849.  son  of  Eli  and  Apphiah  (Tolman) 
Burch,  and  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  educated  in  the  common 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  675 

schools  of  his  native  state.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Iowa  until  the  spring 
of  1883,  when  he  landed  in  New  Mexico,  the  date  of  his  arrival  being 
March  1.  His  first  work  here  was  as  a  car  repairer,  in  the  employ  of  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  Afterward  he  clerked  for  seven  years  in  the 
grocery  of  George  J.  Pace.  Then  for  four  years  he  ran  a  dairy  on  the 
Sugarite,  five  miles  from  Raton.  In  the  spring  of  1898  he  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  on  Johnson's  mesa, 
since  then  he  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining  him  on  the 
south,  and  now  he  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  devoted  chiefly 
to  dairy  purposes.  On  this  farm  is  a  fine  well  of  pure  water,  which  comes 
from  a  depth  of  ten  feet  through  a  crevice  of  the  rock  and  affords  a  con- 
stant and  abundant  supply  of  water. 

Politically  Mr.  Burch  is  a  Republican.  In  the  fall  of  1900  he  was 
elected  county  commissioner  of  Colfax  county,  for  a  term  of  four  years, 
in  1904  was  re-elected  for  two  years,  and  is  the  incumbent  of  the  office 
at  this  writing.  His  service  as  commissioner  has  been  characterized  by 
that  enterprise  and  thoroughness  which  have  brought  success  to  him  in  his 
own  private  affairs.  Among  other  county  matters  he  has  been  especially 
interested  in  the  betterment  of  roads,  with  the  result  that  many  new  roads 
have  been  made  and  old  ones  improved.  In  educational  affairs  also  has 
Mr.  Burch  been  prominent  and  active.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  two  years,  1899-1900.  It  was  largely  through  his  efforts  that  school 
district  No.  5  was  organized  in  1900  and  the  schoolhouse  built  in  the  spring 
of  the  following  year,  this  being  the  third  school  on  the  mesa.  Another 
movement  in  which  Mr.  Burch  was  an  important  factor  was  that  of  secur- 
ing a  telephone  system  for  his  locality,  in  the  summer  of  1904,  he  having 
helped  to  organize  and  incorporate  a  company  under  the  name  of  the  John- 
son Mesa  Telephone  Company.  And  he  has  contributed  some  valuable 
articles  to  the  Raton  Ranger. 

December  8,  1875.  Mr.  Burch  married  Ada  Clark,  a  native  of  Iowa. 
Their  fourth  born,  a  daughter,  Blanche,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years. 
Of  their  other  children,  we  record  that  Maud  A.  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
Floyd,  of  Johnson's  mesa ;  Nellie  M.  is  the  wife  of  James  Floyd,  also  of 
Johnson's  mesa;  Eli  LT.  and  Verne  E..  at  home.  Mr.  Burch  holds  to  the 
Baptist  creed  and  has  membership  in  the  church  at  Raton. 

Eugene  G.  Twitty,  deputy  county  clerk  of  Colfax  county,  making 
his  home  in  Raton,  was  for  a  number  of  years  connected  with  the  cattle 
industry  of  this  section  of  the  country,  and  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
high  type  of  citizenship  in  the  southwest.  He  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, November  15,  1861,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Jones) 
Twitty.  He  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Chicago,  pursuing  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  there,  and  on  the  6th  of  June,  1881,  arrived  in 
New  Mexico,  in  company  with  his  father.  He  located  at  Vermejo  Park, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  residing  there  until  1889,  and  from 
1882  was  associated  in  business  with  his  brother.  They  were  squatters  on 
a  grant,  which  in  1889  they  sold  to  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company,  at 
which  time  Mr.  Twitty  of  this  review  entered  the  employ  of  that  company 
as  bookkeeper  in  charge  of  their  accounts  connected  with  their  farming 
and  cattle-raising  interests.  He  was  thus  employed  from  September,  1889, 
until  March,  1901,  at  Cimarron,  and  in  February,  1892,  became  a  resident 
of  Raton. 


676  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

After  leaving  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company  he  gave  his  atten- 
tion to  the  cattle  business  on  Point  creek,  where  he  still  owns  a  ranch, 
devoted  exclusively  to  his  cattle  interests,  which  return  him  a  good  in- 
come annually.  Since  the  ist  of  January,  1905,  he  has  held  the  position 
of  deputy  county  clerk  of  Colfax  county,  and  is  proving  a  most  capable 
official,  being  systematic,  prompt  and  reliable  in  the  performance  of  the 
duties  which  devolve  upon  him.  In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  fraternally  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks.  He  is  popular  in  his  community  and  has  a  wide  and  favorable  ac- 
quaintance. 

Mathias  Heck,  a  pioneer  of  New  Mexico,  who  is  now  living  retired 
near  Cimarron,  came  to  Xew  Mexico  in  1863  from  California,  making  his 
wav  to  Santa  Fe.  He  was  born  in  Cologne,  Germany,  June  19,  1829,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  184.4,  when  a  youth  of  fifteen  years.  He 
landed  at  New  York  and  afterward  made  his  way  westward.  He  engaged 
in  peddling  jewelry  in  the  southern  states  until  1849,  when,  attracted  by 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  he  went  by  way  of  the  Panama  route 
to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  was  very  successful  in  his  operations  there  and 
was  identified  with  mining  and  other  interests  until  1862,  when  he  en- 
listed at  San  Francisco  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a  member 
of  Company  K,  of  the  First  California  Cavalry.  It  was  with  this  com- 
mand that  he  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1863,  going  to  Santa  Fe  and  after- 
ward to  F'ort  Yuma,  Arizona.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Adobe 
Walls,  or  Panhandle,  in  the  fall  of  1864,  in  which  engagement  General  Kit 
Carson  took  part.  About  three  hundred  and  forty  Indians  were  killed, 
while  among  the  whites  there  were  only  two  killed  and  twenty-two  wounded. 
Air.  Heck  was  also  a  participant  in  the  fight  with  the  Indians  in  1865  at 
Julesburg,  Colorado,  where  the  federal  troops  succeeded  in  quelling  the  red 
men.  He  did  much  frontier  service  while  connected  with  the  army  and 
made  a  circuit  of  all  the  old  forts  in  New  Mexico,  being  discharged  at  Santa 
Fe  on  the  4th  of  July,  1866. 

In  the  following  year.  1867,  Air.  Heck  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret 
Plum,  who  came  to  this  Territory  from  St.  Louis,  July  2.  1864,  arriving  at 
Las  Vegas.  She  started  on  the  first  of  June  of  th<rt  year  in  a  coach  which 
had  a  military  escort.  It  was  at  that  time  that  the  Kansas  Southern  rail- 
road, now  the  Santa  Fe,  was  being  built  and  the  Indians  were  very  trouble- 
some. 

Mrs.  Heck  located  at  Las  Yegas.  Xew  Mexico,  where  she  remained 
as  a  servant  for  fifteen  months,  being  in  the  employ  of  Mrs.  Andreas  Doll. 
She  afterward  spent  fifteen  months  with  Frederick  Meyer  at  Mora  and  it 
was  there,  on  the  6th  of  November,  1867,  that  the  wedding  occurred.  The 
children  are:  Theodore,  who  died  September  8.  1892;  J.  Matt:  Paulina, 
the  widow  of  Isaac  Benton  ;  and  Katherina,  die  wife  of  Juston  Green,  of 
Raton. 

In  1869  Air.  Heck  located  eighteen  miles  south  of  Cimarron,  where 
he  kept  a  government  station,  furnishing  supplies  to  the  soldiers  and 
also  feed  for  horses.  He  conducted  a  store  there  for  nine  years  and  the 
Indians  were  all  around  him.  He  often  fed  the  Indian  thieves  in  order  to 
keep  them  on  good  terms.  They  would  sit  on  the  floor  in  a  circle  while 
he  gave  them  coffee,  bread  and  molasses.  He  also  had  a  government  con- 
tract to  furnish  the  Indians  at  his  present  place  with  meat.     On  one  side 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  677 

of  him  were  the  Apaches  and  en  the  other  side  of  Cimarron  creek  were 
the  I'tes.  The)*  all  drew  rations  at  Cimarron,  receiving  nine  or  ten  thou- 
sand pounds  of  beef  every  ten  days.  Air.  Heck  is  now  owner  of  a  large 
ranch,  which  is  managed  by  his  son  Matt,  who  is  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business.  He  also  has  an  orchard  of  two  acres  and  his  son  has  an  orchard 
of  five  acres.  For  many  years  Mr.  Heck  was  very  active  in  the  develop- 
ment of  fanning  and  cattle  raising  interests  here,  but  is  now  practically 
living  retired.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  discover  gold  at  Elizabethtown, 
and  he  has  mining  claims  there  and  also  at  Springer.  He  has  always  been 
a  Democrat  and  was  active  in  organizing  the  count}-.  His  wife  was  a 
resident  of  Las  Vegas  when  there  were  only  six  other  white  women  in 
the  town,  and  Mr.  Heck  visited  Santa  Fe  before  there  was  a  single  shingled 
roof  in  that  city.  He  is  familiar  with  all  of  the  experiences,  hardships 
and  trials  of  pioneer  life  in  an  Indian  country  and  has  watched  with  inter- 
est the  progress  that  has  been  made  as  this  region  has  been  reclaimed  for 
the  uses  of  the  white  race  and  the  seeds  of  civilization  have  been  planted 
and  have  borne  rich  fruit. 

Obadiah  J.  Niles,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Elizabethtown, 
New  Mexico.  He  came  to  this  Territory  from  his  native  state,  Illinois,  in 
1868  or  1869,  and  settled  at  Elizabethtown,  where  he  opened  a  shop  and 
worked  at  his  trade,  that  of  wagonmaker.  Also  he  was  interested  in  the 
cattle  business  and  had  a  dairy.  He  continued  an  active  life  here  until 
well  advanced  in  years,  when  he  moved  to  Springer  and  retired.  There 
he  died  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-three  years.  He  was  a  Democrat,  promi- 
nent and  active  in  public  affairs.  For  twelve  years  he  served  as  a  justice 
of  the  peace  at  Elizabethtown,  this  being  during  the  most  unsettled  and 
disorderly  times  in  the  history  of  the  town,  and  he  did  much  toward  bring- 
ing about  a  change  for  the  better  in  conditions  here.  He  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Masonic  lodge  at  Elizabethtown.  Mr.  Niles'  widow  died 
in  Springer,  in   1903.     The)-  had  an  only  son,  George  Johnson  Niles. 

Geoige  Johnson  Niles  was  born  in  Iowa.  About  1871  he  went  to 
Ecuador,  South  America,  in  the  employ  of  the  Arroyo  Railroad  Company, 
where  he  remained  a  few  years,  and  from  whence,  about  1875  or  1876.  he 
went  to  California.  After  spending  a  year  or  more  in  the  Golden  state  he 
came,  in  1877,  to  New  Mexico,  joining  his  parents  in  Elizabethtown.  Here 
he  mined  for  a  time  in  the  employ  of  Matthew  Lynch.  Afterward  he 
turned  his  attention  to  the  cattle  business  and  to  dairying  on  Moreno  creek, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  His  wife,  nee  Mary  O'Connell,  died 
in  Ecuador. 

O.  Jay  Niles,  only  son  of  George  Johnson  and  Mary  (O'Connell)  Niles, 
was  born  in  Wyandotte,  Kansas,  September  20,  i860;  accompanied  his 
parents  to  South  America  and  after  his  mother's  death  went  with  his 
father  to  California  and  thence  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1877,  as  stated. 
He  attended  for  a  short  time  an  industrial  school  in  San  Francisco  and 
afterward  went  to  public  school  in  Elizabethtown.  He  was  on  the  ranch 
with  his  father  until  his  father's  death,  anil  has  since  been  more  or  less 
interested  in  the  cattle  business.  For  several  years  he  has  been  engaged 
in  surveyins-,  doing-  government  work  on  the  subdivisions  of  Colfax  and 
Mora  counties.  He  sold  his  ranch,  eighteen  miles  west  of  Springer,  in  the 
fall  of  1904,  and  has  since  lived  in  Elizabethtown.  He  is  proprietor  of 
the   Maxwell   House,   so   named   because  title  to  the   propertv  came   from 


678  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

L.  B.  Maxwell  in  1869.  Like  his  grandfather  and  father  before  him, 
O.  Jay  Niles  is  a  Democrat.  In  local  politics,  however,  he  gives  his  sup- 
port to  the  man  rather  than  the  party.  From  1892  to  1898  he  served  as 
deputy  sheriff  of  Colfax  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Broth- 
erhood at  Springer. 

Mr.  Niles  has  a  wife  and  three  children :  Edith  Adeline,  George 
Maurice  and  Stanley  J.  Mrs.  Niles,  formerly  Miss  Mary  E.  Gallagher, 
is  a  daughter  of  Maurice  Gallagher,  a  miner  and  early  settler  of  Eliza- 
bethtown. 

George  E.  Beebe,  until  recently  postmaster  of  Elizabethtown,  Colfax 
county,  was  born  in  Liverpool,  Medina  countv,  Ohio,  November  27,  1845, 
son  of  Warner  and  Jane  (Gilchrist)  Beebe.  His  father  was  a  farmer. 
George  E.  Beebe's  boyhood  days  were  passed  like  those  of  other  farmer 
boys  in  the  middle  west.  December  16,  1863,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he 
enlisted  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  went  to  the  front  as  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  Sharpshooters  that  acted  as  guard  for  General  George  H.  Thomas, 
their  service  being  chiefly  in  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  At  the 
close  of  the  war,  with  a  record  for  bravery  and  without  a  demerit  mark, 
young  Beebe  was  mustered  out  of  the  ranks  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in 
July,  1865,  and  returned  north  to  Michigan,  where  he  remained  for  some 
lime.  Exposure  and  hardship  incident  to  army  life  left  him  in  ill  health, 
and  seeking  a  milder  climate  than  was  found  in  the  lake  states,  he  came  in 
1869  to  New  Mexico.  His  first  stop  here  was  in  Lincoln  county,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  Then  he  traveled  through  the  southwest,  hunting 
buffalo,  and  on  his  return  from  the  buffalo  hunt  located  permanently  in 
Elizabethtown,  where  he  engaged  in  placer  mining.  Later  he  clerked  for 
John  Rearson,  Sr.,  after  which  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and 
from  April,  1903,  until  his  death  was  postmaster  of  the  town.  While  not 
active  in  politics,  Mr.  Beebe  always  voted  the  Republican  ticket.  Mr. 
Beebe's  wife,  formerly  Miss  Romana  Sanchez,  is  a  daughter  of  Narciso 
Sanchez,  and  a  native  of  San  Miguel  county.  New  Mexico. 

James  Scully,  a  rancher  living  at  Elizabethtown,  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1840,  and  when  but  nine  vears  of  age  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
by  an  aunt.  He  was  reared  by  a  French  family  in  Louisiana,  and  in  1861, 
responding  to  the  call  of  the  Confederacy,  joined  a  military  company  known 
as  the  Louisiana  Rifle  Tigers.  In  an  engagement  he  was  captured  and 
afterward  sent  to  Chicago,  where  for  some  time  he  was  held  as  a  prisoner 
of  war. 

Following  the  close  of  hostilities  Mr.  Scully  made  his  way  westward, 
and  was  engaged  at  teaming  at  Fort  Riley  and  at  Fort  Lyon.  In  1868  he 
came  to  Elizabethtown,  where  he  took  up  mining-  claims  and  worked 
placer  mining  profitably  for  six  or  seven  years,  but  believed  that  the  cattle 
industry  would  prove  a  more  profitable  source  of  income,  and  in  1874  he 
purchased  a  ranch  of  Major  Alford  and  began  the  conduct  of  this  place 
and  the  herding  and  sale  of  stock.  He  now  has  between  seven  and  eight 
thousand  acres  of  land  and  a  lease  on  thirty  thousand  acres  of  grazing  land. 
He  runs  large  numbers  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  is  one  of  the  well  known 
and  prominent  stock  men  and  ranchers  of  the  southwest.  He  likewise  has 
five  hundred  acres  of  his  land  under  cultivation  and  produces  thereon 
abundant  crops.  In  his  farming  operations  he  follows  the  most  modern, 
practical  and  progressive  methods  and  thereby  secures  good  results.     Both 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  6<9 

his  farming  and  cattle  business  are  proving  profitable,  and  in  addition  to 
bis  property  in  Texas  he  owns  real  estate  in  Springer  and  Albuquerque, 
New  Mexico,  and  in  Louisiana. 

Jason  F.  Carrington,  a  retired  citizen  of  Elizabethtown,  was  born  at 
Fairfax  Court  House,  Virginia,  October  10,  1S37,  where  the  family  home 
was  maintained  until  he  was  eight  years  old.  Then  they  moved  to  Detroit, 
Michigan.  He  was  reared  in  Michigan,  and  educated  in  Ann  Arbor 
University.  When  Civil  war  was  inaugurated  he  was  among  the  first 
to  enlist  his  services  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion,  and  went  to  the 
front  as  a  member  of  the  Second  Michigan  Cavalry.  At  the  expiration 
of  his  term  of  enlistment,  in  1863,  he  was  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where 
he  immediately  re-enlisted,  this  time  as  a  member  of  the  Bradford 
Dragoons,  which  became  the  Third  Maryland  Cavalry,  and  he  remained 
in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  at  Yicks- 
burg,  September  14,  1865.  Although  he  participated  in  many  engagements 
and  was  often  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  he  never  received  but  one 
wound,  that  being  while  on  the  Red  river  expedition. 

The  war  over,  Mr.  Carrington  returned  to  Detroit,  and  in  1866  went 
from  there  to  St.  Louis,  thence  to  Westport,  Missouri,  and  from  that  place 
to  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  Later  he  made  the  journey  with  a  wagon  train 
to  Denver,  Colorado,  and  from  Denver,  in  1867,  came  to  Elizabethtown, 
New  Mexico.  Not  long  afterward  he  went  to  Silver  City,  where  he  worked 
at  the  trade  of  millwright  until  1871  :  thence  to  Taos,  next  on  a  prospect- 
ing tour  in  Colorado  and  elsewhere,  finally  in  1870  landed  in  Taos  again, 
and  since  1883  has  made  his  home  in  Elizabethtown.  For  some  fifteen 
years  Mr.  Carrington  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  Several  years  he 
was  school  director,  and  for  a  time  he  acted  as  postmaster  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  after  the  death  of  Postmaster  C.  N.  Story.  At  present  he  is  again 
serving  as  postmaster.  While  at  Silver  City  he  wTas  a  member  of  Farragut 
Post  No.  1,  G.  A.  R..  but  is  not  now  affiliated  with  that  order.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1880.  Mr.  Carrington  married  Miss  Seferino  Tenioro,  who  died  in 
1901,  leaving  him  with  four  children:     Frank,  Emma,  Mabel  and  Gracie. 

John  Pearson,  Sr.,  deceased,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Elizabethtown, 
Colfax  county,  located  in  Elizabethtown  in  May,  1868.  He  was  born  at 
Sunsval,  Sweden,  July  7,  1848;  learned  the  trade  of  shoemaker  in  Sweden; 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1866.  His  first  winter  here  was  spent  in  a 
Michigan  lumber  camp,  from  whence  he  went  down  into  Indiana,  where 
for  six  or  eight  months  he  worked  at  his  trade.  Next  we  find  him  in 
Kansas,  employed  in  railroad  construction  work,  and  from  there,  a  few 
months  later,  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and  located  at  Elizabethtown,  where 
he  worked  on  the  Maxwell  ditch  until  it  was  completed.  Then  he  pros- 
pected in  the  Red  River  district,  worked  in  the  Aztec  mines  for  six  months, 
and  clerked  for  Lewis  Clark  at  Placidella  Alcalde  in  Rio  Arriba  county. 
Coming  back  to  Elizabethtown,  he  opened  a  shoe  shop  in  partnership  with 
Sam  Salisbury.  Afterward  he  was  in  business  for  himself  at  Cimarron. 
In  March,  1872,  he  again  returned  to  Elizabethtown  and  opened  a  shoe  shop 
and  grocery,  being  associated  in  this  venture  with  Herman  Froeliek. 
They  dissolved  partnership  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  and  Mr.  Pearson  con- 
tinued to  run  the  shop  in  his  own  name.  In  December,  1874.  he  bought 
Peterson  &  Hitchcock's  store  on  Willow  Gulch  ;  in  November.  1880,  bought 
out  Charles  Rand  on  Ute  Creek,  and  ran  the  two  stores  together.     The 


680  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

former  he  sold  in  1882  to  Magnus  Olson,  his  uncle,  who  came  with  him 
from  Sweden  ;  and  then  moved  back  to  Elizabethtown,  continuing,  however, 
to  run  the  Ute  Creek  store  until  1903.  On  his  return  to  Elizabethtown  in 
1882  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Froeliek,  bought  the  A.  F.  Meadow 
building,  and  conducted  both  a  wholesale  and  retail  business  here  until 
1903.  Also  during  a  part  of  that  time  he  was  interested  in  placer  mining. 
His  uncle,  Magnus  Olson,  also  interested  in  mining  for  some  years,  died 
here   in    1895. 

Mr.  Pearson  served  as  school  director  of  Elizabethtown,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  was  postmaster  of  the  town,  having  been  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  in  February,  1887,  and  served  until  1897.  Since  Sep- 
tember 16,  1903,  he  resided  in  Douglas  and  Lowell,  Arizona.  He  died  at 
Lowell,  Arizona,  January  23,   1906. 

Of  his  family,  we  record  that  his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Nephene  Mary 
Guhl.  was  born  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark.  She  still  lives  in  Elizabeth- 
town.  They  have  had  eleven  children,  of  whom  three  are  deceased,  namely : 
Amelia  Mary.  William  Thomas  and  Walter  Edwin.  Those  living  are 
Nellie  Renshaw.  wife  of  James  Abreu  of  Springer:  Emma  Christina,  in 
Elizabethtown;  Charles  August,  of  Raton;  John,  Jr.,  Elizabethtown;  Harry 
Guhl,  Chilili.  New  Mexico ;  Roy  Frederick,  George  Edward  and  Lillie 
Nephene,  all  of  Elizabethtown. 

John  Pearson,  Jr.,  was  born  January  2,  1880,  in  Willow  Creek,  Colfax 
county.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Elizabethtown  and 
Trinidad,  and  for  several  years  clerked  for  his  father  and  Herman  Froeliek, 
after  which,  in  1901,  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  for  himself.  He 
sold  out  in  May.  1905,  to  Louis  Leonard,  and  at  this  writing  is  again 
employed  as  clerk  for  Mr.  Froeliek.  Also  he  is  interested  in  mining,  be- 
ing vice  president  of  the  Gold  and  Copper  Deep  Tunnel  Mining  &  Milling 
Company.  Politically.  Mr.  Pearson  is  a  Republican.  Since  the  spring  of 
1904  he  has  been  school  director.  July  29,  1902,  he  married  Miss  Perry 
Lou  Kelly,  daughter  of  James  Perry  and  Lou  (Schloemer)  Kelly,  the 
former  a  native  of  Pulaski  county,  Kentucky,  and  the  latter  of  Longwood, 
Pettis  county,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearson  have  a  son,  Lawrence, 
aged  two  years,  and  another  son,  Tohn  Perry,  aged  six  months. 

Stephen  Eden  Booth,  who  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  has 
been  one  of  the  striking  figures  in  the  historv  of  New  Mexico,  has  been 
so  actively  identified  with  the  development  of  the  resources  of  the  Terri- 
tory and  so  intimately  associated  with  its  political  and  social  life  that  the 
simple  record  of  his  career,  in  epitome,  in  itself  forms  one  of  the  dramatic 
chapters   in   the  annals   of  the  Territory. 

Born  in  Monroe,  Connecticut.  March  6.  1830,  Mr.  Booth  was  taken 
to  New  Haven  by  his  parents  when  two  years  old  and  was  there  reared 
to  a  sea-faring  life.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  ran  away  from  home  tx> 
follow  the  sea.  His  first  voyage  was  to  the  Spanish  main.  In  1847  'ie 
visited  Ireland  with  the  first  ship  load  of  grain  sent  from  America  to  the 
famine-stricken  people  of  that  land.  In  1849  he  went  to  California  before 
the  mast.  Upon  arriving  at  Benicia  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  gold  fever, 
deserted  his  ship,  was  captured  and  placed  in  irons  for  thirty-one  davs. 
Going  to  Sacramento  after  his  release,  he  secured  a  job  at  "ten  dollars  a 
day  and  grub,"  his  work  being  driving  oxen  for  freighters.  In  the  mine1; 
on  Yuba  river  he  was  generally  known  by  the  sobriquet  of  "Connecticut." 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  681 

After  mining  on  the  Yuba  river  for  four  years  he  returned  to  Connecticut 
to  purchase  belting  for  mining  purposes.  On  his  return  journey  to  Cali- 
fornia he  met  General  Santa  Ana  at  Acapulco  and  through  the  assistance 
of  another  Mexican  purchased  for  thirty  dollars  a  handsome  serape  which 
the  general  was  wearing  and  which   is  now  in  Judge   Booth's  possession. 

In  1855,  Judge  Booth  left  California,  entered  into  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness until  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war.  In  1861  he  entered  the  United 
States  navy  under  Commodore  Porter  and  was  made  second  in  command 
of  the  Griffith,  one  of  the  twenty-one  vessels  in  Admiral  Farragut's 
squadron.  His  first  service  was  as  master's  mate  on  the  Griffith.  He  was 
at  one  time  offered  command  of  a  brig  with  a  commission  to  pursue  and 
capture  blockade  runners,  but  declined  on  account  of  impaired  health, 
which  compelled  him  to  retire  from  service  after  the  fall  of  New  Orleans. 
Among  the  sixty-two  officers  of  this  flotilla  Judge  Booth  took  first  rank  of 
his  grade  and  still  treasures  a  letter  from  Commodore  Porter  attesting 
that  fact. 

After  the  war  Judge  Booth  continued  his  travels  and  in  fact  remains 
a  great  traveler  to  this  day.  He  has  visited  many  portions  of  the  globe, 
attended  the  funeral  of  Daniel  O'Connell  in  Dublin,  dined  with  Don  Pedro, 
the  last  emperor  of  Brazil.  He  was  wrecked  in  the  Sea  Bell  and  was  taken 
off  with  two  others  who  died  soon  after  rescue.  He  has  spent  five  days 
on  the  ocean  without  food  or  drink.  He  was  first  mate  of  the  ship  Two 
Brothers  when  the  crew  mutinied,  and  he  saved  the  life  of  Captain  Meeks, 
whom  the  crew  were  about  to  throw  overboard.  During  the  years  of  his 
residence  in  California  he  helped  found  the  city  of  Redlands  and  in 
many  other  ways  became  intimately  identified  with  the  upbuilding  of  that 
great  state. 

Coming  to  Colfax  county.  New  Mexico,  in  1883  with  Wilson  Wadding- 
ham,  who  had  founded  important  stock  enterprises  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  Territory,  Judge  Booth  was  made  superintendent  of  the  enterprise 
known  as  the  Fort  Bascom  Cattle  Raising  Company.  This  company  handled 
large  herds  of  cattle  on  the  Montoya  grant  for  about  ten  years,  when  it 
went  into  liquidation. 

During  his  residence  in  Las  Vegas,  Judge  Booth  was  elected  county 
commissioner  of  San  Miguel  county  and  made  chairman  of  this  body. 
While  filling  this  office  the  historic  "white  cap"  events  that  stirred  San 
Miguel  county  occurred  and  he  was  drawn  into  the  vortex  of  the  trouble 
in  the   fulfillment  of  his  official  duties. 

In  1893,  Judge  Booth  went  to  Elizabethtown  as  the  resident  rep- 
resentative of  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company.  He  still  fills  that  posi- 
tion, though  spending  much  of  his  time  in  Las  Vegas  and  in  California. 
He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  territorial  cattle  sanitary  board.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  and  prior  to  the  Civil  war  was  a  vigorous  opponent 
of  slavery.  So  strong  were  his  principles  in  this  direction  that  at  one 
time,  while  in  Rio  Janeiro,  he  refused  an  offer  of  his  weight  in  silver  if 
he  would  go  to  Africa  and  obtain  a  ship  load  of  slaves  for  the  Brazilian 
trade.  He  has  been  a  Mason  since  18^3  and  was  the  organizer  of  Anawan 
Lodge  No.  43,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  West  Haven,  Connecticut.  Since  1853 
Judge  Booth  has  not  tasted  intoxicating  liquor  of  any  kind. 

Judge  Booth's  wife,   Mary   Eliza  Thompson,   died   in  California.     He 


S382  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

has  two  sons :  Fred  E.,  of  Elmhurst,  California,  and  Elmer  L.,  of  Fill- 
more,  California. 

The  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch,  Melvin  Whitson  Mills,  could 
be  said  to  be  one  of  the  pioneer  American  citizens,  though  there  were  an- 
other still  older  lot  that  came  to  New  Mexico  between  1840  and  1850.  The 
landing  of  M.  W.  Mills  was  not  until  1868,  at  a  time  when  quite  a  num- 
ber of  Americans  began  to  emigrate  to  the  then  quite  remote  Territory. 
The  father  of  Mr.  Mills,  Daniel  W.  Milis,  was  already  residing  in  New 
Mexico ;  the  mother,  Hannah  Mills,  accompanying  her  son  and  only  child 
to  join  her  husband.  These  parents  were  of  New  England  stock  and  of 
Quaker  faith.  The  father,  D.  W.  Mills,  set  out  after  his  failure  during 
the  financial  crisis  of  1856,  to  regain  his  fortune  in  the  West.  He  served  as 
a  soldier  in  the  Colorado  Home  Guards  during  the  Civil  war.  The  boy,  M. 
W.  Mills,  received  only  an  academic  education,  attending  school  at  Adrian 
and  Ann  Arbor.  Michigan,  then  graduating  from  the  Law  department  of 
Michigan  University  in  1868. 

The  place  of  his  landing  in  New  Mexico  was  at  Elizabethtown,  a 
mining  town  that  had  started  up  for  the  most  part  that  same  year,  upon 
the  wild  report  that  gold  abounded  in  fabulous  quantities  from  the  grass 
roots  down  to  bed  rock.  Such  gold  glittering  reports  going  out  over  the 
country  did  not  take  long  to  gather  together  not  only  the  adventuresome 
gold  hunters,  but  as  well  the  gambler  and  saloon  keeper,  the  fugitive  from 
justice,  the  dance  hall  speculator,  and  all  sorts  of  people  from  all  over  the 
country,  until  a  motley  crowd  as  had  ever  cast  their  fortunes  together,  was 
on  the  ground  mingling  and  commingling  together,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  a  young  lawyer  among  them.  The  place  was  high  up  in  a  mountain 
valley,  with  great  mountains  viewing  each  other  with  their  snow  capped 
peaks  from  all  sides  of  the  vallev.  There  were  only  two  outlets  from  this 
valley ;  one  to  the  west  of  the  valley  leading  through  the  Fernandez  Canyon 
to  the  very  old  settlement  of  Taos,  and  the  other  to  the  east,  passing  through 
the  Cimarron  Canyon  out  to  the  east  connecting  with  the  old  road  known 
as  the  Santa  Fe  trail. 

The  valley  was  called  at  one  end  the  Moreno  valley,  at  the  other  the 
Cieneguella  valley;  this  valley  being  a  remote  place  in  the  mountains,  and 
not  settled  until  gold  was  discovered.  The  whole  Territory  was  remote, 
and  this  valley  considerably  more  so ;  hence  the  law  and  its  enforcement  a 
precarious  happening.  The  predominating  law  at  the  place,  for  the  few 
years  it  lasted  in  its  better  days,  seemed  rather  more  a  sort  of  six  shooter 
law  than  anything  else,  though  there  were  several  lawyers  old  and  young, 
such  as  they  were,  pretending  to  be  practicing  law,  but  actually  living  by 
mining,  gambling,  or  some  other  way.  There  were  several  halls  of  a  hun- 
dred or  two  feet  deep,  generally  having  a  liquor  bar  in  front  for  the  saloon 
part,  then  came  the  gambling  tables  with  the  dance  hall,  so  that  liquor 
bars,  gambling  tables,  and  dance  halls  all  run  together.  These  halls  usually 
ran  all  clay,  or  at  least  all  night.  The  male  dancer  compensated  for  his 
privilege  of  dancing  by  going  up  to  the  bar  after  each  dance,  where  he 
and  partner  partook  of  the  luxuries  kept  there  for  the  occasion.  Such 
frequent  visits  to'  this  flowing  table  soon  induced  a  lot  of  convivialitv,  stir- 
ring up  the  wilder  men,  who  most  always  had  hung  to  their  belts  this  six 
shooter  law,  and  very  often  declared  the  law  unto  themselves,  playing  at 
such  amusements  as   shooting  out  the  lights   in   the  halls;  then   shooting 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  «83 

quite  promiscuously,  until  a  commotion  or  stampede  resulted,  when  the 
crowds  would  tumble  over  one  another  in  the  dark,  amid  the  screams  of 
the  more  refined  sex,  until  all  should  be  quiet  again,  except  for  the  groans 
of  the  wounded  who  lay  dying  after  the  commotion ;  and  little  was  said 
next  morning  except  that  the  shooter  "got  his  man"  last  night. 

It  was  at  this  valley  that  the  notorious  character,  Charles  Kennedy 
lived,  who  "had  got"  his  fourteen  victims.  Charles  Kennedy  lived  at  the 
head  of  the  Fernandez  Canyon,  where  he  kept  a  few  log  rooms  where 
travelers  sometimes  stopped  over  night,  some  of  whom  turned  up  missing. 
Finally  suspicion  was  aroused  and  the  people  sent  a  delegation  to  investi- 
gate. This  investigation  unearthed  a  few  bags  of  human  bones.  These 
prospectors  returned  with  Kennedy,  who  sought  young  Mills  as  his  coun- 
sel. A  mob  jury  was  summoned  to  try  Kennedy.  The  bag  of  human  bones 
found  buried  in  his  yard  and  under  his  floor  seemed  quite  convincing.  Still 
young  Mills  got  two  jurors  to  desert  the  rest  of  the  mob  jury  and  hang  up 
a  verdict ;  but  it  was  for  a  little  while  only,  as  Kennedy  was  found  hanging 
to  a  pine  limb  a  few  mornings  later;  his  body  was  cut  down  and  turned  over 
to  Dr.  Bradford,  who  wired  his  skeleton  together  and  sent  it  to  the  Smith- 
sonian Institute,  where,  with  its  most  peculiar  skull,  it  can  be  seen.  Also 
in  this  valley  lived  that  notorious  character,  Wall  W.  Henderson,  who  had 
on  his  pistol  eight  notches  filed  for  victims  wounded,  and  on  the  other  side 
seven  notches  to  represent  the  victims  he  had  sent  to  their  happy  hunting 
grounds,  regarding  all  of  whom  he  boasted  of  having  sent  the  ball  straight 
to  their  eyes.  One  of  his  victims  fell  at  the  feet  of  young  Mills  one  even- 
ing while  he  was  addressing  the  bystanders,  and  a  little  later  he  had  the 
honor  to  look  down  the  same  gun,  under  the  command  that  he  should  go 
to  the  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  make  a  speech  that  should  legally  discharge 
the  prisoner  for  the  same  and  other  killings.  A  little  later  Wall  fell  a 
victim  and  his  gun  sent  to  the  Smithsonian  Institute  where  it  is  now.  It 
was  there  also  that  Tom  Taylor  was  first  brought  after  killing  his  victim, 
and  lodged  in  a  little  log  jail.  He  also  employed  young  Mills  as  his  legal 
defender,  who  little  later  on  concluded  to  part  company  with  the  log  jail 
and  his  lawyer  also.  Tom  Taylor  then  took  into  his  confidence  a  young 
man  called  "Coal-oil  Jimmie"  and  the  two  took  to  the  mountains,  hiding  in 
the  canyons,  going  now  and  then  out  to  trails  and  public  roads,  and  rob- 
bing everybody  they  met,  thus  spreading  terror  over  the  whole  country 
They  were  afterward  joined  by  Joe  McCurdy  and  John  Stewart,  who  called 
young  Mills  into  their  confidence  at  a  midnight  meeting  to  advise  with  him 
about  some  money  that  had  been  taken  from  a  coach  of  one  of  their  friends. 
At  this  meeting  Joe  McCurdy  and  John  Stewart  also  came  to  discuss  about 
assisting  the  two  robbers,  and  it  was  there  determined  that  they  would 
join  them  in  robbing  the  people  over  the  country.  In  a  week  or  so  after 
this  meeting  McCurdy  and  Stewart  returned  to  the  town  of  Cimarron  with 
the  dead  bodies  of  Tom  Taylor  and  Jimmie  on  a  farm  wagon,  sending  at 
once  for  attorney  M.  W.  Mills,  and  proposing  to  retain  him  to  collect  the 
$3,000  reward  offered  for  the  two  dead  robbers. 

The  lawless  desperado  element  kept  on  increasing  until  respectable 
families  were  threatened  with  all  sorts  of  violence  and  all  kinds  of  crime 
seemed  to  be  on  the  rampage.  Then  a  lot  of  the  more  respectable  people 
organized  themselves  for  protection,  afterward  called  "Vigilantes."  This 
band  of  resolute  and  determined  men  would  meet  in  a  dark  room,  sending 
Vol.  11.    11 


684  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

for  young  Mills  to  come  to  their  place  of  meeting  and  pass  a  cigar  box 
containing  black  and  white  gamblers'  chips  around,  and  by  this  means 
decide  the  fate  of  some  desperado  and  also  decide  who  should  put  him 
away  ;  and  in  the  next  day  or  so,  the  fate  of  the  condemned  was  known 
to  everybody.  It  was  not  long  after  a  few  of  the  bad  men  had  met  this 
kind  of  fate,  that  this  class  of  men  who  boasted  of  having  "got  their  man" 
began  to  disappear. 

Then  came  the  winter  of  1872  with  a  light  snow  fall  in  the  mountains 
so  that  there  was  a  scarcity  of  water  for  mining,  and  it  became  known  that 
gold  did  not  abound  in  such  quantities  from  the  grass  roots  down  as  was 
first  reported.  This  town  began  to  decline,  and  the  town  of  Cimarron 
started  up  thirty  miles  away  out  on  the  prairie  at  the  foot  of  trie  mountains. 
It  became  apparent  that  the  county  seat  would  have  to  be  moved  toward 
the  new  settlements,  and  M.  W.  Mills  was  chosen  to  go  to  Santa  Fe  and 
present  the  subject  to  the  legislature  then  in  session,  which  was  done  and 
the  county  seat  moved  to  Cimarron.  It  is  said  that  the  new  neighboring 
city  never  equaled  in  extreme  wickedness  the  town  of  Elizabethtown, 
though  there  were  eleven  human  creatures  shot  down  in  one  bar  room 
within  a  few  months.  There  were  other  conditions  surrounding  Cimarron, 
the  previous  home  of  Lucien  B.  Maxwell.  There  were  two  tribes  of  In- 
dians who  would  get  whisky  in  spite  of  all  precautions,  and  with  their 
wild  demonstrations  would  frighten  and  terrorize  the  people,  more  particu- 
larly the  families.  On  one  of  these  occasions  the  people  arrested  and  put  in 
jail  two  of  these  wild  Indian  bucks  one  evening,  the  jailer  being  a  young 
fellow  called  Bob  Grisby.  In  the  morning  several  hundred  Indians  of  that 
tribe  came  into  town  and  demanded  that  these  bucks  should  be  given  up. 
A  little  previous  to  this  time  Grisby  had  sent  a  messenger  to  call  M.  W. 
Mills  to  come  to  the  jail,  who  went  thither  and  saw  both  Indian  "bucks  cold 
in  the  grasp  of  death  itself.  The  jailer  claimed  that  the  Indians  assaulted 
him  with  a  butcher  knife  while  giving  them  something  to  eat.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  whole  tribe  became  fully  advised  of  the  situation  and  they 
began  to  get  ready  for  war,  threatening  to  annihilate  the  town,  which  they 
could  have  done  before  the  arrival  of  soldiers  from  the  nearest  fort.  A  few 
of  the  citizens  with  most  influence  with  the  Indians  were  selected  to  treat 
with  the  Indians,  Mr.  Mills  being  one  of  them,  and  after  paying  a  few 
hundred  dollars  as  a  ransom,  peace  was  restored.  No  one  could  describe 
the  relief  of  joy  that  went  through  that  little  town  when  those  Indians  got 
on  their  ponies  and  went  to  their  camp. 

The  town  of  Cimarron,  lying  on  one  side  of  the  cattle  range  of  country 
was  frequented  by  the  festive  cowboy,  who  would  visit  the  place,  take  on 
board  all  the  bad  whisky  he  could  buy,  and  then  amuse  himself  by  dancing 
on  the  billiard  tables,  poking  his  six  shooter  down  through  the  glass  show 
cases  in  the  stores  to  get  what  his  eye  fancied,  then  riding  up  and  down  the 
streets  as  if  to  imitate  the  wild  drunken  Indian  by  whooping  and  yelling  and 
shooting  sometimes  into  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  houses.  The  people, 
becoming  a  little  tired  of  these  antics,  nominated  Jack  Turner  for  sheriff, 
and  elected  him  upon  the  theory  that  he  would  arrest  these  cowboys  when 
they  came  to  town  and  got  on  these  furious  rampages.  Soon  after  Jack 
got' elected  a  little  partv  of  these  cowboy  braves  came  to  town  and  took  on 
the  usual  cargo  of  bad  whisky.  The  sheriff  summoned  a  lot  of  citizens  and 
armed  them  ready  for  battle.    Without  much  warning,  the  posse  opened  fire 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  685 

and  the  boys  fled  to  their  horses,  mounted  and  were  off,  shooting  back  as 
they  went ;  but  the  bullets  of  the  posse  flew  after  them  and  all  but  one  fell 
from  their  horses,  one  of  them  (Wallace)  surviving  in  a  most  miraculous 
form,  as  he  was  shot  many  times.  He  is  still  living,  a  most  distorted  look- 
ing creature.  The  escaping  comrade,  riding  a  white  horse,  after  getting 
a  half  mile  out  of  town  on  a  high  hill,  waved  to  come  back  to  help  his 
party  in  distress,  and  some  of  the  posse,  to  demonstrate  their  marksmanship, 
shot  the  poor  fellow  in  a  merciless  way.  The  settlers  out  along '  the 
creek  who  were  mostly  stock  raisers,  were  sympathizers  with  these  cow- 
buys,  taking  sides  with  them.  Reports  and  warnings  began  to  come  into 
town  thick  and  fast  from  these  settlements  that  the  town  would  be  fired 
from  all  sides  and  burned  up  in  the  night  time.  About  the  only  man  in  the 
place  who  had  not  supported  Turner,  who  had  not  given  countenance  to 
this  manner  of  arrest,  and  who  had  any  friends  and  influence  with  these 
settlers  and  stock-raisers  out  along  the  creek  was  M.  W.  Mills.  The  town 
people  began  to  entreat  him  to  intercede  for  them,  and  to  save  the  place 
from  ashes.  After  a  treaty,  an  armistice  was  effected.  A  little  later  two 
more  cowboys,  by  name  Davie  Crocket  and  Gus  Hefferon,  took  the  town 
in  somewhat  the  usual  form,  visiting  it  many  times,  and  shooting  it  up  at 
all  hours  of  the  night.  A  new  sheriff  had  been  elected  by  name  of  Rine- 
hart.  a  business  partner  of  Mills ;  but  the  people  did  not  seem  to  want  to 
volunteer  to  help  arrest  these  and  other  desperadoes.  One  day  these  boys 
went  into  the  postoffice,  pointing  a  double  barreled  shot  gun  at  a  man  by 
name  of  Joe  Holbrook,  and  another  at  the  postmaster,  John  B.  McCullough, 
inviting  these  men  to  look  down  their  shot  gun  barrels  while  they  played 
with  the  gun  hammers,  and  taunting  them  with  all  sorts  of  names,  with 
charges  of  cowardice,  etc.  These  men,  Holbrook  and  McCullough,  with 
Sheriff  Rinehart.  met  at  the  office  of  Mr.  Mills,  and  there  offered  to  aid  the 
sheriff  in  annihilating  these  midnight  marauders,  all  of  which  was  then 
and  there  agreed  to.  Accordingly,  these  men  in  the  darkness  called  upon 
Crockett  and  Hefferon  to  halt.  Instead  of  halting  they  began  shooting,  the 
sheriff  and  posse  doing  likewise,  and  the  two  dead  outlaws  were  added  to 
the  long  list.  The  sheriff  and  his  two  assistants  were  tried  and  defended 
by  Mills  and  another  attorney  and  their  acquittal  easily  secured  in  another 
county. 

At  the  fall  election  of  1875  a  bitter  campaign  was  fought  that  had  few 
equals  if  any  in  this  western  country,  many  people  having  lost  their  lives 
directly  and  indirectly  over  feuds  growing  out  of  this  election.  On  the 
one  side  for  the  Legislature,  Attorney  Mills  headed  the  ticket;  the  battle  for 
the  Mills  side  prevailed,  but  a  snakey  trail  followed  in  the  wake.  A  month 
or  so  after  this  election,  a  minister,  name  Rev.  Thos  Tolby,  who  was  com- 
ing down  from  Elizabethtown  through  the  Cimarron  Canyon  on  horseback- 
was  murdered,  dragged  off  into  the  bushes,  and  his  horse  tied  to  a  tree. 
A  bad  man  by  the  name  of  Harberger,  on  the  defeated  election  side,  got 
hold  of  a  Mexican  named  Cardinas  and  with  a  pistol  pointed  at  him  com- 
pelled him  to  subscribe  to  an  affidavit  charging  a  half  dozen  men  with  the 
crime  of  murdering  Rev.  Tolby.  This  affidavit  charged  M.  W.  Mills  as  be- 
ing the  adviser  of  the  murderers  and  knowing  all  about  it.  At  this  time 
Mr.  Mills  was  up  in  Colorado  attending  court.  A  printer  preacher  by  name 
of  McMains  took  this  affidavit,  traveled  all  over  the  immediate  country, 
through  the  settlements,  and  aroused  the  people  so  that  they  gathered  at 


686  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Cimarron  to  avenge  the  death  of  Rev.  Tolby.  The  people  turned  out  with 
their  arms  and  in  mob  form,  gathering  from  all  sides  so  that  the  saloons  and 
hotels  looked  like  arsenals  with  arms  stacked  and  piled  up  on  billiard  tables 
and  other  places.  Some  of  the  principals  so  charged  in  this  forced  affidavit, 
the  mob  arrested,  but  Dr.  Longwell  who  had  been  elected  on  the  Mills 
ticket  fled  in  advance  of  the  mob  and  reached  Santa  Fe,  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  away,  a  few  miles  ahead  of  the  mob.  The  whole  country  was  wrought 
up  into  a  tension  of  intense  excitement,  and  M.  W.  Mills  was  advised,  by 
floods  of  telegrams  from  his  friends,  not  to  come  home ;  but  disregarding 
these  warnings  he  fled  to  the  scene  of  the  mob  assemblage,  going  in  on 
the  coach  one  afternoon.  No  sooner  had  he  landed  in  the  town  than  the 
mob  took  possession  of  him,  proceeding  to  have  a  lynching  party  right 
away.  But  an  opposition  party  arose  of  several  hundred  men  who,  with 
threats  of  vengeance  and  demonstrations  of  war,  demanded  that  Mills  should 
not  then  suffer  death.  For  a  little  time  it  looked  as  if  human  blood  would 
run  like  water  in  the  Cimarron  river.  But  the  councils  of  a  few  men  on 
both  sides  prevailed  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  justice  of  the  peace  and 
men  chosen  from  the  mob  should  proceed  with  a  trial,  and  all  abide  their 
verdict,  and  during  the  time  of  the  trial,  twelve  men  from  each  side  of  the 
two  differing  mobs,  were  to  be  selected  to  take  Mills  and  hold  him.  The 
wires  leading  out  of  the  town  were  all  cut,  until  Indian  Agent  Irwin  noti- 
fied the  leaders  of  the  mob  that  they  were  fighting  L'ncle  Sam  and  that  he 
needed  the  wires  about  his  Indian  business.  The  mob  then  connected  the 
wires,  upon  the  assurance  of  Irwin  and  the  operator  that  no  business  should 
go  over  the  wire  except  the  United  States  Indian  business.  Indian  Agent 
Irwin  and  the  operator,  however,  to  save  human  life  wired  the  situation  to 
the  governor  of  New  Mexico.  Samuel  B.  Axtel ;  and  (J.  S.  Cavalry  came 
suddenly  upon  the  scene,  confronting  the  mob  in  the  streets  of  the  town, 
and  leveling  their  guns  upon  them  demanded  the  surrender  of  Mills.  At 
this  time  the  men  guarding  Mills  were  standing  near  by  the  cavalry,  and 
Mills  ran  before  he  could  be  shot,  and  got  in  between  the  horses  of  the 
officers,  the  cavalry  then  marching  to  a  camp  established  nearby.  It  is 
said  that  at  this  time,  tlie  mob  of  men  began  to  murmur  vengeance,  while 
many  of  them,  including  their  leaders,  began  to  change  front  and  say  that 
they  had  not  believed  all  the  time  that  Mills  was  guilty.  Anyway  the  mob 
court  soon  found  that  way,  liberating  Mills  but  implicating  many  others. 
The  .Mexican,  Cardinas,  was  ordered  back  to  jail,  but  was  shot  on  his  way. 
never  reaching  there,  as  also  were  others — both  shot  and  hung  by  the  men 
composing  this  mob. 

The  legislature  to  which  Mills  had  been  elected  moved  the  courts  from 
Cimarron  and  Colfax  county  to  the  adjoining  county  of  Taos,  where  the 
next  term  was  held  early  in  the  following  spring.  Because  of  the  threats 
said  to  have  come  from  these  mob  people  in  Colfax  county,  it  was  thought 
best  by  Federal  officials  to  send  U.  S.  Troops,  and  accordingly  the  court 
was  held  by  Chief  Justice  Waldo  under  the  shadow  of  United  States  In- 
fantrv.  A  full  investigation  was  had  by  the  grand  jury,  witnesses  were 
subpoened  from  Colfax  county  and  all  over  the  country ;  but  no  indictments 
were  found  against  Mills  or  any  of  the  men  named  in  the  Cardinas  affidavit. 
The  Methodist  church,  becoming  much  interested  because  of  the  murder  of 
the  Rev.  Tolby,  and  the  part  that  McMains  had  taken,  and  because  of  the 
charges  against  him.  sent  Bishop  Bowman  to  make  a  full  investigation  also, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  687 

and  much  has  been  done  to  ferret  out  the  motive  of  the  murderers  of  the 
Rev.  Thcfs.  Tolby.  Although  nearly  thirty  years  have  intervened,  no  fur- 
ther evidence  has  ever  been  discovered  and  no  motive  ever  located  that 
should  have  induced  anyone  to  have  taken  the  life  of  the  preacher.  The 
innocent  men  who  lost  their  lives  and  were  sent  into  the  unknown  coun- 
try by  being  shot  and  hung  are  as  innocent  now,  so  far  as  any  discovery  of 
any  evidence  against  them,  as  they  were  the  nights  they  were  murdered. 
The  leader,  Harberger.  who  extorted  the  Cardinas  affidavit  and  who  was 
said  to  have  shot  Cardinas  afterward,  and  who  murdered  another  man,  was 
afterward  prosecuted  by  Mills  as  district  attorney,  convicted  and  sent  to 
the  penitentiary,  within  the  walls  of  which  he  afterwards  died. 

It  was  here  at  Cimarron  that  many  desperado  bad  men  grew  into 
prominence,  many  of  whom  have  been  referred  to  in  other  pages  of  New 
Mexico  history;  but  none  of  them  outranked  that  wild,  dark  eyed  Ten- 
nessseean.  Clay  Allison,  the  slayer  of  "Chunk,"  "Cooper,"  "Griego,"  and 
others.  This  man  sought  with  a  mob  at  one  time  to  capture  and  make  M. 
W.  Mills  his  victim  of  death,  and  strange  to  say  a  few  hours  later  ac- 
knowledged that  he  was  wrong  and  took  another  mob  of  men  to  wrest 
Mills  from  the  hands  of  another  mob,  who,  with  a  hangman's  rope,  were 
after  him  and  within  a  few  rods  of  his  house,  so  that  Clay  Allison  boasted 
man\'  times  afterwards  of  having  saved  the  life  of  M.  W.  Mills.  This  man 
Allison  had  such  power  and  personal  following  making  him  immune  from 
sheriff's  arrest  for  many  years,  but  the  Federal  authorities  finally  sent  to 
the  aid  of  Sheriff  Rinehart  a  few  companies  of  soldiers  that  surrounded, 
in  the  early  morning,  the  house  where  Allison  was  located  and  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  arresting  him.  He  afterwards  made  his  escape,  however,  and 
after  all,  like  most  all  men  who  take  human  life,  died  an  unnatural  death. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  this  wild  town  of  Cimarron,  so  properly 
named,  the  former  rendezvous  of  Maxwell.  Abreu,  Shout,  Dold,  Moore, 
St.  Yrain.  Wheatcn,  Kroenig.  Beaubien,  Wootton,  Carson,  and  many  other 
old  time  characters,  was  about  to  subside.  The  great  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
had  already  crossed  the  Raton  mountains  and  was  over  the  northern  bound- 
ary of  Xew  Mexico,  and  would  so  centralize  business  centers,  calling  for 
another  removal  of  the  county  seat  of  Colfax  county.  As  before,  it  fell 
upon  M.  W.  Mills  to  head  the  proposition,  who  went  to  the  legislature, 
securing  the  removal  to  the  town  of  Springer.  At  this  time  Mills  was 
county  attorney,  and  a  little  later  district  attorney  for  Northern  Xew  Mex- 
ico. The  better  class  of  people  began  to  say  among  themselves,  and  to  con- 
gratulate themselves  that  the  days  of  mob  law  and  terrors  of  desperadoes 
were  things  of  the  past,  but  their  congratulations  came  quite  too  previous  as 
it  turned  out.  A  party  of  outlaws  got  together  under  the  leadership  of  a 
voung  cowboy  fellow,  by  the  name  of  Dick  Rogers,  a  party  of  thirty  or 
forty,  who  appropriated  to  themselves  about  what  they  wanted.  They  be- 
gan to  board  the  trains,  walking  back  and  forth  through  the  cars  with  their 
big  hats,  spurs,  chaparral,  pistols,  etc.,  alarming  the  passengers,  intimidat- 
ing the  people  again,  in  the  old  fashioned  way.  A  new  sheriff  had  been 
elected,  largely  by  efforts  of  M.  W.  Mills,  by  name  of  John  Hixenbaugh, 
and  a  militia  company  organized  under  the  leadership  of  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Matherson.  But  the  Dick  Rogers  gang  took  possession  of  them 
and  all  their  munitions  of  war  early  one  morning  when  first  starting  out, 
marching-  some  of  them  over  the  Raton  mountains  into  Colorado.    The  new 


688  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

sheriff  attempting  to  arrest  some  outlaws  had  got  shot,  and  his  principal 
under-sheriff,  Jesse  Lee,  after  the  militia  had  been  captured,  took  charge 
of  the  court  house  and  jail  at  Springer,  who  along  with  a  fellow  called 
Dirty  Dick  made  a  stand  against  the  Dick  Rogers  gang  of  outlaws  to  keep 
them  from  liberating  some  prisoners  they  wanted  in  jail.  At  that  time 
Rogers  with  a  party  of  thirty  or  forty  went  to  the  office  of  the  district  attor- 
ney and  demanded  of  him  that  the  prisoners  be  liberated.  Upon  being  re- 
fused they  gave  notice,  all  being  heavily  armed  and  equipped  for  warfare, 
that  unless  the  prisoners  should  be  turned  loose,  the  district  attorney  and 
other  officers  would  be  transformed  into  cold  corpses  before  morning.  The 
next  morning,  very  early,  an  attack  was  made  on  the  jail  by  Rogers'  party, 
who  were  repulsed  by  Jesse  Lee  and  his  comrade,  Dick  Rogers,  and  two 
others  shot  and  killed,  while  others  were  wounded  and  their  horses  shot 
from  under  them.  These  outlaws  had  many  friends  who  began  to  gather 
at  Springer  until  a  thousand  or  so  of  demonstrative,  threatening,  frenzied 
people  were  on  the  ground.  The  telegraph  office  was  surrounded,  so  that 
District  Attorney  Mills  could  not  wire  the  governor  at  Santa  Fe,  and  then 
Mills  took  his  private  conveyance,  ran  the  horses  twenty-five  miles  to  Wagon 
Mound,  telegraphing  to  Governor  Sheldon  at  Santa  Fe,  and  General  Pope 
at  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and  succeeded,  with  the  aid  of  Chas.  Dyer,  Santa 
Fe  Superintendent,  in  getting  United  States  soldiers  on  the  ground  before 
the  mob  reached  the  court  house  with  wagons  of  baled  hay  saturated  with 
coal  oil  to  fire  and  tumble  into  that  structure.  The  soldiers  took  the  under- 
sheriff  and  his  deputy  before  Chief  Justice  Axtel.  A  grand  jury  was  organ- 
ized, many  indictments  and  convictions  followed,  prosecuted  by  the  district 
attorney,  with  Jesse  Lee  and  his  companion  tried  and  turned  loose. 

Shortly  after  this  time,  Mr.  Mills  becoming  tired  of  this  strenuous 
life,  gave  up  for  the  most  part  his  practice  and  his  official  life,  devoting  him- 
self to  the  looking  after  a  lot  of  investments  in  ranches  and  other  enter- 
prises ;  principally  horse,  cattle,  and  fruit  ranches.  After  having  these 
properties  very  successfully  developed  into  a  paying  investment,  resort,  and 
retirement  places,  the  flood  of  1904  came,  sweeping  away  orchards,  ditches, 
fences,  buildings,  and  extensive  improvements  valued  at  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars — the  work  of  a  whole  life  time  swept  away, — and  now,  for 
the  most  part,  he  is  still  engaged  in  rebuilding  and  restoring  these  prop- 
erties. Mr.  Mills  was  married  in  1877 ;  not  having  any  children,  he  adopted 
four  as  his  own  children.  His  mother  and  wife  (Ella  E.  Mills)  are  still 
living,  his  father  having  died  in  1903. 

Louis  Garcia,  postmaster  of  Springer,  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico, 
was  born  seventy  miles  southeast  of  Albuquerque,  near  Manzano,  Septem- 
ber 25,  1873,  son  of  Juan  Garcia  and  Francisca  (Padilla)  de  Garcia.  His 
father,  a  minister  of  the  Spanish  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  for  many 
years  preached  on  the  circuit  embracing  Manzano  and  wielded  an  influence 
that  was  felt  for  good  far  and  wide  in  the  locality  in  which  he  labored. 
He  died  in  1897.  Mr.  Garcia's  mother  is  still  living.  He  has  three  brothers 
and  two  sisters,  all  married  and  living  in  New  Mexico. 

At  the  age  of  six  or  seven  years  Mr.  Garcia  came  to  live  with  his 
uncle.  Rev.  Benito  Garcia,  of  Ciruelita,  Mora  county.  New  Mexico,  the 
first  ordained  Spanish  Methodist  minister  in  the  world  so  far  as  we  know. 

Louis  Garcia  was  educated  in  the  Mission  school,  under  Mrs.  Thomas 
Harwood,   at  Tiptonville.   New   Mexico,   and   when   he  started   out  in   the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  689 

business  world  it  was  to  work  in  a  printing  office  at  Wagon  Mound,  the 
office  in  which  La  Flecha  (The  Arrow)  was  printed,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  W.  T.  Henderson.  The  publication  of  this  paper  has  been  dis- 
continued. After  remaining-  there  seven  or  eight  months,  young  Garcia 
worked  at  his  trade  on  other  papers,  among  them  El  Abogado  Cristnmo. 
published  at  Albuquerque,  Socorro  (  hicftain.  Raton  Range  and  Colfax 
County  Stockman.  He  was  employed  in  the  Raton  Range  for  about  ten 
years — Capt.  G.  W.  Collier  was  editor  of  the  paper  at  that  time — and  con- 
tinued thus  occupied  until  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Springer,  April 
18,  1903.  Springer  was  at  that  time  a  third-class  office.  July  14.  1905,  it  was 
recommissioned  as  a   fourth-class  office. 

Mr.  Garcia  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  served  as  inter- 
preter in  the  Republican  county  convention  of  Colfax  county. 

October  22,  1896,  he  married  Miss  Lucinda  Arellano,  at  Springer, 
New  Mexico,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Fabiola  Elminda,  living,  and 
a  son  and  daughter  dead.  They  are  members  of  the  Spanish  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Marion  Littrell,  sheriff  of  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  was  born  in 
Carroll  county.  Arkansas,  February  i.  1855,  son  °f  John  C.  and  Miranda 
(Howard)  Littrell.  About  1862  or  '63  the  family  moved  to  Missouri  and 
located  near  Springfield,  where  they  remained  until  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war,  when  they  returned  to  Arkansas.  Being  a  northern  sympathizer, 
John  C.  Littrell  suffered  on  account  of  numerous  depredations  in  Arkan- 
sas before  he  took  his  family  to  Missouri. 

His  father,  a  farmer,  Marion  Littrell,  early  became  familiar  with  all 
the  details  of  ranch  life.  From  1869  until  1873  ne  was  m  Texas,  the 
latter  part  of  that  time  on  a  cattle  ranch,  and  in  1873  he  came  to  New 
Mexico,  driving  a  herd  of  cattle  for  a  man  named  Cox,  and  that  yearspent 
some  time  on  the  Una  de  Gato  creek.  The  next  year  he  returned  to  Texas 
and  came  back  with  more  cattle,  and  continued  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Cox 
until  the  latter  moved  to  the  San  Juan  country,  about  1877.  In  the  mean- 
time young  Littrell  had  saved  his  earnings  and  invested  in  cattle,  accu- 
mulating a  nice  little  bunch.  The  next  two  or  three  years  he  worked. for 
Dr.  Wilson  L.  South  and  others.  About  1881  he  entered  the  employ  of 
the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company,  being  placed  in  charge  of  their  round- 
up outfit,  and  continued  thus  occupied  for  twelve  years.  During  this  time 
he  made  his  home  on  the  A^ermejo. 

In  1894  Mr  Littrell  was  elected  sheriff  of  Colfax  county,  at  the  end 
of  his  term  was  re-elected,  and  served  four  continuous  years  as  sheriff. 
Again,  in  the  fall  of  1902,  he  was  the  choice  for  sheriff,  and  was  again  re- 
elected at  the  end  of  his  term.  A  man  of  cool  nerve  and  daring  courage, 
as  sheriff  he  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place.  Between  his  official 
terms  Mr.  Littrell  was  engaged  in  stockraising  on  land  leased  of  the  Max- 
well Company,  which  he  finally  bought.  This  land,  9,000  acres  on  the 
Vermejo,  lie  sold  to  William  Rustin  in  August,  1903.  He  owns  real  es- 
tate in  Raton,  where  he  lives,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  this  place.  Formerly  he  was  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  old 
Citizens'  Bank,  which  he  helped  to  organize. 

Mr.  Littrell  has  always  been  a  Republican.  Fraternally  he  is  both  a 
Mason  and  an  Elk.     He  is  a  member  of  Gate  City  Lodge,  No.   11,  A.  F. 


690  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

&  A.  M.j  and  has  also  taken  the  chapter  degrees.  While  living  on  the 
Vermejo  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 

September  19,  1879,  Mr.  Littrell  married  Miss  Carrie  C.  Gale,  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  but  reared  in  Illinois,  and  they  have  five  children  living,  viz. : 
Violet  May,  wife  of  George  Warden,  a  merchant  of  Springer,  New  Mex- 
ico ;  and  Ollie,  Roy,  Carmelia  and  Mation,  at  home. 

William  Albert  Chapman,  county  surveyor  of  Colfax  county.  New 
Mexico,  was  born  in  Maiden,  Massachusetts,  June  2,  1861,  son  of  John 
W.  and  Agnes  (Allen)  Chapman.  His  father  was  killed  in  a  wreck  on 
the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern,  at  Angola,  New  York,  in  December, 
1868;  his  mother  died  October  1,  1867,  and  thus  at  an  early  age  William 
A.  was  left  to  the  care  of  a  guardian.  He  was  educated  in  Allen's  Eng- 
lish and  Classical  School  at  West  Newton,  Massachusetts,  and  at  High- 
land Military  Academy.  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  where  he  graduated. 
Afterward  he  attended  Croton  Military  Institute,  Croton,  New  York,  and 
the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology.  In  1883.  on  account  of  failing 
health  he  sought  a  change  of  climate  and  came  to  San  Marcial,  Xew  Mex- 
ico, where  he  remained  until  1887,  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  and 
where  he  was  si>  unfortunate  as  to  lose  everything  he  had.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Raton  and  worked  at  anything  he  could  get;  was  transit  man  for 
L.  S.  Preston,  surveyor  for  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Co.;  taught  school 
at  Catskill,  Elizabethtown  and  Ponil  Park  in  Moreno  Valley;  in  1898  was 
elected  county  superintendent  of  schools,  to  which  office  he  was  twice  re- 
elected, and  at  the  end  of  his  third  term  declined  renomination,  his  last 
term  ending  January,  1,  1904.  In  1900  he  was  president  of  the  Terri- 
torial Educational  Association.  He  was  elected  county  surveyor  in  the 
fall  of  1904.  Previous  to  this,  while  teaching,  in  1895,  he  filled  the  office 
of  count}'  survevor.  Since  January.  1905,  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board ;  is  also  a  member  of  the  examining  board  for  Colfax  county. 

Mr.  Chapman  has  been  a  Mason  since  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
in  New  Mexico,  having  received  the  degrees  in  Hiram  Lodge  No.  13  at 
San  Marcial;  is  now  a  member  of  Gate  City  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Raton 
Chapter  No.  6,  R.  A.  M..  and  Aztec  Commandery  No.  5.  He  was  first 
lieutenant  of  the  Third  Regiment  of  Cavalry.  New  Mexico  National 
Guards,  commissioned  October  29,  1887,  by  Governor  Ross,  and  served 
throughout  his  administration.  Politically  he  has  always  been  a  Demo- 
crat. At  the  spring  election  of  1906  he  was  elected  city  clerk  for  a  two- 
year  term,  and  in  May  of  the  same  vear  was  appointed  city  engineer  by 
"Mayor  McAuliffe. 

August  3.  1899,  Mr.  Chapman  married  Lottie  Manville,  a  native  of 
Bayard.   Iowa,   and   they  have  one   son,   Manville   Chapman. 

Manuel  M.  Salazar,  a  merchant  of  Springer,  was  born  in  Puertecito, 
San  Miguel  county.  New  Mexico,  December  10,  1854,  and  is  a  son  of 
Tomas  and  Margarita  (Sandoval)  Salazar.  Toribio  Salazar.  his  great- 
grandfather, was  married  to  Apolinaria  Gutierrez  (otherwise  known  as 
Na  Zarquita).  Thev  located  at  Puertecito,  San  Miguel  county,  now  Sena, 
in  1826  and  there  their  son,  Juan  Jose  Salazar.  was  married  to  Rita  Mar- 
tinez. She  was  the  daughter  of  Francisco  Martin,  a  son  of  Antonio  Mar- 
tin, who  married  Ana  Maria  Cruz.  Francisco  Martin  married  Marta 
Lucero  and  his  death  occurred  in  1863,  while  his  wife  died  in  1865.  They 
had   several   children,   including   Rita   Martinez,   who  became   the   wife  of 


yy%  ^Jtlyf^-^v^v^y^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  691 

Juan  Jose  Salazar.  His  death  occurred  in  1863,  while  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1868.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  different  form  of  spelling 
in  the  above  record  as  Martin  and  Martinez.  The  proper  surname  is  Mar- 
tinez, while  the  name  Martin  is  really  a  given  name,  but  the  Spanish  form 
has  frequently  been  dropped  for  the  English. 

In  research  amid  the  annals  of  the  maternal  ancestry  of  Manuel  M. 
Salazar  it  is  found  that  his  great-great-grandfather,  Miguel  (  Irtiz,  was 
married  to  Na  Juanica,  believed  to  have  been  Juana  Lopez.  They  only 
had  one  child,  Juan  Christobal  Ortiz,  who  died  at  Santa  Fe,  New  Mex- 
ico, in  1837.  He  was  married  to  Josefa  Lobato,  who  died  at  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico,  in  1825.  They  had  several  children,  including  Martina  Ortiz,  wdio 
was  married  to  Mateo  Sandoval,  who  was  born  in  1801  and  was  a  son  of 
Antonio  and  Marta  (Garcia)  Sandoval.  The  former  died  in  1842  and  the 
latter  in  1848.  Their  son  Mateo,  as  before  stated,  married  Martina  Ortiz. 
He  died  at  Santa  Fe  in  1861  and  was  buried  in  St.  Michael's  church  cem- 
etery, while  his  wife  died  at  Sweetwater,  Colfax  county.  New  Mexico,  in 
1889.  They  had  several  children,  including  Margarita  Sandoval,  who 
was  born  at  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  February  22.  1832.  She  gave  her 
hand  in  marriage  to  Tomas  Salazar  at  Mora,  New  Mexico,  in  November, 
1853.  and  their  only  child  is  the  subject  of  this  review.  Tomas  Salazar, 
who  was  born  November  21,  1832,  died  November  6,  1897,  and  is  still 
survived  by  his  widow,  who  has  reached  the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 
Tomas  Salazar  was  a  first  lieutenant  in  the  United  States  army,  holding  a 
commission  from  Miguel  Otero,  father  of  ex-governor  M.  A.  Otero,  then 
secretary  of  the  Territory.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Val  Verde. 
The  last  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  stock  raising  in  Sweetwater  valley. 

Manuel  M.  Salazar  remained  a  resident  of  San  Miguel  county  until 
twenty  years  of  age,  when  in  1874  he  went  to  Mora  county,  where  he  be- 
came a  teacher  in  the  Spanish  schools.  On  the  28th  of  February,  1878, 
he  removed  to  Rayado,  where  he  continued  to  teach  for  three  vears  and  was 
a  part  of  the  time  in  the  clerk's  office  at  Cimarron.  In  1881  he  went  to 
Springer  to  become  deputy  county  clerk  under  John  Lee"  and  in  1884  was 
chosen  by  popular  suffrage  to  the  office  of  county  clerk  of  Colfax  county, 
being  the  second  clerk  elected.  He  served  in  that  capacity  until  January 
1.  1895.  when  he  was  succeeded  by  A.  C.  Guiterrez.  Upon  the  expiration 
of  another  term  on  the  1st  of  January,  1897,  ^fr-  Salazar  was  again 
elected,  serving  until  January  I,  1899.  being  elected  in  1898  by  over  six 
hundred  majority.  On  account  of  the  contest  between  Springer  and 
Raton  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  Mr.  Salazar  was  summarilv  re- 
moved from  office  by  Governor  Otero,  which  was  a  strictly  partisan  meas- 
ure. In  1895  he  had  established  a  mercantile  business,  which  he  has  since 
conducted. 

On  the  27th  of  October,  1881,  Mr.  Salazar  was  married  to  Fannie 
Warder,  who  was  born  in  Golondrinas.  Mora  county  and  is  a  descendant 
of  the  old  and  prominent  Shotwell  family  of  Missouri.  Their  living  chil- 
dren are:  Thomas  A.,  Agnes,  Fannie,  Manuel,  Sophia,  Esther.  Rosa  and 
Eliodoro.  Mr.  Salazar  is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  church 
which  was  established  in  1881.  In  1895-6 'be  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  he  is  deeplv  interested  in  community  affairs,  co-operating  heart- 
ily and  zealously  in  many  movements  for  the  general  good. 

William  D.  Kershner,   interested  in  mining  operations  in  the  vicinity 


692  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  Raton,  where  he  makes  his  home,  was  born  in  Bond  county,  Illinois, 
and  became  a  resident  of  this  Territory  in  1883.  In  the  following  year  he 
secured  a  position  of  cow  puncher  on  the  Dorsey  ranch,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed until  1885.  He  was  working  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory 
during  the  Apache  Indian  war  and  in  1887  returned  to  Raton.  He  made 
three  trips  over  the  old  trail  from  Texas  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  for  the 
Ute  Cattle  Company  and  following  his  return  took  part  in  the  fight  at 
Stonewall,  concerning  the  Maxwell  land  grant.  In  1890  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company  as  special  officer  and  deputy 
sheriff  and  was  thus  engaged  until  1894  when,  in  connection  with  W.  E. 
Hughes,  he  established  a  saloon  in  Raton,  carrying  on  business  for  about 
eleven  years,  or  until  the  fall  of  1905,  when  he  sold  out.  He  is  now  inter- 
ested in  mining  on  Red  river.  Mr.  Kershner  has  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren and  belongs  to  Raton  Lodge  No.  815,  B.  P.  O.  E. 

Frank  Arnold  Hill,  postmaster  of  the  town  of  Raton,  was  born  in 
Livingston  county.  Missouri,  September  13,  1868,  son  of  Amos  L.  and 
Cordelia  (Arnold)  Hill.  He  remained  in  his  native  state  until  he  was 
seventeen,  when  he  went  to  Wyoming  as  a  cow  boy,  and  for  nearly  ten 
years  he  enjoyed  the  wild,  free  life  of  the  plains.  September  8,  1895.  he 
landed  in  Raton,  Xew  Mexico,  and  bought  H.  H.  Butler's  harness  shop. 
This  business  he  conducted  until  the  opening  of  the  Spanish-American  war, 
when,  April  29.  1898,  he  enlisted  at  Raton  for  the  war.  He  was  mus- 
tered in  at  Santa  Fe  on  May  2nd  of  that  year,  as  a  saddler  in  Troop  G, 
Rough  Riders,  under  Capt.  W.  H.  H.  Llewellyn.  They  sailed  from  Port 
Tampa  for  Cuba  on  the  Yucatan  June  13,  1898.  He  remained  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when,  in  September,  1898,  he  was  mus- 
tered out.  as  sergeant,  at  Camp  Wyckoff,  Long  Island,  Xew  York.  Among 
the  engagements  in  which  he  participated  were  the  fight  of  June  24th  at 
Las  Guasimas,  the  battles  of  Kettle  Hill  and  San  Juan  Hill,  July  1  to  4, 
and  the  surrender  on  July  17th.  He  was  with  the  soldiers  who  made  the 
voyage  to  Xew  York  on  the  steamer  Miami,  sailing  August  8th. 

From  Xew  York  Mr.  Hill  came  brick  to  Xew  Mexico.  He  sold  his 
business  in  Raton  and  soon  afterward  became  under  sheriff,  a  position  he 
filled  for  six  years,  until  he  was  commissioned  postmaster,  April  18,  1904, 
by  President  Roosevelt. 

For  years  Mr.  Hill  has  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs  in  his 
locality,  giving  his  stanch  support  always  to  the  Republican  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  Lodge  at  Las  Vegas. 

Mr.  Hill  was  married  October  7,  1903,  to  Miss  Amelia  C.  Weaver. 
3  native  of  Brooklyn,  Xew  York. 

Robert  Kruger,  city  marshal  of  Raton,  who  was  formerly  connected 
with  industrial  interests" of  the  city,  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1869.  He  was  for  eighteen  years  engaged 
in  general  merchandising  at  Mitchell.  Illinois,  where  he  conducted  a  good 
store,  and  later  he  carried  on  general  farming  in  York  county,  Xebraska. 
On  the  6th  of  January.  1896,  he  arrived  in  Raton,  where  he  had  charge 
of  the  throttle  and  steam  pipes  on  the  engines  in  the  Santa  Fe  railroad 
shops.  He  there  remained  for  four  years  and  was  recognized  as  a 
capable  employe  of  the  railroad  company.  In  April,  1899,  'le  was  aP" 
pointed  marshal  of  Raton  bv  Mayor  Shuler  and  has  filled  the  position 
continuously  since,  discharging  his  duties  without  fear  or  favor  and  with 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  693 

marked  promptness  and  fidelity.  He  has  also  been  street  commissioner 
and   sewer  inspector  and   was  elected  constable   for  three  different  terms. 

Mr.  Kruger  is  married  and  has  a  family  of  four  grown  children. 
He  is  a  member  of  Raton  Lodge  No.  865,  B.  P.  O.  E.  He  has  gained  a 
wide  and  favorable  acquaintance  during  the  ten  years  of  his  residence 
in   Raton   and  has  proved  a  very  capable  and  trustworthy  city   official. 

Josiah  A.  Rush,  proprietor  and  manager  of  the  Rush  Lumber  Com- 
pany, Raton,  Colfax  county,  became  a  resident  of  this  Territory  in  1887. 
That  year  he  located  at  Springer,  as  manager  for  Hughes  Brothers' 
Lumber  Company,  and  remained  there  until  the  fall  of  1890,  when  he 
came  to  Raton,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  continued  as 
manager  for  Hughes  Brothers  till  he  bought  them  out  in  1903,  since 
which  time  the  business  has  been  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Rush 
Lumber   Company. 

Mr.  Rush  is  a  native  of  McDonough  county,  Illinois,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  Aug.  6,  1858.  His  early  life  was  passed  on  a  farm  in  Illinois 
and  his  education  obtained  in  the  district  schools.  April  11,  1886,  the 
year  before  he  came  west,  he  married  Miss  Emma  Mitchell,  daughter  of 
Theophilus  and  Alpha  (Riggs)  Mitchell;  and  they  have  two  sons  and 
two  daughters,  namely.  Laura,  Roy,   Harry  and   Florence. 

Politically  Mr.  Rush  is  a  Democrat.  During  the  fifteen  years  he 
has  resided  in  Raton  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  best 
interests  of  the  city.  He  served  one  term  as  a  member  of  the  city  coun- 
cil, from  the  first  ward,  elected  on  the  citizens'  ticket,  and  in  1899  he  was 
a  member  of  the  school  board. 

For  nearly  twenty-five  years  William  F.  Degner  has  been  a  resident 
of  Xew  Afexico.  the  most  of  this  time  identified  with  Raton,  where  he 
has  acquired  valuable  property,  and  is  ranked  with  the  representative 
citizens  of  the  town.  He  was  born  in  Mecklenburg-Strelitz,  Germany, 
January  1,  1859,  and  in  his  native  land  spent  the  first  seven  years  of 
his  life.  Then  the  family  emigrated  to  America.  From  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  1881  he  came  to  New  Mexico,  locating  first  at  Springer.  Six 
months  later  he  came  to  Raton,  where  he  has,  since  that  date,  been  in 
business,  and  has  met  with  prosperity.  From  time  to  time  he  has  made 
valuable  investments,  including  much  city  property,  and  land  south  of 
Raton ;  and  he  is  a  director  and  stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Raton. 

For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Degner  has  been  an  active  member  of 
Raton  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F..  No.  8,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs; 
and  has  also  been  a  delegate  to  the  Grand  Lodge. 

A.  S.  Neff,  for  the  past  eight  years  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
at  Raton.  New  Mexico,  has  had  an  eventful  life  in  manv  respects.  Mr. 
Neff  was  born  in  Ohio.  July  11,  1844.  and  passed  his  boyhood  on  a  farm, 
receiving  his  education  in  the  district  schools.  At  the  time  the  Civil 
war  broke  out  he  was  a  youth  of  seventeen,  ambitious  and  patriotic,  and 
when  the  call  was  made  for  volunteers  he  was  not  slow  to  respond.  En- 
listing as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Seventh  Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry, 
he  served  until  the  close  of  his  term,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged. 
Afterward  he  re-enlisted,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  B,  Fortieth 
Iowa  Volunteer  Infantry,  the  fortunes,  of  which  he  shared  until  the 
close  of  the  war.      His  army   service  took  him  into  many   states,  on   hard 


604  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

marches  and  in  numerous  engagements,  among  them  being  the  Arkansas 
campaign.  Fort  Donelson,  Gainesville,  siege  of  Yicksburg  and  capture 
of  Little  Rock.  Three  times  he  was  wounded.  To  present  a  detailed 
record  of  his  army  life  would  be  to  write  a  history  that  would  cover 
many  pages  and  include  much  that  has  been  written  of  the  Civil  war. 
Suffice  it  to  say  in  this  connection,  that  Mr.  Neff  proved  himself  a  .brave, 
true  soldier  from  the  time  he  entered  the  ranks  until  he  received  his  final 
discharge  at  the  close  of  hostilities. 

Until  1873  Mr.  Xeff's  occupation  was  farming.  That  year  he  went 
overland  to  Arizona,  following  the  old  Dick  Wootton  trail,  and  for  seven 
years  he  was  a  prospector.  During  this  time  he  had  many  wild  and  in- 
teresting experiences.  In  1873,  while  on  a  trip  from  Amarron  to  Fort 
Wingate,  lie  ami  his  part)-  rode  with  guns  in  their  hands  as  protection 
against  the  roving  Indians.  The  authorities  at  the  fort  would  not  let 
them  proceed  from  that  point  without  an  escort.  As  a  result  of  his  pros- 
pecting, he  returned  to  Kansas  with  some  money,  and  there  he  again 
settled  down  on  a  farm;  but  on  account  of  bad  crops  and  bad  luck  he 
Inst  all  he  had  accumulated.  Afterward  he  assisted  in  building  the  first 
railroad  line  through  Indian  Territory;  in  1883.  as  a  grading  contractor, 
he  was  located  at  Catskill,  New  Mexico,  employed  on  a  branch  of  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad,  from  the  main  line  to  Catskill ;  next  was  engaged  in 
stock  raising,  in  Spring  Canyon,  near  Colfax.  New  Mexico,  and  not  far 
from  the  Colorado  line,  where  he  remained  three  years,  after  which  he 
sold  out  and  spent  the  next  two  years  in  the  same  business  in  Indian 
Territory,  also  doing  some  farming  at  the  latter  place.  He  returned  to 
New  Mexico  in  1894  and  located  at  Raton,  where  he  carried  on  freight- 
ing business  till  1897.  Since  the  latter  date  he  has  conducted  a  grocery 
business,  meeting  with  prosperity  here  and  acquiring  valuable  real  estate 
in    the   town. 

Mr.  Neff  is  a  member  of  the  Raton  Commercial  Club,  and  politically 
has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  married  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas, 
in  1865,  to  Miss  Sarah  C.  Wright,  and  they  have  four  children,  namely: 
Anne  E.,  wife  of  W.  P.  Graham,  of  Oklahoma ;  Wynona  Leona,  wife  of 
Abe.  Hipenbaugh,  of  Dawson,  New  Mexico ;  and  Arthur  S.  and  Wyatt 
T.,  both  of  Raton. 

S.  A.  Wiseman,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Raton,  whose  business 
activity  has  been  a  valued  factor  in  the  development  and  improvement  of 
this  city,  was  horn  in  Indiana.  February  24,  1859,  and  was  reared  to  farm 
life  in  Kansas.  He  began  contracting  in  Raton  in  1891,  in  which  year 
he  first  came  to  New  Mexico,  and  has  since  remained  in  this  city,  doing 
a  growing  and  profitable  business  as  a  stone  and  brick  contractor.  He 
is  the  owner  of  considerable  real  estate,  developing  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  city,  where  he  has  an  addition.  Through  his  efforts  unsightly 
vacancies  have  been  converted  into  fine  residence  property  and  he  is 
recognized  today  as  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  line  of  business  activity  in 
the  county.  Moreover,  he  is  interested  in  public  affairs  to  the  extent  of 
giving  helpful  co-operation  to  man)"  movements,  which  have  been  of 
direct  benefit  to  the  town  and  count)-. 

M.  R.  Mendelson.  a  representative  of  commercial  and  financial  in- 
terests in  Raton,  whose  business  interests  make  him  a  leading  citizen, 
was    horn    September    27,    1861,    in    Kletzew,    Poland.      He   was    educated 


ts.  e& 


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LOCAL  HISTORIES  695 

in  Posen,  Germany,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1884.  He  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  to  become  an  American  citizen  and  took  out  his  naturaliza- 
tion papers  at  the  first  possible  moment.  After  serving  a  three  years' 
apprenticeship  in  the  dry  goods  business  he  conducted  a  shoestore  in 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  for  one  year  and  on  selling  out  there  removed  to 
North  Dakota,  where  he  engaged  in  general  merchandising  for  two  years. 
He  afterward  traveled  through  the  Territory  for  ten  or  twelve  years, 
representing  the  house  of  Edson  Keith  &  Company,  of  Chicago.  He 
considers  New  Mexico  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  parts  of  the  United 
States,  for  during  his  entire  experience  as  a  traveling  salesman  in  this 
Territory  he  has  never  lost  a  dollar  in  doing  business.  Being  pleased  with 
Raton  and  its  future  prospects  he  located  here  August  14,  1896,  and 
established  the  firm  of  Newman  &  Mendelson.  dealers  in  general  mer- 
chandise. That  success  attended  their  efforts  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  in  August.  1901,  they  erected  a  commodius  building  in  which  to 
carry  on  their  large  and  growing  trade  and  in  1898  Mr.  Mendelson  ac- 
quired sole  ownership  of  the  business  which  he  is  now  conducting.  He 
was  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Citizens  National  Bank  of  Raton,  and  now 
holds  stock  in  the  First  National  Bank.  He  was  largely  financially  in- 
terested and  also  a  director  in  the  Raton  Building  &  Loan  Association  and 
he  does  an  extensive  city  real  estate  and  loan  business,  and  in  addition 
owns   four  hundred  acres  of  ranch   land  on  Sugarite  river. 

In  1890  Mr.  Mendelson  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  C.  Apple,  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Jacob  Apple,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and  their 
children  are  Margaret  and  Gertrude  Mendelson.  Mr.  Mendelson  belongs 
to  Harmony  Lodge  No.  6,  K.  P.,  and  to  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  Lodge 
No.  80.  His  faith  in  New  Mexico  has  been  justified  by  his  business  suc- 
cess which  has  resulted  from  close  application,  earnest  effort  and  sound 
judgment. 

M.  M.  Chase,  a  rancher  at  Cimarron,  Colfax  county,  was  born  in 
Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  October  8,  1842,  and  was  there  educated.  He 
started  west  in  1857  when  only  fifteen  years  of  age,  making  his  way  to 
California.  He  traveled  with  a  party,  but  the  Indians  captured  their  outfit 
and  only  nine  men  in  the  train  escaped.  There  were  thirty-seven  altogether 
in  the  party  who  traveled  westward  with  a  wagon  train  until  they  were  at- 
tacked by  Sioux  Indians.  The  survivors  of  the  party  managed  to  return 
to  the  states,  and  Mr.  Chase  lived  in  the  middle  west  until  i860,  when  he 
went  to  Colorado  and  engaged  in  the  meat  business.  He  first  made  his  wax- 
to  the  Gregory  diggings,  now  Central  City.  Colorado,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining  to  a  limited  extent,  but  in  1861  took  a  contract  for  furnishing 
beef  to  the  United  States  troops  and  removed  to  Denver,  where  he  con- 
tinued in  the  meat  business  until  his  arrival  in  New  Mexico  in  June.  1867, 
when  he  purchased  a  ranch  and  located  on  the  Vermejo  river.  Subse- 
quently he  sold  that  property  and  took  a  claim,  but  on  account  of  the  In- 
dians, who  rendered  life  and  property  insecure,  he  purchased  his  present 
place — the  old  Kit  Carson  homestead — in  1872. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Chase  had  been  married  in  1861,  at  Central  City, 
Colorado,  to  Miss  Theresa  M.  Wade.  After  the  removal  to  New  Mexico 
Mrs.  Giase  and  three  other  white  women  in  Colfax  and  Union  counties 
purchased  from  the  Maxwell  company  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
and  later  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres  more.     Mr.  Giase  engaged  in  the 


690  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

cattle  business  on  the  Vermejo,  where  he  continued  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  It  was  a  wild  country,  in  which  the  work  of  improvement  and 
development  had  scarcely  been  begun.  Among  his  neighbors  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hogue,  and  during  the  absence  of  the  husband  the  Indians  cap- 
tured the  wife.  Hastily  securing  the  assistance  of  the  settlers,  a  party 
started  in  pursuit,  but  their  horses  gave  out  before  they  had  come  up  with 
the  red  men.  Mr.  Hogue,  however,  insisted  on  going  on  and  at  length 
reached  Denver,  where  he  committed  suicide.  General  Custer,  however, 
captured  Mrs.  Hogue  and  returned  her  in  safetv  to  the  Southern  Hotel  in 
St.  Louis.  Mr.  Chase  is  very  familiar  with  the  history  of  pioneer  experi- 
ences in  this  part  of  the  country  and  relates  many  interesting  incidents  of 
the  early  days.  He  says  that  Si  Huff  was  the  first  man  to  drive  a  herd  of 
cattle  from  northwestern  Texas.  Mr.  Chase  went  to  Pecos  to  meet  Huff 
with  the  cattle,  and  on  returning  to  Las  Vegas  received  a  telegram  that  the 
Indians  had  surrounded  Cimarron  and  were  demanding  their  just  rations, 
which  had  been  stolen  by  the  commissary  department.  This  was  in  1876. 
Ir'vin,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  agency,  wired  the  family  in  town  to  go 
home  in  a  covered  wagon.  Thev  reached  the  Cimarron  hill  and  told  the 
Indians  that  supplies  would  be  run  out  according  to  their  demands.  The 
Utes  and  Apaches  were  the  Indians  who  lived  in  this  locality  and  they 
were  the  only  protection  from  hostile  tribes  who  resided  elsewhere. 

For  sometime  Mr.  Chase  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  found  it 
profitable,  and  he  also  gave  considerable  attention  to  the  sheep  industry, 
but  in  1901  sold  his  sheep  and  the  Horseshoe  ranch.  In  1873  he  planted 
an  orchard,  setting  out  at  first  two  hundred  and  fifty  trees.  He  afterward 
enlarged  his  orchards  until  he  had  seventy-six  acres  in  fruit,  mostly  apples 
and  pears,  and  the  average  crops  amounted  to  five  hundred  thousand  pounds 
yearly.  He  also  placed  five  hundred  acres  of  land  under  irrigation  and 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  oats,  alfalfa  and  barley.  All  through  the  years 
he  continued  actively  in  the  cattle  business  and  was  connected  with  the  first 
cattle  company,  known  as  the  Cimarron  Cattle  Company. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Airs.  Chase  were  born  the  following  sons  and  daughters : 
Lottie,  the  deceased  wife  of  Charles  Springer ;  Nason  G. :  Laura,  the  wife 
of  Dr.  C.  B  Kohlhausen ;  Ida,  the  wife  of  H.  P.  England;  Mary,  the  sec- 
ond wife  of  Charles  Springer ;  and  Stanley  M.  In  former  years  Mr.  Chase 
was  a  Mason  and  acted  as  master  of  Cimarron  lodge.  In  politics  he  was 
an  active  but  independent  voter.  He  is  well  known  as  a  prominent  pioneer 
resident  of  the  Territory,  his  identification  with  its  interests  dating  back 
to  a  very  early  period  in  its  progress.  His  mind  bears  the  impress  of  the 
early  and  picturesque  times  when  the  red  men  rode  over  the  prairies  and 
across  the  ranges,  stealing:  cattle  and  other  stock  and  rendering  life  inse- 
cure. On  the°  other  hand  the  pioneers  displayed  great  personal  courage 
and  bravery  in  defending  their  interests  and  the  warfare  was  one  between 
barbarism  and  civilization,  in  which  the  latter  has  eventually  come  off  con- 
querer  in  the  strife. 

Henry  Lambert,  of  Cimarron,  Colfax  county,  was  born  in  France, 
October  28.  1838,  and  when  twelve  years  of  age  ran  away  from  home,  after 
which  he  learned  cooking  at  Havre.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1 861,  deserting  from  a  French  sailing  vessel.  For  a  year  he  was  employed 
in  working  on  a  submarine  boat  in  Pennsylvania,  and  thence  sailed  on  a 
packet  ship  to  Liverpool,  but  returned  after  three  months.     He  afterward 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  697 

became  a  member  of  the  northern  navy  as  captain's  steward.  When  he 
had  beer,  employed  in  that  way  for  three  months  he  deserted  and  went  to 
Montevideo,  South  America.  He  traveled  for  some  time  on  that  conti- 
nent, acting  as  cook  with  a  circus,  but  returning  to  the  coast  he  shipped  to 
Portland,  Maine,  thence  went  to  New  York  and  afterward  to  Washington, 
D.  C.  He  spent  two  months  in  the  capital  city  cooking  for  the  Fifth  Army 
Corps,  and  for  one  month  he  cooked  for  General  Grant.  Later  he  went  to 
North  Carolina,  but  returned  to  the  army  as  cook  for  the  Fifth  Corps  under 
General  Warren.  He  afterward  conducted  a  restaurant  in  Petersburg, 
Virginia,  after  which  he  came  to  the  southwest,  arriving  in  New  Mexico 
in  May,  1868.  He  located  first  at  Elizabethtown  because  of  the  gold  ex- 
citement and  spent  six  months  in  placer  mining.  He  conducted  the  second 
hotel  in  the  town,  remaining  its  proprietor  until  1871,  and  in  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  went  to  Cimarron,  where  he  purchased  a  place  from  Grant. 
In  1880  he  built  the  St.  James  Hotel,  which  he  completed  in  1882.  and  has 
since  been  its  proprietor.  He  also  owns  an  old  ranch  on  Ute  Creek  of 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  on  which  he  raised  cattle  for  a  number  of 
years,  beginning  in  1890.  He  also  owns  mining  property  in  the  Cimarron 
district.  He  has  been  identified  with  many  important  events  which  are 
epochal  in  the  history  of  his  section  of  New  Mexico.  He  caught  the  des- 
peradoes, Mills  and  Donoghue,  in  his  house.  Ponchoe's  nephew,  who  car- 
ried the  mail,  was  hanged  until  told  who  paid  the  money,  and  said  that 
Mills,  Donoghue  and  Longwell  were  the  culprits,  while  a  big  Mexican  did 
the  shooting.  They  caught  him  in  Taos,  but  the  trial  was  never  com- 
pleted. 

In  1868  Mr.  Lambert  was  joined  in  wedlock  at  Petersburg,  Virginia, 
to  Miss  Schmidt,  who  died  in  1882.  Mr.  Lambert  was  again  married  in 
1883  to  Miss  Mary  Davis,  at  Liberty,  Missouri,  and  their  children  are: 
William,  now  at  Dawson:  Frank.  Fred.  Eugene,  and  John,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years. 

Thomas  Clouser.  of  Elizabethtown.  Xew  Mexico,  who  for  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  has  been  a  mining  prospector  of  this  part  of  the  territory,  was 
born  in  Bloomfield.  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania,  about  twenty-eight  miles 
from  Harrisburg,  March  7.  1845.  ar>d  was  reared  on  his  grandfather's  farm. 
He  was  a  youth  of  seventeen  years,  when,  in  June,  1852,  he  enlisted  for 
nine  months'  service  in  the  Union  Army  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-third  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Antietam.  Fredericksburg.  Chancellorsviile  and  others  of  minor  importance. 
After  a  few  months  spent  at  home,  following  the  expiration  of  his  first 
term,  he  re-enlisted,  in  January,  1864,  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
third  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  did  detached  service  until  honorably  dis- 
charged, in  Philadelphia.  August  28.  1865.  the  war  having  ended. 

Returning  home  Mr.  Clouser  became  imbued  with  a  desire  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  west,  and  with  a  friend  left  Harrisburg  April  13,  1866,  for 
Leavenworth.  Kansas,  intending  to  go  to  Montana,  but  instead  went  to 
Tunction  City  and  accompanied  one  of  Ben  Holliday's  ox-trains  to  Denver, 
driving  a  team  in  order  to  pay  his  way.  In  the  spring  of  1868.  he  started 
for  Elizabethtown,  New  Mexico,  arriving  at  Cimarron  late  in  April,  and 
two  weeks  later  reaching  his  destination.  Since  then  he  has  remained  in 
this  vicinitv.  making  Elizabethtown  his  home.  He  worked  in  a  sawmill 
from  May  until  September,  and  then  spent  some  time  prospecting  in  the 


698  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

mountains.  Several  lumber  mills  were  in  operation  in  northeastern  New 
Mexico  at  that  time,  and  he  worked  in  the  Hibbard  lumber  camps  for  a 
while.  In  the  spring  of  1869  he  returned  to  Elizabethtown,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  worked  in  the  shoeshop  of  Mr.  Salisbury,  whom  he  then 
bought  out.  continuing  in  the  business  for  several  years.  He  then  sold  the 
business,  but  later  purchased  it  again.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Silver 
City,  and  upon  his  return  to  Elizabethtown  opened  a  shoeshop,  which  he 
conducted  for  three  or  four  years.  He  has  since  engaged  in  prospecting. 
Frederick  Rohr,  for  more  than  two  decades  a  resident  of  Raton,  all 
this  time  engaged  in  the  butcher  business,  is  one  of  the  well  known  citizens 
.if  the  town.  Mr.  Rohr  is  a  German.  He  was  born  in  Lichtenau.  county 
Kehl,  Baden,  Germany.  March  23.  1863,  and  spent  his  youthful  days  at- 
tending school  in  the  old  country.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1878, 
locating  first  in  Auglaize  countv.  Ohio.  In  1882  he  came  to  New  Mexico, 
and  at  Raton  entered  the  employ  of  Williams  &  Fitch,  butchers,  for 
whom  he  worked  two  years.  The  next  year  he  had  a  meat  market  of  his 
own  at  Blossburg,  New  Mexico.  In  18R5  he  returned  to  Raton  and  formed 
a  partnership  with  W.  F.  Degner,  in  the  butcher  business,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Degner  &  Rohr.  which  continued  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  Mr.  Rohr  purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner,  and  has  since 
conducted  the  business  in  his  own  name,  keeping  a  first  class  meat  market, 
up-to-date  in  every  respect.  At  different  times  he  has  invested  in  real 
estate  in  Raton  and  is  today  the  owner  of  much  valuable  city  property. 

For  years  Mr.  Rohr  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  Masonry.  He  is 
a  member  of  Gate  City  Lodge  No.  11,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  he  has 
the  honor  to  be  a  past  master.  Also  he  is  a  Knight  Templar.  Mr.  Rohr 
married,  April  28.  1886,  Miss  Magdelena  Shulemeister,  and  to  them  have 
been  given  seven  children,  namely :  Charles  M.,  Frederick  C,  Christine. 
William,  John,  Sophia  and  Lena. 

David  Howarth.  a  rancher  of  Raton.  Colfax  county,  was  born  in  Meigs 
county,  Ohio.  Januarv  27.  1846.  and  after  acquiring  a  public  school  edu- 
cation was  engaged  in  coal  mining  in  Illinois  until  1864,  when  he  went 
to  Colorado  on  a  prospecting  tour.  He  engaged  in  mining  in  that  state 
until  1876,  when  he  went  to  the  Flack  Hills  just  after  the  Custer  massacre. 
There  he  was  engaged  in  mining  gold  for  a  time,  but  returned  later  to 
Colorado  and  in  1880  came  to  New  Mexico,  settling  first  at  Blossburg. 
After  three  weeks  there  passed,  however,  he  continued  southward  in  the 
Territory  to  Silver  City  on  a  prospecting  trip.  In  1882  he  returned  to 
Blossburg  and  was  employed  in  the  coal  mines  until  he  returned  to  the 
east.  After  a  summer  passed  elsewhere,  however,  he  again  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  1886  and  worked  through  the  four  succeeding-  years  in  the 
mines.  He  then  established  a  merchandise  business  in  Blossburg.  which 
he  conducted  ten  years,  after  which  he  sold  out  to  the  Maxwell  Land 
Grant  Company,  and  purchased  a  ranch  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast 
of  Raton  comprising  six  hundred  and  thirtv-eight  acres.  He  has  eighty 
acres  under  irrigation  and  finds  that  the  soil  is  very  productive.  He  also 
raises  some  cattle  and  horses. 

Mr.  Howarth  was  married  in  Blossburg  in  1888  to  Miss  Annie  Pieper, 
of  Kentucky,  and  their  children  are:  Fred.  Barbara.  Anna,  Emma,  Evelyn 
and  a  baby.  Mr.  Howarth  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Cassville  (Kentucky) 
Lodge  No.  168,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  his  military  experience  covers  a  serv- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  «99 

ice  with  Company  K  of  the  Eighth  Missouri  Infantry  of  the  Confederate 
army  in  the  Civil  war. 

Charles  Rohr,  proprietor  of  a  meat  market  at  Raton,  Colfax  county, 
lias  in  his  make-up  the  characteristics  which  have  insured  success  to  so 
many  of  his  countrymen  in  America.  Mr.  Rohr  was  born  in  Baden,  Ger- 
many, October  30,  1869,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  land.  In  April,  1887,  he  came  to  New  York,  and  four  months 
later  continued  his  way  westward  to  Raton,  New  Mexico,  where  his  older 
brother  had  already  located  and  was  engaged  in  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Degner  &  Rohr,  butchers.  Charles  entered  their  employ  and 
learned  the  trade,  and  remained  here  thus  occupied  until  1890.  That  year 
he  went  to  Blossburg,  New  Mexico,  and  started  a  shop  of  his  own,  which 
he  ran  for  three  years.  Then  he  returned  to  Raton  and  soon  afterward 
went  back  to  Germany,  spending  six  months  on  a  visit  to  his  old  home 
and  other  European  points.  Coming  back  to  America  and  to  New  Mexico, 
he  worked  as  butcher  for  the  Raton  Coal  &  Coke  Co.,  at  Blossburg.  Later 
he  spent  three  years  in  Kansas.  February  17.  1900.  he  again  landed  in 
Raton,  this  time  to  locate  here  permanently,  and  he  at  once  established 
himself  in  the  butcher  business,  in  which  he  has  been  successful  from  the 
start  and  which  he  has  continued  up  to  the  present  time. 

In  1896  Mr.  Rohr  married  Miss  Carla  A.  Shulemeister  of  Blossburg. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  in  the  birth  of  three  children :  George, 
Elsie  and  Elfreida.  Mr.  Rohr  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  an  Elk.  having 
membership  in  Harmonv  Lodge  No.  6,  K.  of  P..  and  Raton  Lodge  No. 
865,  B.  P.  O.  E. 

R.  L.  Pooler,  who  has  been  identified  with  many  exciting  epochal 
events  in  the  history  of  New  Mexico  and  is  well  known  as  a  pioneer  and 
Indian  fighter,  now  makes  his  home  in  Gardiner,  Colfax  county.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1836  and  was  reared  to  farming,  but  finding  that  pursuit 
uncongenial  he  turned  his  attention  to  railroading.  In  1859  he  went  to 
Colorado,  attracted  by  the  discoveries  of  gold  on  Pike's  Peak,  and  when 
he  found  that  he  could  not,  as  he  had  anticipated,  rapidly  realize  a  fortune 
there  he  continued  on  his  westward  way  to  Virginia  City,  Nevada,  where 
he  arrived  soon  after  the  famous  Comstock  vein  was  opened.  He  had  many 
trying,  exciting  and  dangerous  experiences  with  the  Indians,  and  the  tales, 
which  to  the  later-day  reader  seem  wildly  improbable,  were  to  him  mat- 
ters of  actual  experience.  In  1850  he  was  wintering  at  Genoa  and  carry- 
ing the  mail  six  hundred  miles  from  Salt  Lake  to  Carson  City,  Nevada, 
for  it  was  an  era  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Pony  Express.  He  was  thus 
engaged  on  the  Major  &  Russell  contract.  One  of  the  most  difficult  Indian 
experiences  which  he  ever  had  was  at  Pyramid  Lake,  Nevada,  in  i860. 
The  Pony  Express  had  just  been  established  when  the  Indians  went  upon 
the  warpath  and  desolation  followed  in  their  wake  at  Williams  Station, 
where  they  killed  four  men  and  ran  off  six  hundred  head  of  stock.  A 
company  of  one  hundred  men  were  raised  and  started  in  pursuit  with 
Major  Ownesby  of  Canyon  Citv  in  command.  On  the  12th  of  May  they 
encountered  a  band  of  between  twelve  and  fifteen  hundred  Indians.  The 
Americans  charged  and  the  Indians  retreated  into  some  timber,  the  white 
men  following,  and  sixty-five  of  the  one  hundred  were  there  killed  in  the 
forest.  Ownesby  tried  to  gather  the  few  survivors  together  to  make  a 
stand  but  this  could  not  be  done  and  the  only  hope  for  the  living  was  to 


700  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

escape  on  their  own  resources  by  retreating.  Mr.  Pooler,  after  many 
hair-breadth  escapes,  succeeded  in  getting  through  the  surrounding  hordes 
and  making  his  way  into  the  mountains,  whence  he  returned  to  Carson 
City,  Nevada.  Major  Ownesby  was  killed  in  the  retreat.  It  was  never 
definitely  known  how  many  were  killed,  but  this  was  one  of  the  tragic 
events  in  the  history  of  the  west,  resulting  in  great  slaughter.  Air.  Pooler 
also  had  many  other  encounters  with  the  Indians  in  Nevada  and  other 
sections  of  the  west,  but  lived  to  become  a  pioneer  of  New  Mexico  and 
leave  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  the  early  development  and 
substantial  progress  of  the  Territory.  For  some  time  he  acted  as  a  scout 
under  Captain  Payne  in  Nevada  in  the  vicinity  of  Kings  and  Queens  rivers 
and  was  thus  engaged  in  extremely  difficult  and  arduous  warfare,  which 
involved  hardships  and  dangers  unknown  to  the  soldier  who  can  meet  his 
foe  in  open  fight. 

Mr.  Pooler  was  married  in  i86q  to  a  Mrs.  Coe,  of  Nevada,  and  has 
a  daughter,  Cora,  now  the  wife  of  Frank  Hadden,  of  Catskill.  In  1867 
he  located  at  Stonewall,  Colorado,  bought  a  ranch  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  cattle  business,  being  thus  en- 
gaged for  many  years  thereafter.  In  1885  or  1886.  during  the  famous 
trouble  with  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  people  and  the  settlers,  he  sold  out 
to  the  grant  and  subsequently  purchased  a  hay  ranch  of  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  the  grant  adjoining  the  old  place.  Seven  or  eight  years 
passed  and  he  then  disposed  of  the  ranch  and  his  cattle.  In  the  spring 
of  1902  he  came  to  Gardiner  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Raton  Coal  & 
Coke  Company,  which  he  still  represents.  He  is  also  raising  some  cattle 
in  the  Black  Lake  region  and  has  extensive  gold  and  silver  mining  prop- 
erty on  Bitter  Creek,  four  miles  above  Red  River  city.  He  belongs  to 
that  class  of  representative  pioneer  men  to  whom  civilization  will  ever 
owe  a  debt  of  gratitude,  for  they  blazed  the  wav  into  the  forests  and  made 
the  first  paths  over  the  wild  prairies,  leaving  in  their  wake  the  evidence 
of  civilization  and  making  possible  permanent  and  safe  settlement  for 
others. 

John  C.  Taylor,  a  rancher,  and  discoverer  of  the  Aztec  Mineral  Spring 
at  Taylor,  Colfax  county.  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Elgin.  Illinois,  June 
15,  1854,  son  of  James  S.  and  Abigail  (Colby)  Taylor.  At  the  age  of 
seven  years  he  moved  with  his  parents  from  Illinois  to  Nebraska,  where 
they  made  their  home  until  1866,  when  the  family  again  started  westward, 
Denver,  Colorado,  being  their  objective  point.  From  Denver  they  went 
to  Colorado  Springs,  where  the  father  engaged  in  stock  ranching.  John  C. 
remained  in  Colorado  until  1880.  That  year  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and 
purchased  the  ranch  on  which  he  now  lives,  from  the  Maxwell  Land 
Grant  Company,  and  here  he  has  since  been  in  the  cattle  business.  Since 
the  discovery  of  the  Aztec  spring  he  has  been  giving  some  of  his  time  to 
the  water  business,  intending  soon  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  it. 
Description  of  this  spring  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Mr.  Tavlor  is  a  Republican.  In  moo  he  was  elected  on  the  Repub- 
lican ticket  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner  of  Colfax  county  for  a 
term  of  two  years;  was  re-elected  in  1002,  and  again  in  1904.  the  last  time 
for  four  rears,  the  term  of  office  having  been  extended  to  that  length  of 
time.  A  public-spirited  citizen,  with  the  best  interests  of  the  county  at 
heart,  as  county  commissioner  he  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ™1 

Fraternally  Mr.  Taylor  is  an  Elk  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He  was 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  B.  P.  O.  E.  in  Las  Vegas  Lodge  No. 
408,  and  is  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Elks'  organization  at  Raton. 
His  membership  in  the  K.  of  P.  is  at  Springer.  February  5,  1885,  Mr. 
Taylor  married  Miss  Ella  Black,  a  native  of  Oakland,  Cole  county,  Illi- 
nois.    They  have  four  children:     Ethel,  Jacob.   Nellie  and  Ruby. 

George  Gratton  King,  manager  of  the  Aztec  Mineral  Water  Com- 
pany ( incorporated ) .  Tavlor.  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  was  born  in 
Emporia,  Kansas.  November  22,  1874.  son  of  Patrick  and  Catherine  (Sul- 
livan) King,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  Kansas.  In  1891,  while 
yet  in  his  teens,  he  engaged  in  railroad  contract  work,  as  a  member  of  the 
Chase  County  Stone  Company,  at  Cottonwood  Falls,  Kansas,  and  that 
same  year  came  to  New  Mexico  to  build  the  abutments  and  bridges  at 
Cerrillos.  He  was  also  engaged  in  similar  work  at  Las  Vegas,  and  on  the 
Santa  Fe  Railway  between  Kansas  City  and  Albuquerque,  and  at  the  quarry 
at  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs.  Afterward  he  was  interested  in  general  con- 
tracting. He  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  business,  which  is  now  in 
charge  of  his  brother,  E.  E.  Kins". 

In  February,  1905,  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  J.  C.  Taylor, 
of  Taylor  Springs.  New  Mexico,  and  incorporated  the  Aztec  Mineral 
Water  Co.  The  Aztec  mineral  water  is  obtained  from  the  Aztec  Spring 
located  six  miles  east  of  Springer,  in  Colfax  county,  and  the  business,  al- 
though a  new  one,  promises  to  be  successful.  Mr.  King  is  devoting  his 
entire  attention  to  it. 

In  June,  1897,  Mr.  King  married  Anneta  Carter,  and  they  have  two 
children,  John,  born  March   17,  1898,  and  Villar,  May  9,  1899. 

John  Utton,  postmaster  of  Bell,  Colfax  county.  New  Mexico,  has 
been  identified  with  this  localitv  for  a  period  of  twenty  years.  Mr.  Utton 
is  an  Englishman  by  birth.  He  was  born  in  Oxfordshire,  April  23,  1857, 
and  spent  the  first  twentv-two  years  of  his  life  in  his  native  countrv.  In 
1879  he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  that  year  located  near  Pittsburg, 
where  he  engaged  in  coal  mining  for  three  years.  In  1882  he  returned  to 
England,  but  after  eighteen  months  he  came  back  to  America  and  again 
sought  the  mines  in  Pennsylvania.  Six  months  later  we  find  him  in  Pana, 
Illinois.  The  next  two  years  he  spent  there  and  in  various  other  places, 
and  finally,  in  1886,  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  Here  for  six  months  he 
worked  in  the  mines  of  Blossburg.  Then  he  took  claim  to  a  tract  of  land 
on  Johnson's  mesa,  and  for  several  years  devoted  his  summers  to  the 
improvement  and  cultivation  of  his  land,  and  the  winter  months  he  spent 
in  Blossburg  mines.  With  the  exception  of  three  months  in  1894,  when 
he  was  in  Utah,  Mr.  Utton  has  continued  to  reside  on  his  homestead, 
which  now  comprises  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  on 
which  he  raises  a  variety  of  crops,  chiefly  oats,  wheat,  barley  and  potatoes. 
Also  he  has  a  small  general  store,  the  only  one  on  the  mesa,  in  connection 
with  which  he  keeps  the  postoffice,  he  having  been  appointed  postmaster 
of  Bell  in  1903. 

Politically  Mr.  Utton  is  a  Republican.  He  was  initiated  into  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  order  while  at  Blossburg,  and  now  has 
membership  in  the  lodge  at  Raton.  June  19,  1901.  he  married  Miss  Lulu 
T.  English,   daughter  of  C.  A.   English,   an   old   settler  of  the   mesa,   and 


702  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

they  have  two  children,  Thomas  Clyde  and  Annie  Clair.  Mrs.  Utton  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

John  Henry  Towndrow,  for  twenty  years  a  rancher  on  Johnson's 
mesa,  in  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  is  an  Englishman.  He  was  born 
in  Derbyshire,  England,  March  19,  1852,  and  may  be  said  to  have  been 
reared  in  the  mines,  as  he  was  put  to  work  there  before  he  was  eight  years 
old.  He  continued  mining  in  England  until  1878,  when  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica. His  first  work  in  this  country  was  in  the  coal  mines  at  Brazil,  Indi- 
ana, where  he  spent  two  months.  Coming  west  to  Colorado,  he  was 
eight  months  in  the  mines  of  Trinidad,  after  which  he  returned  to  Indiana 
and  resumed  work  in  the  Brazil  mines,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
Then  again  we  find  him  at  Trinidad,  and  from  that  place,  in  June,  1882, 
he  came  to  Blossburg.  New  Mexico.  Here  he  mined  four  years.  In 
June,  1886,  he  pre-empted  a  claim  of  160  acres  and  tree-claimed  another 
160  acres.  That  year  he  built  a  small  house  and  put  up  sixty  tons  of 
wild  hay.  Then  he  continued  mining  for  a  time,  going  once  a  week  to 
the  ranch.  In  1887  he  enlarged  and  improved  the  house  and  moved  his 
family  here,  and  from  that  time  forward  the  work  of  improving  and  add- 
ing to  his  original  holdings  has  been  carried  forward  until  now  Mr.  Town- 
drow has  1,400  acres,  and  his  sons  have  land  as  follows:  Arthur,  640 
acres;  Henry,  160;  George,  160;  William,  160;  Richard,  160;  Herbert, 
160.  His  first  crops  were  oats  and  wheat,  and  later  potatoes,  and  of  recent 
years,  while  they  raise  a  variety  of  crops,  he  and  his  sons  have  been  giving 
their  chief  attention  to  dairying.  In  a  single  year  he  has  sold  $800  worth 
of  butter,  the  average  price  being  twenty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per 
pound. 

Having  brought  his  family  to  this  new  home,  Mr.  Towndrow's  next 
care  was  to  secure  a  school  here  for  his  children,  and  in  1889,  largely 
through  his  efforts,  a  schoolhouse  was  built  on  the  mesa.  Politically  he  is 
a  Republican ;  fraternally,  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  K.  of  P.  lodge  at  Raton,  but  now  has  his  membership  at  Bloss- 
burg. November  28,  1869,  Mr.  Towndrow  married  Miss  Emma  Treese, 
who  proved  herself  a  worthy  helpmate  and  shared  the  joys  and  sorrows 
of  life  with  him  for  nearly  three  decades,  until  she  was  called  home.  July 
21,  1897.  Their  children  are:  Arthur,  Henry,  Joseph,  George,  William, 
Herbert,  John  Richard,  Mary  and  Isabella.  The  last  named  is  the  wife 
of  William  Nisch. 

John  R. .  Belisle,  a  farmer  on  Johnson's  mesa,  Colfax  county.  New 
Mexico,  his  postofnce  address  being  Bell,  dates  his  birth  in  Bates  county, 
Missouri,  December  27,  1868.  He  is  a  son  of  William  and  Millie  Par- 
thenia  (McClain)  Belisle.  farmers,  and  was  reared  in  Bates  and  St.  Clair 
counties.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  came  west  to  New  Mexico, 
landing  here  in  August,  1800.  The  next  year  he  was  followed  by  his 
brother,   Marion   W.,   and  subsequently  by  his  other  six  brothers. 

On  his  arrival  in  Colfax  countv,  John  R.  Belisle  was  employed  on 
the  mesa  by  A.  L.  Bell,  and  while  thus  occupied  he  took  claim  to  a  tract 
of  government  land,  which  he  "proved  up,"  and  which  he  traded,  in  No- 
vember, 1900,  for  his  present  farm,  a  tract  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres.  On  this  place  at  the  time  he  came  into  possession,  a  house  had  been 
built  and  some  other  improvements  made.  He  is  continuing  the  work  of 
improvement  and  devoting  his  broad  acres  to  general   farming  and  stock 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  7°3 

raising,  with  the  success  which  his  well  directed  efforts  merit.  Polit- 
ically Mr.  Belisle  has  always  been  a  Democrat.  He  served  one  term  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board,  District  No.  5.  September  24,  1893,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Rosa  E.  Dale,  daughter  of  J.  P.  Dale,  who  came  to  this  Terri- 
tory the  year  before  Mr.  Belisle  located  here.  Three  children  are  the 
fruits  of  their  union,  namely:     Willie,  Mary  and  John. 

George  Honevfield,  the  owner  of  a  ranch  on  Johnson's  mesa,  his  post- 
office  being  Bell,  in  Colfax  county,  was  born  in  Dorsetshire,  England,  in 
1841,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1862,  locating  at  Johnstown,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines.  He  was  also  similarly  em- 
ployed in  Allegheny,  Armstrong  and  Venango  counties,  and  in  1871  re- 
moved to  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  and  mining 
and  also  worked  at  the  mason's  and  plasterer's  trades.  In  1887  he  re- 
moved to  Blossburg,  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  and  a  few  months  later 
took  up  a  claim  on  Johnson's  mesa,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  men  to  make  a  permanent  location  there,  and  put  in  his  first 
crops  in  1886.  He  has  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  agricultural 
progress  and  now  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  planted  to  grain  and 
potatoes.  His  political  support  is  given  the  Republican  party,  but  he  has 
never  sought  office. 

In  1864  Mr.  Honevfield  was  married  to  Rebecca  Saville,  of-  Armstrong 
county,  Pennsylvania.  They  have  reared  eight  children :  Charles,  of 
Raton,  New  Mexico;  William  and  John,  who  are  living  on  the  mesa;  Mark, 
also  of  Raton ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Henry  Windier,  of  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton;  Eliza,  the  wife  of  D.  L.  Strine,  of  California;  Liney,  deceased  wife  of 
Alexander  Heck,  of  Raton ;  and  Lizzie,  the  wife  of  Irving  Shirley,  living 
on  the  mesa. 

London  D.  Moore,  a  rancher  residing  eleven  miles  southeast  of  Raton, 
New  Mexico,  has  been  a  resident  of  this  Territory  for  over  twenty-five 
years.  Mr.  Moore  is  a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  was  born  near  Jonesboro, 
that  state,  in  1857,  an(^  there  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood.  In  1879, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  came  west  to  try  his  fortune  on  the 
frontier,  and  here  for  fifteen  years  he  was  employed  as  a  cow  puncher. 
About  1 88 1  he  was  for  a  year  in  the  employ  of  Hon.  O.  A.  Hadley,  on 
Eagle  Tail  ranch.  In  i8qq  he  took  a  homestead  claim  and  previous  to  that 
time  bought  a  piece  of  land  from  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company.  Al- 
together he  now  has  about  ten  thousand  acres  of  land,  where  he  lives. 
January  6,  1887,  Mr.  Moore  married  Miss  Cora  Gillespie,  also  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Minnie  J., 
Walter  W.,  Ernest  L.,  and  an  infant  at  this  writing  unnamed. 

John  Barkely  Dawson,  a  rancher  and  cattleman,  formerly  of  Colfax 
county,  New  Mexico,  but  now  living  in  Colorado,  was  born  in  Bourbon 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1831.  He  passed  through  this  Territory  in  1853  en 
route  to  California,  attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
He  spent  the  winter  of  1859  in  New  Mexico  and  drove  cattle  through  the 
Territory  from  Texas  to  Colorado  until  1867,  when  he  located  in  Colfax 
county,  on  the  Vermejo  Creek.  He  purchased  from  the  Maxwell  Land 
Grant  Company  twenty-three  thousand  acres  of  land,  known  as  the  Dawson 
ranch,  and  the  Dawson  coal  fields  and  Dawson  railroad  were  named  in  his 
honor.  He  continued  ranching  until  igoo,  when  he  sold  out  to  the  Dawson 
Fuel  Company  and  removed  to  Colorado.     He  now  owns  a  large  ranch  in 


704  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Routt  county,  Colorado.  He  was  born  a  typical  frontiersman,  and  is  now- 
located  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  a  railroad.  He  left  Kentucky 
when  a  youth  with  absolutely  nothing,  and  in  the  midst  of  an  active  business 
career,  in  which  he  has  had  to  contend  with  all  the  hardships,  trials  and 
vicissitudes  of  pioneer  life,  he  has  steadily  worked  his  way  upward,  and 
from  1902  until  1904  was  president  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank,  of 
Raton,  New  Mexico. 

Mr.  Dawson  has  been  married  three  times.  His  third  wife  was  Miss 
Lavina  Jefferson,  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  a  daughter  of  an  old  Virginian  fam- 
ily. Their  children  are:  Augustus  G. ;  Si  M. ;  Bruce  A.;  Manley  M. ; 
L.  Jefferson,  who  died  in  1888;  John  B.,  who  died  in  1888;  Edwina,  the 
wife  of  Frederick  Whitney,  of  Waterloo,  Iowa;  Laura,  the  wife  of  Earl 
Wilkins,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin ;  and  Henry  M.  Dawson,  who  died  in 
1887. 

Manley  M.  Dawson,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Raton  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company,  at  Raton,  New  Mexico,  was  born  May  20,  1874, 
in  Colfax  county,  on  a  ranch  near  the  Yermejo  creek,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  Barkley  Dawson.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Raton, 
and  in  Missouri  State  University  at  Columbia,  Missouri,  while  eventually 
he  was  graduated  in  law  at  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School,  at  Val- 
paraiso, Indiana.  He  practiced  his  profession  for  two  years  in  Denver, 
Colorado,  and  afterward  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  with  his  brothers 
for  a  short  time.  Returning  to  Raton,  New  Mexico,  in  1898,  he  resumed 
the  practice  of  law,  in  which  he  continued  until  elected  probate  clerk  of 
Colfax  county  in  1900,  which  position  he  filled  for  two  years.  Cpon  his 
retirement  from  office  he  became  cashier  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank  of 
Raton,  serving  from  1902  until  1904.  when  he  became  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Raton  Electric  Light  &  Power  Company,  which  is  his  present 
business  connection. 

Mr.  Dawson  was  married  June  29,  1896,  to  Miss  Grace  C.  Strong, 
a  daughter  of  Albert  M.  Strong,  of  loliet,  Illinois,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Bernice.  Mr.  Dawson  belongs  to  the  Masonic  fraternity,  having  taken  the 
degrees  of  the  blue  lodge  and  of  Aztec  Commandery  No.  5,  K.  T.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  Raton  Lodge  No.  865,  B.  P.  O.  E. 

William  F.  Ruffner,  a  merchant  of  Raton,  who  has  been  a  resident 
of  New  Mexico  since  1883,  was  born  in  Hannibal,  Missouri,  December  7, 
1855,  and  is  indebted  to  the  public  school  system  of  that  city  for  the  edu- 
cational privileges  he  enjoyed.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life  in  Missouri 
and  agriculture  remained  his  chief  occupation  until  his  removal  to  New 
Mexico.  He  arrived  in  the  Territory  in  1883,  locating  at  Raton  in  the 
service  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  and  after  about  two  years  he 
embarked  in  general  merchandising  in  June,  1885,  on  Front  street,  con- 
ducting his  store  for  eight  years,  or  until  1893,  when  he  restricted  the  scope 
of  his  trade  to  groceries,  queensware  and  kindred  goods.  He  has  since  con- 
ducted a  grocery  store  and  is  enjoying  now  a  large  and  gratifying  patron- 
age. He  spent  six  months  in  Dawson,  New  Mexico,  and  in  addition  to  his 
mercantile  interests  is  the  owner  of  real  estate  in  Raton. 

On  the  28th  of  November,  1889,  Mr.  Ruffner  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  Clarke,  of  Ouincy.  Illinois,  and  to  them  was  born  a  daughter,  Mau- 
rine,  in  1890.     Fraternally  Mr.  Ruffner  is  connected  with  Raton  Lodge  No. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  705 

8,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  is  interested  in  community  affairs  to  the  extent  of  giv- 
ing hearty  co-operation  to  many  progressive  public  measures. 

Chester  D.  Stevens,  who  has  been  one  of  the  actual  builders  of  the 
progressive  city  of  Raton,  has  resided  in  that  city  since  1882.  His  father, 
A.  S.  Stevens,  preceded  him  to  New  Mexico  in  1880  and  was  engaged  in 
mining  and  in  work  at  his  trade  of  carpentering  for  several  years.  Both 
father  and  son  soon  became  well  known  throughout  the  northern  part  of 
the  Territory. 

Chester  D.  Stevens  was  born  in  YVatertown,  New  York,  September 
18,  1856,  his  parents  being  A.  S.  and  Julia  A.  (Perry)  Stevens.  He  was 
educated  at  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  and  in  April,  1879,  making  his  way 
westward,  located  at  Blackhall,  Colorado,  where  he  worked  at  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  for  a  year.  He  afterward  returned  to  New  York  and  on  the 
5th  of  May,  1882,  came  to  Raton,  where  he  has  since  been  actively  engaged 
in  business  as  a  contractor  and  builder  and  was  for  a  time  a  dealer  in 
lumber.  Raton  was  a  mere  village  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  here  and  he 
has  witnessed  its  growth  to  its  present  size  and  population.  The  terminus 
of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad  was  at  that  time  at  Otero,  five  miles  below  Raton. 
Chester  D.  Stevens  has  erected,  under  contract,  many  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial business  blocks  and  residences  in  Raton  and  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in  all  movements  inspired  by  a  desire  to  promote  the  general  wel- 
fare of  the  community. 

In  January,  1880,  in  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  Chester  D.  Stevens  was 
married  to  Miss  Marion  Patterson,  and  to  them  has  been  born  a  son, 
Chester  P.  Stevens.  In  his  political  views  Mr.  Stevens  is  a  Democrat  and 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  school  board  and  of  the  city  council.  In 
'community  affairs  he  is  actively  and  helpfully  interested  and  his  efforts 
along  the  lines  of  substantial  improvement  have  been  of  direct  benefit  to 
the  city.     Fraternally  he  is  a  Knight  Templar  Mason. 

George  James  Pace,  Raton,  county  treasurer  and  collector  of  Colfax 
county.  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1843,  son  of  David  and  Margaret  (Woods)  Pace.  At  an  early 
age  he  became  self-supporting  and  in  his  youth  learned  the  trade  of  stove 
moulder.  When  the  Civil  war  came  on  he  had  not  yet  emerged  from  his 
teens,  but  his  patriotism  soon  asserted  itself  and  on  August  7,  1862,  he 
enlisted  as  a  member  of  the  One  Hundred  Twenty-Third  Pennsylvania 
Infantry.  After  a  service  of  nine  months,  he  was  honorably  discharged, 
May  13,  1863.  February  6,  1865,  he  again  enlisted,  this  time  as  a  member 
of  the  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  with  which  he  served  until  July  1st 
of  that  year.  Both  times  his  service  was  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  among  the  engagements  in  which  he  participated  were  the  battles  of 
Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Pace  worked  at  his  trade  in  the  east  until  1873, 
when  he  came  west  and  located  in  Las  Animas,  Colorado.  When  the 
present  Las  Animas  was  founded  he  was  on  the  ground  and  sold  the  first 
merchandise  in  the  town.  In  1876  he  went  to  Lake  City.  Colorado,  where 
he  was  in  business  eighteen  months.  In  November,  1878,  he  came  to 
Willow  Springs,  a  stage  station.  He  helped  to  establish  the  town  of 
Otero  and  had  a  store  there  until  the  railroad  came  and  Raton  was  started, 
since  which  time  Mr.  Pace  has  been  identified  with  its  growth  and  develop- 
ment, having  a  grocery  store  here  until  June,  1902. 


706  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

As  showing  his  popularity,  we  note  that  although  Colfax  county  is 
nominally  Democratic,  Mr.  Pace  has  several  times  been  elected  to  office 
on  the  Republican  ticket.  In  1880  he  was  elected  county  commissioner, 
for  a  term  of  four  years ;  in  the  fall  of  1902  was  the  choice  for  county 
treasurer  and  collector,  in  1904  was  re-elected  to  succeed  himself,  and  is 
now  the  incumbent  of  the  office.  In  1888  Mr.  Pace  married  Mrs.  Laura 
R.  Thomas.  She  has  two  children  by  her  former  marriage :  James  Ray 
Thomas  and  Alice  M..  wife  of  S.  W.  Clark. 

John  Thomas  Hixenbaugh,  county  assessor  of  Colfax  county,  New 
Mexico,  was  born  in  Centerville,  Iowa,  September  23,  1859,  son  of  George 
and  Sarah  Jane  (Davis)  Hixenbaugh.  At  the  early  age  of  ten  years  we 
find  him  on  a  cattle  range  in  Kansas.  A  few  years  later  he  came  with 
a  bunch  of  cattle  from  Indian  Territory  on  his  way  to  Prescott.  Arizona, 
and  stopped  in  New  Mexico  at  Senator  Dorsey's  Chico  Springs  ranch. 
Instead  of  continuing  with  the  rest  of  the  party  to  Arizona,  he  remained 
and  went  to  work  as  a  cow  puncher  for  Senator  Dorsey.  Before  he  reached 
his  majority  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff,  under  Peter  Burleson,  and 
subsequently  served  as  deputy  under  Sheriffs  Bowman  and  Wallace,  and 
at  the  close  of  Judge  Wallace's  term,  in  1884,  was  elected  to  succeed 
him,  as  sheriff  and  collector.  During  the  first  year  of  his  term,  while 
performing  his  official  duty  in  attempting  to  arrest  Dick  Rogers  for  the 
murder  of  a  man  in  "Chihuahua,"  in  the  suburbs  of  Raton,  Mr.  Hixen- 
baugh was  shot  through  the  knee,  from  which  he  suffered  serious  injury, 
necessitating  three  amputations.  Rogers  was  afterward  killed  at  Springer, 
Colfax  county,  while  trying  to  release  a  friend  of  his  who  was  incarcerated 
in  the  jail  at  that  place.  On  account  of  his  injuries  Mr.  Hixenbaugh  re- 
signed the  office.  Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  liquor  business, 
at  different  times,  and  he  is  also  interested  in  ranching,  owning  the  old 
Hall  ranch  west  of  Springer.  In  1897  he  was  elected  county  assessor,  has 
been  re-elected,  and  is  now  serving  his  eighth  year  in  this  office.  He  has 
always  been  a  Democrat,  and  has  usually  received  a  majority  of  from 
600  to  700  votes. 

Mr.  Hixenbaugh  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  Lodge  at  Las  Vegas  and 
the   Eagles  and   Red    Men   in   Raton. 

Hugh  H.  Smith,  living  retired  in  Raton,  was  born  in  Killwinning, 
Scotland.  July  27,  1859,  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Haddow)  Smith, 
who  in  1867  came  with  their  family  to  the  United  States.  They  settled  at 
Morris  Run,  Pennsylvania,  and  Hugh  H.  Smith  began  working  in  the 
coal  mines  there,  being  thus  employed  for  about  ten  years.  He  after- 
ward spent  two  years  in  the  coal  fields  at  Staunton,  Illinois,  and  subse- 
quently was  in  the  coal  mines  at  Cleveland,  Iowa,  but  after  a  few  months 
returned  to  Staunton.  In  1882  he  went  to  Blossburg,  New  Mexico,  where 
mines  had  been  opened  about  a  year  before,  two  hundred  men  being  em- 
ployed there.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Smith  was  identified  with  the 
development  of  the  coal  industry  of  Blossburg  and  on  leaving  that  place 
went  to  Indian  Territory  in  1883.  He  was  working  there  in  a  mine  when 
coal  gas  caused  an  explosion  which  blinded  him  for  three  weeks.  Soon 
afterward  he  returned  to  Blossburg,  where  he  continued  mining  until  1888. 
In  the  meantime  he  engaged  in  merchandising  and  about  1888  became 
manager  of  the  store.  He  was  associated  in  this  enterprise  with  his  two 
brothers,  William  H.  and  John  H.  Smith,  the  latter  a  noted  cornet  soloist, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  707 

who  won  the  first  prize  at  Denver  in  1897.  The  other  brother,  William 
H.  Smith,  now  makes  his  home  at  the  head  of  Dillon  canyon.  Hugh 
H.  Smith  continued  as  manager  of  the  store  until  1899  and  he  and  his 
brothers  also  conducted  a  harness  shop  in  connection  with  the  store.  In 
1896  they  erected  the  Palace  Hotel  building  and  recently  Mr.  Smith  of 
this  review  has  purchased  his  brother's  interests  in  the  property.  He  has 
thus  been  closely  associated  with  the  industrial  and  commercial  develop- 
ment of  his  community  and  his  efforts  have  been  an  important  factor  in 
the  material  progress,  contributing  to  the  public  prosperity  as  well  as  to 
individual   success. 

Mr.  Smith  has  been  married  twice.  He  first  wedded  Clara  Turner, 
a  native  of  Staffordsbire,  England,  who  died  November  1,  1893.  Of  their 
three  children  one  is  now  living,  Alice  Elizabeth,  who  is  yet  at  home.  In 
July,  1901,  Mr.  Smith  wedded  Mrs.  Ann  Jane  McArthur,  who,  by  her 
"former  marriage,  had  four  children ;  Sarah,  the  wife  of  Frank  S.  Law- 
rence; Charles,  who  married  Cora  Masters:  William  and  Ann  Jane. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Smith  has  been  prominent  and  influential. 
In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  ■  was  twice  chosen  by  popular 
suffrage  to  the  office  of  county  collector  and  treasurer,  serving  for  four 
years,  beginning  in  1894.  He  was  a  candidate  for  mayor  in  the  spring 
of  1904,  but  lost  the  election  by  thirty  votes.  He  is  a  Mason,  belonging 
to  Gate  City  Lodge  at  Raton  and  also  the  Chapter.  He  is  chancellor  of 
the  local  lodge  of  Knights  of  Pvthias  and  is  now  deputy  grand  chancellor, 
is  connected  with  the  uniformed  rank,  and  was  formerly  an  Odd  Fellow. 
He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He 
served  on  the  school  board  of  Blossburg  and  he  and  his  brother  John  were 
active  members  of  the  band  of  Blossburg.  Starting  out  in  life  in  the 
humble  capacity  of  a  worker  in  the  coal  mines  he  has  gradually  advanced 
to  a  position  of  prominence  in  business  circles  and  is  now  in  possession 
of  a  handsone  competence  that  enables   him   to  live   retired. 

Mathias  Broyles  Stockton,  now  living  retired  at  Raton,  Colfax  county, 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  affairs  of  both  town  and  county 
during  his  residence  here,  which  covers  a  long  period.  Mr.  Stockton  was 
born  in  Ray  county,  east  Tennessee,  June  23,  1845,  son  °f  William  Hay- 
den  and  Emeline  (Broyles)  Stockton,  and  passed  his  earlv  bovhood  days 
in  his  native  state.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  we  find  him  on  his 
father's  cattle  ranch  in  northwestern  Texas.  He  was  in  Texas  at  the  time 
of  the  Civil  war.  Joining  the  state  troops,  he  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany D,  and  performed  guard  duty  on  the  frontier,  meeting  with  some 
exciting  experiences  incident  to  skirmishes  with  the  Indians.  From 
Texas  he  made  trips  up  the  valley  of  the  Pecos,  bringing  droves  of  cat- 
tle to  New  Mexico,  and  in  1868  he  and  his  father  came  as  far  as  the 
present  site  of  Raton.  The  only  settlement  of  anv  kind  then  on  the  Pecos 
was  the  government  post  at  Fort  Sumner.  His  first  location  was  on  the 
Sugarite.  Thomas  L.  Stockton,  his  brother,  had  come  to  the  Territory 
over  a  year  previous  to  that  time.  With  the  stock  thev  brought  with  them 
they  established  themselves  in  the  cattle  business  in  Colfax  county,  which 
they  continued   successfully  for  years. 

Mr.  Stockton  has  alwavs  been  an  ardent  Republican.  In  June,  1882, 
he  was  appointed  sheriff  of  Colfax  county  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  acted  in 
that  capacity  for  eighteen  months.    In  1890  he  was  elected  to  the  office,  and 


708  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

served  a  term  of  two  years.  Next  he  was  elected  and  served  one  term  as 
mayor  of  Raton.  In  1903  he  was  honored  by  election  to  the  office  of  repre- 
sentative from  his  district  to  the  territorial  legislature,  and  also  in  1905, 
and  while  a  member  of  that  body  introduced  a  bill  that  became  a  law  during 
the  next  session,  namely,  a  law  reauiring  marriage  licenses  to  be  recorded. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Stockton  is  a  Mason,  having  membership  in  the  lodge, 
chapter  and  commandery.  He  married,  in  1872,  Miss  Dove  Stout,  a  native 
of  East  Tennessee,  who  bore  him  four  children :  Alvin  Claude,  Clarence 
T.,  Laura  V..  and  Frank. 

Alonzo  Lyden  Bell,  a  ranchman  residing  two  miles  east  of  Raton,  was 
born  in  Vinton  county,  Ohio,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  east  of  Cin- 
cinnati, on  the  15th  of  August,  1845,  a  son  or  J000  and  Sarah  (Laycock) 
Bell.  He  remained  in  Ohio  until  1877,  a^ter  which  he  spent  two  years  in 
Rush  county,  Kansas,  and  in  1879  came  to  New  Mexico  to  fill  a  contract 
to  cut  ties  at  the  head  of  Chicken  creek  for  the  Santa  Fe  railroad.  He  was 
thus  engaged  for  two  years  and  in  1881  he  bought  cattle  and  located  in 
Dutchman  Canyon,  New  Mexico,  in  the  stock  raising  business.  The  first 
coal  prospectors  of  that  locality  boarded  with  him  and  his  wife,  and  in 
1881  a  camp  was  opened  at  Blossburg,  after  which  Mr.  Bell  worked  in  the 
mines  for  a  part  of  the  time.  In  1886  he  and  John  Towndrow  cut  the  first 
crop  of  hay,  and  they  were  partners  in  business  interests  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1887  Mr.Bell  took  his  family  to  the  ranch  and  about  1889  he 
built  a  stone  house  there.  He  raised  good  crops  and  made  his  home  there 
for  about  eleven  years,  but  since  1900  has  resided  on  his  present  home- 
stead. While  on  the  mesa  he  gave  his  attention  to  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing, and  has  raised  and  threshed  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre.  After 
locating  in  the  valley  he  was  the  first  to  adopt  the  Campbell  system  of 
farming.  He  did  this  as  an  experiment,  soon  demonstrated  its  success,  and 
believes  it  to  be  the  greatest  system  in  the  world. 

At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Bell  enlisted  in  the  Eighty-first  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry  under  Colonel  William  Hill,  and  served  in  1864  and 
1865,  being  largely  engaged  in  duty  in  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina, 
Tennessee,"  Virginia  and  Kentucky.  He  went  with  Sherman  on  the  cele- 
brated march  to  the  sea,  and  participated  in  the  grand  review  in  Washing- 
ton. He  has  been  helpfully  interested  in  public  affairs  in  New  Mexico, 
and  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Bell  following  the  establishment  of  the  office 
in  1891.     In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter. 

Mr.  Bell  was  married  March  31,  1867,  to  Louisa  Dearth,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  their  children  are:  Charles  Homer  and  John  William,  who  are 
living  in  Raton ;  and  Maggie  Melissa,  the  wife  of  Thomas  L.  O'Connor,  re- 
siding on  the  home  ranch. 

Oscar  Troy,  a  rancher  in  Blosser  Gap,  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico, 
was  bom  near  Petaluma,  in  Sonoma  county,  California.  April  7,  1853,  son 
of  the  late  Daniel  Troy.  Daniel  Trov  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  who  went 
from  that  state  to  California  during  the  gold  excitement  of  1849.  He  was 
engaged  in  mining  and  hotel  keeping  in  the  Golden  state  until  1872,  when 
he  came  to  New  Mexico  and  turned  his  attention  to  the  sheep  industry, 
which  he  followed  for  several  years.  Oscar,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years, 
joined  his  father  on  the  sheep  ranch  here,  and  later  they  added  cattle  to  the 
business.  From  1878  to  1898  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  on  a  ranch 
south  of  the  present  place  in  Blosser  Gap,  where,  since  the  latter  date,  he 


^.^//^^K/^^s 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  '«» 

has  carried  on  his  ranching  operations.  This  place,  with  a  cabin  on  it,  at 
one  time  sold  for  a  pony  worth  from  $50  to  $75.  Here  Mr.  Troy  now  has 
7,000  acres  of  land,  patented,  and  also  at  times  ranges  his  stock  on  govern- 
ment land  as  well  as  his  own.  At  this  writing  he  has  about  5,000  sheep  and 
300  cattle.  So  successful  has  he  been  with  the  former  that  he  has  come 
to  be  an  expert  in  this  line,  and  is  recognized  locally  as  an  authority  on 
sheep. 

Mr.  Troy's  family  divide  their  time  between  the  ranch  and  their  home 
in  Raton,  preferring,  however,  to  spend  the  most  of  the  year  in  town.  Mrs. 
Troy,  formerly  Miss  Louise  Pieper,  is  a  native  of  Clinton,  Iowa.  They 
were  married  in  New  Mexico  December  28.  1878,  and  are  the  parents  of 
six  children:  Edith  Edna,  wife  of  M.  R.  Grindle,  of  Raton;  Eva  Louise, 
deceased ;  Earl,  Rene,  Marie  and  Myrtle,  twins. 

Joseph  Workman  Dwyer,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  prominent  early- 
pioneers  of  New  Mexico,  and  for  years  carried  on  extensive  operations  as 
a  cattle  raiser  and  trader.  He  was  born  in  Maryland,  October  6,  1832,  son 
of  Thomas  Dwyer,  and  died  in  Raton,  New  Mexico,  .March  2j,  1904. 

Thomas  Dwyer,  a  cabinetmaker  by  trade,  moved  with  his  family  from 
Maryland  to  Ohio  and  there  settled  on  a  farm.  This  removal  was  when 
Joseph  W.  was  a  boy.  He  grew  up  on  his  father's  farm,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  and  remained  in  Ohio  until  1876.  During 
President  Grant's  .administration  he  served  as  pension  agent.  In  1876  he 
came  to  New  Mexico,  driving  teams  from  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and  located 
first  on  Una  de  Gato  creek,  on  a  ranch  purchased  from  Robert  Marr.  His 
first  venture  in  the  stock  business  here  was  with  sheep ;  later  with  cattle,  to 
which  he  devoted  his  time  up  to  1892,  that  year  selling  out  and  moving  to 
Raton  to  engage  in  the  real  estate  business.  At  one  time  he  bought  ten 
thousand  yearlings  and  two-vear-olds  in  Texas  and  brought  them  to  John- 
son's Mesa,  where  he  then  owned  all  the  water  rights,  he  and  his  partner, 
John  S.  Delano,  under  the  name  of  the  Delano  &  Dwyer  Ranch  Co.,  having 
bought  out  all  the  pre-empters  and  homesteaders  there.  In  Raton  he 
erected  several  buildings,  including  the  residence  now  occupied  by  his  son, 
David  G.,  on  Second  street,  on  the  exact  line  of  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail. 

Joseph  W.  Dwyer  was  always  a  Republican.  Several  times  he  was 
elected  and  served  as  alderman  of  Raton,  and  his  influence  at  all  times 
could  be  counted  upon  to  support  the  best  measures  and  the  best  men. 
While  in  Ohio — probably  at  Coshocton — he  was  made  a  Mason,  and  re- 
mained a  member  in  good  standing  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  having 
transferred  his  membership  to  Gate  City  Lodge.  Also,  he  had  received  the 
degrees  of  the  chapter  and  commandery  up  to  and  including  the  thirty- 
second  degree. 

Mr.  Dwyer's  choice  of  life  companion  was  Miss  Emma  A.  Titus,  who 
was  born  March  2y,  1835,  and  died  December  4,  1898.  She  bore  him 
three  children ;  two  died  in  early  childhood.  The  other,  David  G.  Dwyer, 
is  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of  Raton. 

David  G.  Dwyer  was  born  in  Coshocton,  Ohio,  April  4,  1867.  In 
1877  ne  accompanied  his  mother  to  New  Mexico,  his  father,  as  above  stated, 
having  come  to  the  Territory  the  year  previous ;  and  after  a  visit  of  two 
months  thev  returned  to  Ohio,  where  they  remained  until  1884,  at  that 
time  again  joining  his  father  in  the  west.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Coshocton,  and  immediately  after  his  return   west  spent  one  year  in  a 


710  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

business  college  in  Denver.  Then  for  two  years  he  was  clerk  in  the  bank 
of  Chappelle  &  Officers,  at  Raton,  after  which,  until  1891,  he  was  a  cattle- 
man on  his  father's  range.  Three  vears  he  clerked  in  the  hardware  store 
of  Charles  A.  Fox,  then  spent  some  time  in  the  real  estate  business,  in  1899 
was  deputy  county  assessor,  in  1900-T901  was  deputy  postmaster  under  T. 
W.  Collier,  and  since  1901  has  been  deputy  county  assessor. 

Like  his  father  before  him.  Air.  Dwyer  is  a  stanch  Republican.  For 
two  years,  1898  and  1899,  he  served  as  city  clerk,  to  which  office  he  was 
elected  on  the  Republican  ticket.  Fraternally  he  is  an  Elk.  While  not  a 
communicant  of  any  church,  he  contributes  of  his  means  to  the  support  of 
the  various  church  institutions  in  Raton.  Indeed,  as  a  generous,  broad- 
minded,  public-spirited  citizen,  he  is  ever  ready  to  give  a  helping  hand  to 
any  worthy  cause. 

January  10,  i<)00.  Mr.  Dwyer  married  Miss  Nettie  Chase,  daughter  of 
C.  C.  Chase,  of  Fredonia,  Kansas,  and  they  have  two  children.  Helen  and 
Irene. 

Edward  Rogers  Mannine,  who  lives  on  a  ranch  near  Maxwell  City, 
New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Newark,  Knox  county,  Missouri,  January  30, 
1854,  son  of  Washington  T.  and  Eliza  (Smith)  Manning,  and  was  reared 
on  a  farm  in  Lynn  county.  Kansas,  and  spent  two  years  in  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Emporia,  preparing  himself  for  a  teacher.  He  taught,  however, 
only  a  short  time.  In  1876  he  went  to  Colorado.  There  for  two  months  he 
was  a  member  of  the  guard  that  protected  the  Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe  Railroad  employes  at  the  Roval  Gorge,  and  afterward  for  a  short  time 
worked  for  the  D.  &  R.  G.  Then  for  five  years  he  was  conductor  on  a 
Pullman  car  running  from  Kansas  City  to  Deming,  New  Mexico,  and 
other  points  out  of  Kansas  City.  He  started  out  in  life  without  any  finan- 
cial assistance,  and  at  the  end  of  his  five  years  of  railroading  he  had  saved 
$2,500,  which  he  lost  in  the  subscription  book  business  in  Topeka,  Kansas. 
But  he  was  not  to  be  discouraged.  Again  he  set  out  for  Denver,  where  he 
landed  with  forty  dollars  in  his  pocket.  From  Denver  he  came  to  Springer, 
New  Mexico,  to  enter  the  employ  of  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Co.,  and 
went  to  work  with  the  engineer  corps  on  the  grant  survey  and  the  building 
of  the  ditch.  On  June  1st  of  that  vear  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  ditch 
system,  which  he  managed  until  i8qq.  since  which  time  he  has  been  manager 
of  the  Maxwell  farm,  an  experimental  farm  covering  six  sections  of  land, 
one  thousand  acres  of  which  are  now  under  cultivation.  This  place  is  lo- 
cated six  miles  northwest  of  Maxwell  Citv. 

Since  becoming  a  resident  of  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Manning  has  by 
energy  and  good  management  replaced  his  losses.  Among  the  investments 
he  has  made  are  7,000  acres  of  land,  thirtv-five  miles  west  of  Maxwell 
Citv.  devoted  to  stock  purposes,  and  he  is  interested  in  coal  mining. 
While  he  has  never  sought  or  filled  office,  he  has  always  been  a  stanch 
supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
or(jer — the  lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  at  Raton  and  the  Mystic 
Sbrine  at  Albuquerque. 

Mr.  Manning  has  been  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Fannie  R.  Denison,  and  who  was  a  native  of  Manhattan.  Kan- 
sas, died,  leaving  a  son,  Edward  Denison  Manning,  now  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Nebraska.  By  his  second  wife,  ncc  Minnie  McGregor,  he 
has  a  daughter,  Arline  Frances. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  711 

John  Gallagher,  deceased,  who  was  for  many  years  well  known  as  an 
extensive  rancher  of  New  Mexico  and  also  engaged  in  farming,  was  born 
m  Ireland  in  1842  and  came  to  the  United  States  about  1861,  when  nine- 
teen rears  of  age.  He  first  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  worked  in 
coal  mines,  and  in  1861  he  came  to  the  west,  his  destination  being  Cali- 
fornia. 

He  stopped,  however,  at  Elizabethtown  and  in  1868  took  up  his 
abode  permanently  here,  attracted  by  the  mining  excitement.  Like  others, 
he  sought  for  gold  in  this  part  of  the  country,  working  in  placer  claims 
in  Grouse  and  Willow  gulches  until  1881.  He  was  successful  in  his 
mining  operations  and  with  the  capital  thus  acquired  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead, purchasing  5.237  acres  of  land  from  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Com- 
pany. He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  raising-  and  herding  of  cattle 
and  also  to  a  limited  extent  followed  farming.  He  likewise  bought  other 
land  in  Union  county  and  was  extensivelv  engaged  in  business  as  a  rancher 
up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  25th  of  May.   1905. 

Mr.  Gallagher  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Marv  McGarvey,  and  in 
addition  to  the  property  which  was  left  the  family  by  the  husband  and 
father,  they  also  have  ranches  on  the  Chico  river.  There  were  eight 
children,  including  Patrick,  who  has  charge  of  the  ranch  on  the  creek; 
John,  wlni  lias  charge  of  the  Chico  river  ranch  and  the  cattle  on  the  place; 
and  Charlie,  who  has  charge  of  the  home  place. 

Patrick  Dugan,  a  ranchman  living  at  Elizabethtown,  Colfax  county, 
is  a  native  of  Ireland  and  in  i860  crossed  the  Atlantic  from  the  Emerald 
Isle  to  Boston,  Massachusetts.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war  he  entered 
the  Civil  Marine  Corps  in  1861,  but  they  were  afterward  ordered  to  the 
United  States  steamship  Lancaster  at  Panama  Bay.  He  was  there  en- 
gaged in  duty  for  two  years  and  upon  his  request  was  transferred  to  the 
United  States  Marine  barracks  on  Main  Island  off  the  coast  of  California, 
where  he  remained  until  honorably  discharged  on  the  6th  of  September, 
1865,  following  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  on  the  United  States 
steamer  Lancaster  at  a  time  when  trouble  with  the  British  ships  over  the 
Mason  and  Slidel  incident  was  but  narrowdy  averted. 

Mr.  Dugan  was  married  in  Boston  and  has  a  family  of  four  grown 
children.  He  came  to  Elizabethtown  in  March.  1868,  attracted  by  the 
discovery  of  gold  in  this  part  of  New  Mexico  and  was  engaged  in  work- 
ing placer  claims  with  good  success  until  1878,  when  he  sold  out  and 
bought  a  ranch  from  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company,  comprising 
thirty-three  hundred  acres.  He  then  entered  the  cattle  business,  in  which 
he  has  continued  to  the  present.  The  broad  tract  of  prairie  offers  excellent 
range  for  the  stock  and  he  is  meeting  with  creditable  success  in  this  busi- 
ness venture. 

Don  Severino  Martinez,  a  ranchman  at  Black  Lakes,  in  Colfax  coun- 
ty, was  born  in  Taos  county  near  the  city  of  Taos,  New  Mexico,  July  2. 
1854,  a  son  of  Don  Pascual  and  Teodora  (Gallegos)  Martinez."  The 
father's  grandfather.  General  Martinez,  came  from  Chihuahua  and  the  Galle- 
gos family  from  El  Paso,  Mexico.  In  the  maternal  line  the  subject  of 
this  review  is  also  descended  from  the  Bermudez  family,  and  the  Baca 
and  Manganaris  families  are  likewise  related  by  marriage.  The  father 
was  a  native  of  Abiquiu.  Rio  Arriba  county,  and  was  a  farmer  and  stock- 
raiser.     He  spent  most  of  his  life   in   Taos.,  which  he  represented  in  the 


712  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

territorial  council  for  three  or  four  terms.  At  an  earlier  day  he  was  pro- 
hate  judge  of  the  county  and  was  a  very  active  and  influential  Republican. 
He  was  also  interested  in  the  school  of  his  brother,  Father  Antonio  Jose 
Martinez,  and  was  an  active  and  able  champion  of  Catholicism.  He  died 
February  2j,  1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  He  was  captain  of 
the  Mexican  Rurales  with  a  commission  from  Governor  Santa  Ana.  He 
was  a  very  prominent  and  influential  man.  known  throughout  the  Terri- 
tory, and  his  military  commission  is  still  in  possession  of  his  son,  Don 
Severino  Martinez.     These  are  valuable  papers  and  read  as  follow : 

SEAL   SECOND.  (  (One  dollar  and  a   half. 

■        SEAL.         ■ 
For  the  years  of  1800.  \  (.Eight  hundred  and  thirty-nine. 

THE  CITIZEN  ANTONIO  LOPEZ  DE  SANTA  ANA,  General  of  Division  and 
Provisional  President  of  the  Republic  of  Mexico  and  Well  Deserving  of  the  Country. 
In  compliance  with  the  circumstances  attendant  upon  the  matter  of  the  Citizen 
Pascual  Martinez  I  have  seen  proper  to  appoint  him  captain  of  the  mounted  police 
of  Taos,  1st  district.  Department  of  New  Mexico,  which  post  is  vacant  as  it  has 
been  only  recently  created. 

By  virtue  whereof  the  commanding  officer  to  whom  this  may  apply  shall  comply 
with  the  same  at  once  and  shall  issue  the  necessary  order  therefore,  so  that  he  may 
be  invested  with  the  appointment  and  be  placed  in  command,  and  that  due  respect 
may  be  paid  his  rank  and  that  he  be  obeyed  as  such  by  his  subordinates  in  rank,  be 
his  orders  given   by  word  of  mouth  or  in   writing. 

Government  palace,  Mexico,  the  23d  day  of  April,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  thirty-nine.     Nineteenth  of  Independence  and  Twelfth  of  Liberty. 

Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Ana. 
Jose  Maria  Tornel. 
The   President  shall  appoint  citizen   Pascual   Martinez   captain  of  the  rural   troop 
of   mounted   police   of  Taos,   New   Mexico. 
Santa    Fe,    September    12,    1839. 

Let  the  order  be  complied  with,  as  given  by  the  President,  at  the  time  designated. 

Manuel  Armijo. 

SEAL  SECOND.     (  1  One  dollar  and  a  half. 

For  the  year  1800        (  (  Eight   hundred   and    forty-one. 

The   Undersigned  Minister  of  State,  and  of  the  Army  and  Xavy  Office: 

Whereas  by  decree  of  August  28,  1840,  and  in  conformity  with  the  authority 
vested  upon  the  government  by  the  National  Congress  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month 
and  year,  a  cross  of  honor  has  been  granted  to  the  generals,  chiefs  and  other  officers 
who  have  fought  in  defense  of  the  integrity  of  the  national  territory,  with  certain 
modifications    as     may   be   determined     by   the   government,    in    conformity    with    the 

acts  and  individuals  concerned  ; and  the 

citizen  Pascual  Martinez,  commandant  of  the  superior  squadron,  captain  of  the  rural 
mounted  police,  being  accredited  with  having  taken  part  in  the  campaign  of  New 
Mexico  against  the  adventurers  from  Texas  in  1841,  he  is  awarded  for  this  service 
an  escutcheon  of  honor  in  the  left  arm  with  the  motto  and  in  the  form  designated 
by  the  supreme  order  of  the  17th  of  October  last,  and  to  which  he  is  entitled  in  con- 
formity with  dispositions  in  article  fourth,  as  being  embodied  in  the  aforesaid  and 
expressed  decree;  His  Excellency,  the  President,  orders  that  he  be  given  the  present 
diploma,  and  through  which  he  may  use  the  honorable  distinction  in  conformity  with 
the  rules  that  obtain  in  the  staff  of  the  army  and  under  the  directions  given,  where 
proper  cognizance  of  this  document  must  be  had  and  which  is  granted  to  him  as  a 
testimony  to  his  valor,  loyalty  and  patriotism. 

Given  in  Mexico  on  the  21st  day  of  December,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
forty-one.     The  twenty-first  of  Independence  and  the  twentieth  of  Liberty.     Tornel. 

Diploma  of  the  cross  of  honor  substituted  into  an  escutcheon  which  is  granted 
to  the  citizen  Pascual  Martinez,  commandant  of  the  superior  squadron,  captain  of 
the  rural  mounted  police  for  his  campaign  in  New  Mexico  against  the  adventurers 
from  Texas  in  1841. 

Santa  Fe,  March  23,  1842. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  713 

Let  the  order  be  complied  with  so  that  he  may  enjoy  the  honorable  distinction 
granted  him  by  this  diploma. 

Manuel   Armijo. 

Don  Severino  Martinez  spent  four  months  with  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Rob- 
erts, Presbyterian  minister  at  Taos,  who  conducted  a  large  school  and  who 
had  been  sent  by  the  government  to  teach  the  Indians  at  Taos  pueblo,  in 
which  work  he  succeeded  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  Catholic  broth- 
ers. Following  the  completion  of  his  education.  Mr.  Martinez  began 
ranching  in  connection  with  his  father  and  brothers  in  Union,  then  Colfax 
county,  and  was  thus  engaged  from  1871  until  1882,  when  his  father  died. 
The  cattle  and  sheep  were  then  divided  among  the  sons,  who  inherited  a 
goodlv  property.  About  this  time,  however.  Senator  Dorsey  and  his  gang 
began  fraudulent  land  entries  and  trouble  ensued,  resulting  in  the  shoot- 
ing of  herders  on  both  sides.  Because  of  this  Mr.  Martinez  came  to  the 
Black  Lakes  district  and  took  up  government  land,  on  which  he  has  since 
resided,  now  having  eight  claims  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  each. 
Here  he  raises  sheep  and  some  cattle.  He  also  has  seven  claims  east  of 
Roy,  in  Union  county,  and  owns  a  store  which  was  established  in  1902, 
his  cousin.  Guillermo  Martinez,  being  his  partner.  The  latter  is  also  post- 
master. In  his  political  views  he  was  a  Republican  until  1882.  since  which 
time  he  has  been  an  advocate  of  the  Democracy,  and  he  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  of  the  present  precinct,  serving  for  two  terms,  while 
prior  to  that  time  he  was  deputy  United  States  marshal  in  New  Mexico. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  lower  house  in  1894,  serving  for  one  term, 
and  for  thirteen  years  has  been  school  director  of  the  district,  which  he 
organized  two  years  after  the  precinct  was  organized.  The  first  post- 
office  was  called  Osha  and  since  1901  has  been  known  as  Black  Lakes. 

Don  Severino  Martinez  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church.  He  was 
married  January  4,  1877,  to  Guadalupe  Mares,  who  was  born  in  Taos,  a 
daughter  of  Christobal  and  Trinidad  de  Mares. 

Thomas  McBride,  a  retired  rancher  of  Raton,  New  Mexico,  is  a 
native  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  Born  September  20,  1863,  he  passed  his  boy- 
hood days  in  Ireland,  and  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  seeking  a  new  home  in  America.  After  six  months  spent  in 
New  York,  he  came  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  has  since  lived,  and  where 
lie  joined  his  two  brothers.  Patrick  and  John,  who  came  to  New  Mexico 
in  1867.  Two  other  brothers.  James  and  Edward,  came  in  1876.  All 
landed  in  this  country  practically  without  means  and  here  found  the  op- 
portunity they  sought  to  make  their  way  in  the  world. 

Thomas  soon  found  employment  as  a  "cow  puncher,"  saved  his  earn- 
ings and  invested  in  sheep  which  he  ranged  in  Union  county,  south  of 
Clayton.  In  this  he  prospered  until  the  winter  of  1890-91,  when  his  flock 
numbered  11,600.  He  was  unfortunate,  however,  and  in  the  spring  he 
had  left  only  450  head  of  his  large  band  of  sheep.  Afterward  he  sold  out 
and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  in  the  canyon  between  Johnson's  mesa 
and  Barela  mesa,  near  the  Colorado  state  line,  where  he  patented  about 
2,000  acres  of  land.  He  sold  his  cattle  in  the  fall  of  1904,  and  also  dis- 
posed of  2,000  acres  of  land.  Since  then  he  has  lived  retired  in  Raton. 
Here  he  has  built  several  houses  and  owns  some  valuable  property. 

While  Mr.  McBride  has  never  taken  any  active  part  in  politics  or 
public  affairs,  he   always  keeps  himself  pretty  well  posted,   and  casts  his 


714  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

franchise  with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  reared  in  the  Catholic 
church,  and  is  a  devoted  member  of  the  same.  April  29,  1897,  he  married 
Miss  Rose  E.  McArdle.  a  native  of  Mendota,  Illinois.  They  have  had 
two  children,  but  have  lost  both  by  death. 

Frederick  Roth,  one  of  the  wealthiest  ranchers  of  northern  New  Mex- 
ico, was  born  in  Wismar,  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Germany,  October  23, 
1838,  and  there  spent  his  boyhood.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accompanied 
his  father,  George  Roth,  to  America,  and  located  in  Ohio.  His  father,  a 
tanner,  Frederick  learned  the  tanner's  trade,  at  which  he  first  worked  for 
wages  in  Ohio.  I^ater  he  owned  a  tannery  and  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  for  a  number  of  years,  employing  many  men.  For  several  years 
he  did  a  $100,000  business  annually,  and  in  nine  years  he  cleared  $54,000. 
He  made  his  home  in  Ohio  thirty-one  years,  the  last  four  years  of  that 
time  being  engaged  in  farming.  In  1885  he  came  to  New  Mexico,  bring- 
ing with  him  $85,000,  which  lie  has  increased  many  fold  since  he  came  to 
the  Territory.  First  he  bought  a  small  bunch  of  cattle,  which  he  ranged 
upon  160  acres  of  land  he  pre-empted  in  the  eastern  part  of  Colfax  county, 
near  Johnson's  mesa,  and  where  he  made  his  home  for  seven  or  eight  years, 
Then  he  moved  further  west,  and  since  1900  has  resided  on  his  present 
ranch,  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Raton.  Here  he  has  40,000  acres  of  land, 
one  of  the  finest  cattle  ranches  in  the  county.  Also,  he  owns  valuable  prop- 
erty in  Raton,  including  a  handsome  business  block  on  Front  street,  three 
other  buildings  on  that  street,  and  a  two-story  brick  block  on  Park  avenue, 
between  First  and  Second  streets,  the  last  named  erected  in  1905,  to  be 
used  for  stores  and  offices.  Mr.  Roth  has  made  it  the  rule  of  his  life  to 
attend  strictly  to  his  own  business,  and  to  this  may  be  attributed  the  suc- 
cess he  has  won. 

In  1867  Mr.  Roth  married  Miss  Margaret  Coons,  who  died  in  1892. 
They  had  no  children.  He  was  reared  a  Lutheran,  but  is  not  now  actively 
identified  with  the  church.     He  is  Republican  in  politics. 

Peter  Larsen  is  known  throughout  Colfax  county  and,  indeed,  all  over 
the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  as  a  scientific  and  successful  farmer,  there 
being  few  ranches  in  Xew  Mexico  that  can  compare  with  the  Larsen  farm 
near  Springer. 

Mr.  Larsen  was  born  on  the  Island  of  Fyen,  Denmark,  May  24,  1844, 
and  his  early  environments  were  those  of  the  garden  and  farm.  In  the 
spring  of  1866,  at  the  age  of  twentv-two  vears,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  located  first  in  Moline,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at  the  trade  of 
cabinet-maker.  He  spent  one  year  in  Moline,  five  years  in  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, and  a  year  and  a  half  in  Utah,  being  engaged  in  mining  at  the  last 
named  place.  Then  he  returned  to  Nebraska,  where  he  resumed  farming, 
and  the  next  seventeen  years  he  carried  on  agricultural  pursuits  near  Oak- 
land. On  account  of  failing  health,  the  result  of  a  serious  attack  of  la 
grippe,  he  left  Nebraska  in  1891  and  came  to  New  Mexico,  direct  to 
Springer,  where  he  bought  his  present  farm.  Although  ditches  had  been 
built,  the  land  was  at  that  time  without  irrigation,  and  all  the  improve- 
ments here  are  the  result  of  Mr.  Larsen's  well-directed  efforts.  He  first 
put  up  a  small  shack,  in  which  he  and  his  family  lived  until  1903.  when  he 
built  his  present  home,  a  comfortable,  substantial  house,  the  work  of  his  own 
hands.  In  fact,  he  does  nearly  all  the  work  on  his  ranch.  He  now  has 
plenty  of  water  for  irrigation,  and  his  fertile  acres  are  productive  of  fine 


Sty 


At  the   Age  of  31 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  715 

crops.  Among  his  first  work  here  was  tree-planting.  Today  he  has  a 
fine  orchard  of  fifteen  acres,  principally  apples,  with  a  variety  of  other 
fruits.  He  has  twenty-seven  acres  of  frejolcs,  eighty  acres  in  oats  and 
other  grain,  and  fifty  acres  in  alfalfa.  He  annually  gathers  three  crops 
from  his  alfalfa  fields  and  has  harvested  as  much  as  seven  tons  per  acre, 
the  average  amount,  however,  being  five  tons.  Altogether  he  has  150  acres 
under  cultivation,  and  usually  keeps  about  one  hundred  cattle  and  eighteen 
horses. 

Mr.  Larsen  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  at  Springer.  His  religious 
creed  is  Lutheran.  November  10,  1874,  he  married  Miss  Elesa  Pauline 
Hanson,  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1873. 
They  have  six  children  living,  namely :  Mary,  wife  of  Julius  Edwerson, 
of  Springer;  Minnie,  wife  of  Charles  Pearson,  of  Springer;  Emma  Louise, 
Louis  Clemens,  Charlotte  Annie,  and  Florence  Gertrude,  at  home. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


UNION  COUNTY. 

Union  is  a  long  and  narrow  county  of  5,772  square  miles,  situated  in 
the  northeastern  corner  of  New  Mexico,  and  is  bounded  north  by  Colorado, 
east  by  Oklahoma  and  the  Panhandle  of  Texas,  south  by  Quay  and  San 
Miguel  counties,  and  west  by  San  Miguel,  Mora  and  Colfax  counties.  It 
has  a  population  of  about  7,000,  and  its  county  seat  is  Clayton,  a  town  of 
some  1,000  people  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Colorado  & 
Southern  Railway.  Folsom,  also,  and  some  of  the  larger  towns  are  on 
this  line  of  road,  which  crosses  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  county  for  a 
distance  of  84  miles.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  runs 
for  56  miles  through  the  southern  part,  and  that  line,  with  its  branch  from 
Tucumcari,  Quay  county,  is  doing  much  to  develop  this  section.  The  bridge 
of  the  Rock  Island  over  the  Canadian  river  is  over  750  feet  in  length,  spans 
the  stream  at  a  height  of  135  feet,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  pieces  of 
engineering  work  in  New  Mexico. 

Formation  of  the  County. — For  many  years  prior  to  the  formation  of 
Union  county,  the  citizens  of  the  eastern  portions  of  Colfax,  San  Miguel 
and  Mora  counties  had  complained  of  the  great  distances  which  they  were 
obliged  to  travel  in  order  to  transact  legal  and  official  business  at  the  county 
seat.  Not  only  did  they  have  this  common  and  reasonable  complaint,  but 
they  possessed  a  bond  of  union  in  a  community  of  interests,  as  they  were 
nearly  all  engaged  in  the  raising  of  sheep  and  cattle.  There  naturally 
arose  a  desire  to  unite  under  one  county  government,  whose  seat  of  justice 
and  official  procedures  should  be  of  easier  access,  and  which  should  par- 
ticularly foster  the  main  business  of  their  lives.  As  is  the  usual  case,  the 
controlling  portions  of  the  counties  were  opposed  to  a  decrease  of  their 
territory,  but  the  rational  nature  of  the  proposed  division  and  creation  ap- 
pealed to  the  territorial  legislature,  which  passed  an  act  for  the  formation 
of  Union  county,  and  which  was  approved  by  Governor  Prince  February 
23»  J893-  Under  the  circumstances,  the  name  was  well  chosen.  In  1903 
the  county  assumed  its  present  dimensions  by  the  creation  of  Quay  county, 
to  whose  territory  it  contributed  265  square  miles. 

Natural  Features. — The  county  is  chiefly  drained  by  Ute  creek,  which 
flows  southeast  through  its  western  and  southwestern  portions  into  the 
Canadian  river,  and  by  the  Cimarron  river,  which  traverses  its  northern 
sections  in  an  eastward  course  toward  the  Arkansas.  The  general  slope 
of  the  county  is  toward  the  southeast,  and  the  surface  is  generally  divided 
into  high  mesas,  extensive  plains  and  narrow  river  valleys  and  canyons. 
Mountains  and  hills  covered  with  timber  occupy  the  northern  and  western 
portions;  thence  they  gradually  slope  into  valley  lands,  which  sink  into 
grass-covered  mesas,  and  roll  on  into  the  plains  of  the  Panhandle  of  Texas. 
On  the  Cimarron,  Tramperos  and  Ute  creeks  are  valuable  tracts  of  cedar 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  7^ 

and  pine,  which  have  not  been  touched  except  to  supply  a  small  amount  of 
fuel  for  domestic  purposes. 

The  altitude  of  Union  county  ranges  from  4,000  to  8,000  feet,  and  both 
air  and  climate  generally  are  favorable  to  pulmonary  troubles.  The  nights 
are  always  cool,  the  summer  heat  is  modified  by  the  altitude  and  the  moun- 
tain breezes,  and  the  cold  is  tempered  by  the  mountain  barriers  which  shut 
off  the  high  winds.  The  country  abounds  in  mineral  springs.  Both  the 
large  and  the  small  game  of  the  west  is  abundant,  so  that  the  region  is  be- 
coming a   favorite   resort   for  hunters,   pleasure   seekers  and   semi-invalids. 

Stock  Raising  and  Agriculture. — In  the  raising  of  sheep  and  the  pro- 
duction of  wool.  Union  county  is  first  in  New  Mexico,  and  Clayton  one  of 
the  most  important  centers  in  the  Territory  for  the  handling  of  the  live 
stock  and  raw  material.  The  river  bottoms,  especially  along  the  Cimarron, 
are  used  to  some  extent  in  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa  for  cattle  and  sheep. 
The  raising  of  goats  and  horses  is  a  growing  industry,  and  the  live  stock- 
interests,  as  a  whole,  are  in  process  of  rapid  expansion  because  of  the  good 
transportation  facilities  afforded  by  the  three  railroads  of  the  county. 

Wherever  water  can  be  obtained  all  grains,  vegetables  and  fruits  can 
be  successfully  raised.  Unfortunately,  irrigation  has  made  little  progress 
in  the  county.  Except  corn,  every  agricultural  product  is  raised  success- 
fully on  the  higher  mesas  without  resorting  to  irrigation.  Especially  fine 
potatoes  are  produced,  and  the  alfalfa  crops  are  prodigious.  In  fact,  during 
the  eighteen  or  twenty  years  which  cover  the  period  of  its  cultivation,  the 
mesa  has  never  failed  the  agriculturist.  According  to  the  census  of  1900 
the  value  of  all  stock  and  farm  property  in  the  county  was  $4,664,000,  only- 
two  other  counties  in  the  Territory-  exceeding  it  in  that  respect.  When 
it  is  remembered  that  Union  county  has  something  like  600.000  sheep. 
60,000  cattle,  and  10.000  horses  and  goats,  it  will  be  realized  how  small  a 
proportion  of  this  sum  can  be  credited  to  its  agricultural  interests.  It 
must  also  be  remembered  that  this  is  the  taxabie  valuation,  and  by  no  means 
represents  the  selling,  or  true  value. 

Chief  Towns. — Clayton,  the  county  seat,  is  a  town  of  about  800  people, 
a  station  on  the  Colorado  &  Southern  Railway,  and  is  situated  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  county.  It  has  electric  lights  and  waterworks,  a  tele- 
phone system,  a  good  public  school  building,  Methodist,  Baptist  and  Christ- 
ian organizations,  a  number  of  secret  societies  and  the  usual  business  es- 
tablishments, with  large  yards  and  other  extensive  facilities  for  handling 
cattle,  sheep,  lambs  and  wool.  There  are  also  a  first-class  hotel,  a  $20,000 
court  house,  a  national  bank,  and  a  weekly  newspaper  published  in  Spanish. 

Folsom,  situated  in  the  extreme  northwestern  part  of  the  county,  also 
on  the  Colorado  &  Southern  Railroad,  is  nearly  the  size  of  Clayton,  and 
is  gaining  quite  a  name  as  a  health  resort.  It  is  located  in  a  beautiful 
valley,  6,400  feet  above  sea  level,  while  twelve  miles  to  the  southwest  rises 
the  noble  Sierra  Grande  to  an  altitude  of  11,500  feet.  During  the  summer 
months  this  mountain  is  a  mass  of  flowers  rising  into  the  clear  blue  sky, 
and  is  one  of  the  most  charming  and  magnificent  sights  in  New  Mexico. 
Five  miles  from  town  is  Sierra  Capulin,  9,500  feet  high,  bearing  on  its 
crest  a  perfect  volcano  crater,  and  affording  a  magnificent  outlook  over 
lesser  peaks  in  all  directions,  while  in  clear  days  the  range  of  vision  may 
sweep  far  to  the  northwest  and  include  the  Spanish  and   Pike's  peaks  of 


718  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Colorado.  Sulphur  and  iron  springs  abound  near  Folsom,  and  there  are 
several  imposing  sanitariums. 

Folsom  (formerly  Fort  Folsom)  has  long  been  an  important  shipping 
point  for  live  stock  and  wool,  and  one  of  the  busiest  localities  in  New 
Mexico  is  the  ground  upon  which  stand  the  sheep-dipping  tanks  owned 
and  operated  by  the  railroad  company.  The  town  has  a  fine  public  school, 
a  large  hotel  (sanitarium ) ,  and  Union  Protestant  and  Catholic  congrega- 
tions. Its  business  houses  are  creditable,  and  from  the  lime  quarries  near 
bv  is  manufactured  a  good  quality  of  plaster.  A  Spanish  weekly  is  pub- 
lished in  Folsom,  and  altogether  it  is  a  brisk  and  growing  little  place. 

John  F.  Wolford,  of  Clayton,  was  born  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  October 
22,  1844,  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Wolford.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  in  his  native  city  to  the  age  of  fifteen  years  and  some  months  after- 
ward left  Ohio  and  went  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where  he  located  in 
the  spring  of  1859.  He  was  first  employed  in  a  shingle  factors-  and  after- 
ward went  to  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  and  subsequently  to  Carthage,  Missouri. 
Later  he  was  in  the  Indian  Territory  and  in  July.  1859,  he  made  his  way 
to  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Denver.  He  began  mining  in  Grand 
Gulch.  He  spent  about  eight  months  in  Colorado  and  in  the  spring  of 
i860  came  to  New  Mexico,  making-  his  way  to  Taos  and  afterward  to  Fort 
LJnion,  assisting  in  building  the  present  fort.  After  about  four  months 
there  passed  he  went  to  Rayado,  where  he  was  in  charge  of  government 
mules  and  horses  belonging  to  Fort  Union  that  had  been  brought  from 
California  in  1862.  There  he  met  many  historic  characters,  including  Kit 
Carson,  Abreu,  Maxwell.  Zan  Hichland,  and  John  Boggs,  also  Richard 
Hunton  and  Mr.  Moore,  who  conducted  the  sutler's  store  at  Fort  Union, 
the  only  store  in  that  part  of  the  Territory.  After  remaining  in  New 
Mexico  for  nine  years,  Mr.  Wolford  returned  to  Colorado  on  what  was 
known  as  the  picket  wire  and  in  that  state  engaged  in  farming  for  a  short 
time  but  was  driven  away  by  the  Indians.  He  then  returned  to  Rayado, 
New  Mexico,  and  shortly  afterward  moved  to  a  ranch  at  the  head  of  Dry 
Cimarron,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  or  until  1877,  when  he  went 
to  Fort  Rascom  and  was  employed  in  the  government  secret  service. 
Previous  to  that  time  he  had  gone  with  Kit  Carson  into  the  Navajo  coun- 
try and  helped  to  bring  out  the  first  Navajo  Indians  that  were  ever  at 
Fort  Sumner.  He  also  made  two  trips  to  Independence,  Kansas,  before 
the  advent  of  railroads  into  that  state.  He  saw  Independence  and  Piatt 
City  destroyed  by  fires  kindled  by  Ouantrell  on  his  raid. 

Mr.  Wolford  witnessed  many  stirring  events  connected  with  the  early 
history  of  New  Mexico  and  adjoining  territories,  after  which  he  settled, 
in  1880,  on  the  Paenes  in  Mora  county.  New  Mexico.  The  name  of  the 
place,  however,  has  since  been  changed  to  Colfax  and  LJnion  counties.  His 
place  of  settlement  was  thirty-five  miles  south  of  Clayton.  He  owns  some 
good  city  property  in  the  town.  He  also  has  a  flock  of  sheep  of  nineteen 
thousand  head  and  is  one  of  the  heaviest  producers  of  wool  in  northeastern 
New  Mexico.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  on  an 
extensive  scale  and  is  well  informed  concerning  the  early  history  of  the 
cattle  industry  of  the  southwest.  For  six  years  he  was  captain  of  the 
range,  which  was  at  that  time  an  important  position,  but  he  at  length  re- 
signed because  of  the  arduous  duty  and  service  imposed  thereby.  He  came 
empty-handed  to  the  southwest  and  has  made  his  way  unaided,  advancing 


i~6~>  7(l4£jf~+cL 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  719 

steaclilv  upward  until  he  occupies  a  foremost  position  among  the  substan- 
tial residents  of  the  Territory.  In  1870  he  met  with  reverses  and  lost  all 
that  he  had,  but  with  unfaltering  spirit  and  determined  energy  he  set  to 
work  to  retrieve  his  lost  possessions  and  has  forged  to  the  front  until  he 
is  again  numbered  among  the  successful  and  wealthy  residents  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. 

Mr.  Wolford  was  married  in  Rayado,  New  Mexico,  December  17, 
1862,  to  Miss  Margaret  Moras,  a  native  of  the  Territory.  Seventeen 
children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  thirteen  are  living,  and  there  are 
also  forty-three  grandchildren  and  one  great-grandchild.  All  but  six  of 
the  grandchildren  reside  in  New  Mexico  and  those  are  living  at  Pagosa 
Springs,  Colorado. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Wolford  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  active  in 
the  affairs  and  work  of  the  party,  and  at  the  present  writing,  in  1906,  is 
serving  as  collector  and  treasurer  of  Union  county,  to  which  office  he  was 
elected  in  January.  1905,  for  a  two  years'  term.  In  i860  he  surveyed  the 
Maxwell  grant  for  Messrs.  Maxwell  and  Beaubien.  since  which  time  no 
change  has  been  made.  During  the  survey  they  were  harassed  consider- 
ably by  the  Apache  Indians,  who,  however,  were  held  in  check  by  a  body 
of  soldiers  known  as  the  home  guard.  Mr.  Wolford  also  subdivided  most 
of  Colfax  county  and  all  of  Union  county  and  located  all  the  big  stock 
ranches  in  the  latter.  He  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  fight  at  Albuquerque 
between  the  southern  and  northern  forces  and  also  witnessed  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  commissary  at  Santa  Fe  and  saw  the  battle  at  Pigeon  Ranch  in 
the  canyon,  which  was  fought  between  the  northern  and  southern  forces. 
Mr.  Wolford  has  seen  the  great  transformation  that  has  taken  place  in  the 
southwest,  particularly  in  Texas,  New  Mexico  and  Colorado.  He  is  a 
Knight  Templar  Mason  and  is  a  -man  of  enterprising  and  resolute  spirit,  as 
manifest  in  his  business  career  and  in  all  life's  relations.  He  certainly 
deserves  mention  in  this  history,  for  he  belongs  to  that  class  of  representa- 
tive pioneer  men  who  have  aided  in  carrying  civilization  into  the  southwest 
and  in  promoting  its  development  and  progress.  He  has  displayed  splen- 
did business  ability  in  the  control  of  his  private  interests  and  at  the  same 
time  has  manifested  a  keen  recognition  of  the  possibilities  of  the  territory 
and  most  effective  labor  in  the  substantial  development  of  this  part  of 
the  country. 

Charles  A.  English,  now  residing  at  Folsom,  Union  county,  came 
to  New  Mexico  in  April,  1895,  and  settled  on  Johnson's  mesa.  On  the  10th 
of  August  of  the  same  year  he  located  a  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Colfax  county,  upon  which  he  made  his  home  until  1906,  building 
thereon  a  good  residence  in  1901.  There  he  was  engaged  in  general 
farming,  raising  a  variety  of  crops,  including  oats,  wheat  and  barley,  and 
keeping  on  an  average  of  twenty  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  From  that 
place  he  removed  to  his  present  residence,  where  he  is  also  carrying  on 
general  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  English  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Clarion 
county,  that  state,  October  1,  1836,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  and  remained 
there  until  he  was  twenty.  Then  he  went  to  Iowa,  landing  in  that  state 
October  13.  1856,  and  from  that  date  until  the  spring  of  1895  was  engaged 
in  farming  there,  in  Scott,  Clinton  and  Greene  counties.  On  account  of 
ill  health  he  sought  a  change  of  climate.    He  had  been  in  New  Mexico  only 


720  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

a  few  weeks  when  the  improvement  in  his  condition  was  such  as  to  influ- 
ence him  to  locate  here  permanently,  and  now,  after  a  residence  of  ten 
years  in  this  mild  climate,  he  does  not  regret  the  decision  then  made. 

Politically  Mr.  English  has  always  been  a  Republican.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  in  district  No.  21,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
both  educational  and  religious  matters  in  his  locality.  He  was  one  of  the 
principal  organizers  of  St.  John's  Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  the  mesa 
and  gave  material  help  toward  the  erection  of  their  house  of  worship  in 
1897.  While  a  resident  of  Iowa  he  was  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Churdan. 

In  August.  1863,  Mr.  English  married  Miss  Mary  A.  Williams.  Of 
their  children  we  record  that  the  eldest.  Edward  Newton,  resides  in  Chur- 
dan, Iowa;  Lulu  T.  is  the  wife  of  John  Utton;  Gertrude  is  the  wife  of 
Edward  C.  Elston,  of  Waverly.  Washington ;  Thomas  M.  and  H.  Bruce 
are  with  their  parents ;  Clyde  lives  in  Churdan,  Iowa ;  and  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  John  Floyd,  resides  on  Johnson's  mesa,  Colfax  county. 


Ruins  of  Ancient  Spanish  Fort,  Grant  County 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


GRANT  COUNTY. 

Grant  is  the  extreme  southwestern  county  of  New  Mexico,  and  has 
Socorro  to  the  north,  and  Sierra  and  Luna  counties  to  the  east.  In  size  it 
is  only  exceeded  by  Socorro  and  Chaves,  having  an  area  of  9,327  square 
miles,  or  22  square  miles  larger  than  New  Hampshire.  It  has  a  population 
of  12,883,  its  principal  center  being  Silver  City,  with  3,000  people. 

Creation  of  the  County. — The  county  of  Grant  was  created  by  legisla- 
tive enactment  January  30,  1868,  and  Central  City  was  named  as  the  seat 
of  government ;  but  Pinos  Altos  was  then  the  leading  town,  with  a  popu- 
lation of  about  six  hundred  people,  was  a  busy  silver  mining  center,  had 
a  number  of  good  hotels  and  stores,  substantial  bridges  gave  access  to  the 
place,  and  it  was  in  every  way  better  adapted  for  the  county  seat.  By  an 
act  approved  January  8  of  the  following  year  Pinos  Altos  therefore  became 
the  official  custodian  of  the  county  records,  and  provided  such  accommoda- 
tions as  it  could  for  the  sittings  of  the  territorial  courts. 

Pinos  Altos'  Gay  and  Only  Term  of  Court.— S.  M.  Ashenfelter  tells 
of  this  remarkable  historic  event,  in  the  Silver  City  Independent  of  Au- 
gust 19,  1902:  "In  those  days  the  Federal  judges  for  the  Territories  were 
selected  almost  without  exception  from  the  decayed,  or  decaying,  politicians 
of  the  east,  and  more  than  one  of  such  appointees,  after  venturing  into  the 
country  as  far  as  the  Mesilla  valley  and  hearing  of  our  Indian  troubles  in 
Grant  county,  took  early  return  coach  for  home.  The  consequence  was  that 
for  the  years  1869  and  1870  this  Third  Judicial  District  was  without  courts, 
except  for  two  brief  terms  held  at  Mesilla. 

"But  in  1871  a  term  of  court  was  held  at  Pinos  Altos,  and  that  term 
was  probably  one  of  the  'loudest'  ever  held  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region. 
The  incumbent  on  the  bench  was  D.  B.  Johnson,  then  recently  appointed 
from  the  east,  and  it  was  his  first  and  only  term.  Partly  to  distinguish  him 
from  Old  Blue  Johnson,  who  presided  in  the  Second  district,  and  partly 
•because  of  his  character  and  the  suggestive  arrangement  of  his  initials, 
our  man  was  called  'Dead  Beat  Johnson.'  Bill  Reid  and  his  Canuta  were 
the  moving  spirits  of  that  term — and  a  Mexican  band  furnished  the  music. 
With  one  exception,  bar  and  court  were  highly  hilarious  throughout  the 
entire  sitting. 

"Judge  Johnson  evidently  thought  these  Romans  did  things  that  way, 
and  he  must  do  likewise — if  he  would  be  popular,  and  equip  himself  to 
grasp  the  senatorial  plum  still  so  tempting  to  Federal  judges  who  came 
from  the  states  to  administer  the  law  in  New  Mexico.  By  day  it  was  loud, 
and  by  night  it  was  louder:  and  the  vision  of  the  court  shorn  of  its  judicial 
ermine  and  robed  out  in  the  scantiest  of  night  attire,  dancing  the  can-can 
to  the  twanging  of  the  festive  guitar,  the  wild  shrieking  of  an  untuned 
violin  and  the  discordant  gutterals  of  a  base  viol,  while  about  him  circled 


722  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

in  the  dance  a  crew  of  half  drunken,  shouting  attorneys,  gamblers  and  mid- 
night sportsmen — that  vision  was  one  which  will  never  fade  from  memory. 
And  there  live  in  Grant  county  a  number  of  sedate  citizens  who  partici- 
pated in  those  revels,  and  in  other  equally  striking  incidents  which  marked 
the  first  and  only  term  of  court  held  in  Pinas  Altos.  Judge  Johnson  left 
the  country  never  to  return,  and  the  next  legislature  changed  the  county 
seat  to  Silver  City." 

County  Officials. — Silver  City  has  been  the  county  seat  of  Grant 
county  continuously  since  1874,  the  first  official  records  being  dated  from 
Pinos  Altos  June  5,  1868.  As  shown  by  them,  the  list  of  county  officials 
has  been  as  below  : 

1868 : — Probate  Judge.  John  K.  Houston ;  clerk,  Alexander  Brand ;  treasurer, 
John  A.  Miller  (appointed  by  Judge  Houston,  Aug.  10.  1868.  to  succeed  Hugh  Mc- 
Bride,  resigned:  Sept.  9  appointment  rescinded,  as  found  to  be  made  in  error). 

1869: — Judge.  John  K.  Houston,  and  clerks,  Alexander  Brand  and  Albert  Juch ; 
judge,  Richard  Hudson,  and  clerks  William  M.  Milby  and  George  C.  Spears  (ap- 
pointed March  I,  1870,  to  succeed  Milby,  resigned). 

1870: — Judge,  John  K.  Houston;  clerk,  George  C.  Spears;  sheriff,  James  G.  Crit- 
tenden. 

1871  : — Judge,  Richard  Hudson;  clerk,  George  C.  Spears;  sheriff,  James  G.  Crit- 
tenden. 

1872:— Judge,  Richard  Hudson;  clerk,  George  C.  Spears;  sheriff,  James  G.  Crit- 
tenden. 

1873:— Judge.  Richard  Hudson— C.  Bennett  from  Nov.  1;  clerk,  George  C.  Spears; 
sheriff,   Charles  Mcintosh. 

1874:— Judge,  Cornelius  Bennett;  clerk,  George  C.  Spears;  sheriff,  Charles  Mc- 
intosh. 

1875 :— Judges,  Cornelius  Bennett.  John  A.  Ketchum  and  J.  F.  Bennett ;  clerks, 
George  C.  Spears :   sheriff,  H.  H.  Whitehill ;  treasurer.  J.  R.  Adair. 

1876 :— Judge.  J.  F.  Bennett ;  clerk,  J.  A.  Ketcham ;  sheriff.  H.  H.  Whitehill.  The 
first  regular  meeting  of  County   Commissioners   was   on   April  2nd  of   this  year. 

1877:— Judge.  George  W.  Holt:  clerk.  James  Mullen;  treasurer.  J.  R.  Adair; 
sheriff,  Harvey  H.  Whitehill;  commissioners,  Isaac  N.  Cohen  (chairman),  J.  S.  Card- 
well,  John  R.  Magruder. 

^78 :— Judge,  George  W.  Holt;  clerk,  James  Mullen— also,  R.  V.  Newsham ; 
sheriff,  Harvey  H.  Whitehill. 

1879-80:— Judge.  John  M.  Ginn ;  clerk,  R.  V.  Newsham;  treasurer.  J.  B.  Morrill; 
sheriff.  H.  H.  Whitehill. 

1881-82:— Commissioners,  J.  D.  Bail  (chairman),  and  William  H.  Newcomb 
(chairman),  George  O.  Smith.  W.  A.  Craig;  clerk,  Edward  Edmond  Stine ;  treasurer, 
W.  A.  Wilson :  sheriff,  H.  H.  Whitehill. 

1883-4:— Judge.  James  Corbin ;  clerk,  Edmond  Stine:  treasurer,  Samuel  H. 
Eckles;  sheriff,  James  B.  Woods:  commissioners,  Hamilton  C.  McComas  (chairman) 
and  M.  W.  Bremen  (chairman),  Charles  S.  Welles,  J.  L.  Vaughn. 

1S85-6 :— Judge.  F.  M.  Prescott ;  clerk,  Edmond  Stine;  assessor,  Richard  Hudson; 
treasurer,  C  H.  Dane;  sheriff,  James  B.  Woods;  commissioners,  Angus  Campbell 
(chairman).  G.  N.  Wood.  J.  H.  Clossen. 

18S7-8 -—Commissioners.  Thomas  W.  Cobb  (chairman).  John  H.  Bragaw.  Sam- 
uel P.  Carpenter;  clerk,  A.  H.  Morehead ;  assessor,  E.  G.  Payne:  treasurer.  H.  M. 
Meredith;  sheriff,  A.  B.  Laird.  _ 

1889-00:— Commissioners,  Samuel  P.  Carpenter  (chairman).  John  H.  Bragaw, 
Thomas  W.  Cobb,  Joseph  E.  Sheridan  (succeeded  Cobb  in  1800);  judge  W  G. 
Holman;  clerk.  A.  H.  Morehead;  sheriff,  H.  H.  Whitehill;  treasurer,  W.  H.  Neff; 
assessor,  H.  Clossen.  „     „ 

1891-2 :— Commissioners,  Angus  Campbell  (chairman)  and  James  N.  Upton 
(chairman),  Robert  Black  (succeeded  Campbell),  Carl  F.  W.  Schmidle;  judge,  W. 
G.  Holman;  clerk,  E.  M.  Young;  treasurer,  C.  C.  Shoemaker;  sheriff,  James  A. 
Lockhart.  . 

1893-4 :— Commissioners,    Stanton    S.    Brannin     (chairman),     Baylor     bnannon, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  723 

Thomas  Foster;  judge,  M.  W.  Porterfield ;  clerk,  E.  M.  Young;  sheriff,  A.  B.  I.aird ; 
sessor,  E.  J.  Swarts;  treasurer,  John  W.  Fleming. 

1895-6: — Commissioners,  Stanton  S.  Brannin  (chairman),  Thomas  Foster,  A. 
J.  Clark;  judge,  R.  V.  Newsham ;  clerk,  E.  M.  Young;  sheriff,  Baylor  Shannon-, 
collector,  A.  B.   Laird;  assessor,  T.   N.  Childers;   treasurer.   N.   A.   Bolich. 

1897-8:— Commissioners,  A.  J.  Clark  (chairman),  Martin  Maher,  H.  J.  Hicks; 
judge,  R.  V.  Newsham;  clerk.  E.  M.  Young:  sheriff.  William  G.  McAfee;  collector, 
John  L.   Burnside;  assessor,  John  H.   Gillett ;   treasurer,  J.   S.   Carter. 

1899-1900: — Commissioners,  W.  R.  Merrill  (chairman),  T.  F.  Farnsworth,  W.  M. 
Taylor;  judge,  R.  G.  Landrum ;  clerk,  S.  H.  McAninch ;  sheriff,  James  K.  Blair; 
assessor,  G.  W.   M.   Carvil ;   treasurer,  John  L.   Burnside. 

1901-2: — Commissi,  mers,  \Y.  D.  Murray  (chairman),  W.  M.  Taylor,  Seaman 
Field;  judge.  Edward  Baker;  clerk,  S.  H.  McAninch ;  sheriff,  Arthur  S.  Goodell; 
assessor,  John   H.  Gillett;   treasurer,   Adolph   Wetzel. 

1903-4: — Commissioners.  W.  D.  Murray  (chairman),  John  C.  Cureton,  Hiram 
G.  Shafer;  judge.  L.  H.  Rowlee :  clerk.  W.  B.  Walton ;  sheriff.  James  K.  Blair;  as- 
sessor,  E.  J.   Swarts;   treasurer,  John  W.   Fleming. 

1005-6: — Commissioners,  John  C.  Cureton  (chairman),  B.  T.  Link,  B.  B.  Owaiby ; 
judge,  Cornelius  Bennett;  clerk,  W.  B.  Walton;  sheriff,  Charles  A.  Farnsworth; 
assessor,  Samuel  H.  McAninch  (McAninch  died  and  Governor  Otero  appointed  A. 
B.  Laird  to  succeed  him)  ;   treasurer,   Arthur   S.   Goodell. 

Ralston  and  Shakespeare. — The  genesis  of  some  of  the  earliest  settle- 
ments in  Grant  county  is  traced  to  the  Ralston  mining  camp  of  1870,  which 
comprised  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Shakespeare  and  which  was 
founded  on  the  collapse  of  one  of  the  greatest  speculations  in  the  history 
of  the  Southwest.  In  the  late  '60s  a  party  of  government  surveyors  were 
running  their  lines  through  southern  Mexico,  being  engaged  in  laying  out 
the  proposed  overland  route,  which  was  to  follow  the  thirty-second  parallel 
of  latitude.  W.  D.  Brown  and  a  companion,  who  seemed  to  have  held 
some  irresponsible  positions  with  the  party,  deserted  the  expedition  and 
struck  across  country  toward  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail.  Brown  secured  some 
fine  specimens  of  silver,  and  at  or  near  the  present  town  of  Shakespeare 
discovered  bold  and  extensive  outcroppings  of  ore  rocks.  But  as  the 
Apaches  were  then  on  the  warpath,  he  made  all  possible  haste  for  San 
Francisco,  loaded  with  specimens  and  accurate  information  as  to  the  locality 
of  the  most  promising  surface  indications. 

Brown  had  his  specimens  assayed  and  the  finest  of  these  indicated 
12.000  ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton.  He  then  attempted  to  interest  capital 
and  organize  an  expedition  to  develop  his  discovery,  but  as  "a  promoter" 
he  seems  to  have  been  a  failure,  and  left  San  Francisco  in  disgust.  In  the 
summer  of  1869  the  mining  firm  of  Harpending  &  Company,  of  that  city, 
of  which  President  Ralston,  of  the  Bank  of  California,  was  the  leading 
spirit,  decided  to  extend  the  scope  of  their  investigations  from  Arizona 
into  the  district  boomed  by  Brown.  After  extensively  advertising  for  him. 
Brown  was  finally  rediscovered  and  engaged  as  a  guide,  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Arnold  being  the  leader  of  the  entire  expedition. 

The  party" reached  the  district  in  September,  1870,  and,  understanding 
from  Ralston  (who  was  in  desperate  financial  straits)  that  a  big  mining 
company  must  be  organized,  Arnold  and  Brown  gathered  many  choice 
silver  specimens,  made  an  accurate  outline  and  descriptive  plat  of  the  prin- 
cipal ledges  and  spurs,  together  with  a  fair  map  of  the  country  from  the 
Burros  to  the  Lower  Gila,  posted  up  a  general  claim  to  the  entire  district, 
and  hastily  returned  to  San  Francisco,  leaving  behind  a  few  of  the  expedi- 
tion to  protect  the  property.     The  press,  the  telegraphs  and  the  mails  of  the 


724  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

country  were  soon  flooded  with  advertisements  and  astounding  stories  of 
the  riches  of  the  new  silver  district,  and  Ralston's  agents  were  sent  to 
London,  Paris  and  other  European  centers  to  interest  foreign  capital. 

Harpending  &  Company  at  once  organized  and  dispatched  a  second 
expedition,  but  before  it  reached  Tucson  (in  February,  1870)  the  New 
Mexico  Mining  Company  had  been  organized  in  London  with  a  capital  of 
£6,000,000  (£1,000,000  working  capital),  and  £500,000  of  stock  had  actually 
been  sold  at  par  in  the  world's  metropolis.  The  prospectus  of  the  new  com- 
pany set  forth  the  building  of  a  railroad  to  the  Gila  river  ( said  to  be  twenty 
miles  distant),  and  upon  its  completion  the  prompt  erection  of  300  stamps 
for  the  treatment  of  the  ores. 

LJpon  their  arrival  at  Tucson,  Harpending's  second  party  learned  that 
the  men  of  the  first  expedition  who  had  been  left  as  a  guard,  with  perhaps 
new  arrivals,  were  rapidly  taking  the  best  claims  in  the  district.  The  fur- 
ther history,  the  complications  with  the  territorial  laws,  which  had  been 
ignored  by  the  great  New  Mexico  Mining  Company,  and  the  final  collapse 
of  what  was  little  more  substantial  than  a  bubble,  are  included  in  the  fol- 
lowing graphic  account  from  the  pen  of  S.  M.  Ashenfelter,  published  in 
the  Silver  City  Enterprise: 

"The  outline  and  descriptive  plat  was  brought  into  requisition,  and 
with  its  aid-  Arnold  proceeded  to  locate  what  was  regarded  as  the  most 
promising  ground,  and  these  locations  were  made  according  to  the  local 
rules  and  regulations  prescribed  in  the  Virginia  Mining  District  of  Nevada, 
which  were  adopted  as  governing  this  new  district  in  New  Mexico.  And 
all  this  was  done  at  Tucson,  in  Arizona,  where  these  locations  are  said  to 
have  been  recorded.  Then  the  expedition  pushed  forward,  arriving  at  its 
destination  February  12.  1870.  They  found  just  four  men  on  the  ground 
and  but  few  locations  made. 

"Upon  arrival  they  immediately  organized  the  town  of  Ralston,  had 
a  regular  survey  made,  laid  out  streets,  divided  the  various  blocks  into 
town  lots  and  offered  the  latter  for  sale.  The  district  was  christened  the 
Virginia  Mining  District,  and  the  rules  and  regulations  heretofore  referred 
to  were  then  on  the  ground  formally  adopted,  a  miners'  meeting  being  called 
tor  that  purpose.  Then  our  adventurers  proceeded  to  reach  out  for  the 
mineral  wealth  spread  upon  all  sides.  They  had  located  about  twenty 
thousand  feet  upon  their  map,  at  Tucson,  and  now  on  the  ground  they 
took  up  about  seventeen  thousand  feet  of  additional  claims.  Unfortunately 
for  themselves,  or,  rather,  for  those  whom  they  represented,  they  paid 
no  attention  to  the  requirements  of  territorial  law  or  to  the  provisions  of 
the  United  States  statutes.  They  complied  with  their  own  local  laws — 
the  laws  of  the  Virginia  Mining  District — and  this  they  held  to  be  suffi- 
cient. 

"Intelligence  of  the  discovery  had  spread,  and  soon  miners  were  com- 
ing in  from  all  directions.  The  company  pressed  its  lots  upon  the  market, 
stating  that  a  patent  had  been  applied  for  and  would  certainly  issue,  and 
that  those  who  now  refused  to  buy  would  certainly  be  ejected  and  would 
be  denied  all  further  privilege  the  moment  the  title  was  perfected  under 
the  patent  application,  while  those  who  bought  would  be  the  recipients  of 
especial  favor.  Influenced  by  the  threat  and  promise,  most  of  the  new- 
comers purchased  lots  and  were  careful  in  locating  claims  to  avoid  those 
ledges  already  covered  by  claims  of  the  company.     And  the  company,  upon 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  725 

terms  very  favorable  to  the  miners,  took  bonds  upon  some  twenty-five  thou- 
sand feet  of  additional  ground. 

"This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  the  nth  of  June,  at  which  time 
another  meeting  of  miners  was  called  and  held,  the  latest  comers  being 
largely  in  the  majority.  The  laws  of  the  district  were  radically  revised, 
and  all  mere  paper  locations  and  those  not  in  strict  compliance  with  the 
Federal  and  territorial  laws  were  declared  void.  Thereupon  the  miners, 
knowing  that  of  the  persons  in  whose  names  the  company  locations  stood 
but  four  had  ever  been  upon  the  ground,  and  believing  that  failure  to  com- 
ply with  territorial  law  invalidated  all  their  claims,  commenced  to  place 
locations  upon  what  had  theretofore  been  regarded  and  treated  as  com- 
pany ground.  And  in  the  bitter  controversy  which  followed  it  was  pointed 
out  that  the  company  practiced  deception  in  the  matter  of  its  town  lots, 
as  there  was  no  United  States  law  under  which  it  could,  as  a  company, 
obtain  a  townsite  patent,  and  the  controversy  waxed  warm.  The  com- 
pany had  its  hired  fighters,  but  the  miners  were  determined,  and  at  one 
time  it  appeared  as  though  an  armed  conflict  was  unavoidable.  But  wise 
counsels  finally  prevailed,  and  both  parties  agreed,  somewhat  vaguely,  to 
await  the  test  and  developments  of  time.  By  the  end  of  July  there  were 
three  hundred  men  in  camp,  although  under  the  Fabian  policy  which  had 
been  inaugurated  but  very  little  work  was  being  done.  Another  company 
was  organized,  with  a  capital  of  $5,000,000.  taking  the  name  San  Diego 
and  Arizona  Mining  Company.  Both  sides  held  on  until  the  fall,  when  the 
facts  as  stated  were  published  at  Santa  Fe,  then  connected  with  the  east 
by  military  telegraph  wire.  At  once  dispatches  were  forwarded  to  New 
York  which  gave  the  death  blow  to  the  entire  Harpending-Ralston  enter- 
prise. Then  the  collapse  came.  The  London  shares  of  the  New  Mexico 
Mining  Company  went  down  to  unfathomable  depths.  Ralston  committed 
suicide  and  the  camp  which  bore  his  name  did  something  very  similar. 
All  gradually  came  to  realize  that  this  was  not  a  poor  man's  camp.  The 
managers  for  the  Company  and  its  employes  one  after  another  disappeared, 
and  the  miners,  driven  by  dire  necessity,  were  also  compelled  to  leave.  Some 
clung  to  their  claims  tenaciously,  but  by  the  late  '70s  nearly  everything 
was  open  and  free  to  the  grasp  of  burly  John  Boyle,  who  struck  the  final 
blow  in  depriving  the  camp  of  its  historic  name. 

"But  while  it  is  true  that  there  never  was  at  Shakespeare  the  bodies 
of  high-grade  ore  which  Harpending  represented,  it  is  also  true  that  there 
are  probably  no  larger  bodies  of  low-grade  ore  anywhere  on  the  continent, 
and  it  is  also  true  that  values  steadily  improve  with  depth.  To  a  large 
extent  copper  now  appears  to  predominate  in  many  of  the  leads,  and  de- 
velopment work,  although  not  nushed  upon  an  extensive  scale,  is  leading 
to  satisfactory  results.  Indeed,  judeing  from  present  conditions,  it  looks 
as  though  Harpending's  company,  if  it  had  not  been  interfered  with  and 
had  been  given  full  swing  with  its  immense  capital,  might  have  success- 
fully built  up  in  southern  Grant  county  one  of  the  biggest  mining  camps 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  and  have  paid  fair  dividends,  even  upon  such 
enormous  capitalization." 

Pinos  Altos. — Although  old  Mexican  residents  claim  that  before  the 
Mexican  war  their  people  had  washed  gold  in  Santa  Domingo  gulch,  the 
practical  mining  results  and  the  continuous  history  of  Pinos  Altos  dates 
from  the  spring  of  i860,  when  Messrs.  Birch,  Snively  and  Hicks  discov- 


726  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ered  the  precious  metal  at  this  point.  The  camp  which  sprung  up  around 
their  claims  was  first  called  Birchville,  and  the  name  was  afterward  changed 
to  Pino  Alto  and  Pinos  Altos. 

By  the  fall  of  i860  there  were  some  seven  hundred  men  in  the  settle- 
ment, but  only  a  few  remained  during  the  Civil  war  period  on  account  of  the 
almost  constant  attacks  of  the  Apaches  and  because  the  manhood  of  the 
country  was  needed  in  die  east.  In  1861  the  Pinos  Altos  Hotel  was  con- 
ducted by  Buhl  &  Gross,  who  advertised  in  the  Mesilla  Times  that  they 
would  supply  "bread  and  meals."  Samuel  G.  and  Roy  Bean,  on  Main 
street,  were  dealers  in  merchandise,  liquors,  and  had  "a  fine  billard  table." 
Colonel  Thomas  J.  Mastin  was  "pushing  ahead  his  work  of  grinding  quartz 
and  doing  well,  although  constantly  annoyed  by  Indians."  It  seems  that 
two  hundred  quartz  miners  were  wanted  at  Pinos  Altos  at  from  $1  to  $2 
per  day  with  board. 

The  first  murder  in  which  white  men  were  engaged  occurred  in  the 
winter  of  1860-61,  William  Dike  shooting  Dan  Taylor  in  a  dance  hall  and 
making  good  his  escape ;  but,  in  view  of  the  constant  killing  of  white  set- 
tlers by  Apaches,  it  created  comparatively  little  excitement.  In  the  fall 
of  the  latter  year  the  Indians  made  one  of  their  fiercest  onslaughts  upon 
the  camp,  but  were  driven  off  with  a  loss  of  fifteen  warriors  and  three 
miners  killed  and  seven  wounded.  Colonel  Thomas  J.  Mastin,  the  com- 
mander of  the  whites,  was  wounded  and  died  of  blood  poisoning  the  sev- 
enth day  after  the  fight.  A  party  of  twenty-five  men  went  to  Mesilla  for  a 
doctor,  but  before  their  return  in  five  days  the  trouble  had  advanced  too 
far  to  be  checked.  The  deceased  was  very  popular  and  a  leader  among 
the  American  miners  in  every  way.  The  result  was  that  at  his  death  many 
deserted  the  camp  and  left  a  small  minority  to  deal  with  the  hated  Mexi- 
cans. During  the  later  years  of  the  Civil  war  various  detachments  of  cav- 
alry and  infantry,  attached  to  the  California  Volunteers,  were  engaged  in 
constant  warfare  with  marauding  bands  of  Apaches,  not  a  few  of  the  at- 
tacks of  the  Indians  being  made  at  Pinos  Altos.  Among  the  members  of 
Captain  Whitlock's  company  of  the  Fifth  California  Infantry,  which  did 
such  good  work  in  1864,  were  Lieutenant  John  Lambert,  Sergeant  R.  V. 
Newsham,  Corporal  James  L.  Crittenden  (afterward  sheriff  of  Grant  coun- 
ty), Richard  Mawson  and  David  Stitsel. 

After  the  war  the  Navajos  joined  the  Apaches  in  their  war  against 
the  whites,  and  by  the  summer  of  1867  they  had  become  so  destructive  to 
human  life  and  were  creating  such  havoc  to  the  live  stock  interests  of  the 
district  that  the  settlers  determined  upon  a  retaliation  which  would  be  long 
remembered.  At  the  time  mentioned.  Governor  Mitchell  and  General  Carle- 
ton,  the  latter  in  command  of  the  military  district  embracing  southern  New 
Mexico,  visited  the  camp  at  Pinos  Altos  and  found  the  citizens  greatly  ex- 
cited over  recent  outrages. 

As  both  the  civil  executive  and  military  commander  encouraged  the 
settlers  in  their  plan  to  organize  a  retaliatorv  expedition,  the  men  of  Pinos 
Altos,  some  of  whom  had  served  among  the  California  Volunteers,  or- 
ganized a  company  of  forty  or  fifty  and  elected  Richard  Hudson  captain. 
General  Carleton  gave  an  order  on  the  Fort  Bayard  quartermaster  for  five 
government  pack  mules;  Captain  Hudson  contributed  five  more  from  his 
freighting  outfit,  and  Governor  Mitchell  issued  a  formal  commission  to  the 
latter.     Supplies  were  furnished  promptly  and  in  abundance,  and  the  com- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  727 

mand  started,  reinforced  by  half  a  dozen  cavalrymen  of  the  regular  army, 
furnished  by  General  Carleton.  About  half  the  volunteers  were  Mexicans. 
Among  the  soldiers  were  Henry  Barton,  Lanklain  Butin,  E.  C.  Hartford, 
Tom  Graves,  Dan  Dimond,  Juan  Garcia,  Juan  Arroyas  (a  well-known  gov- 
ernment guide)  and  one  Riley,  who  was  afterward  murdered  at  Finos 
Altos.  Dan  Dimond  was  hung  the  same  year  by  a  band  of  vigilantes  for 
the  murder  of  a  Finos  Altos  butcher,  whom  he  shot  in  a  jealous  rage  over 
a  Mexican  woman. 

About  one  hundred  miles  from  Pinos  Altos,  in  the  deep  canyons  of  the 
Mogollons,  the  little  determined  band  of  whites  came  upon  Jose  Largo's 
band  of  Navajos.  In  the  short,  sharp  fight  which  ensued  thirteen  Indians 
were  killed  and  seven  captured,  the  latter  being  promptly  sent  to  their 
hunting  grounds  of  the  beyond.  Although  this  expedition  had  a  salutary 
effect,  it  did  not  entirely  check  the  Indian  outrages ;  as  will  be  seen  here- 
after, their  cessation  was  caused  by  entirely  different  means. 

In  1867  a  regular  survey  of  the  town  was  made,  it  being  laid  out  and 
platted  by  the  Pinos  Altos  Town  Company,  of  which  Samuel  J.  Jones  was 
the  leader.  The  town  site  covered  320  acres.  During  the  following  year 
four  bridges  were  built  over  Bear  creek  and  several  wells  were  sunk  close 
to  the  bed  of  the  creek  to  insure  a  good  supply  of  water  for  drinking  pur- 
poses. The  principal  merchants  then  were  Raynolds  &  Griggs,  Vigil  Mas- 
tin,  John  A.  Miller,  Carlos  Norero  and  W.  Lee  Thompson. 

Mastin  had  one  of  the  largest  stores  in  Pinos  Altos,  was  extensively 
interested  in  mining  and  was  altogether  one  of  the  big  men  of  the  place. 
He  was  killed  by  Navajo  Indians  on  the  road  south  of  Pinos  Altos  in  1868. 
A  fortnight  later  Richard  Hudson  was  shot  through  both  arms  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  near  the  camp.  In  fact,  single  individuals  or  small  parties 
venturing  half  a  mile  beyond  the  outskirts  ran  serious  risks,  and  the  stories 
of  narrow  escapes  would  fill  volumes. 

Finally  the  settlers  determined  to  enter  into  a  compact  with  the  Indians 
for  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  It  was  agreed  that  a  large  cross  should  be 
placed  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  just  north  of  the  town,  and  that  as  long 
as  it  was  left  there  no  killing  should  be  done.  "This  compact  was  strictly 
adhered  to,"  says  the  Pinos  Altos  Enterprise  of  November  23,  1882,  "and 
from  1868  to  the  present  time  no  resident  of  Pinos  Altos  has  been  killed  by 
an  Indian." 

Notwithstanding  this  assurance  of  security,  Pinos  Altos  appears  to 
have  reached  the  flood  tide  of  its  prosperitv  at  about  1868,  and  when  it  lost 
the  county  seat  in  1874  it  was  overshadowed  by  the  growth  of  its  younger 
and  more  vigorous  rival,  Silver  City. 

Silver  City. — Founded  upon  a  favorite  camping  ground  and  watering 
place  of  both  the  Navajos  and  Apaches,  it  is  little  wonder  that  Silver  City 
was  the  focus  of  their  hostilities.  During  the  first  few  years  of  its  set- 
tlement both  miner  and  ranchman  lived  a  life  of  constant  anxiety.  The 
roads  were  unsafe  in  all  directions,  and  stock  left  to  graze  even  at  the 
very  edge  of  town,  was  ran  off  into  the  foothills  or  mountains,  and  either 
killed  or  permanently  appropriated.  Even  between  Silver  City  and  the 
neighboring  post  of  Fort  Bayard  the  road  was  ttnsafe. 

In  spite  of  this  insecurity  Silver  City  grew  from  half  a  dozen  perma- 
nent settlers  in  1870  to  a  place  of  some  eighty  buildings  in  February  of 
the  following  year.     Among  the  founders  of  the  place  may  be  mentioned 


72S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

L.  B.  Maxwell,  who  started  the  first  ore  mill  (operated  later  by  Messrs. 
E.  E.  Burlingame,  James  Shelby  and  Charles  Thayer)  ;  Harvey  H.  White- 
hill,  William  Chamberlain,  James  Corbin,  S.  M.  Ashenfelter;  Col.  Richard 
Hudson,  formerly  of  Pinos  Altos;  Col.  J.  F.  Bennett,  who  was  in  business 
in  Las  Cruces  for  some  time,  but  operated  a  stamp  mill  here ;  Judge  Hack- 
ney,  who  in  earl}  times  owned  a  newspaper  at  Globe,  Ariz.,  where  he  died, 
and  Brad  Dailey,  who  teamed  into  Silver  City  from  Las  Cruces. 

No  man  of  those  days,  however,  was  more  generally  honored  than 
John  Bullard,  who  bravely  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  a  treacherous 
Apache  while  leading  a  Silver  City  expedition  against  the  Indians  of  that 
tribe,  near  the  San  Francisco  river,  about  twenty  miles  above  the  present 
site  of  Clifton,  Ariz.  It  was  in  February,  1871,  and  Captain  Bullard,  who 
had  brought  his  command  of  thirty  citizen-soldiery  to  this  point,  had 
sighted  a  band  of  Apaches.  He  divided  his  command,  and,  after  detailing 
a  guard  for  his  pack  train,  gave  the  command  to  move  forward  and  strike 
the  enemy  both  from  the  north  and  the  south.  The  sad  tragedy  which  fol- 
lowed is  "best  told  in  the  words  of  S.  M.  Ashenfelter,  his  friend  :  "Captain 
Bullard  and  a  companion  suddenly  ran  upon  an  outlying  Apache,  who  was 
running  in  evident  effort  to  reach  and  give  the  alarm  to  his  people.  The 
companion  fired,  wounding  the  Apache  in  the  thigh.  Then  Bullard  fired, 
his  bullet  piercing  the  bod}"  of  his  foe.  who  sank  slowly  to  the  ground. 
The  two  rushed  forward,  when  the  (lying  Indian,  in  His  last  agony,  slowly 
raised  a  revolver  with  both  hands,  aiming  at  Bullard,  whom  he  evidently 
recognized  as  a  leader.  The  latter  saw  and  fully  realized  his  danger.  He 
had  failed  to  throw  a  fresh  charge  into  his  own  rifle,  and  he  called  to  his 
companion  to  fire.  The  latter  pulled  rifle  to  shoulder,  and  two  shots  rang 
out  almost  simultaneously.  The  Indian  fell  back  with  the  entire  top  of  his 
head  blown  away,  while  Captain  Bullard  reeled  and  fell  into  a  half  recum- 
bent posture.  He  tore  open  his  shirt,  gazed  a  moment  at  his  bleeding 
wound,  and,  without  a  word  or  a  groan,  fell  back  dead.  The  ball  had 
pierced  his  heart.  Speedy  vengeance  followed.  Within  a  few  minutes  four- 
teen Apaches  lav  dead  upon  the  ground,  while  the  rest  of  the  band  was 
scattered  among  the  huge  boulders  close  at  hand,  many  being  badly 
wounded,  as  was  afterwards  learned  from  the  Camp  Grant  reservation, 
where  they  took  refuge.  The  attacking  party  suffered  no  further  loss,  and 
an  Apache  boy  was  captured  and  brought  to  Silver  City.  He  was  taken 
in  charge  by  "General"  Wardwell,  who  afterwards  surrendered  him  to  his 
tribe.  The  remains  of  Captain  Bullard  were  brought  back  to  Silver  City, 
and  the  interment  took  place  in  the  cemetery  which  then  occupied  the  slope 
to  the  south  and  west  of  Professor  Light's  present  residence.  Major  Kelly 
brought  over  a  company  of  troops  from  Fort  Bayard,  and  military  honors 
were  accorded  the  dead.  The  remains  were  afterwards  removed  to  the 
cemetery  east  of  town  and  to  the  southward  of  the  Fort  Bayard  road. 
where  they  now  rest.  The  loss  of  John  Bullard  was  deeply  felt.  He  had 
been  a  recognized  leader ;  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  town  bore 
his  name,  and  to  this  day  a  shade  of  regret  colors  the  old  timer's  mention 
of  the  man's  name.  A  public  meeting  was  held,  and  resolutions  were 
adopted  expressive  of  the  general  grief.  It  was  by  a  remarkable  coinci- 
dence that  Major  Kelly  and  his  command  had  just  returned  to  Fort  Bayard 
from  a  raid  among  the  hostiles,  in  which  they  also  had  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing fourteen  braves.     The  effect  of  the  two  blows  was  most  salutary.     For 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  729 

years  afterwards  Silver  City  enjoyed  comparative  peace,  in  so  far  as  the 
immediate  surroundings  of  the  town  were  concerned.  Almost  coincident 
with  these  tragic  events,  others  of  the  Warm  Spring  Apaches  made  their 
presence  felt  near  the  Mexican  border  to  the  south  of  us.  Kearl  &  Miller's 
train  was  moving  northward  laden  with  freight  for  Fort  Bayard.  Charles 
Kearl  and  his  wife,  accompanied  by  six  men,  had  ridden  out  several  miles 
in  advance  of  the  train.  They  were  attacked  and  but  two  escaped,  one 
of  these  badly  wounded  ami  dying  a  day  or  two  later.  The  bodies  were 
horribly  mutilated,  especially  that  of  Mrs.  Kearl,  then  but  recently  a  bride. 
Besides  the  Kearls,  the  dead  were  Gus.  Hepner,  Charles  DeLard  and  three 
men  named  Sutherland,  Bellhouse  and  Burnliam." 

But  money  was  plenty,  the  new  discoveries  were  "panning  out"  into 
substantial  profits,  the  community  was  buoyant  with  hope  and  confidence, 
and  a  constant  stream  of  new  settlers  added  to  the  population,  notwith- 
standing the  hovering  bands  of  hostile  Indians.  Substantial  buildings 
were  also  being  erected  on  all  sides,  and  M.  W.  Bremen's  saw-mill,  in  the 
heavy  timber  some  five  miles  above  town,  could  scarcely  keep  pace  with 
the  demand  for  lumber.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  although  there  were  three 
stores  in  town,  the  main  points  for  supplies,  including  mining  tools,  were 
Las  Cruces  and  Mesilla.  The  freight  was  $1.25  per  hundred  pounds;  bull 
teams  did  the  hauling  and  about  a  week  was  consumed  in  the  trip.  The 
stage  fare  from  Las  Cruces  was  $25,  from  Santa  Fe  $100.  In  addition 
to  the  three  stores  mentioned.  Silver  City  had,  in  1871,  one  livery  stable, 
one  boarding  house,  two  blacksmith  shops,  one  shoe  shop,  one  paint  shop 
and   a   large   lumber  yard. 

A  Shot  at  Congress. — The  early  settlers  of  Silver  City  never  forgave 
the  Apaches  for  the  untimely  death  of  John  Bullard,  and  shortly  after  the 
tragedy  a  measure  was  introduced  in  congress  providing  for  an  appropria- 
tion of  $30,000  to  defray  the  expenses  of  gathering  their  enemies  upon 
permanent  reservations.  The  people  of  Silver  City  thereupon  held  a  mass 
meeting,  at  which  Richard  Yeomans  presided  and  William  H.  Eckles 
acted  as  secretary.  With  I.  J.  Stevens,  James  Bullard  and  E.  M.  Pearce, 
they  formed  a  committee  of  resolutions,  who,  after  calling  the  attention  of 
congress  to  the  fact  that  the  proposed  action  was  a  misappropriation  of 
public  moneys,  concluded  with  the  following,  which  was  unanimously  and 
enthusiastically  adopted:  "Resolved:  That  by  the  expenditure  of  $30,000 
among  volunteers,  the  Indians  can  be  gathered  upon  reservations  where 
the}-   will   stay   forever." 

Incorporation  of  the  City. — Silver  City  is  the  first  incorporated  town 
in  \\\v  Mexico  that  has  continued  its  government  under  the  charter 
granted  by  the  legislature.  It  was  incorporated  by  special  act,  February 
15,  1878,  and  its  limits  were  described  as  "an  area  of  two  square  miles  con- 
forming to  the  points  of  the  compass,  north,  east,  south  and  west,  measur- 
ing from  the  point  intersecting  at  right  angles  Broadway  and  Main  streets, 
which  point  shall  be  the  center  of  the  corporate  limits."  This  charter 
was  amended  by  act  of  the  legislature  March  19,  1884,  and  again  Febru- 
ary 8,  1889,  providing  that  a  city  councilman  must  be  an  owner  of  real 
estate  in  town. 

Residents  of  1882.— In  this  year  the  professional  and  business  men 
of  Silver  City  were  as  follows : 


730  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Clergymen : — H.  L.  Gamble,  rector  of  Episcopal  Church ;  C.  L.  Allen,  pastor  of 
M.   E.   Church;   Peter  Bourgade,  priest  in  charge  of   Catholic   Church. 

Attorneys : — Frank  J.  Wright,  John  D.  Bail,  H.  C.  McComas,  Andrew  Sloan, 
John  M.  Ginn,  Edward  V.  Price,  Elisha  M.  Sanford. 

R.  C.  Anderson  was  an  M.  D..  and  G.  W.  Bailey,  the  druggist. 

Merchants: — Derbyshire  Brothers  (M.  E.  and  S.  S.),  furniture  dealers;  C.  P. 
Crawford,  general  merchandise  (also  bankerl  :  D.  H.  Gilbert,  general  merchandise; 
Marritt  &  Company,  general  merchandise;  R.  R.  Higbee,  wholesale  and  retail  grocer; 
Abraham  Brothers,  clothing;  W.  C.  Jasper  &  Company  (A.  H.  Morehead),  groceries ; 
D.   P.  Neff,  hardware ;   William  Walker,  merchant  tailor :   Martin   Maher,  bakery. 

Bankers: — C.  P.  Crawford,  successor  to  Porter  &  Crawford — H.  Booth,  cashier; 
Newton  Bradley,  manager  of  Grant  County  Bank. 

Hotel  Keepers : — A.  M.  Connor,  proprietor  of  the  "Southern  Hotel,"  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Hudson  streets;  Louie  Timmer.  proprietor  of  the  "Exchange  Hotel," 
"The  Delmonico  of  the  West,"  and  "the  most  stately  edifice  in  New  Mexico ;"  Peter 
Ott,  proprietor  of  the  "Tremont  House,"  on  Main  street   (now  an  arroyo). 

It  is  also  learned  that  at  this  time  Kennedy  &  Thobro  were  dealers  in 
drugs  at  Georgetown,  C.  H.  Dane  was  a  forwarding  and  commission  mer- 
chant at  Deming,  and  Richard  Hudson  was  proprietor  of  Hot  Springs, 
twenty-rive  miles  southeast  of  Silver  City. 

Municipal  Officers. — As  stated,  Silver  City  was  incorporated  in  Febru- 
ary, 1878.  Its  first  officers  assumed  their  positions  on  May  1st  of  that  year. 
Following  is  the   list: 

1878 : — Mayor,  Robert  Black ;  clerk.  J.  Porter ;  councilmen,  John  Morril,  C.  P. 
Crawford,  William  Chamberlain,  Robert  V.  Newsham. 

1879:— Mayor,  Martin  W.  Bremen;  clerk,  H.   W.   Sherry. 

1880: — Mayor,  Martin  W.  Bremen;  clerks,  H.  W.  Sherry,  O.  L.  Scott,  Henry 
Fenton,  A.  C.  Downey. 

1881  : — Mayor,    Eugene   Cosgrove ;    clerk,    Henry   Fenton. 

1882: — Mayor,  Cornelius  Bennett;  clerk,  Henry  Fenton;  treasurer,  H.  B.  Ailman. 

1883: — Mayor,  Robert  Black;   clerk,  Henry  Fenton. 

1884: — Mayor,  Martin  W.  Bremen,  clerk,  E.  Cosgrove;  treasurer,  H.  B.  Ailman. 

1885 : — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming  ;   clerk.  E.  Cosgrove ;  treasurer,  Max  Schutz. 

1886 : — Mayor,  Cornelius  Bennett ;  clerk,  John   A.  Apperson. 

1887 :— Mayor,  John  D.  Bail ;  clerk.  William  H.  Allen ;  treasurer.  G.  D.  Goldman. 

1888: — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming;  clerk,  H.  W.  Lucas;  treasurer,  George  D.  Gold- 
man. 

1889: — Mayor,  J.  W.   Fleming;   clerk,  H.   W.  Lucas;   treasurer,  J.   W.   Carter. 

1890 : — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming ;  clerk,  H.  W.  Lucas ;  treasurer,  J.  W.  Carter. 

i8gi  : — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming;   clerk,  W.  F.  Lorenz ;   treasurer,  J.  W.  Carter. 

1892-6: — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming:  clerk,  William  F.  Lorenz. 

1897-1906: — Mayor,  J.  W.  Fleming;  clerk.  H.  H.  Betts ;  treasurer  Hyman  Abra- 
ham. 

Mowry  City. — Mowry  City,  formerly  quite  a  brisk  place  in  Grant 
county,  is  thus  described  by  S.  M.  Ashenfelter  in  one  of  his  reminiscences 
contributed  to  the  Silver  City  Independent,  the  picture  being  drawn  for 
1871: 

"At  Mowry  City,  on  the  Mimbres  (now  Whitehill  s  ranch),  there  was 
a  considerable  population.  R.  V.  Newsham  and  M.  St.  John  had  large 
stocks  of  general  merchandise.  A.  Voorhees  ran  a  hotel,  which  afterwards 
came  into  the  hands  of  "Old  Man"  Porter,  father  of  Frank  and  Harry 
Porter,  well  known  in  later  years.  Kimberlan  &  Company  had  a  flouring 
mill,  and  Dick  Mawson  and  "Hairtrigger  John':  Gibson  did  the  black- 
smithing  for  the  countryside.  The  main  mail  line  west  from  Mesilla  to 
Tucson  passed  through  Mowry  City.     It  was  run  by  J.  F.  Bennett  &  Co., 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  731 

the  company  being  Henry  Lesinsky  and  Con  Cosgrove.  It  was  the  old 
Southern  Overland  route,"  coming  up  by  the  way  of  Rough  and  Ready, 
Slocum's  ranch.  Fort  Cummins  and  Cook's  Canyon;  and  it  crossed  the 
Mimbres  at  Mowry  City.  In  the  spring  of  1871  the  branch  line  to  Fort 
Bayard,  Silver  City  and'Pinos  Altos  was  run  by  W.  H.  Wiley  &  Company. 
Slocum's  was  as  famous  in  its  day  as  Fort  Cummins,  and  John  D.  Slocum 
was  a  man  of  recognized  eminence  on  this  frontier." 

Mines  Throughout  the  County. — The  mines  at  Lone  Mountain  were 
discovered  in  February,  1871,  and  quite  a  number  of  Silver  City  pioneers 
moved  over  to  the  new  camp.  Much  work  was  done  there,  and  some 
very  rich  ore  was  taken  out,  but  it  was  never  found  in  sufficient  quanti- 
ties to  make  mining  operations  profitable  in  a  permanent  way. 

Santa  Rita  was  one  of  the  oldest  mining  camps  in  the  Territory.  It 
was  worked  by  the  Mexicans  centuries  ago,  who  dug  out  the  rich  copper 
ore.  smelted  it  and  carried  it  to  their  country  on  burros.  In  1882  the 
Santa  Rita  Copper  &  Iron  Company  (capital  $5,000,000)  owned  this  an- 
cient mine,  which  was  managed  by  T.  E.  Swarz. 

San  Jose,  a  mining  camp  revived  in  the  early  eighties,  was  also  oper- 
ated in  the  olden  times  by  the  natives  of  Mexico.  It  was  at  first  under 
the  management  of  B.  S.  Loney. 

The  town  of  Paschal,  sixteen  miles  southwest  of  Silver  City,  was 
named  in  honor  of  Paschal  R.  Smith,  manager  of  the  Valverde  Mining  and 
Smelting  Company.  It  was  the  first  camp  in  the  Burro  mountains,  and  for 
years  was  one  of  the  leading  copper  mines  in  New  Mexico.  Especially  rich 
discoveries  were  made  in  1881,  at  which  time  the  St.  Louis  mine  was  the 
most  developed.  The  Clara  Clarita  mines,  five  miles  southeast  of  Paschal, 
were  then  in  the  possossion  of  P.  R.  Smith,  Asa  Kilbourne  and  Hosiah 
Bailey. 

In  1870  mineral  was  first  discovered  at  Pyramid,  or  Leitendorf,  nine 
miles  southwest  of  Lordsburg.  Col.  Amos  Green,  a  prominent  developer  of 
early  railroad  properties,  was  president  of  the  company  which  worked  the 
Viola  and  Penelope  mines  and  erected  the  first  large  mill  in  the  region.  In 
the  early  eighties  perhaps  the  best  developed  mine  in  the  Leitendorf  district 
was  the  Last  Chance,  owned  by  an  Evansville  company  and  in  charge  of 
W.  J.  Crosby.  There  were  also  the  Ormus  Company,  of  Hamburg,  Ger- 
many, and  New  Orleans,  La. ;  Silver  Belle,  Messrs.  Enoch  Warrington 
and  F.  Gilchrist  being  its  proprietors;  and  such  mine  owners  as  Frank- 
Reno,  Sherrer  &  Butnuh,  George  Martin,  J.  E.  Long,  John  Farrell,  J.  T. 
Ustick  and  A.  J.  Hughes. 

In  the  Victoria  mining  district  the  following  owners  were  operating 
in  1882:  William  Kent,  William  Hyters  and  Joseph  L.  Dougherty,  who 
located  their  camp  in  1880:  Higgin,  Head  &  Hearst;  Grodhaus,  Fuller  & 
Cusack;  and  the  Victoria  Mining  &  Smelting  Company,  Joseph  W.  Branc 
being  president. 

In  the  group  known  as  the  Hanover  mines  at  this  time  were :  Copper 
Pan,  owned  by  Captain  Eakridge ;  Convention,  Lloyd  Magruder;  Crabtree, 
Crabtree.  Willis  &  Company;  Buckeye,  Mr.  Bur'gerott ;  Jim  Fair.  Jack 
Shanley  and  H.  J.  Hutchinson:  Virginia,  J.  C.  Winter;  Philadelphia,  Mr. 
Harper;  Lucky  Chance,  Jack  Shanley;  other  owners  being  Charles  Nack 
&  Brother,  William  Chamberlain.  Judge  Potter  and  J.  M.  Lacy. 

In   1866  the  camp  of  Georgetown  was  first  struck  bv  Messrs.  Butine 

Vol.   II.      14 


732  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  Streeter,  George  Duncan,  Andy  Johnson  and  others.  No  work  was 
done  for  two  years  later,  when  operations  were  commenced  by  E.  Weeks 
and  J.  Fresh,  on  what  is  known  as  the  McNulty.  In  1872  the  wealth 
of  the  camp  became  apparent,  and  the  district  is  still  productive. 

Central  City  is -nine  miles  from  Silver  City,  and  is  situated  on  a  table 
leading  down  from  the  mountain,  in  which  are  located  the  Hanover  and 
SantaRita  copper  mines.  The  entire  table  is  checked  with  gold  and  silver 
bearing  leads,  and  the  numerous  ravines  cutting  through  the  flat  furnish 
an  unfailing  supply  of  the  purest  mountain  water. 

Lordsburg.  in  the  western  part  of  the  county,  on  the  Southern  Pacific 
line,  is  also  the  center  of  a  flourishing  gold  and  silver  district,  in  which 
are  Pyramid  and  Shakespeare,  already  mentioned. 

Physical  Geography  and  Natural  Wealth. — The  general  appearance 
and  contour  of  Grant  county  is  anomalous.  The  great  divide  comes  down 
near  its  western  line,  trending  southwest.  It  divides  the  county  into  two 
very  unequal  portions,  the  larger  of  which,  or  Mimbres  basin,  has  no 
ocean  drainage,  but  its  waters  flow  toward  Palcmas  lake,  the  sink  of  this 
great  region.  The  Gila  drains  the  northwest  of  the  county  into  the  gulf  of 
California. 

The  country  abounds  in  mountain  ranges,  in  which  mines  are  being 
developed,  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  in  mountain  clusters,  rising  to  alti- 
tudes not  exceeding  1,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  plains,  and  elevated 
from  the  undulating  plains,  representing  the  former  islands,  when,  during 
the  cretaceous  period,  the  waters  of  the  sea  still  covered  the  country.  A 
multitude  of  evidences  in  the  shape  of  ruins,  ancient  pottery  and  remnants 
of  implements  conclusively  prove  that  this  country,  in  prehistoric  ages,  has 
been  inhabited  by  a  human  race  or  races  who,  comparatively,  occupied  a 
high  scale  of  civilization. 

The  Mimbres  rises  in  the  mountains  of  the  same  name,  taking  its  head 
waters  within  a  mile  or  so  of  some  of  the  principal  feeders  of  the  Gila,  but 
on  the  gulf  side  of  the  mountains.  During  its  upper  course  it  takes  up  the 
waters  of  many  large  springs  and  small  water  courses,  and  supplies  water 
for  over  one  hundred  farms  ranging  from  two  hundred  to  about  ten  acres 
in  extent.  The  apples  and  hardy  fruits,  together  with  fine  vegetables  raised 
in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Mimbres,  are  of  a  very  superior  quality. 

Below  the  mountains  the  Mimbres  takes  the  form  of  what  is  usually 
termed  a  "lost  river.-'  About  thirty  miles  north  of  Deming  it  debouches 
upon  a  plateau  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  a  large  plain  of  deep  alluvial  soil. 
Little  or  no  water  is  in  sight  except  in  the  flood  seasons ;  but  it  may  always 
be  had  at  moderate  depths  below  the  surface.  For  sixty  miles  south  of  the 
Mexican  line,  and  for  a  similar  distance  east  and  west,  the  same  condition 
prevails.  The  rivers  rise  in  the  mountains,  drain  a  considerable  water-shed 
and  then  disappear  into  the  earth.  The  importance  of  this  underflow  may 
be  judged  by  the  numerous  lakes  which  appear  in  old  Mexico,  just  south 
of  the  line.  Palomas  lake  is  the  principal.  It  is  five  or  six  miles  long, 
three-quarters  to  two  miles  wide  and  fed  by  hundreds  of  springs.  Some 
of  these  are  so  strong  that  their  disturbance  of  the  water  can  be  plainly 
seen  on  the  surface  of  the  lake. 

Harvey  Howard  Whitehill  is  a  pioneer  of  Xew  Mexico  of  the  '60s. 
We  of  the  early  part  of  the  twentieth  century  cannot  realize  the  conditions 
which  met  the  pioneer  of  even  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  little  less  dream 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  733 

of  the  environments  which  surrounded  the  early  settler,  whose  residence 
here  has  covered  three,  four  or  five  decades.  Mr.  Whitehall's  memory  hears 
the  impress  of  the  early  historic  annals  of  the  Territory,  and  he  has  been  a 
participant  in  many  epochal  events.  He  now  lives  in  Silver  City  and  is 
engaged  in  developing  the  natural  resources  of  the  Territory,  especially 
in  the  line  of  silver  mining. 

A  native  of  Ohio,  Mr.  Whitehill  was  born  in  Bellefontaine,  September 
2,  1837.  In  earlv  life  he  followed  railroad  engineering  in  the  middle  west 
and  in  1858,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty-one  years,  went  to  Colorado, 
spending  most  of  his  time  in  that  state  in  Denver,  Leadville  and  other 
mining  districts,  engaged  in  mining  and  prospecting.  He  devoted  one 
year  to  mining  in  the  Russell  gulch  and  was  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  first 
provincial  government  of  the  Territory  in  1859-60.  He  afterward  returned 
to  his  mining  and  took  out  about  twelve  thousand  dollars.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  San  Juan  country  and  spent  the  winter  of  1860-1.  Formerly 
Mr.  Whitehill  had  been  engaged  in  freighting  in  the  west  before  the  advent 
of  railroads,  and  during  the  Civil  war  had  enlisted  at  Fort  Union,  where 
he  was  in  active  duty  for  about  a  year.  He  belonged  to  the  company  under 
command  of  Captain  Joseph  Simpson  and  First  Lieutenant  H.  H.  Halford. 
He  was  sworn  in  by  Colonel  Chatman  of  the  regular  army,  commanding 
officer  at  Fort  Union  at  that  time,  and  afterward  by  Major  Paul  of  the 
regular  army.  Lieutenant  Halford  was  murdered  at  Elizabethtown  in 
1872.  Mr.  Whitehill  continued  to  serve  until  honorably  discharged  in 
1862.  All  of  the  members  of  the  command  furnished  their  own  horses. 
Following  his  military  service  he  became  a  government  contractor  for 
grain  at  Fort  Union. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1865,  in  Denver,  Colorado,  Mr.  Whitehill 
was  married  to  Harriet  M.  Stevens  and  about  1866  or  1867  they  came  to 
New  Mexico,  locating  in  Elizabethtown  during  the  days  of  the  first  gold 
excitement  there.  Mr.  Whitehill  gave  his  attention  to  placer  mining  and 
continued  in  that  vicinity  until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Silver  City, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  silver  mining.  He  is  familiar  with  all 
kinds  of  mining  machinerv  and  has  done  much  work  along  that  line  here. 
He  is  also  interested  in  cattle  to  some  extent  and  has  thus  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  two  of  the  most  imporatnt  sources  of  income  to  the  Terri- 
tory— the  development  of  its  rich  mineral  resources  and  the  raising  of 
live   stock. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Whitehill  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  active 
in  the  work  of  the  party  and  having  considerable  influence  in  its  local 
councils.  He  has  filled  various  local  offices  and  about  1880  was  elected  to 
the  legislature.  He  is  also  prominent  in  the  local  Masonic  lodge  and  is  a 
man  of  genuine  personal  wTorth,'  commanding  and  enjoving  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  those  who  know  him.  His  life  history,  if  written  in  detail, 
would  present  a  characteristic  picture  of  pioneer  experiences  during  the 
days  of  Indian  outbreaks,  added  to  the  hardships,  privations  and  difficul- 
ties which  are  always  encountered  upon  the  frontier.  On  various  occa- 
sions he  has  had  trouble  with  the  Indians  and  has  narrowlv  escaped  with 
his  life.     One  of  his  most  exciting  adventures  occurred  at  Mogollon. 

In  1894  Mr.  Whitehill  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his  wife, 
with  whom  he  had  traveled  life's  journey  happilv  for  almost  thirty  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children :     Harry  V.,  who  is  engaged  in  the 


734  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

cattle  business  on  the  Mimbres ;  Emma,  the  widow  of  W.  H.  Kilburn,  of 
Silver  City;  Wayne  W.,  who  is  interested  in  mining  and  makes  his  home 
at  Silver  City;  Cornelius  Cosgrove,  who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  bus- 
iness :  Tosie.  the  wife  of  Herbert  H.  Bishop,  of  San  Francisco ;  Hattie.  the 
wife  of  H.  L.  Dodson,  of  the  Mimbres ;  Ollie,  the  wife  of  Robert  Bell,  of 
Silver  City;  and  Carrie  and  Mary,  who  are  at  home  with  their  father. 

Cornelius  C.  Whitehill  of  this  family  was  born  in  Silver  City.  Novem- 
ber 8,  1873.  and  was  reared  under  the  parental  roof,  acquiring  his  education 
in  the  public  schools.  During  the  earlier  vears  of  his  manhood  he  gave 
his  attention  principally  to  cattle  ranching,  but  is  now  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business  and  in  both  departments  has  a  large  clientage, 
being  one  of  the  representative  and  enterprising  young  business  men  of 
this  part  of  the  Territory.  He  was  married  on  the  10th  of  June.  1895,  to 
Miss  May  Biggs  and  their  children  are  Cornelius  O.  and  Clarice.  Cornelius 
C.  Whitehill  is  a  member  of  the  Elks  lodge  and  also  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Colonel  Howard  H.  Betts.  filling  the  position  of  city  clerk  at  Silver 
Citv,  New  Mexico,  is  a  native  of  New  England,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Danbury.  Connecticut,  December  1.  1855.  He  was  reared,  however,  in 
New  York  citv  and  he  has  been  a  resident  of  Silver  City,  New  'Mexico, 
since  December,  1886.  In  that  year  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm 
of  Morril  &  Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year,  when  he  em- 
barked in  business  on  his  own  account,  conducting  his  store  successfully 
until  1891.  He  then  disposed  of  his  stock  of  groceries  and,  in  partnership 
with  W.  H.  Newcomb,  organized  the  Silver  City,  Pinos  Altos  &  Mogollon 
Narrow  Gauge  Railroad  Company  for  the  building  of  a  line,  but  the  repeal 
of  the  Sherman  act  caused  the  financial  ruin  of  the  firm  after  the  work  of 
grading  for  a  distance  of  nine  miles  from  Silver  City  had  been  completed. 

Various  official  honors  have  been  conferred  upon  Mr.  Betts  and  he 
has  made  a  creditable  record  in  different  offices  he  has  filled.  He  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  penitentiary  commissioners  and  for 
two  years  acted  as  its  president.  In  1897  he  was  chosen  to  the  office  of 
citv  clerk  of  Silver  Citv  and  has  since  acted  in  this  capacity,  covering  a 
period  of  nine  vears.  He  was  appointed  assessor  of  Grant  county  in  1899 
and  1900.  Opposed  to  misrule  in  all  municipal  or  county  offices,  his  course 
has  been  characterized  by  unfaltering  devotion  to  the  public  good  through 
the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  entrusted  to  him. 

On  the  9th  of  December,  1809.  ^r-  Betts  was  married  to  Miss  Annie 
A.  Newcomb.  He  is  a  member  of  Silver  Citv  Lodge  No.  413.  B.  P.  O.  E., 
and  is  its  secretary,  and  membership  relations  connect  him  with  Silver 
City  lodge,  K.  P.  February  24,  1906,  Governor  Hagerman  appointed  him 
colonel   on   his   staff. 

Arthur  S.  Goodell.  of  Silver  City,  wholesale  and  retail  dealer  in  hay, 
grain  and  feed,  who  is  also  filling  the  office  of  countv  treasurer,  was  born 
in  Lvme,  Grafton  county.  New  Hampshire,  in  1858.  He  has  been  a  resident 
of  New  Mexico  since  1883.  He  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  after 
acquiring-  his  early  education  there  became  a  student  in  the  academy  at 
Thedford  Hill,  Vermont.  He  arrived  in  New  Mexico  when  about  twenty- 
five  years  of  age.  locating  in  Grant  county  upon  a  ranch  on  the  Gila  river. 
There  he  remained  for  about  seven  years  and  in  1801  he  established  a 
livery  stable  in  Silver  City,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until  190=;.     In 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  735 

the  meantime,  in  1903,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  his  present  business  and 
since  June,  1905,  has  been  alone  in  the  ownership  of  his  wholesale  and 
retail  hay,  grain  ancj  feeci  store  in  Silver  City,  with  a  good  patronage,  which 
annually  returns  to  him  a  gratifying  income.  His  business  interests  are 
capably  managed  and  from  a  humble  position  he  has  worked  his  way  up- 
ward to  the  plane  of  affluence. 

In  1896  Mr.  Goodell  was  married  to  Miss  May  Gaddis,  a  native  of 
Louisiana,  who  was  a  teacher  in  the  public  and  normal  schools.  They  have 
one  child,  May.  Fraternally  Mr.  Goodell  is  a  Mason,  having  been  initi- 
ated into  the  order  in  Silver  City  lodge  in  1892.  He  also  belongs  to  Silver 
City  Chapter,  R.  A.  M.,  to  Malta  Commandery,  K.  T..  of  Silver  City,  and 
to  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Aside  from  his  business, 
however,  his  chief  attention  is  given  to  his  official  duties.  He  is  an  active 
and  stalwart  Republican  and  upon  the  party  ticket  was  elected  sheriff  in 
1901,  serving  for  a  term  of  two  years.  He  has  been  mayor  of  the  city 
since  the  spring  of  1904  and  county  treasurer  since  the  fall  of  that  year, 
and  in  both  offices  he  gives  a  public  spirited  and  progressive  administra- 
tion, characterized  by  reform  and  improvement. 

Theodore  W.  Carter,  prominently  known  in  mining  circles,  arrived  in 
the  Territory  in  April,  1897,  and  became  identified  with  copper  mining  in 
Grant  county.  In  iqoo  he  leased  property  from  the  Southwestern  Copper 
Company.  Up  to  that  time  the  propertv  had  remained  idle  for  twenty 
years  and  had  produced  very  little.  Mr.  Carter  continued  to  operate  under 
the  lease  until  1903.  when  the  Burro  Mountain  Copper  Company  was 
formed  and  he  took  over  the  property  and  purchased  ground  covering 
about  a  mile  square.  The  work  of  Mr.  Carter  under  the  lease  was  what 
led  to  the  great  development  now  being  carried  on.  Today  the  property 
is  among  the  most  promising  and  paying  in  New  Mexico,  this  camp  be- 
ing the  largest  in  the  Territory.  Nothing  was  being  done  when  Mr. 
Carter  took  up  his  abode  there  and  the  growth  and  development  of  this 
locality  is  attributable  directly  to  his  efforts  and  enterprise.  He  organized 
the  Burro  Mountain  Copper  Company,  was  connected  therewith  as  man- 
ager until  a  recent  date  and  is  now  acting-  as  managing  director,  with 
offices  in  Silver  City.  He  now  has  a  mill  on  the  grounds  at  Leopold  and 
its  capacity  is  two  hundred  and  twentv-five  tons  per  day.  When  he  be- 
gan operations  Mr.  Carter  had  three  Mexicans  to  assist  him  and  hauled 
the  ore  to  the  smelter  at  Silver  City.  He  shipped  under  that  lease  over  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  ore.  gross. 

Mr.  Carter  is  a  native  of  Iowa  and  spent  two  and  a  half  years  in  Colo- 
rado before  coming  to  New  Mexico.  He  is  an  architect  by  profession  and 
followed  that  calling  to  some  extent  at  Denver  and  Cripple  Creek,  but 
went  into  the  mines  at  the  latter  place  and  there  first  received  his  min- 
ing experience.  Coming  to  New  Mexico,  he  realized  the  opportunities  here 
presented  and  has  carried  on  the  development  work  along  modern  lines, 
resulting  in  great  benefit  to  the  district  and  proving  at  the  same  time  a 
source  of  individual  profit. 

Orange  Scott  Warren,  deceased,  who  was  a  respected  and  representa- 
tive citizen  of  Silver  City,  was  born  in  Maiden,  Massachusetts,  August  15, 
1847,  and  was  a  descendant  of  the  old  Warren  family,  prominent  in  that 
state.  Diiring  his  boyhood  days  his  parents  removed  to  Lawrence.  Kansas, 
where  he  was  educated,  being  graduated  from  the  schools  there.    He  after- 


736  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ward  entered  the  Union  army  as  private  secretary  to  a  colonel  command- 
ing a  regiment.  About  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  east  to  New  Jersey 
for  a  short  time,  and  afterward  went  to  Seattle.  Washington,  where  he 
was  cashier  in  a  bank  for  two  years.  Subsequently  he  again  went  to  New 
Jersey  and  afterward  spent  two  years  in  the  banking  business  at  Little 
Rock,  Arkansas.  In  1876  he  made  his  way  to  San  Francisco  and  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  remaining  on  the  coast  until  1882.  In  that  year  he  came 
direct  to  Silver  City  and  spent  his  remaining  days  in  the  insurance  and 
real  estate  business  here,  being  one  of  the  representative  men  of  this  part 
of  the  Territory.  He  was  not  only  active  in  business  life,  but  also  con- 
tributed in  substantial  measure  to  public  improvement,  and  was  a  co-oper- 
ant  factor  in  measures  which  had  direct  bearing  upon  public  interests.  He 
was  the  first  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Grant  county,  and  the 
cause  of  public  education  found  in  him  a  warm  and  earnest  friend,  while 
other  beneficial  public  measures  received  his  endorsement  and  co-opera- 
tion. He  died  on  the  eve  of  his  nomination  for  county  commissioner  on 
the  6th  of  October,  1885.  His  public  spirit  and  progressive  citizenship 
made  his  services  much  sought  in  connection  with  affairs  of  general  mo- 
ment. He  was  a  well  educated  man,  a  good  conversationalist  and  fluent 
talker,  and  was  recognized  as  a  strong  and  influential  Republican,  whose 
opinions  were  frequently  a  decisive  force  in  the  local  councils  of  his  party. 

Mr.  Warren  was  married  in  New  Jersey  in  1874  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Von  Wachenhusen,  a  native  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  a  daughter  of 
Baron  Frederick  Yon  Wachenhusen,  of  Mecklenburg,  who  served  as  lieu- 
tenant in  the  German  army  in  the  revolution  of  1848,  and  because  of  this 
had  to  leave  his  native  country,  which  he  did  in  company  with  the  re- 
nowned Carl  Schurz.  Of  the  children  of  this  family  one  son,  Frederick,  is 
now  deceased.  Joan  is  the  widow  of  E.  B.  Moorman,  of  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  a  son,  Eugene,  is  now  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  where  he  occu- 
pies a  prominent  position  with  the  Citizens'  Insurance  Company.  He  was 
formerly  a  resident  of  Silver  City  and  was  Republican  candidate  for  the 
New  Mexico  legislature  at  the  Thirty-fifth  session.  Since  her  husband's 
death  Mrs.  Warren  has  continued  to  reside  in  Silver  City,  and  has  charge 
of  the  business  which  he  established.  He  was  a  man  of  splendid  qualities, 
as  displayed  in  his  business,  political  and  social  relations,  and  his  death 
came  as  a  personal  bereavement  to  his  many  friends  as  well  as  to  his  im- 
mediate family. 

Robert  Black,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Silver  City,  came  to  this 
place  March  2,  1872.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  Cambridge,  Massachu- 
setts, and  in  1859  entered  Harvard  College,  so  that  in  his  youth  he  enjoyed 
splendid  educational  privileges.  He  resided  at  Cambridge  until  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  On  leaving  Boston  he  spent  one  year  in  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, and  was  induced  to  come  to  Silver  City  from  that  place  to  construct 
a  quartz  mill.  From  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  material  progress,  the  intellectual  development  and  the  up- 
building of  the  city  along  those  lines  which  contribute  to  civic  virtue  and 
civic  pride.  He  was  engaged  as  a  contractor  and  builder  until  1883.  when 
he  was  called  to  public  office  and  later  he  resumed  operations  in  that  di- 
rection and  has  erected  nearly  all  of  the  important  buildings  in  the  city 
and  county  in  many  years.     He  put  in  the  first  wood  working  machinery 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  '37 

ever   installed    in    the   territory,    building   the    first   complete    planing   mill, 
which  was  shipped  in  sections  from  Boston,   Massachusetts. 

On  the  ist  of  May,  1883,  the  railroad  was  completed  to  Silver  City,  and 
Mr.  Black,  as  mayor  here,  had  the  honor  of  driving  the  silver  spike.  The 
town  had  been  incorporated  in  May,  1878,  and  in  April  of  that  year  Mr. 
Black  had  been  elected  its  first  mayor,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for 
two  terms.  In  1880  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  territorial  legislature 
as  the  representative  for  the  five  southern  counties  and  filled  that  position 
for  two  years.  He  has  been  the  champion  of  many  feasible  movements  for 
public  good  and  while  in  the  legislature  was  the  author  and  introduced 
the  first  public  school  bill.  The  cause  of  education  has  ever  found  in  him  a 
stalwart  friend,  and  he  has  been  president  of  the  school  board  of  Silver 
City  for  the  past  twenty-one  years.  He  was  instrumental  in  securing  the 
establishment  of  the  normal  university  here,  and  for  eight  years  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Agricultural  College.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  New  Mexico  Pioneer  Society,  which  includes  all  men  who 
became  residents  of  the  Territory  prior  to  1880.  He  served  on  the  Board 
of  County  Commissioners  for  one  term  of  two  years,  and  in  various  posi- 
tions to  which  he  has  been  called  he  has  shown  himself  abundantly  worthy 
of  the  trust  and  confidence  reposed  in  him. 

Mr.  Black  is  a  member  of  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  8,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  has  taken  the  degrees  of  the  Commandery  and  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at 
Albuquerque.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star,  and  is  the  oldest 
Knight  of  Pythias  in  the  Territory,  but  has  not  identified  himself  with  a 
local  lodge  of  that  organization.  His  affiliation  with  the  Masonic  craft 
covers  a  period  of  more  than  forty  years,  during  which  time  he  has  been  a 
worthy  exemplar  of  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  order,  which  promotes 
mutual   helpfulness,   brotherly   kindness   and    charity   among   its    followers. 

James  A.  Shipley,  residing  at  Silver  City,  is  deputy  clerk  of  the  third 
judicial  district,  also  deputy  sheriff,  deputy  treasurer  and  collector.  He 
was  born  in  Bonaparte,  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa.  June  16,  1871,  and  pur- 
sued his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Indianapolis.  He  arrived  in 
New  Mexico,  January  9,  1891,  representing  the  Wells-Fargo  Express  Com- 
pany at  Albuquerque  until  1894.  In  the  spring  of  the  latter  year  he  came  to 
Silver  City  and  occupied  a  clerical  position  in  the  assessor's  office  until 
December  of  that  year.  Through  the  succeeding  ten  years  he  was  clerk  in 
the  probate  clerk's  office  and  also  deputy  clerk  of  the  third  judicial  dis- 
trict of  New  Mexico.  He  has  discharged  the  combined  duties  of  his  pres- 
ent positions,  being  deputy  clerk  of  the  third  judicial  district,  deputy  sheriff 
and  deputy  treasurer  and  collector.  In  politics  he  is  an  earnest  and  unfalter- 
ing Republican,  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  growth  and  insure 
the  success  of  his  party,  and  in  1901  he  was  candidate  for  the  office  of  pro- 
bate clerk,  but  was  defeated. 

Mr.  Shipley  was  married.  March  5.  1802.  to  Miss  Ina  E.  Whitehill, 
a  daughter  of  P.  P.  Whitehill,  and  their  children  are  Frederick  G.  and 
Addison  P.,  aged  respectively  ten  and  four  years.  Mr.  Shipley  is  a  char- 
ter member  of  Silver  City  Lodge,  No.  413,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  of  which  he  is  a 
past  exalted  ruler. 

Andrew  B.  Laird,  of  Silver  City,  filling  the  position  of  county  assessor 
of  Grant  county,  is  a  pioneer  of  188 1.  He  was  born  in  Crawfordsville, 
Indiana,   July   3,    1854,   and  pursued  his   education  in   the   schools  of  that 


738  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

state.  In  1876  he  went  to  Kansas,  making  his  home  in  Sterling,  where  he 
engaged  in  business  as  a  builder  and  contractor  until  1881,  when  he  went  to 
Las  Vegas.  There  he  engaged  in  building  operations  for  eight  months, 
and  afterward  went  to  Bernalillo.  In  February,  1883,  he  went  to  Deming, 
where  he  did  the  greater  part  of  the  building  until  1893.  While  there  he 
was  elected  sheriff  of  Grant  county  in  1886  and  served  for  one  term.  He 
was  re-elected  to  the  office  in  1892,  and  in  1894  was  chosen  by  popular 
suffrage  to  the  position  of  treasurer  and  collector.  Since  1893  he  has  made 
Silver  City  his  home,  and  in  addition  to  county  offices  has  filled  some  local 
positions,  acting  as  town  marshal  for  three  years.  He  was  appointed  as- 
sessor in  January,  1904,  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  is  the  present  incumbent  in 
the  position.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Republican,  and 
was  the  first  representative  of  the  party  to  be  elected  sheriff  of  Grant 
county. 

Mr.  Laird  has  not  only  proved  an  efficient  and  capable  officer,  but  also 
an  enterprising  business  man,  and  during  the  past  four  years  has  been 
closely  connected  with  building  operations  at  Fort  Bayard.  He  has  had 
some  military  experience,  being  captain  of  the  only  militia  company  in 
the  field  ordered  out  in  the  campaign  against  the  noted  Indian  chief, 
Geronimo,  in  1885,  commanding  Troop  H  of  the  Second  Cavalry.  Mr. 
Laird  was  made  a  Mason  in  Kansas,  and  he  assisted  in  organizing  and 
became  the  first  master  of  Lodge  No.  II,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Deming.  He 
was  also  senior  grand  warden  of  the  grand  lodge  in  1884.  He  is  also 
an  Elk. 

Mr.  Laird  married  Flora  A.  Haight,  a  native  of  Owego,  New  York. 

James  Corbin,  who  is  engaged  in  the  insurance  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  Silver  City,  where  he  is  also  notary  public  and  where  he  formerly 
served  as  probate  judge,  was  born  in  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  March 
24,  1838.  He  is  a  brother  of  Austin  Corbin  and  a  son  of  Austin  and  Mary 
(Chase)  Corbin,  the  former  a  native  of  Somers,  Connecticut,  and  the  latter 
of  Claremcnt,  New  Hampshire. 

James  Corbin  acquired  his  earlv  education  in  Newport,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  afterward  attended  the  South  Woodstock  (Vermont)  College. 
He  made  an  early  trip  to  Iowa  in  1856,  his  brother  Austin  being  at  that 
time  a  lawyer  and  banker  of  Davenport.  He  afterward  returned  to  New 
York,  and  in  1864  came  to  New  Mexico  on  account  of  his  health.  In 
1859  he  had  started  for  Pike's  Peak,  but  did  not  reach  his  destination  and 
returned  to  Davenport,  Iowa.  At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil 
war  he  was  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  Because  of  his  health  he  afterward  re- 
turned to  the  east,  where  he  read  law,  and  following  his  arrival  in  New 
Mexico  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 

Locating  in  Santa  Fe,  Mr.  Corbin  became  a  clerk  in  the  law  office  of 
Samuel  P.  Cleaver  and  of  Merrill  Ashurst.  He  was  later  engrossing  clerk 
in  the  territorial  legislature,  and  in  the  succeeding  summer  started  for 
Mexico  or  California,  but  instead  stopped  at  Fort  Craig,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  clerking  for  United  States  until  fall.  He  thence  went  to  Fort 
Selden,  where  he  did  clerical  work.  He  was  next  at  Fort  Cummings,  and 
a  year  later,  in  1866,  went  to  Fort  Bayard,  where  he  spent  most  of  his 
time  until  coming  to  Silver  City  in  1870.  He  has  made  his  home  con- 
tinuously in  Grant  county  since  1865,  and  has  been  engaged  to  a  greater 
or   less   extent    in    independent   mining   ventures,    and    still   owns   valuable 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  739 

mining  property.  He  has  also  conducted  a  real  estate  business  for  several 
years,  negotiating  important  realty  transfers.  It  was  Judge  Corbin  and 
associates  who  discovered  the  celebrated  chloride  mines  in  Grant  county, 
one  of  which  produced  silver  to  the  value  of  over  a  million  dollars. 

In  his  political  views  and  affiliations  Judge  Corbin  is  a  stalwart  Demo- 
crat. He  was  elected  and  served  as  probate  judge  of  Grant  county  and  has 
also  been  mayor  of  Silver  City.  He  was  married  in  1885  to  Mrs.  Emma  I. 
(Cross)  Adams. 

Charles  A.  Farnsworth,  of  Silver  City,  filling  the  office  of  sheriff  of 
Grant  county,  is  a  native  of  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred in  Redding  on  the  5th  of  April,  1868.  In  1885  he  came  to  New 
Mexico  with  his  parents,  Thomas  F.  and  Nannah  (Wright)  Farnsworth, 
both  of  whom  were  of  English  ancestry,  and  the  father  is  now  deceased. 
In  1878  they  left  Illinois  and  for  seven  years  thereafter  were  residents  of 
Nepesta,  Colorado,  so  that  Charles  A.  Farnsworth,  who  was  but  ten  years 
of  age  at  the  time  of  the  removal  from  Illinois,  acquired  his  education  by 
studying  successively  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state,  Colorado  and  New 
Mexico.  In  early  life  he  herded  cattle  for  four  months  and  was  after- 
ward connected  with  a  grocery  business  at  Lake  Valley  for  two  years. 
Subsequently  he  conducted  a  store  for  one  year  for  W.  C.  Hadley  Company 
at  Hadley,  now  Luna,  Grant  county.  In  connection  with  his  brother  he 
became  owner  of  a  large  cattle  ranch  on  Bear  creek  and  was  identified  with 
its  management  for  nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  out,  in 
1900,  and  in  connection  with  his  brothers,  T.  F.  and  William  S.  Farnsworth, 
opened  a  grocery  store  and  meat  market  in  Silver  City,  which  they  still 
conduct,  having  a  well  appointed  store,  which  has  secured  a  liberal  patron- 
age and,  therefore,  returns  to  them  a  good  income. 

Mr.  Farnsworth  votes  with  the  Republican  party  and  is  a  loyal  ad- 
vocate of  its  principles.  He  was  nominated  upon  the  Republican  ticket 
for  the  office  of  sheriff  in  October,  1902,  but  was  defeated  in  that  year.  In 
1904  he  was  again  nominated  and  won  the  election  by  a  majority  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  in  a  county  which  has  a  large  normal  Democratic 
strength.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Elks,  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  is  now  discharging  the  duties  of  his 
office  in  a  fearless,  capable  manner,  and  at  the  same  time  is  connected  with 
mercantile  interests  in  Silver  Citv. 

W.  D.  Murray,  residing  at  Central,  New  Mexico,  has  been  a  pro- 
moter of  many  important  business  enterprises  of  this  section  of  the  Ter- 
ritory and  his  labors  have  been  of  direct  benefit  and  far-reaching  effect  in 
the  work  of  growth,  progress  and  development  here.  He  is  president  of 
the  Silver  City  ±\Tational  Bank,  is  interested  in  the  wholesale  firm  of  Jones, 
Downes  &  Company,  of  Silver  City,  also  in  the  firms  of  Murray  &  Layne 
and  M.  F.  Downes  &  Company,  and  in  many  other  mercantile  and  cor- 
porate enterprises.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1880  with  his  parents, 
the  family  home  being  established  at  Fort  Selden.  He  was  a  student  in 
St.  Michael's  College  and  in  the  Christian  Brothers'  School  at  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  in  1886  he  went  to  Fort  Bavard,  his  father  being  in  the 
federal  service  at  the  old  Fort  Bavard,  a  government  post.  While  in  St. 
Louis  he  was  fitting  himself  for  telegraphic  work,  and  after  his  graduation 
he  acted  as  operator  for  a  short  time  at  Fort  Bavard,  also  serving  as  clerk 
in  the  government  trading  post  there,  the  store  being  conducted  by  B.  W. 


740  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Maginn.  Following  the  sale  of  the  store  by  Mr.  Maginn  to  H.  Booth, 
Air.  Murray  continued  as  clerk  and  remained  there  until  1892,  when  the 
government  discontinued  the  commissioning  of  post  traders,  and  Mr.  Mur- 
ray removed  to  Central.  Here  he  opened  a  store  for  his  former  employer, 
Mr.  Booth,  in  January,  1893.  and  the  following'  year  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  business,  the  firm  of  Booth  &  Murray  being  then  established.  This 
relation  was  maintained  until  1897,  when  Mr.  Murray  became  sole  proprie- 
tor, conducting  the  business  alone  until  1900,  when  the  firm  of  Murray 
Brothers  was  established,  with  W.  D.  and  J.  T.  Murray  as  partners.  This 
has  been  a  leading  place  of  business  in  Central  since  that  time,  and  a  num- 
ber of  branch  houses  have  been  established  at  various  places  in  Grant 
county.  In  Hanover  the  business  is  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Hanover  Mercantile  Company. 

Mr.  Murray  is  interested  in  the  Alley  Canyon  Lumber  Company.  In 
April,  1904,  he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Silver  City  National  Bank. 
He  is  also  a  director  and  heavy  stockholder  in  the  Silver  City  Savings 
Bank,  also  pratically  owns  the  Silver  Valley  Waterworks.,  which  supplies 
the  town  with  water ;  is  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  recently  organized 
life  insurance  company  known  as  the  Occidental  Life  Insurance  Company, 
doing  business  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  In  1900,  in  connection  with 
J.  W.  Bibb,  of  Hanover,  he  organized  the  Grant  County  Telephone  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  is  president,  with  Mr.  Bibb  as  vice-president.  They  now 
have  'phones  over  the  greater  part  of  Grant  county,  and  this  enterprise  has 
been  of  material  benefit  in  the  advancement  of  business  interests  and  con- 
ditions in  this  portion  of  the  Territory.  The  firm  of  Murray  Brothers  owns 
a  half  interest  in  the  Mimbres  Hot  Springs,  located  twenty  miles  east  of 
Santa  Rita.  Mr.  Murray  is  a  man  of  keen  business  discernment,  recog- 
nizing the  difficulties  as  well  as  the  possibilities  of  a  business  situation, 
and  planning  to  overcome  the  former  and  to  utilize  the  latter.  He  has  la- 
bored with  good  results,  making-  the  most  of  his  opportunities  and  steadily 
progressing  toward  the  goal  of  prosperity.  At  the  same  time  his  business 
career  has  been  of  a  character  that  has  contributed  to  general  progress  as 
well  as  to  individual  success. 

In  politics  Mr.  Murray  is  a  Republican,  and  upon  the  party  ticket  was 
elected  in  1900  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner  and  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  for  four  years. 

At  the  Republican  convention  held  at  Las  Vegas  in  1906  he  was  nom- 
inated for  the  council  from  the  tenth  district,  embracing  the  counties  of 
Grant,  Luna  and  Dona  Ana.  In  the  November  election  he  was  the  only 
Republican  who  was  elected  in  the  county  of  Grant,  the  balance  of  the 
ticket  being  defeated.  His  majority  in  Grant  county  was  223.  his  majority 
in  Doiia  Ana  county  was  523.  and  he  lost  Luna  county  by  95 ;  hence  the 
total  majority  was  651.  He  carried  his  own  precinct.  Central,  by  129  out 
of  144  votes. 

He  is  likewise  a  school  director  at  Central  and  he  belongs  to  the  Elks 
Lodge,  No.  413.  at  Silver  City,  and  to  the  Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge  there. 
He  was  married  in  1893  to  Mattie  Jones,  Silver  City.  They  have  two 
girls,  Lyda  and  Hazel,  and  one  boy,  Harry  B.  Murray. 

Owen  L.  Scott,  who  is  president  and  manager  of  Redstone  Company, 
engaged  in  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  eighteen  miles  northeast  of  Silver 
City j   making  his  home  at  the  mill,   was  born   in  Virginia,   December   11, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ^ 

1840,  and  in  October,  1866,  came  to  New  Mexico,  landing  at  Santa  Fe. 
In  1842  his  father  had  removed  with  the  family  to  Wyandot  county,  Ohio, 
where  he  followed  farming  in  pioneer  days.  In  June,  i860,  Owen  L.  Scott 
left  Ohio  ana  went  to  Colorado,  arriving  in  Denver  on  the  1 6th  of  August 
of  that  year.  In  August,  1864,  he  enlisted  at  first  sergeant  in  Company  11 
of  the  Third  Colorado  Cavalry  and  served  under  Colonel  George  L.  Shoup 
within  the  state  of  Colorado,  engaged  in  Indian  fighting.  He  was  for 
one  hundred  days  in  the  army.  He  had  been  in  business  in  Colorado,  and 
following  his  removal  to  Santa  Fe  he  soon  started  to  other  parts  of  the 
Territory  upon  a  prospecting  trip.  He  located  at  Fort  Selden,  on  the  Rio 
Grande,  in  Dona  Ana  county,  in  1864,  and  was  there  in  the  employ  of 
George  Blake,  post  trader,  selling  goods,  until  1869.  He  also  acted  later 
as  clerk  in  the  quartermaster's  department.  He  afterward  returned  east  on 
a  visit  and  in  the  summer  of  1870  was  engaged  in  mining  in  Colorado. 
In  the  fall  of  1 87 1  he  came  to  Silver  City,  and  in  1872  established  the  first 
newspaper  in  Grant  county,  called  Mining  Life,  the  first  issue  being  given 
to  the  public  in  May  of  that  year.  He  continued  its  publication  until  the 
spring  of  1875.  The  following  year  he  accepted  the  position  of  book- 
keeper for  M.  W.  Bremen,  the  pioneer  miner  and  the  most  successful  rep- 
resentative of  that  business  ever  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Scott  continued  as 
bookkeeper  until  1883,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster  by  President 
Arthur  and  served  for  four  years.  In  1888  he  joined  the  Hastings  Lumber 
and  Manufacturing  Company,  and  thus  became  connected  with  the  lum- 
ber business.  In  1891  he  organized  the  Black-Scott  Lumber  Company, 
and  as  secretary  and  manager  operated  the  sawmill,  which  is  situated 
eighteen  miles  northeast  of  Silver  City,  until  January  1,  1901,  when  the 
Redstone  Company  was  incorporated,  with  himself  as  president  and  mana- 
ger, and  has  continued  in  the  lumber  trade  to  the  present  time,  with  a 
large  and  constantly  growing  patronage. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married  at  Fort  Selden,  March  4.  1872,  to  Miss  Mary 
Tane  Hannum,  a  native  of  Ohio.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  San  Vicente 
Lodge,  No.  5,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

E.  M.  Young  came  to  Silver  Citv.  April  15,  1882,  from  Deming,  mak- 
ing the  trip  on  a  six-horse  stage.  This  was  then  a  small  adobe  town,  the 
population  being  mostly  the  Mexican  element  and  depending  entirely  upon 
mining  as  a  source  of  income.  He  there  accepted  a  position  as  bookkeeper 
with  I.  N.  Cohen,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  for  several  years,  after 
which  he  became  postmaster,  filling  that  position  from  January  6,  1887,  un- 
til 1891,  under  appointment  of  Grover  Cleveland.  Air.  Young  is  a  stal- 
wart Democrat  in  his  political  affiliation,  and  has  taken  deep  interest  in 
political  affairs  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1890  he  was  elected  probate 
clerk,  and  by  re-election  served  for  four  consecutive  terms.  In  1891  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  regents  of  the  New  Mexico  Nor- 
mal School,  at  which  time  he  was  made  secretary  and  treasurer,  and  is  still 
serving  in  that  capacity. 

Upon  his  retirement  from  the  office  of  probate  clerk  Air.  Young  en- 
tered the  grocery  business  and  has  since  continued  in  the  trade,  being  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  prominent  and  substantial  residents  of  Silver  Citv. 
where  his  commercial  and  official  activity  have  been  of  such  a  character  as 
to  render  him  one  of  the  leading  men  here. 

W.   A.  Tenney.  a  freight  contractor  of  Silver  City,  has  been  a  resi- 


742  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

dent  of  New  Mexico  since  1873,  when,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  he 
went  to  Valencia  county  with  his  father,  N.  C.  tenney,  and  entered  the 
cattle  business  thirty-five  miles  southeast  of  Fort  Wingate,  in  Little  Onion. 
He  was  born  and  reared  in  Utah  until  the  removal  of  the  family  to  New 
Mexico.  The  father  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  until  1878,  when, 
with  his  father,  he  went  to  St.  John's,  Arizona,  and  there  he  was  killed 
while  acting  as  peacemaker  between  the  cowboys  and  the  Mexicans  in  the 
great  bull  fight  at  that  place. 

W.  A.  Tenney  was  connected  with  his  father  in  his  cattle  interests 
until  1878,  when  he  secured  a  government  contract  for  freighting  from 
Albuquerque  and  Las  Vegas  to  Fort  Wingfate,  following  that  pursuit  for 
four  or  five  years,  or  until  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  was  built  to  Needles.  He 
has  since  engaged  in  freighting  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Old  Mexico, 
making  his  headquarters  in  Silver  City  since  June,  1903.  His  family, 
however,  resides  in, St.  John's,  Arizona.  Mr.  Tenney  is  a  member  of  Sil- 
ver City  Lodge  No.  13,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  7,  A.  O. 
U.  W.  He  came  to  this  section  of  the  country  in  pioneer  times,  when  the 
seeds  of  civilization  had  hardly  been  planted,  and  through  almost  thirty 
years  has  been  an  interested  witness  of  the  progress  that  has  been  made  and 
the  changes  which  have  occurred,  bringing  about  a  wonderful  transforma- 
tion in  business  conditions  and  in  the  settlement  of  the  country. 

Major  O.  G.  Myhre,  connected  with  the  drug  trade  at  Silver  City 
and  prominent  in  military  circles  of  New  Mexico  as  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Guard,  was  born  at  Beloit,  Wisconsin,  June  27,  1865.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  his  parents  removed  to  Iowa,  locating  at  Estherville, 
Emmet  county.  The  father,  Andrew  Myhre,  a  pioneer  of  Wisconsin,  fol- 
lowed merchandising  in  various  places  in  that  state  and  in  Iowa  and  left 
the  latter  state  when  Major  Myhre  was  about  eight  years  of  age,  removing 
to  Lyle,  Minnesota,  where  he  again  engaged  in  merchandising.  The  son 
was  reared  in  Lyle,  pursuing  his  education  in  the  public  schools,  and  after- 
ward in  the  institute  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  and  a  business  college  at  La  Crosse, 
Wisconsin.  At  Lyle  he  entered  a  drug  store  and  learned  the  business.  In 
1887  he  went  to  Chicago  and  pursued  a  course  of  study  in  the  Chicago 
College  of  Ophthalmology.  On  the  completion  of  the  course  he  returned  to 
Lyle,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  and  optical  business.  On  the  29th  of 
March,  1889,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  of  that  place  by  President  Harri- 
son, and  in  1890  was  elected  mayor  of  the  town.  The  following  year  the 
town  was  largely  destroyed  by  fire,  but  Mr.  Myhre  reopened  his  drug  store 
and  continued  in  business  there  until  the  spring  of  1892,  when  he  came  to 
New  Mexico.  He  arrived  at  Carlsbad  on  the  30th  of  June,  1892,  and 
conducted  a  drug  store  there  for  three  years,  when  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  went  upon  the  road  as  a  traveling  salesman.  In  March,  1897, 
he  came  to  Silver  City  and  has  been  connected  with  the  Porterfield 
Drug  Company  since  that  time,  also  conducting  an  optical  business. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1901.  Mr.  Myhre  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain of  Company  D,  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Infantry  of  the  New  Mexico 
National  Guard.  In  September,  1902,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Otero 
as  major  in  the  First  Regiment  and  was  assigned  to  command  the  Third 
Battalion.  On  the  23rd  of  March.  1005,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Otero  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  ophtometry  and  elected  secretary.  In 
community   affairs   he  has   also  been   deeply  and   helpfully   interested,  and 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  743 

since  1899  nas  served  as  chief  of  the  Silver  City  fire  department,  while  in 
1905  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of  education  and  is  now  acting 
as  its  secretary.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Silver  City  Lodge  No. 
413,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  also  a  member  of  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  12,  K.  of  P., 
of  which  he  is  a  past  chancellor. 

George  H.  Bell,  owning  and  controlling  a  ranch  near  Silver  City,  was 
born  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  October  4,  1858,  and  spent  his  boyhood  days  there 
and  in  London,  Ohio.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1880,  and  for  a  time 
conducted  a  saloon  in  Silver  City,  but  about  seven  years  ago  purchased  a 
cattle  ranch  and  now  has  one  of  the  finest  ranching  properties  in  this  part 
of  the  country.  It  is  stocked  with  a  high  grade  of  cattle  and  his  annual 
sales  reach  a  large  figure.  Moreover,  he  has  contributed  to  the  substan- 
tial improvement  of  Silver  City  through  the,  erection  of  two  large  business 
blocks,  and  he  has  been  interested  in  mining  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  dur- 
ing the  entire  period  of  his  residence  here. 

Mr.  Bell  served  as  a  member  of  the  militia  during  the  troubles  with  the 
Apache  Indians.  He  has  also  taken  an  interest  in  politics  as  an  advocate  of 
the  Democracy,  and  he  belongs  to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  413.  B.  P.  O.  E. 

Albert  Dano,  of  Silver  City,  who  has  mining  interests  in  the  Burro 
mountains  and  is  engaged  in  general  development  work,  has  resided  in 
New  Mexico  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  born  in  Baraboo,  Wisconsin, 
May  16,  1857,  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Margaret  Dano.  His  early  life 
was  spent  in  his  native  city,  his  education  acquired  in  the  public  schools 
there,  and  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  a  drug  clerk  in  Baraboo. 
In  1880,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years,  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and 
lived  at  different  times  in  Socorro,  Santa  Fe  and  Albuquerque,  but  de- 
voted much  of  the  time  to  business  interests  in  Santa  Fe.  He  also  mined  in 
various  places.  About  ten  years  ago  he  came  to  Silver  City,  where  he 
has  since  engaged  in  business.  He  now  has  good  copper  mining  properties 
in  the  Burro  mountains,  which  he  is  operating  independently,  and  he  is 
also  engaged  in  general  development  work,  his  labors  proving  of  direct  and 
immediate  benefit  in  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory. His  co-operation  can  always  be  counted  upon  as  a  factor  in  the  fur- 
therance of  any  movement  for  the  nublic  good. 

Nick  Hughes,  Sr.,  well  known  as  a  cattleman  of  Lordsburg,  is  fa- 
miliar with  the  history  of  the  Southwest  from  the  early  period  in  its  pioneer 
development,  for  he  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1856  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  as  a  member  of  the  United  States  cavalry  engaged  in  active  service 
against  the  Navajo  Indians.  He  was  born  in  Ireland.  Entering  the  army 
in  early  manhood,  he  served  for  five  terms,  which  covered  the  period  of 
the  Civil  war,  and  also  brought  him  into  contact  with  military  experiences 
upon  the  frontier  in  the  subjugation  of  the  red  race,  who  took  advantage 
of  every  available  opportunity  in  a  manifestation  of  the  hostile  spirit  which 
made  life  such  a  hazardous  thing  to  the  frontier  settlers.  After  retiring 
from  the  army  he  located  in  Puerto  de  Luna  and  embarked  in  the  cattle 
business,  the  wide,  open  country  giving  an  excellent  range.  About  1870  or 
1871  he  removed  to  Sension,  in  Chihuahua,  Mexico,  where  he  engaged  in 
trade,  largely  dealing  in  cattle,  horses  and  other  stock.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged until  1878,  when  he  removed  to  the  Sang  Somone  valley  in  Arizona. 
In  1887  he  removed  to  the  ranch  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  Lordsburc-. 


744  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

where  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  cattle  business.    He  has  large  herds  and  is 
constantly  breeding  up  the  stock  to  better  strains. 

None  of  the  usual  experiences  of  life  on  the  frontier  when  the  settlers 
were  constantly  exposed  to  the  clangers  of  Indian  attack  are  unknown  to 
Mr.  Hughes.  He  has  had  many  encounters  with  the  red  men  and  various 
narrow  escapes,  and  his  life  history,  if  written  in  detail,  would  be  a  most 
thrilling  story  of  the  varied  experiences  when  his  life  was  endangered 
and  his  escape  seemed  almost  miraculous.  On  one  occasion,  between  Chi- 
huahua, Mexico,  and  Silver  Citv,  while  carrying  a  big  bag  of  silver  and 
gold  which  he  had  received  in  payment  for  a  thousand  head  of  cattle,  he 
was  attacked  by  rustlers,  but  escaped.  L.ater  he  was  jumped  by  a  band 
of  Indians,  but  again  escaped,  on  each  occasion  owing  to  the  fact  that 
he  rode  a  splendid  horse,  which  outdistanced  his  pursuers.  He  has  watched 
with  interest  the  changes  that  have  come  as  the  tide  of  emigration  has 
steadily  flowed  to  this  region,  the  white  race  having  reclaimed  the  district 
for  the  uses  of  civilization,  churches  and  schools  being  planted  upon  the 
frontier,  business  interests  established  and  the  development  of  the  natural 
resources  of  the  country  carried  on  until,  in  point  of  business  activity  and 
sources  of  culture.  New  Mexico  is  not  behind  the  older  cities  and  long  set- 
tled districts  of  the  east. 

Mr.  Hughes  was  married  in  New  Mexico  in  1863  to  Miss  Josefa 
Armijo,  and  to  them  have  been  born  four  children :  James,  deceased ; 
John,  who  was  killed  in  Old  Mexico ;  Mary,  the  wife  of  John  Robson ;  and 
Nick,  Jr.,  who  was  born  December  25,  1870,  in  Bernalillo  county.  He  was 
reared  to  the  stock  business  and  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
broncho  rider  in  the  Territory.  He  owns  a  ranch  one  mile  east  of  Lords- 
burg,  where  he  is  engaged  in  raising  cattle  and  horses,  and  he  is  also 
engaged  in  farming  to  some  extent,  having  about  twenty  acres  under  irri- 
gation. He  has  a  wife  and  four  sons  in  the  Territory.  In  politics  he  is 
an  active  Democrat,  which  is  also  the  political  faith  of  the  father,  who  has 
always  been   an  advocate  of  the  principles  of  that   party. 

J.  P.  Ownby.  deceased,  who  for  many  years  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  prominent  cattlemen  of  New  Mexico  and  belonged  to  that  class  of 
citizens  who  have  extended  the  frontier  by  planting  the  seeds  of  civilization 
in  a  hitherto  new  and  undeveloped  region,  came  to  Lordsburg  in  No- 
vember. 1880.  His  youth  was  passed  in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  his  native 
city,  and  in  1852  he  went  to  California.  He  was  prominent  in  communit 
affairs  in  the  southern  section  of  the  state,  serving  as  sheriff  of  Los  Angeles 
county  and  also  marshal  of  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  for  six  years.  In 
other  ways  he  was  an  influential  factor  in  the  community.  In  November. 
1880,  he  came  to  Lordsburg,  where  he  was  soon  afterward  joined  by  his 
children.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  and  in  partnership  with 
his  son,  B.  B.  Ownby,  he  began  raising  and  dealing  in  stock,  becoming 
one  of  the  well  known  cattlemen  of  this  part  of  the  Territory.  With  ready 
adaptation  of  his  interests  to  the  condition  of  a  new  country,  he  conducted 
his  business  affairs  with  undaunted  energy  and  enterprise,  resulting  in 
profit.  In  politics  he  was  very  active,  giving  his  allegiance  to  the  Dem- 
ocracv.     In  his  family  were  two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

B.  B.  Ownby.  his  son  and  partner,  was  born  and  reared  in  Los 
Angeles.  California,  where  he  acquired  his  education,  and  he  was  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  the  cattle  business  in  New  Mexico  since  coming  to  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  7-15 

Territory  in  1880.  He  has  a  ranch  one  mile  north  of  Lordsburg  and  is 
here  running  large  herds  of  cattle,  representing  a  considerable  investment 
and  yielding  him  gratifying  profit  as  the  result  of  his  annual  sales.  In- 
terested in  public  affairs  to  the  extent  of  giving  hearty  support  and  co- 
operation to  many  progressive  movements,  Mr.  Ownby  is  now  serving  as 
one  of  the  commissioners  of  Grant  county-  He  was  county  deputy  sheriff 
of  Grant  county  for  twelve  years,  deputy  United  States  marshal  for  four 
years  and  city  marshal  of  Lordsburg,  and  the  record  of  his  public  service 
has  been  characterized  by  unfaltering  fidelity  to  duty. 

Don:  H.  Kedzie.  editor  of  the  Lordsburg  Liberal,  became  a  resident 
of  Lordsburg  in  1887,  and  in  partnership  with  S.  D.  Dye  founded  the 
Western  Liberal.  A  year  later  the  paper  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Kedzie,  who  has  conducted  it  alone  continuously  since. 

Born  in  Clinton,  Michigan,  Mr.  Kedzie  supplemented  his  early  educa- 
tional privileges  by  study  in  the  State  Agricultural  College,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated.  He  learned  the  printer's  trade  at  St.  Joseph, 
Michigan,  and  afterward  assisted  his  father,  A.  S.  Kedzie,  in  conducting 
the  Grand  Haven  (Michigan)  Herald.  While  there  he  became  ill  with 
consumption  and  for  the  benefit  of  his  health  removed  to  New  Mexico. 
He  found  in  the  climatic  conditions  here  the  needed  restoratives,  and,  en- 
tering business  life,  has  since  been  allied  with  the  interests  of  the  Ter- 
ritory. He  served  as  postmaster  of  Lordsburg  during  the  administration 
of  Benjamin  Harrison,  was  reappointed  under  the  first  administration  of 
President  McKinley.  and  is  still  acting  in  the  position.  He  is  a  very  loyal 
and  ardent  advocate  of  Republican  principles,  and  publishes  his  paper  in 
the  interests  of  the  party.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  insurance  business  and 
is  a  director  of  several  mining  companies. 

Mr.  Kedzie  is  a  charter  member  and  assisted  in  the  organization,  on 
the  4th  of  July.  1896,  of  Pyramid  Lodge  No.  23,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  he 
is  a  past  chancellor  and  member  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  In  addition  to  the  office  of  postmaster  he  has  served  as  notary 
public,  and  is  an  enterprising  business  man  and  citizen,  whose  outlook  rec- 
ognizes opportunities  and  whose  efforts  in  behalf  of  public  service  have 
been  far  reaching  and  beneficial. 

William  H.  Small,  a  representative  of  commercial  interests  of  Lords- 
burg, was  born  and  reared  in  the  gas  belt  of  Indiana,  his  birth  having  oc- 
curred March  21.  1858,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  on  the  1st  of  January, 
1883,  on  which  date  he  arrived  in  Lordsburg.  Here  he  entered  business 
life  as  a  dealer  in  stationery,  subsequently  opening  and  conducting  a  drug 
store,  and  later  embarked  in  general  merchandise,  carrying  011  that  line  of 
business  from  1897  until  the  present  time.  The  Eagle  drug  store  was 
founded  in  1885  by  W.  II.  Small  and  was  merged  with  the  business  of 
the  Eagle  Drue  Mercantile  Company  in  March.  1S07,  at  which  time  it  was 
incorporated  with  W.  H.  Small  as  the  chief  stockholder,  while  John  T.  and 
James  P.  McCabe  and  S.  M.  Chase  were  also  incorporators.  Air.  Small 
has  conducted  his  commercial  interests  along  lines  of  modern  business 
activity,  recognizing  that  the  field  of  opportunity  is  limitless  and  that  strong 
determination  and  carefully  formed  and  executed  plans  are  a  sure  and  safe 
basis  upon  which  to  build  the  superstructure  of  success.  Mr.  Small  be- 
longs to  Deming  Lodge  No.  23.  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  to  Lordsburg  Lodge 
No.  23,  K.  P.,  and  is  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  teachings  and  tenets  of 


746  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

these  organizations.  His  efforts  have  heen  of  direct  and  permanent  benefit 
in  the  establishment  of  the  commercial  status  and  the  development  of  bus- 
iness conditions  in  Lordsburg,  where  for  twenty-three  years  he  has  made 
his  home.  Mr.  Small  was  married  at  Fort  Worth.  Texas,  in  1884,  to  Miss 
Sadie  A.  Oliver,  a  native  of  Indiana. 

H.  L.  Gammon,  a  millwright  and  mechanic  conducting  a  contracting 
business  in  Lordsburg.  is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  November  30,  1850.  His 
youth  was  passed  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  and  he  learned  the  millwright's 
trade  in  Comstock,  Nevada,  where  he  also  gained  practical  knowledge  of 
mining  in  its  various  departments  and  operation.  He  came  to  New  Mexico 
in  1882,  locating  at  Leitendorf  as  a  millwright  and  subsequently  became 
master  mechanic  for  the  Detroit  Mining  Company  at  Morenci,  Arizona. 
However,  he  spent  one  year  at  Lake  Valley,  New  Mexico,  before  going 
to  Arizona,  and  after  two  years  passed  in  the  latter  territory  he  returned 
to  Lordsburg  and  erected  a  mill  at  Leitendorf.  He  has,  however,  made  his 
headquarters  at  Lordsburg  continuously  since  and  is  actively  engaged  in 
putting  up  and  operating  mining  machinery.  In  this  way  he  has  con- 
tributed in  practical  manner  to  the  development  of  the  country,  which  finds 
one  of  its  chief  sources  of  income  in  its  mineral  deposits. 

Mr.  Gammon  married  Miss  Isabella  Bartlett,  of  Texas,  in  1887.  Their 
children  are :  N.  A.,  attending  military  school  at  Roswell ;  Mabel,  Lottie, 
and  Malcolm. 

M.  W.  McGrath,  who  has  been  closely  connected  with  the  material, 
intellectual  progress  and  substantial  development  of  Lordsburg  along  many 
lines,  was  born  on  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada,  and  acquired  his  early 
education  there.  When  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  to  California  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  in  1881  he  arrived  in  Deming.  He  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  and  after  a  year  and 
a  half  there  passed  he  removed  to  Lordsburg.  where  he  worked  for  four 
years  as  a  master  mechanic  of  the  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  Railroad. 
Subsequently  he  entered  the  livery  and  feed  business  and  later  turned  his 
attention  to  merchandising.  He  also  conducted  a  butcher  shop,  and  in  1900 
erected  a  hotel  and  business  block.  He  has  also  put  up  other  buildings  in 
the  town  and  has  thus  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  city.  He  is  now  proprietor  of  the  Vendome  Hotel  and  has 
conducted  the  varied  business  interests  above  mentioned  in  partnership  with 
his  two  sons,  with  whom  he  divided  his  entire  business  after  they  became 
of  age.  A  man  of  resourceful  ability,  readily  recognizing  and  improving 
opportunities,  he  has,  through  his  marked  enterprise,  keen  discernment  and 
unflagging  diligence,  won  for  himself  a  place  among  the  substantial  resi- 
dents of  Lordsburg  and  at  the  same  time  his  efforts  have  been  a  valued 
factor  in  the  material  development  and  improvement  of  the  city. 

Mr.  McGrath  was  married  in  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada,  and  has 
two  sons,  Lemuel  C.  and  Herbert  J.,  who  manage  and  carry  on  the  bus- 
iness. In  community  affairs  Mr.  McGrath  has  been  deeply  interested  and 
his  labors  have  been  of  direct  benefit  in  lines  of  intellectual,  social  and  pol- 
itical progress.  He  raised  the  first  money  and  paid  the  first  teacher  who 
held  school  in  Lordsburg,  and  was  the  first  school  director.  In  fact,  he  is 
regarded  as  the  father  of  the  system  of  public  instruction  here  and  he  has 
ever  done  all  in  his  power  to  further  the  work  of  public  education.  He  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  of  Lordsburg  for  the  past  fourteen  years  and  is 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  747 

very  active  in  Democratic  politics,  being-  an  earnest  champion  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  party  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  promote  its  growth  and 
extend  its  influence.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Pyramid  Lodge  No.  23, 
K.  P.,  of  which  he  has  been  past  chancellor. 

O.  R.  Smyth,  now  living  retired  in  Lordsburg,  is  one  of  the  honored 
pioneers  of  New  Mexico  who  have  aided  in  reclaiming  this  region  from 
the  domain  of  the  savage  and  converted  it  to  the  use  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion. He  was  born  and  reared  in  Plempstead,  New  York,  and  came  to  the 
west  on  the  second  train  that  reached  Pueblo,  Colorado,  over  the  Santa 
Fe  Railroad.  He  prospected  in  that  state  and  became  familiar  with  min- 
ing processes  and  methods  there.  He  also  followed  coal  mining  in  Mis- 
souri. In  1876  he  arrived  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  locating  in 
Santa  Fe,  where  he  spent  a  few  months,  after  which  he  took  charge  of 
the  overland  stage  at  Silver  City,  conducting  the  stage  business  between 
the  two  railroads,  the  Santa  Fc  and  the  Southern  Pacific.  Those  were 
troublous  times,  when  the  Indians  were  frequently  upon  the  war-path  and 
resented  the  encroachments  of  the  white  race  upon  their  hunting  grounds. 
They  stopped  not  at  any  atrocity  nor  depredation  and  constantly  waged 
warfare  upon  the  white  people.  There  were  nineteen  men  in  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Smyth  who  were  killed  by  the  Indians  during  the  time  that  he  had 
charge  of  the  overland  stage  route.  He  is  familiar  with  almost  every  chap- 
ter of  the  history  of  the  early  pioneer  days  here  and  from  actual  experiences 
can  relate  incidents  of  far  more  thrilling  interest  than  man}'  a  tale  of  fic- 
tion. Since  his  retirement  from  the  stage  business  in  1881  he  has  devoted 
his  time  and  energies  to  mining,  freighting  and  merchandising,  but  at  this 
writing  is  practically  living  retired,  having  in  the  course  of  an  active,  busy 
and  useful  life  accumulated  a  competence  that  now  enables  him  to  put  aside 
all  business  cares.  In  1902  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  commis- 
sioner of  Grant  county  and  discharged  the  duties  of  the  position  with  the 
same  fidelity  and  promptness  that  have  ever  marked  the  discharge  of  his 
business  obligations  and  the  care  of  his  private  interests.  He  belongs  to 
Pyramid  Lodge  No.  23,  K.  P.,  of  Lordsburg.  and  is  one  of  the  prominent 
and  honored  citizens  of  this  locality  to  whom  the  Territory  owes  a  debt  of 
gratitude  for  what  he  has  accomplished  in  reclaiming  this  district  for  the 
uses  of  the  white  race. 

Robert  H.  Boulware,  a  commission  man  of  Silver  City,  New  Mexico, 
who  is  also  engaged  in  the  liven'  business,  was  born  in  Bowling  Green, 
Virginia,  and  from  the  age  of  nineteen  years  has  been  in  the  west,  identi- 
fied with  the  great  movement  of  progress  and  improvement  which  has  led 
to  the  rapid  and  substantial  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country.  In 
1885  he  located  in  Fairview,  New  Mexico,  and  for  six  years  was  there  en- 
gaged in  raising  and  dealing  in  horses  and  cattle.  In  1891  he  made  his 
way  to  Link  Bar  zinc  ranch  on  Diamond  creek,  where  he  spent  four  years 
as  foreman,  and  he  was  also  foreman  for  four  years  on  the  ranch  of  Black 
Canyon.  Removing  to  Silver  City  he  established  a  livery  barn,  which  he 
has  since  conducted,  and  he  is  also  interested  in  the  commission  business, 
buying  and  selling  horses,  cattle  and  ranches.  He  is  a  man  of  executive 
force  and  enterprise,  improving  each  opportunity  as  it  arises,  and  has 
made  a  creditable  record  as  a  successful  business  man.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  mining,  having  invested  in  different  properties. 

Mr.  Boulware  was  married  June  14,  1905,  to  Miss  Blanch  Casey.    He 

Vol.   II.      15 


748  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

is  a  member  of  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  8,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  attained 
the  Knight  Templar  degree  of  Masonry.  He  likewise  belongs  to  Silver 
City  Lodge  Xo.  14,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  to  Silver  City  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W. 
He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  of  Sierra  county  for  four  years  and  has  had 
many  experiences  with  the  Indians,  especially  while  living  at  Fairview, 
so  that  he  became  a  participant  in  events  which  form  the  history  of  the 
most  picturesque  epoch  in  the  development  of  the  southwest. 

J.  B.  Gilchrist,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  G.  O.  S.  Cattle  Com- 
pany, has  been  and  is  a  valued  factor  in  the  development  of  the  Territory 
through  his  active  connection  with  railroad  building  and  through  the  ef- 
fective efforts  he  lias  put  forth  in  securing  the  investment  of  capital  in 
this  portion  of  the  country.  He  came  to  Xew  Mexico  in  1891  as  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  Silver  City  &  Northern  Railroad  Company  and  superintended 
and  engineered  the  building  of  the  road  from  Whitewater  to  Hanover. 
T.  G.  Condon,  of  Xew  York  city,  was  vice-president  of  the  company  and 
the  prime  factor  in  interesting  capital  in  the  road,  and  to  him  is  due  much 
credit  for  the  establishment  of  the  line.  The  line  was  completed  in  Sep- 
tember, 1891,  the  purpose  of  its  construction  being  to  take  out  the  iron 
ore  for  the  gold  and  silver  smelters  to  be  used  as  a  flux.  This  ore  was 
shipped  to  Socorro  and  El  Paso  and  utilized  for  flux  in  the  smelters  there. 
The  railroad  was  operated  for  this  purpose  until  1896,  when  the  track  was 
washed  out,  and  in  i8<;8  the  Santa  Fe  Company  bought  the  road,  repairing 
it  to  Santa  Rita.  When  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company  began  opera- 
tions here  the}-  made  arrangements  with  the  Santa  Fe  Company  to  con- 
tinue the  road  to  Fierro,  since  which  time  the  company  has  been  mining 
for  iron  ore  and  converting  the  same  into  steel,  making  shipments  over  the 
railroad.  Following  the  original  completion  of  the  road  in  1891  Mr.  Gil- 
christ had  charge  of  the  line  and  was  also  superintendent  of  the  iron  mines 
in  this  vicinity.  He  continued  in  that  capacity  until  1805  anc^  'm  '896  he 
was  engaged  in  mining  operations  in  old  Mexico  and  in  1897  at  Cripple 
Creek,  Colorado.  In  1898  he  returned  to  Grant  county  and  in  1899  me 
firm  of  Gilchrist  &  Dawson  was  established.  For  a  year  previous  Mr.  Gil- 
christ had  been  engaged  in  leasing  mining  properties  from  the  Santa  Rita 
Copper  &  Iron  Company  at  Santa  Rita,  and  Mr.  Gilchrist  mined  for 
copper  on  their  properties.  The  firm  of  Gilchrist  &  Dawson  being  organ- 
ized in  April,  1899.  they  continued  in  the  same  line  of  work  and  in  the 
same  locality,  opening  up  property  which  had  been  idle  since  1884,  but 
which  has  been  in  active  operation  since  they  assumed  charge.  The  firm 
of  Gilchrist  &  Dawson,  however,  discontinued  mining  at  Santa  Rita  in 
1899.  The  firm  then  began  mining  at  Fierro,  leasing  from  the  Colorado 
Fuel  &  Iron  Company,  and  so  continued  until  August,  1902.  A  mercantile 
enterprise  was  conducted  in  conjunction  with  the  other  interests  of  this 
company,  and  at  the  present  time  Mr.  Gilchrist  is  conducting  a  success- 
ful mercantile  business  at  Fierro.  He  is  the  president  of  the  firm  of  Gil- 
christ &  Dawson,  which  firm  owns  the  Copper  Rose  mine  east  of  Santa 
Rita  and  now  leases  to  other  parties.  Mr.  Gilchrist  has  also  extended  his 
efforts  to  other  lines,  being  now  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  G.  O.  S. 
Cattle  Company,  with  headquarters  on  the  Sapoello.  This  company  is  in- 
corporated with  Victor  Culberson  as  president  and  manager,  J.  B.  Gil- 
christ, secretary  and  treasurer,  and  R.  F.  Herndon,  of  Colorado,  as  vice- 
president.     This   company   bought  out   the   Mountain   Range   Cattle   Com- 


J.  W.  Bible 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  749 

pany.  also  the  stock  interests  of  Mrs.  ( ).  C.  Carpenter  and  of  the  old  G.  O.  S. 
Company  and  merged  all  these  under  the  name  of  the  G.  O.  S.  Cattle 
Company. 

J.  W.  Bible,  president  of  the  Hanover  Mercantile  Company  at  Han- 
over, New  Mexico,  came  to  Grant  county  in  the  Territory  in  1891  in  the 
interests  of  the  Southwestern  Coal  &  Iron  Company,  Hanover  Improve- 
ment Company  and  the  Silver  City  &  Northern  Railroad  Company.  When 
the  Silver  City  &  Northern  Railroad  was  acquired  by  the  Atchison,  Tope- 
ka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  in  1891,  Mr.  Bible  took  a  lease  on  the 
Hanover  Improvement  &  Southwestern  Coal  &  Iron  Companies'  proper- 
ties and  also  leased  individual  holdings.  About  1900  the  Empire  Mines 
Company  was  formed  by  Mr.  Bible  and  this  company  purchased  proper- 
ties in  this  district,  including  the  Ivanhoe  mine.  Later,  however,  this 
company  sold  all  of  its  holdings  to  the  Rio  Grande  Copper  Company  and 
Mr.  Bible  continued  as  general  manager  for  this  company.  In  1904  the 
Hermosa  Copper  Company  acquired  these  holdings  and  Mr.  Bible  con- 
tinued as  general  superintendent  for  the  last  mentioned  companv.  In  1900 
he  was  the  organizer  of  the  Grant  County  Telephone  Company  and  is  now 
its  vice-president.  He  has  been  the  promoter  of  business  progress  and  im- 
provement along  various  lines  here  and  in  1898  organized  the  firm  of  Mur- 
ray  &  Bible,  general  merchants,  at  Hanover,  predecessors  to  the  Hanover 
Mercantile  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Bible  is  now  president.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  far-sighted  and  energetic  business  men  of  this  locality,  and  has 
made  a  success  of  every  enterprise  in  which  he  has  been  connected.  As 
a  mining  man  he  is  one  of  the  most  practical  and  thoroughly  informed 
men  in  the  southwest.  In  1900  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial Immigration  Board  by  Governor  Otero  and  is  now  serving  as 
treasurer  of  the  board.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers. 

J.  A.  Wolford,  of  Central,  the  pioneer  fruit-raiser  in  Santa  Clara 
valley,  now  devoting  his  energies  to  horticultural  pursuits  and  to  stock- 
raising,  came  to  the  Territory  in  1874  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of 
Grant  county.  He  was  born  in  Germany  and  in  1839  came  to  America. 
At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops, 
enlisting-  in  1861  at  the  three  months'  call.  He  was  at  that  time  a  resident 
of  Cumberland  county,  Illinois.  He  joined  the  armv  as  a  private,  and  after 
the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  re-enlisted  in  1862  as  a  member  of  Com- 
pany G,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-third  Illinois  Infantry.  He  came  from 
Kansas  to  Newr  Mexico  and  located  near  Lone  Mountain. 

F.  J.  Davidson,  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  F.  J.  Davidson  &  Com- 
pany, general  merchants  at  Pinos  Altos,  is  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
came  from  Halifax,  that  country,  to  New  Mexico  in  October,  1883.  his  des- 
tination being  Silver  City,  where  he  remained  until  March.  1884.  He  then 
went  to  Pinos  Altos  and  entered  the  emplov  of  the  Pinos  Altos  Gold  and 
Silver  Mining  Company,  one  of  the  pioneer  companies  operating  in  this 
localitv,  and  practically  the  first  company  to  build  a  quartz  mill  here.  At 
that  time  V.  C.  Place  was  manager  and  Mr.  Davidson  was  engaged  as 
bookkeeper  and  manager  of  the  companv's  store,  which  was  conducted  in 
the  building  which  he  now  occupies.  He  was  with  the  original  company 
for  two  years,  when  thev  sold  out  to  the  Hearst  people  and  the  property 
now  belongs  to  the  Comanche  Mining  and  Smelting  Companv.     In    1886 


750  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Mr.  Davidson  began  business  on  his  own  account  in  Pinos  Altos,  success- 
fully conducting  his  enterprise  until  1890,  when  he  suffered  a  severe  loss 
through  fire.  He  was  then  out  of  business  for  nearly  a  year,  when  he  re- 
sumed operations  in  trade,  and  in  February,  1903,  he  again  suffered  heavily 
by  fire.  He  reopened  his  store,  however,  in  the  building  which  he  now 
occupies,  and  is  at  the  head  of  the  firm  of  F.  J.  Davidson  &  Company, 
dealers  in  general  merchandise.  They  carry  a  well  selected  line  of  goods 
and  have  a  liberal  patronage,  which  is  constantly  growing.  Mr.  David- 
son has  also  been  engaged  in  mining  in  Pinos  Altos  at  different  times, 
although  not  interested  now  in  the  development  of  the  mineral  resources 
of  this  section  of  the  country.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat  and  fraternally 
is  connected  with  the  Elks  at  Silver  City. 

Walter  Brandis,  identified  with  mining  operations  in  the  vicinity  of 
Pinos  Altos,  was  born  in  Sherman,  Texas,  in  1874,  and  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  New  Mexico  since  1879,  tne  journey  being  made  by  wagon  to 
Silver  City.  In  1891  he  came  to  Pinos  Altos  and  began  learning  the  trade 
of  a  mill  hand,  working  in  the  quartz  mills  in  this  camp.  In  1902  the 
firm  of  Brandis  &  Company  leased  the  mammoth  mill  at  Pinos  Altos  from 
the  Golden  Giant  Mining  Company,  and  as  head  of  the  present  firm  Mr. 
Brandis  has  since  been  conducting  this  industrial  enterprise,  operating  a 
ten-stamp  mill.  He  also  leased  the  Kept  Woman  mine,  located  above  Pinos 
Altos,  and  controls  its  output.  It  has  now  been  in  his  possession  for  about 
three  months,  and  when  he  has  it  opened  up  will  furnish  thirty  tons  every 
twenty-four  hours.  Aside  from  its  output  he  mills  the  output  of  other 
mines  in  this  camp  and  is  thus  closely  associated  with  the  mining  interests 
of  this  portion  of  the  Territory. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


LINCOLN    COUNTY. 

Lincoln  county  lies  nearly  in  the  center  of  the  Territory,  being  bounded 
north  by  Torrance  and  Guadalupe  counties,  east  by  Roosevelt  and  Chaves, 
south  by  Chaves,  Otero  and  Dona  Ana  counties  and  west  by  Socorro.  It 
contains  nearly  5,000  square  miles  and  about  the  same  population ;  that  is, 
it  averages  one  person  to  every  square  mile  of  territory.  Its  county  seat  is 
Lincoln,  a  town  of  1,000  population. 

Originally  Lincoln  county  occupied  the  entire  southeastern  portion  of 
the  Territory,  and  much  of  the  choicest  grazing  land  in  New  Mexico.  From 
1876  to  1879  ^  was  tne  scene  of  what  was  known  as  "the  Lincoln  county 
war,"  between  rival  cattle  owners.  The  entire  population  of  its  30,000 
square  miles  was  compelled  to  take  sides  in  this  conflict,  and  partisanship 
of  the  most  bitter  character  was  engendered.  More  than  a  score  of  men 
were  killed  during  the  contest,  which  was  practically  for  the  control  of 
the  range  on  the  government  land  in  that  section.  Each  side  employed 
desperadoes  as  cowboys,  and  battles  and  sieges  succeeded  each  other  as  in 
a  regular  war. 

By  legislative  act  of  1889,  Chaves  and  Eddy  counties  were  separated 
from  Lincoln,  and  in  1899  Otero  was  carved  from  its  territory,  which  then 
assumed  its  present  area. 

Physical  and  Industrial  Features. — The  average  elevation  of  Lincoln 
county  is  from  4,000  to  5,000  feet  above  sea  level.  The  Sierra  Blanca, 
Capitan,  Nogal  and  Carrizo  ranges,  in  its  central  and  southern  portions, 
are  well  forested  with  pine  pinyon,  juniper,  oak  and  cottonwood,  which 
afford  excellent  material  for  fuel  and  building.  Loftier  mountain  ranges 
run  north  and  south  in  Socorro  county,  but  so  near  the  western  boundary 
of  Lincoln  as  to  form  a  complete  watershed.  Around  White  Oaks  and 
the  Nogal  and  Capitan  mountains  are  valuable  mines  of  copper  and  lead. 

The  face  of  the  country  is  varied,  the  northern  half  of  the  county  being 
chiefly  composed  of  vast  plateaus,  interspersed  with  valleys,  mountains  and 
tablelands.  The  character  of  the  soil  also  varies,  the  larger  portion  being 
a  sandy  loam,  with  frequent  and  considerable  areas  of  chocolate  and  black 
soil,  similar  to  the  prairie  lands  of  the  more  distant  eastern  states.  The 
central  parts  of  the  county  are  well  watered  by  running  streams,  the  prin- 
cipal of  which  is  the  Rio  Hondo,  a  deep,  swift  stream,  draining  the  Sierra 
Blanca  and  Capitan  mountains.  Besides  this  are  the  Felix,  Ruidoso,  Bonito, 
Eagle,  Upper  and  Lower  Penyasco  and  Nogal  creeks.  In  the  northern 
portions  springs  break  out  on  the  wide  plateaus  and  afford  abundance  of 
water  for  stock. 

Grapes  and  currants  in  their  native  state  grow  in  great  abundance, 
while  cultivated  vines,  as  well  as  apples,  peaches  and  pears,  yield  splendid 
harvests.     All  the  grains  of  the  temperate  zone  grow  well,  vegetables  of 


752  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

every  variety  maturing  into  wonderful  proportions.  Beans  are  an  espe- 
cially reliable  crop,  and  the  forage  grasses  and  fertilizers  develop  to  per- 
fection. Alfalfa  yields  from  four  to  five  cuttings  annually,  and  the  crop 
will  average  from  five  to  eight  tons  per  acre. 

For  pasturage  and  a  stock  country  Lincoln  county  has  few  equals. 
Stock  of  all  descriptions  subsist  en  the  range  alone  and  keep  in  fine  condi- 
tion, winter  and  summer.  Frudent  managers  think  that  two  per  cent  is 
a  liberal  estimate  of  loss  from  all  causes  while  the  cattle  or  sheep  are  on  the 
range.  The  profit  on  cattle  is  estimated  to  be  at  least  fifty  cents  monthly 
per  head  from  the  time  they  are  calved,  while  the  profit  on  sheep  is  not  less 
than  fifty  per  cent. 

County  Officers. — Lincoln  county  was  organized  in  1869,  but,  like 
many  other  counties  in  New  Mexico,  many  of  the  records  have  disap- 
peared. It  is  impossible  to  give  anything  like  a  complete  list  of  the  county 
officials. 

Towns. — Lincoln,  the  county  seat,  is  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
county,  on  the  Rio  Bonito.  It  is  a  place  of  about  1,000  people,  its  nearest 
railroad  station  being  Capitan,  on  the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern  line,  about 
ten  miles  to  the  west. 

White  Oaks,  forty-one  miles  northwest  of  Lincoln  and  nearly  in  the 
center  of  the  county,  is  the  most  important  point.  It  is  surrounded'  by 
good  gold  mines  and  mills  and  is  altogether  a  thriving  town.  The  adjacent 
mountains  are  also  rich  in  coal  and  iron  and  covered  with  pine,  cedar  and 
pinyon  timber.  Even  before  White  Oaks  secured  railroad  connections 
through  the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern  system  it  was  a  remarkably  pros- 
perous place.  For  years  it  has  been  the  seat  of  most  successful  gold  min- 
ing. The  first  lode  located  in  the  White  Oaks  camp  was  South  Home- 
stake,  by  John  E.  Wilson,  in  November,  1879.  A  few  days  later  John  V. 
Winters  located  the  North  Homestake.  A  little  later  were  staked  out  Old 
Abe  (the  deepest  dry  mine  in  the  United  States),  Rip  Van  Winkle,  Corn- 
stock,  Little  Mack  and  Henry  Clay,  and  during  the  winter  of  1879-80  Large 
Hopes,  Little  Hell  and  Blacksmith.  The  camp's  real  "boom"  commenced 
in  March,  1880.  with  the  discovery  of  unusually  rich  ore  in  the  North 
Homestake. 

The  military  post  of  Fort  Stanton  is  located  in  a  beautiful  valley  seven 
miles  from  Lincoln.  It  is  about  forty  miles  north  of  the  Mescalero  Apache 
Indian  agency,  and  was  established  in  the  late  '50s  to  keep  the  Mescalero 
Apaches  in  check. 

John  W.  Owen,  sheriff  of  Lincoln  county,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Sedalia.  Missouri,  where  he  became  familiar  with  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing. He  arrived  in  White  Oaks,  New  Mexico,  in  1885,  and  began  raising 
and  dealing  in  cattle  and  horses.  He  is  yet  interested  in  that  industry 
in  the  vicinity  of  White  Oaks,  having  a  ranch  thirty-five  miles  north  of 
the  town.  He  raises  cattle  on  quite  an  extensive  scale  and  the  business  is 
a  profitable  one.  Called  to  public  office,  he  was  elected  sheriff  in  1902  and 
served  for  seven  months.  In  190.S  he  was  re-elected  and  removed  with  his 
family  to  Lincoln.  He  had  previously  served  as  constable  and  as  deputy 
sheriff  of  White  Oaks,  and  has  proved  a  capable  officer,  prompt  and  faith- 
ful in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  He  is  a  member  of  Excelsior  Lodge 
No.  5.  I.  O.  O.  F. 

J.  J.  and  Manuel  Aragon,  proprietors  of  a  leading  mercantile  estab- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  753 

lishment  in  Lincoln,  are  natives  of  Valencia  county,  New  Mexico,  and  both 
acquired  their  early  education  in  this  Territory.  '  J.  J.  Aragon  afterward 
became  a  student  in  Nelson  Business  College  at  Springfield,  Ohio,  and, 
returning  to  the  Territory,  he  engaged  in  merchandising  with  his  brother 
at  Monticello,  Sierra  county,  where  he  remained  for  a  few  years.  He 
then  sold  out  and  removed  to  El  Paso,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandis- 
ing for  about  three  years.  He  afterward  spent  two  years  in  Alamogordo, 
New  Mexico,  as  proprietor  of  a  drug  store,  and  in  August,  1901,  came  to 
Lincoln,  where  he  established  a  general  mercantile  store,  which  he  has 
since  successfully  conducted.  He  has  always  been  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  Manuel,  the  business  relations  between  them  being  mutually  pleas- 
ant and  profitable.  In  1886  J.  J.  Aragon  was  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Kansas  City.  He  has  been  somewhat  prominent  in  public  affairs 
in  the  Territorv,  especiallv  as  the  supporter  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  superintendent  of  schools  in  Sierra  county  about  1896,  and  the  cause  of 
education  found  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart  friend.  He  is  ever  alive  to 
the  best  interests  of  count}-  and  Territory,  and  his  labors  have  been  of 
direct  and  permanent  good  in  promoting  the  general  improvement  of  the 
Territory. 

George  B.  Barber,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at  Lincoln,  is  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  when  a  youth  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
removal  to  what  was  then  the  northwest  territorv,  the  family  locating  in 
the  city  of  Milwaukee.  Wisconsin.  Coming  to  the  Southwest,  Mr.  Barber 
took  up  his  abode  in  Lincoln  in  December,  1877,  and  studied  law  in  the  office 
of  Judge  Ira  E.  Leonard.  Following  his  preliminary  reading,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  at  Lincoln  in  1882,  and  at  once  opened  an  office  for  prac- 
tice. He  has  since  been  an  active  representative  of  the  profession  here, 
and  for  three  years  served  as  district  attorney  for  the  counties  of  Lincoln, 
Chaves  and  Eddy.  He  is  a  close  and  discriminating  student  of  the  law, 
prepares  his  cases  with  great  thorouehness  and  care,  and  is  strong  in 
argument,  so  that  he  has  won  many  notable  forensic  victories,  having  a 
clientage  that  connects  him  with  the  most  important  litigation  tried  in  the 
courts  of  the  district.  He  is  very  active  in  Republican  politics,  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  partv  in  this  section  of  the  Territory. 

J.  W.  Prude,  licensed  trader  with  the  Indians  at  Mescalero  Apache 
Indian  agency  and  also  supplying  the  mess  hall  ranchers  and  others  in 
the  locality,  was  born  and  reared  in  Texas  and  has  spent  his  entire  life  on 
the  frontier.  He  was  the  son  of  a  pioneer  cattleman,  John  Prude,  of  Ala- 
bama, who  went  to  Texas  in  1852,  while  the  mother,  Mrs.  John  Prude, 
became  a  resident  of  the  Lone  Star  state  in  1847.  '"  his  youth  J.  W.  Prude 
became  a  cowboy  and  is  familiar  with  all  of  the  thrilling  experiences  as 
well  as  the  routine  work  of  that  occupation.  Since  the  fall  of  1887  he  has 
been  in  New  Mexico,  and  since  1889  has  resided  in  Lincoln  county,  de- 
voting his  attention  to  merchandising.  He  has  been  agency  trader  for  four 
years,  and  for  seven  years  previous  to  that  time  conducted  an  independent 
mercantile  business.  He  has  many  Indian  curios.  The  Apaches  not  only 
make  blankets,  but  also  moccasins,  pappoose  boxes  and  water  jugs,  the  last 
being  made  from  amole  or  soap  plant,  covered  with  wax. 

Mr.  Prude  was  married  in  Miss  Mattie  Bennett,  a  daughter  of  Captain 
John  T.  Bennett,  who  won  his  title  by  service  with  a  Texas  regiment  in 
the  Mexican  war.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prude  have  three  daughters  and  two  sons, 


754  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

namely:  Andrew  B.,  Maggie,  William,  Ruth  and  Myra.  Mr.  Prude  is  a 
Mason,  belonging  to  the  blue  lodge  at  Alamogordo. 

P.  L.  Krouse,  who  is  engaged  in  mining  at  Alto,  became  a  resident  of 
Lincoln  county,  New  Mexico,  in  1887.  In  1883  he  had  settled  near  Seven 
Rivers,  where  he  took  up  a  ranch  and  engaged  in  cattle-raising  until  1887, 
when  he  came  to  Lincoln  county  and  secured  government  contracts  for 
building  and  repairing.  When  his  work  in  that"  direction  was  completed 
he  turned  his  attention  to  mining  interests  at  Parsons  and  Eagle  Creek, 
developed  the  Hopewell  mine  and  other  properties,  carrying  on  business  for 
the  White  Mountain  Mining  Company.  He  has  now  for  a  number  of  years 
been  actively  associated  with  the  development  of  the  mineral  resources  of 
New  Mexico  and  his  practice,  experience  and  knowledge  well  qualify  him 
for  this  task. 

Mr.  Krouse  made  a  creditable  record  as  a  soldier  of  the  federal  army 
in  the  Civil  war,  serving  as  captain  of  Company  E,  Fourth  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry. He  took  part  in  Morgan's  raid  and  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson, 
Fort  Henry,  Pittsburg  Landing,  Lookout  Mountain  and  other  important 
and  sanguinary  engagements,  and  was  three  times  wounded.  In  matters 
of  citizenship  he  has  ever  been  loyal  and  progressive,  and  in  business  has 
displayed  keen  insight  into  conditions  and  a  thorough  understanding  of 
possibilities  that  have  led  him  to  recognize  the  advantages  that  New 
Mexico  affords  and  to  ally  his  interests  with  the  work  of  development  and 
upbuilding  here. 

William  M.  Riley,  a  cattleman  of  Capitan,  New  Mexico,  came  to  the 
Territory  in  1890  from  Louisiana.  He  settled  at  Lincoln  and  entered  the 
cattle  business,  in  which  he  has  since  continued,  being  closely  associated 
with  this  enterprise,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  sources  of  revenue 
of  the  Territory.  In  1894  he  removed  to  Capitan,  where  he  entered  a 
homestead  claim,  covering  a  part  of  the  town  site.  He  is  now  proprietor 
of  the  Capitan  Hotel  and  also  conducts  a  meat  market,  his  varied  business 
interests  being  a  good  source  of  revenue  and  winning  for  him  a  place 
among  the  substantial  residents  of  this  part  of  the  Territory. 

While  living  in  Lincoln  county  Mr.  Riley  was  called  to  various  public 
offices.  He  served  as  deputy  sheriff,  was  collector  of  the  county  for  one 
term  after  his  arrival  and  in  1897-98  filled  the  office  of  assessor  of  the 
county.  He  also  had  charge  of  the  district  clerk's  office  in  Roswell  under 
George  Curray,  and  his  devotion  to  all  public  duties  is  one  of  the  strong 
and  salient  characteristics  in  his  life  record.  His  social  relations  connect 
him  with  Coalora  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F. 

S.  T.  Gray,  conducting  a  livery  business  at  Capitan.  has  been  the 
promoter  of  business  interests  that  have  been  of  far-reaching  and  bene- 
ficial effect  in  advancing  the  material  progress  and  welfare  of  the  commu- 
nity. He  was  born  in  Coosa  county,  Alabama,  and  was  reared  in  Louis- 
iana. On  coming  first  to  New  Mexico  he  located  on  the  Angus  V.  V. 
ranch,  twelve  miles  south  of  Capitan,  where  in  partnership  with  Pat  Gar- 
rett, he  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  from  1884  until  1887.  In  the  latter 
year  he  located  on  a  ranch  comprising  the  town  site  of  Capitan  and  con- 
tinued as  a  dealer  in  cattle.  In  1897  he  opened  the  first  store  on  the  ranch 
and  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  establishment  of  a  postoffice,  which 
was  called  Gray.  Later  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  the  building  of 
the  railroad  into  the  coal  fields — a  source  of  profit  and  income  to  the  town — 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  '00 

and  in  many  other  ways  he  has  contributed  in  substantial  measure  to  the 
upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  community.  In  1890  Mr.  Gray  embarked 
in  the  livery  business,  in  which  he  has  continued  and  he  is  also  interested 
in  mining,  being  engaged  in  the  development  of  an  iron  field.  Active  as  a 
supporter  of  the  Democratic  party  he  does  all  in  his  power  to  advance  its 
interests  and  served  for  a  time  as  cattle  inspector  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Southeastern  Stock  Growers'  Association. 

Jones  Taliaferro,  a  prominent  representative  of  commercial  pursuits 
at  White  Oaks,  also  interested  in  mining,  came  to  this  place  in  May,  1880, 
and  during  the  first  year  of  his  residence  here  was  engaged  in  prospecting. 
He  also  did  a  contract  business  in  mining  supplies  and  in  1884  he  was 
elected  clerk  of  Lincoln  county,  in  which  position  he  served  through  the 
four  succeeding  years.  In  1885  he  purchased  the  mercantile  business  of 
the  firm  of  Robson,  Young  &  Bogard,  which  had  been  established  in 
1880.  He  has  since  conducted  this  enterprise,  removing  from  Lincoln  to 
White  Oaks  in  1888.  The  store  is  a  large  and  well  appointed  establish- 
ment, in  which  a  good  line  of  general  merchandise  is  carried  and  its  neat 
and  tasteful  arrangement  together  with  reasonable  prices  and  earnest  de- 
sire to  please  his  patrons  have  secured  to  the  proprietor  an  extensive  and 
growing  trade.     He  belongs  to  Baxter  Lodge  No.  9,  K.  P..  at  White  Oaks. 

John  A.  Brown,  a  representative  of  mercantile  interests  in  White  Oaks, 
where  he  is  also  filling  the  position  of  postmaster,  is  a  native  of  Daviess 
count).  Kentucky,  and  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  early  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  incident  to  the  care  of  the 
fields.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  espoused  the  Union  cause,  enlisting 
as  a  member  of  Company  E,  Twelfth  Kentucky  Cavalry,  with  which  he 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war  in  the  capacity  of  corporal.  He  was  in 
active  dutv  in  the  eastern  Tennessee  and  Georgia  campaigns,  and  Stone- 
man's  raids  through  West  Virginia,  South  Carolina,  North  Carolina  and 
Georgia,  his  regiment  participating  in  many  hotly  contested  engagements. 
While  in  the  army  he  was  wounded  and  still  suffers  from  the  injuries  sus- 
tained in  defense  of  his  country. 

Mr.  Brown  came  to  White  Oaks  on  the  nth  of  September.  1883,  and 
has  since  made  his  home  in  New  Mexico.  For  two  years  he  was  engaged 
in  prospecting  and  then  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  and  to  the 
commission  business,  conducting  his  store  here  since  1885.  He  belongs 
to  Golden  Rule  Lodge  No.  16,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  White  Oaks  and  maintains 
pleasant  relations  with  his  old  army  comrades  through  his  memhership  in 
Kearny  Post  No.  10,  G.  A.  R.  He  is  as  true  and  loyal  to  his  country  and 
her  interests  as  when  he  followed  the  stars  and  stripes  upon  the  battle- 
fields of  the  south. 

Henry  Lutz.  who  is  engaged  in  sheep  raising,  his  home  being  near 
Ancho,  New  Mexico,  was  born  and  reared  in  Bavaria,  and  at  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  became  a  resident  of  Trinidad,  Colorado.  He  arrived  in 
New  Mexico  in  1883,  making  his  way  to  Santa  Fe,  where  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Spiegelhurg  &  Companv.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Albuquerque, 
where  he  was  an  employe  of  E.  J.  Post  &  Company,  and  in  1886  he  came 
to  Lincoln,  where  he  embarked  in  merchandising  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  R.  Michaelis  &  Company.  In  1889  Mr.  Lutz  made  a  trip  to  Europe  and 
remained  abroad  for  two  vears,  returning  in  1891.  He  then  became  a  part- 
ner in  the  Lincoln  Trading  Company,  with  which  he  was  associated  for 


756  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

four  and  a  half  years,  and  subsequently  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  sheep 
raising  industry  in  Ancho,  where  he  has  since  remained.  He  has  made  a 
close  and  discriminating  study  of  the  needs  of  sheep  and  what  best  pro- 
motes the  business  of  sheep  raising,  and  he  is  today  a  well-known  and 
successful  representative  of  this  industry. 

Mr.  Lutz  is  very  active  and  prominent  in  Republican  politics,  being  an 
unfaltering  supporter  of  the  party  and  its  principles  and  a  recognized  leader 
in  its  ranks  in  Lincoln  county.  He  has  served  as  treasurer  and  collector 
of  the  county  for  two  terms.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  Lincoln 
Lodge,  Knight  of  Pythias. 

Charles  A.  Spence,  extensively  engaged  in  the  raising  of  sheep  and 
cattle  at  White  Oaks,  Xew  Mexico,  is  a  native  of  Iowa  and  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  1882.  Here  he  became  actively  interested  in  the  stock  industry, 
establishing  a  large  cattle  ranch  and  also  opened  a  store  at  Finos  Wells. 
Through  his  efforts  a  postoffice  was  opened  there  and  the  village  became 
an  important  business  center  and  distributing  point  for  the  surrounding 
ranches.  Mr.  Spence  has  lived  in  White  Oaks  since  1901  and  is  engaged 
in  sheep  raising  on  a  large  scale,  being  one  of  the  leading  representatives 
of  this  business  in  his  section  of  New  Mexico.  He  has  done  much  to  im- 
prove the  grade  of  sheep  raised  by  the  introduction  of  good  breeds  and 
has  thus  contributed  in  keeping  the  price  up  to  a  high  standard. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SIERRA  COUNTY. 

Sierra  is  one  of  the  southern  counties  of  New  Mexico,  and  boldly  ex- 
tends into  Socorro  county,  being  bounded  by  Luna  and  Doha  Ana  counties 
on  the  south,  and  a  corner  of  Grant  county  and  Socorro  on  the  west.  It  is 
one  of  the  smallest  counties  in  the  Territory,  having  an  area  of  only  3,129 
square  miles  and  a  population  of  3.158  people.  Its  county  seat.  Hillsboro, 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  has  a  population  of  about  600,  and  is 
one  of  the  important  mining  camps  in  this  section  of  the  Territory. 

Sierra  county  was  formed  by  legislative  act.  in  1883,  from  parts  of 
Socorro,  Doha  Ana  and  Grant  counties,  the  impelling  cause  being  the  de- 
sire of  the  miners  in  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Valley,  Hillsboro  and  Kingston, 
to  govern  themselves,  and  their  belief  that  their  interests  would  be  bene- 
fitted by  having  one  count)'  in  which  mining  would  be  the  leading  in- 
dustry, rather  than  live  on  the  borders  of  three  large  counties  in  none  of 
which  could  they  have  a  controlling  influence.  Although,  as  will  be  seen, 
it  has  very  considerable  grazing  and  agricultural  interests  in  the  valley  of 
the  Rio  Granda.  with  its  tributaries,  its  great  industry  is  that  of  mining, 
as  it  probably  always  will  be. 

Physical  Features. — Large  plains  occupy  the  extreme  eastern  portion 
of  the  county;  then  come  a  system  of  mountain  ranges  (Sierra  Cabello), 
running  north  and  south,  along  the  eastern  hank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  around 
whose  southern  extremitv  that  river  makes  a  bold  eastern  sweep  in  its 
exit  from  the  county,  leaving  about  one-third  of  the  area  to  the  east ;  to 
the  westward,  interrupted  here  and  there  by  peaks  of  only  moderate  height, 
the  plains  extend  to  the  foot  hills  of  the  Black  Membre  ranges,  which  form  a 
lofty  western  barrier.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  creeks  in  the  extreme 
northwest  corner,  which  flow  into  the  Gila,  all  streams  empty  eastward  into 
the  Rio  Grande. 

Agriculture  and  Mining. — The  county  is  well  divided  into  the  valley, 
mesa  and  mountain  lands,  embracing  a  considerable  section  of  the  Rio 
Grande  valley,  where  agriculture  is  followed ;  wherever  openings  in  the 
valleys  of  the  different  affluents  afford  room  enough  to  do  so,  agricultural 
pursuits  are  followed.  But  the  main  interests  of  Sierra  county  are  centered 
in  the  mines.  The  principal  mining  districts  are:  Apache,  Black  Range, 
Cuchillo  Negro,  Kingston,  Hermosa,  Animas,  Hillsboro.  Percha  and  Lake 
Valley. 

Mining  History  of  the  County. — To  begin  with  the  most  famous  of  all 
the  romances  of  mining,  Lake  Valley  furnishes"  the  best  story.  Here 
abounds  the  highest-grade  silver-ore.  In  the  early  days,  when  Yictorio, 
Loco  and  Nana  made  this  valley  unhealthy,  two  miners  struck  a  gold  pros- 
pect. They  sold  it  for  $100,000  to  a  Philadelphia  syndicate,  and  two  days 
after  the  lead  ran  into  the  "Bridal  Chamber,"  the  working  of  which  yielded 


758  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

over  $3,000,000.  The  expense  was  so  trifling  that  one  man  offered  the 
owners  $200,000  for  the  privilege  of  entering  the  mine  and  taking  the 
metal  that  he  could  knock  down  single-handed  with  his  pick  in  one  day ! 
This  was  an  era  of  wild  speculation,  from  which  Lake  Valley  suffered  a 
natural  reaction;  but  the  riches  of  the  camp  seem  only  touched  as  yet. 
Millions  of  dollars  have  been  taken  from  its  mines,  but  there  is  still  rich 
ore.     It  lies  in  blanket  form  and  quickly  runs  into  pockets  and  chambers. 

The  history  of  the  discovery  of  these  wonderful  mines  is  interesting.  In 
the  year  1878  a  miner  named  Lufkin,  then  living  at  Hillsboro,  fifteen  miles 
northwest  of  Lake  Valley,  or  McEvers'  ranch,  as  it  was  then  called,  in 
company  with  a  companion,  started  out  on  a  prospecting  trip  to  the  foot- 
hills of  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Black  Range.  They  had  no  luck  for 
some  weeks ;  but  finally,  at  a  point  about  two  miles  west  of  McEvers',  they 
discovered  a  large  body  of  black  ore  croppings  extending  over  a  hundred 
acres  of  territory,  and  indicating  plainly  the  presence  of  mineral  of  some 
kind.  The  big,  black  bodies  of  ore,  cropping  out  above  the  surface,  showed 
that,  whatever  the  nature  of  the  mineral  to  be  found,  it  was  certainly  in 
immense  quantities.  They  sank  several  prospect  holes,  and  soon  satisfied 
themselves  that  they  had  "struck  it  rich"  in  silver;  but  as  their  "grub 
stake"  was  by  this  time  exhausted,  they  returned  to  Hillsboro  and  obtained 
employment,  one  as  a  cook  and  the  other  as  a  miner,  saved  up  their  wages 
for  several  months,  in  order  to  have  a  "grub  stake"  when  they  should  go 
again  to  work  on  their  claim. 

In  a  few  weeks  the  Indian  war  broke  out  upon  the  country,  and  min- 
ing operations  in  that  section  were  suspended.  Finally,  however,  through 
the  assistance  of  J.  A.  Miller  of  Grant  county,  who  was  then  the  post 
trader  at  Fort  Bayard,  Lufkin  and  bis  partner  were  enabled  to  develop  their 
mines  sufficiently  to  prove  that  they  were  first  class :  and  then  a  rush  began 
toward  the  new  district.  Claims  were  located  on  all  sides  and  quite  a  min- 
ing camp  sprang  into  existence.  Ore  running  as  high  as  $1,000  a  ton  was 
exposed,  and  Mr.  Miller  began  to  look  around  for  means  to  better  develop 
the  mines.  The  result  was  that  about  180,4  Miller  sold  the  principal  mines 
of  the  district  to  a  syndicate  for  $225,000. 

This  district  was  the  scene  of  a  great  mining  excitement  more  than 
twenty  years  ago,  when  the  Apaches  were  removed  from  the  adjacent 
reservation,  but  the  difficulty  and  expense  of  transportation  keep  it  in  the 
background.  Hillsboro  and  Kingston  have  both  been  famous  in  their  days 
as  enormous  producers,  one  of  gold  and  the  other  of  silver. 

County  Officials. — Since  its  organization,  the  officials  of  Sierra  county 
have  been  as  follows : 

Probate  Judge?: — 1884-6.  Jose  Tafoys ;  1887-8.  Jose  Jesus  Garcia;  1889-90, 
Doniciana  Montoya ;  1891-2,  Jose  Apodaca  :  1S9.V0,  Francisco  Apodaca  :  1897-8.  Julian 
Chaves;  1899-1900.  Mersa  Montoya;  1901-4,  Procopino  Torres:  1905-6,  Esperidon 
Tafova. 

Probate  clerks :— 1884-92,  J.  M.  Webster;  1893-1904.  Thomas  C.  Hall;  1905-6, 
T.  M    Webster. 

Sheriffs:— 1884-6,  Thomas  Murphy:  1887-00,  Alexander  M.  Story;  1S91-4.  S.  W. 
Sanders;  1895-6.  Max  L.  Kahler ;  1897-8,  August  Reinsjardt :  1890-1000.  Max  L. 
Kahler:  1901-2,  J.  D.  Chandler:  1903-4,  Max  L.  Kahler;  1905-6.  W.  C.  Kendall. 

Assessors :— 1884-94,  James  P.  Parker;  1895-6,  Alovs  Preisser:  1S97-1906,  Andrew 
Kelly. 

Treasurers :— 1884-6.  F.  W.  Taylor:  1S87-8.  Norman  C.  Raff:  1889-94,  William 
H.  Bucher;  1895-1900,  Will  M.  Robins;  1901-6,  J.  C.  Plemmons. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  'M 

County  Commissioners :— 1884-6,  A.  E.  Pitkin,  G.  W.  Gregg,  Richard  Winn; 
1887-8,  Nathan  Grayson,  Frank  Klines,  James  1'.  Armstrong;  1889-90,  B.  N.  Greeley, 
Fred  Lindauer,  Frank  H.  Winston ;  1891-2,  J.  C.  Stanley,  Fred  Lindauer,  Jose  Tofoya 
y  Garcia;  1893-4,  Doniciano  Montoya,  Isaac  D.  Hilty,  James  Dalglish;  1895-6,  Jose 
M.  Apodaca,  August  Reingardt,  George  R.  Baucus ;  1897-8,  Francisco  Boyorquez, 
Robert  West,  John  E.  Wheeler;  1899-1900,  Thomas  T.  Lee,  James  Dalglish,  Crespin 
Aragon ;  1901-2,  Marcelino  Duran,  James  Reay,  Crespin  Aragon ;  1903-4,  Thomas 
Murphy,  Vilcaldo  G.  Trujillo;  1905-6,  Urbano  P.  Arrey,  Thomas  Murphy,  Viliado 
G.   Trujillo. 

Towns  of  the  County. — Hillsboro,  the  county  seat,  is  the  center  of  the 
gold  mining  district.  It  has  a  handsome  court  house,  good  schools  and  hotels. 
The  metal  carrier  in  this  district  is  quartz,  impregnated  with  copper  and 
iron  pyrites,  and  containing  precious  metals  in  the  proportion  of  one  ounce 
of  gold  to  five  ounces  of  silver.  Perhaps  the  most  notable  feature  in  the 
Hillsboro  gold  mines  is  the  unbroken  continuity  of  the  ore  veins.  Founded 
in  1877,  the  success  and  prosperity -of  the  town  were  only  obtained  after 
years  of  persistent  effort.  The  camp  is  an  off-shoot  of  Georgetown,  Grant 
county.  In  1876  David  Stetzel  and  Daniel  Dugan  left  that  place  on  a 
prospecting  tour,  and  in  May.  1877,  discovered  gold  in  the  present  Hills- 
boro camp.  Nicholas  Galles,  then  on  the  Mimbres,  soon  after  appeared 
at  the  place,  with  eleven  others,  including  W.  II.  Weeks,  H.  H.  Elliott  and 
Joe  Yankie.  Each  of  the.  newcomers  had  a  name  for  the  new  town.  Finally 
one  day  in  December,  1877,  the  names  were  all  written  on  slips  of  paper 
and  put  in  an  old  hat,  and  after  an  impartial  drawing  Hillsboro  came  to 
the  surface. 

Kingston,  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county,  a  few  miles  west 
of  Hillsboro,  is  the  nucleus  of  a  rich  silver  district.  It  is  situated  in  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  Percha,  the  ore  belt  stretching  from  the  Trujillo  to  the 
North  Percha.  The  ores  are  found  in  connection  with  quartz,  iron,  cop- 
per, zinc,  galena  and  talc.  Binoxide  of  manganese  also  prevails  throughout 
the  district.  The  town  itself  is  well  situated,  has  a  public  water  service, 
churches  and  schools  and  a  good  class  of  settlers.  The  first  rich  mineral  in 
the  district  of  which  Kingston  is  the  center  was  found  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Solitaire  mine  and  was  discovered  in  August,  1882,  by  Jack  Shedden, 
the  discoverer  of  the  famous  Robinson  mine  in  Colorado.  R.  J.  Wilson  had 
located  the  claim  in  1881,  but.  not  knowing  this,  Shedden  took  possession 
of  the  mine  and  bonded  it  to  Tabor  &  "Wurtzebach  for  $100,000.  For  some 
time  after  the  discovery  of  the  Solitaire  mine  the  town  had  a  wonderful 
growth.  On  June  6,  A.  Barnaby  set  up  a  tent  in  the  woods  at  a  point 
which  soon  after  became  the  center  of  the  town,  and  opened  a  little  store, 
which  was  the  first  habitation  of  any  kind  erected  in  Kingston.  On  the 
26th  of  August  the  first  surveying  for  the  town  site  was  begun,  and  on 
the  1st  of  October  the  Kingston  Town  Company  was  organized  and  in- 
corporated. By  the  latter  part  of  the  fall  the  town  had  a  population  of  about 
1,800  people,  and  city  lots  on  Main  street  brought  as  high  as  five  hun- 
dred dollars  apiece. 

Lake  Valley,  already  mentioned,  is  also  the  chief  settlement  in  a  pro- 
ductive silver  district  which  lies  to  the  south  of  Hillsboro  and  Kingston. 
In  connection  with  Lake  Valley  is  due  a  little  more  history,  recalled  by  the 
burning  of  the  famous  Ingliss  ranch  house,  three  miles  from  that  point, 
in  the  spring  of  1906.  The  property  was  at  one  time  owned  by  George 
Dalv,  of  Leadville,  Colorado,  who  was  the  founder  of  Lake  Vallev  and  was 


7«0  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

killed  by  Indians  in  1881.  His  property  included  the  famous  Bridal 
Chamber,  of  horn  silver,  which  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  just  been 
uncovered.  He  was  one  of  the  daring  pioneers  of  that  period,  but  death 
cut  short  the  worldly  fruition  of  his  work.  Tom  Ingliss,  from  whom  the 
ranch  house  was  named,  came  later  and  had  a  remarkable  history  of  .shoot- 
ing affairs  and  miraculous  escapes.  But  the  burning  of  the  house  probably 
marks  the  deterioration  or  absorption  of  the  property,  so  that  it  will  no 
longer  be  known  as  the  Ingliss  ranch. 

Thomas  Murphy,  county  commissioner  of  Sierra  county  and  a  resident 
of  Hillsboro,  was  born  and  reared  in  Portland.  Maine,  his  natal  day  being 
November  22,  1848.  His  education  was  largely  acquired  through  his  own 
efforts  in  the  school  of  experience,  and  in  1863,  when  not  quite  fifteen 
years  of  age,  he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  enlisting  as  a 
member  of  Company  G,  Second  Regiment,  Volunteer  Infantry,  in  the 
District  of  Columbia,  with  which  he  served  throughout  the  Civil  war,  being 
honorably  discharged  at  Alexandria.  Virginia,  September  12.  1865.  He 
participated  in  the  campaign  against  General  Mosby  in  the  Shenandoah 
valley  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Stevens,  which  was  witnessed 
by  President  Lincoln.  Following  the  need  for  volunteer  troops,  Mr.  Mur- 
phy jointed  the  United  States  regular  army  on  the  25th  of  October,  1865, 
in  the  Third  Battalion,  joining  the  Seventeenth  Regiment,  which  after- 
ward became  the  Thirty-fifth  Regular  Infantry.  He  continued  in  active  mili- 
tary service  until  1878,  when  he  was  discharged  as  first  sergeant  of  Com- 
pany  G.  Fifteenth  Regular  Infantry,  having  served  through  four  terms  of 
enlistment.  Following  the  Civil  war  his  military  duty  lay  largely  in 
Texas  and  New  Mexico,  mostly  in  suppressing  the  Indian  outbreaks  and  in 
quelling  the  rustlers.  He  served  at  all  the  old  forts  in  the  southern  part 
of  New  Mexico  and  thus  gained  broad  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  Territory. 

In  1878  Mr.  Murphy  became  clerk  in  suiter's  store  at  Fort  Craig,  where 
he  remained  until  April,  1879.  He  was  then  transferred  to  Fort  Bayard, 
where  he  continued  until  July,  1880.  when  he  went  to  Lake  Valley  and  took 
charge  of  the  old  McEvers  ranch  and  mines  for  John  A.  Miller,  who  was 
then  post  trader  for  Fort  Bayard.  He  acted  as  superintendent  of  his 
ranching  and  mining  interests  until  1882,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Lake  Valley,  where  he  served  for  two  terms  as  sheriff,  being  the  first  in- 
cumbent in  that  position  in  Sierra  county.  He  was  active  and  influential 
in  every  movement  for  the  establishment  of  Sierra  county,  and  after  serving 
by  appointment  for  one  term  as  sheriff  he  was  elected  to  the  office  for  a 
term.  He  has  likewise  been  school  director  and  is  now  county  commis- 
sioner. His  interest  in  military  affairs  did  not  cease  with  his  retirement 
from  the  regular  arm}',  for  he  acted  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  H  of 
the  First  Regiment  of  the  New  Mexico  Militia  during  the  time  of  the 
Apache  Indian  raids. 

Mr.  Murphy  was  married  in  1893  to  Miss  Nellie  Thurston,  of  El  Paso, 
Texas.  He  belongs  to  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  to  Percha 
Lodge  No.  9,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  to  Sierra  Lodge  No.  19,  K.  P.  The  same 
loyalty  which  marked  his  service  as  a  volunteer  and  his  course  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  regular  army  has  also  been  manifest  in  political  offices  to  which 
he  has  been  called,  and  he  stands  as  a  typical  representative  of  the  South- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


761 


west,    interested    in    its    development    and    lending    active    and    hearty    co- 
operation to  many  movements  for  the  public  good. 

Andrew  Kelley,  who  till  recently  filled  the  office  of  assessor  of  Sierra 
county,  came  to  New  Mexico  as  a  member  of  Company  B,  Fifteenth  Regi- 
ment of  United  States  regulars.  He  had  enlisted  in  the  army  in  1867  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  was  stationed  at  Fort  McRae.  He  served  for  three 
years  at  that  point,  and  after  his  retirement  from  military  service  he  was 
employed  in  the  Indian  department  from  1870  until  1882.  Turning  his  at- 
tention to  private  business  interests,  he  followed  ranching  on  Canada  creek 
for  three  years  and  became  connected  with  mining  in  Shandon  district.  He 
has  been  interested  in  mining  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  since  leaving  the 
Indian  department,  but  is  now  giving  Ids  attention  more  largely  to  ranch- 
ing, having  taken  up  a  homestead  below  Elephant  Butte  dam,  where  his 
farming  and  stock-raising  interests  are  being  carefully  managed  and  are 
resulting  in  the  acquirement  of  a  gratifying  success.  In  1896  Mr.  Kelley 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  county  assessor,  and  by  re-election  was  con- 
tinued in  the  position  for  ten  years.  He  has  resigned  the  office  of  assessor 
of  Sierra  count}-,  and  is  at  present  residing  in  Paraje,  Socorro  county,  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  He  belongs  to  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Albuquerque. 

Harvey  A.  Ringer,  a  cattleman  of  Hillsboro,  was  born  in  St.  Francis 
county,  Missouri,  and,  although  deprived  of  the  opportunity  of  attending 
school  in  his  youth,  he  has  learned  many  valuable  lessons  in  the  school  of 
experience,  continually  broadening  his  knowledge  by  contact  with  men,  by 
reading  and  by  observation.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1882  from  south- 
eastern Missouri,  locating  in  Fairview,  where  he  became  connected  with 
the  cattle  business.  He  removed  to  his  home  ranch  on  the  S.  L.  C.  ranch, 
four  miles  south  of  Hillsboro,  and  is  today  the  owner  of  several  valuable 
ranches.  In  fact,  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  prominent  cattlemen  of 
the  Territory,  his  holdings  in  this  direction  being  extensive.  He  raises 
high-grade  cattle  and  is  continually  breeding  valuable  stock.  His  business 
in  this  direction  is  notable,  even  in  a  district  where  cattle-raising  is  carried 
on  on  a  most  extensive  scale,  and  his  prosperity  has  resulted  entirely  from 
his  own  well-directed  efforts,  judicious  investment  and  capable  manage- 
ment.    He  is  now  a  member  of  the  American  Cattle-Growers'  Association. 

Mr.  Ringer  was  married  in  Kingston,  New  Mexico,  January  31,  1897, 
to  Miss  Mabel  Bright,  and  has  three  daughters.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  holding  membership  in  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  in  Denver  consistory  and  in  Albuquerque  temple  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine. 

A.  J.  Hirsch.  interested  in  a  number  of  mining  claims  and  superin- 
tendent of  the  Treasury  mines,  makes  his  home  in  Hillsboro.  He  was 
born  at  Point  Pleasant,  Ohio,  April  29,  1861,  in  the  house  where  the  birth 
of  General  Grant  occurred.  His  education  was  there  acquired  and  he  aft- 
erward learned  the  trade  of  blacksmithing,  which  he  followed  in  Ohio  until 
his  removal  to  Arizona  about  1886.  He  spent  a  year  in  that  territory, 
after  which  he  came  to  Hillsboro  in  1887  and  established  a  blacksmith  shop, 
which  he  conducted  for  two  years.  He  afterward  worked  in  the  Snake 
mine  for  about  three  and  a  half  years,  and  subsequently  took  a  lease  on 
the  mine  for  thirty  days,  paying  a  high  price  therefor.     He  has  been  in- 


762  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

terested  in  a  number  of  mining  claims,  working-  on  leases  mostly,  and  was 
superintendent  of  the  South  Percha  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  and  is 
now  superintendent  of  the  Treasury  mines,  operating  his  leases  along  well- 
defined  lines  of  labor,  in  keeping  with  modern  methods  and  process.  He 
is  meeting  with  success  in  his  undertaking  and  is  well  known  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  mining  interests  of  this  part  of  New  Mexico. 

Air.  Hirsch  was  married  at  Point  Pleasant,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Lola  May 
Bushman,  and  they  have  two  sons  and  a  daughter.  Fraternally  he  is  con- 
nected with  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  with  Sierra  Lodge 
No.  9,  K.  P. 

George  T.  Miller,  who  is  engaged  in  the  conduct  of  a  drug  store  in 
Hillsboro,  where  he  is  also  filling  the  position  of  postmaster,  spent  his 
youth  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  his  native  city,  where  he  was  born  August  16, 
1866.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1893  from  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where 
he  lived  from  1879  to  1893,  and  for  two  years  thereafter  was  connected 
with  mining  interests  in  the  vicinity  of  Hillsboro,  where  he  has  con- 
tinuously made  his  home  to  the  present  time.  He  was  afterward  engaged 
in  bookkeeping  for  the  firm  of  Keller,  Miller  &  Company,  and  when  he  re- 
tired from  that  position  embarked  in  the  drug  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  afterward  bought  out  the  rival  store  of  C.  C.  Miller.  He  has 
continued  successfully  in  the  drug  business  to  the  present,  and  has  a  well- 
appointed  establishment  and  receives  a  large  patronage  from  the  town  and 
surrounding  district,  his  success  resulting  from  his  laudable  ambition,  in- 
defatigable energy  and  close  application.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  post- 
master of  Hillsboro,  which  office  he  has  since  filled. 

John  C.  Plemmons,  county  treasurer  of  Sierra  county  and  a  resident 
of  Hillsboro,  has  made  his  home  in  the  Territory  since  1876,  and  has  been 
identified  with  ranching  and  mining  operations,  two  of  the  important 
sources  of  income  of  this  part  of  the  country.  He  was  born  in  Dalton, 
Georgia,  on  the  25th  of  November,  1859,  and  on  account  of  conditions 
brought  about  by  the  Civil  war  he  received  no  educational  privileges  save 
those  afforded  by  the  school  of  experience.  He  was  left  an  orphan  when 
only  nine  years  of  age,  and  in  his  vouth  was  employed  as  a  cabin  boy  on  a 
Mississippi  steamboat  for  two  years.  He  afterward  spent  a  year  as  a 
scout  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  government,  being  with  the  troops 
stationed  on  the  frontier  to  suppress  the  uprisings  of  the  Apache  Indians. 
He  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1876,  located  on  the  Dry  Cimarron  and  became 
a  cowboy  in  the  employ  of  Hall  Brothers,  with  whom  he  continued  about 
five  years.  In  1880  he  went  to  what  has  since  become  known  as  Chloride, 
and  was  with  the  first  outfit  that  went  into  the  Black  Range.  Becoming 
connected  with  mining  interests,  he  located  the  Colossal  mine,  which  he 
afterward  sold.  Later  he  built  the  first  house  at  Hermosa  and  established 
a.  mercantile  enterprise  at  that  point,  which  he  conducted  from  1883  until 
1900,  successfully  carrying  on  business  for  a  period  of  seventeen  years. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  interested  in  the  cattle  business  and  yet  owns  a 
cattle  ranch  at  that  place.  He  has  continued  to  own  mining  properties, 
having  claims  at  Hermosa,  and  is  producing  ore  from  Polomas  Chief  mine, 
carrying  copper,  silver  and  a  small  quantity  of  gold.  The  business  has  been 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  Polomas  Chief  Mining  Company  and  the 
mine  is  now  being  profitably  worked. 

In   1900  Mr.  Plemmons  was  elected  treasurer  of  Sierra  county  and  is 


^^fe^^^_Jv^^^*^^L 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


n;;i 


now  serving  for  the  third  term,  having  been  three  times  chosen  to  the 
office  as  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party.  Watchful  of  opportunities, 
he  has  promoted  his  business  interests  along  lines  leading  to  success,  and 
he  is  also  a  representative  of  that  class  of  citizens  who,  while  promoting 
individual  prosperity,  also  advance  general  progress  and  improvement.  lie 
is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  belonging  to  Hills- 
boro  Lodge  No.  12.  He  is  a  master  Mason  of  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  belongs  to  the  Lodge  of  Perfection  at  Santa  Fe,  the 
Denver  consistory,  in  which  he  lias  attained  the  thirty-second  degree,  and 
Albuquerque  temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  was  married  in  May.  1898, 
to  Miss  Edith  Curtis,  a  native  of  Xew  Mexico,  and  they  have  three  children  : 
Lillian  ( i.,  Alice  M.  and  Sylvie. 

John  M.  Webster,  a  mine  operator  living  in  Hillsboro,  Sierra  county, 
was  born  and  reared  in  New  Hampshire  and  arrived  in  the  Territory  of 
New  Mexico  in  July,  1882,  at  which  time  he  located  in  Kingston,  being  one 
of  its  first  settlers.  He  was  identified  with  many  operations  there  until 
1885.  when  he  came  to  Hillsboro  and  has  since  been  interested  in  mining 
in  this  part  of  the  Territory.  He  had  previously  been  identified  with  min- 
ing operations  in  Arizona  from  1875  until  coming  to  New  Mexico  seven 
years  later.  He  is  an  expert  in  his  estimate  of  the  value  of  mine  proper- 
ties and  the  best  methods  of  development,  and  occupies  a  foremost  place 
among  the  respresentatives  of  the  business  in  the  Territory. 

Prominent  in  public  life.  John  M.  Webster  was  chosen  as  first  clerk 
of  the  probate  court  of  Sierra  county,  holding  the  office  from  1884  until 
1892.  He  was  again  elected  in  1904,  and  is  filling  the  position  at  the  pres- 
ent writing,  in  1906.  He  was  also  United  States  commissioner  of  New 
Mexico  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago.  Fraternally  he 
is  connected  with  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  has  at- 
tained the  thirty-second  degree  of  th^  Scottish  Rite  in  Masonry.  He  also 
belongs  to  Sierra  Lodge  No.  8,  K.  P.  During  a  residence  of  almost  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  in  the  Territory  he  has  witnessed  its  wonderful  develop- 
ment and  has  contributed  to  its  progress  along  lines  of  business  and  political 
advancement,  resulting  in  bringing  about  its  present  condition  of  improve- 
ment and  progress. 

James  H.  Latham,  a  leading  representative  of  stock-raising  interests 
in  New  Mexico,  having  a  large  ranch  on  which  he  is  extensively  engaged 
in  raising  sheep  and  goats  near  Lake  Valley,  dates  his  residence  in  the 
Territory  from  1885.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  Live  Oak  county,  Texas. 
After  coming  to  New  Mexico  he  spent  one  year  at  Anthony  in  the  cattle 
business,  and  in  1886  came  to  Lake  Valley,  where  he  began  working  in  the 
mines,  being  identified  with  that  pursuit  for  seven  years.  All  during  that 
period  he  owned  a  few  cattle  and  also  has  some  at  the  present  time,  but 
his  chief  interest  at  this  writing  is  sheep.  From  1887  until  1900  he  was 
engaged  largely  in  raising  goats,  starting  in  with  only  a  herd  of  sixty- 
seven  head,  which  he  has  increased  to  twelve  hundred  head.  These  are 
good  Angora  goats,  which  earn  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars  a  year.  How- 
ever, he  is  now  more  largely  giving  his  attention  to  the  sheep-raising  in- 
dustry, in  which  he  began  operations  in  1900  on  a  small  scale.  He  has 
increased  his  flocks  until  at  the  present  time  he  has  about  eight  thousand 
head,  and  in  the  year  1905  he  realized  sixty  per  cent  profit  on  the  money 
invested,  and  the  average  profit  is  about  forty  per  cent.     He  considers  Sierra 


764  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

county  as  a  very  good  district  for  this  line  of  business  from  the  fact  that  sheep 
are  not  affected  here  with  disease  to  any  extent.  They  shear  a  little 
light  because  of  the  alkali  dust,  but  stand  the  drouth  better  than  any  other 
animal.  He  shipped  the  best  bunch  of  lambs  for  weight  (twenty-three  hun- 
dred head  averaging  seventy-three  and  a  fifth  pounds  per  head)  ever  sent 
out  of  New  Mexico,  and  from  these  cut  one  and  a  half  per  cent. 

Mr.  Latham  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity,  be- 
longing to  Deming  Lodge  No.  30,  and  he  also  belongs  to  the  lodge  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  at  Hillsboro.  He  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful in  business  since  coming  to  New  Mexico,  gradually  working  his 
way  upward  and  extending  the  field  of  his  operations  until  he  is  today  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  large  and  successful  sheep-raisers. 

B.  F.  Parks,  who  is  engaged  in  raising  sheep  near  Lake  Valley,  is  a 
native  of  Shelby  county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  reared  and  educated.  His 
youth  was  spent  upon  a  farm  and  he  later  dealt  in  live  stock,  so  that  it  was 
with  considerable  practical  experience  that  he  entered  upon  his  work  as  a 
sheep-raiser  in  New  Mexico.  In  the  interval,  however,  he  became  a  prac- 
tical miner,  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the  business  in  Colorado  from  actual 
experience.  He  went  to  that  state  in  1877  and  spent  five  years  there  in 
the  mines.  In  1882  he  came  to  Lake  Valley  and  here  began  mining,  locating 
and  developing  claims  and  prospecting  until  1894.  He  then  entered  the 
sheep  business,  one  of  the  first  to  engage  in  sheep-raising  in  Sierra  county. 
He  has  given  his  attention  to  this  industry  for  the  past  twelve  years,  and, 
although  he  started  in  a  small  way  with  only  about  seven  hundred  head,  he 
is  now  running  between  two  and  three  thousand  head.  He  keeps  high-grade 
sheep  and  is  continually  improving  the  breed.  The  business  yields  a  grati- 
fying financial  income,  and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  representative  citizens  of  this  part  of  the  Territory.  He  served  in 
the  militia  during  the  Indian  troubles  of  1885.  holding  the  rank  of  second 
lieutenant.  He  is  married,  and  with  his  wife  and  children  makes  his  home 
near  Lake  Valley. 

E.  H.  Bickford,  manager  of  the  Lake  Valley  Mines  Company  and  the 
Rio  Mimbres  Irrigation  Company,  his  home  being  at  Lake  Valley,  came  to 
the  Territory  from  Colorado  in  1899  and  took  charge  of  the  Snake  and 
Opportunity  mines  at  Hillsboro,  being  thus  engaged  for  a  vear  and  a  half. 
In  1901  he  took  charge  of  the  property  of  the  Lake  Valley  Mines  Company, 
the  leading  stockholder  being  L.  G.  Fisher,  president  of  the  Union  Bag 
and  Paper  Company.  He  has  charge  of  all  the  western  works  of  Mr. 
Fisher,  including  the  Rio  Mimbres  Irrigation  Company.  He  is  engaged 
in  damming  the  Rio  Mimbres,  preparatory  to  irrigating  several  thousand 
acres  of  land  above  Deming,  New  Mexico.  The  last  enterprise  is  the 
most  important  of  which  he  has  charge  at  present,  and  when  completed  will 
be  of  the  utmost  value  and  benefit  to  the  district  into  which  its  water?  will 
flow.  He  has  also  been  prominent  in  developing  mining  interests  in  Sierra 
county,  and  at  present  is  searching  for  a  process  for  treating  profitably  the 
low-grade  silver  ore  of  the  Lake  Valley  district. 

Mr.  Bickford  is  a  member  of  Hillsboro  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
the  Lodge  of  Perfection  at  Santa  Fe  and  the  Consistory  at  Denver,  hav- 
ing thus  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite  in  Ma- 
sonry. 

D.  S.  Miller,  a  prominent  representative  of  commercial  and  industrial 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ™5 

interests  in  the  Territory,  is  conducting  a  profitable  wholesale  and  retail 
general  mercantile  establishment  at  Lake  Valley  and  is  also  largely  inter- 
ested in  valuable  mining  properties.  A  native  of  Virginia,  he  was  born  in 
Powhattan  county  in  1853  and  was  reared  to  farm  life,  early  becoming 
familiar  with  the  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist  in  connec- 
tion with  the  development  of  the  fields.  A  young  man  of  twenty-five  years, 
he  arrived  in  Grafton,  New  Mexico,  and  entered  upon  the  work  of  mining, 
traveling  through  the  country  in  that  connection.  Being  pleased  with  the 
Territory  and  its  future  prospects,  he  decided  to  return,  and  did  so  in 
1880,  reaching  Grafton  just  about  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  and 
silver  in  that  locality.  He  built  the  second  cabin  in  the  town  and  was  en- 
gaged in  mining  there  from  1880  until  1884.  He  afterward  spent  six 
months  in  the  mining  regions  of  Idaho,  and  then  returned  to  New  Mexico, 
settling  at  Lake  Valley,  where  he  embarked  in  merchandising  in  partnership 
with  S.  F.  Keller  and  Henry  Herrin  under  the  name  of  Herrin,  Keller, 
Miller  &  Company.  Three  years  later  Isaac  Knight  purchased  Mr.  Her- 
rin's  interest  and  the  firm  style  was  changed  to  Keller,  Miller  &  Com- 
pany. They  conducted  stores  at  Lake  Valley,  Hillsboro  and  Kingston  for 
a  number  of  years,  but  in  i8q2  the  Kinsston  store  was  discontinued,  and  at 
the  present  tmie  they  are  representatives  of  commercial  interests  in  Lake 
Valley  and  Hillsbcro.  They  conduct  general  mercantile  establishments, 
carrying  on  both  wholesale  and  retail  trade,  and  their  annual  sales  reach 
a  large  figure,  for  they  supply  an  extensive  surrounding  territory.  For  a 
short  time  Mr.  Miller  gave  up  mining  altogther,  but  returned  to  it,  be- 
lieving that  this  district  has  splendid  ore  supplies.  He  has  invested  ex- 
tensively and  is  now  heavily  interested  in  zinc  and  lead  mines  in  the  Car- 
penter district,  which  will  undoubtedly  prove  a  very  profitable  field,  having 
rich  veins  of  mineral  deposits.  He  developed  the  Log  Cabin  mine,  which  is 
now  producing  light-grade  ore  in  immense  quantities,  while  high-grade  ore 
in  large  quantities  is  being  taken  out 'of  the  Sierra  Blanca  mine. 

Mr.  Miller  organized  the  Pioneer  Association  of  Black  Range  of  New 
Mexico.  He  is  a  member  of  Percha  Lodge  No.  16,  K.  P.,  and  in  his 
political  affiliation  is  a  stalwart  Democrat.  He  served  on  the  penitentiary 
commission  from  1896  until  1901,  but  has  not  been  an  active  politician  in 
the  sense  of  office-seeking,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  time  and  en- 
ergies upon  his  business  affairs  and  the  development  of  mining  proper- 
ties. 

Henry  J.  Brown,  the  owner  of  a  large  ranch  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  goats,  and  also  interested  in  mining,  makes  his  home  in  Kingston  and 
his  residence  in  New  Mexico  dates  from  1886.  He  was  born  in  Kendall 
county,  Texas,  November  9,  1857,  and  was  there  reared.  His  educational 
privileges  were  limited.  He  attended  school  for  only  three  or  four  months 
and  walked  a  distance  of  three  or  four  miles  to  the  schoolhouse  with  his 
rifle  upon  his  shoulder,  owing  to  the  fear  of  Indian  attacks.  His  home  was 
in  a  frontier  district  and  the  story  of  Indian  atrocities  and  depredations  was 
a  familiar  one.  He  was  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age  when,  in  1886,  he 
came  to  New  Mexico,  locating  near  Crow  Spring,  ninety  miles  east  of  El 
Paso.  Here  he  became  connected  with  the  cattle  industry,  having  the  first 
ranch  in  that  part  of  the  countv,  but  he  lost  a  great  number  of  cattle  from 
drinking  alkali  water.  They  died  off  so  rapidly  that  he  removed  to  Tierra 
Blanca,  where  he  remained  for  about  three  years,  and  then,  on  account  of 


766  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

a  mistake  in  the  government  survey,  which  cut  off  his  homestead  from  a 
water  supply,  he  was  again  forced  to  move.  He  took  up  his  abode  in 
Kingston,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  dairy  business,  which  he 
conducted  for  about  a  year.  In  1892  he  located  upon  his  present  ranch,  a 
mile  below  Kingston,  and  was  engaged  in  raising  cattle  until  1896,  when 
he  began  raising  Angora  goats.  He  has  since  continued  in  this  line  of 
stock-raising  with  excellent  success,  and  has  become  one  of  the  prosperous 
representatives  of  stock  farming  in  this  section  of  the  Territory.  At  the 
same  time  he  has  been  interested  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  mining  prop- 
erties. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  Texas  in  1880  to  Miss  Mary  Gobble,  and 
they  have  seven  children.  In  his  social  relations  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  be- 
longing to  Percha  Lodge  No.  9.  He  has  a  wide  and  favorable  acquaintance 
in  the  Territory,  where  he  has  now  lived  for  twenty  years,  and  in  the  work 
of  general  improvement  and  progress  he  has  borne  a  helpful  part,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  has  gradually  advanced  his  individual  business  in- 
terests. 

John  Kasser,  one  of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  mining  in- 
terests in  New  Mexico,  being  manager  of  the  Empire  Gold  Mining  and 
Milling  Company  at  Hillsboro,  was  born  in  Austria  in  1865  and  came  to 
the  United  States  when  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  began  working  in  mines 
at  Lead,  South  Dakota,  where  he  was  employed  for  twelve  or  thirteen 
years,  during  which  time  he  became  familiar  with  all  the  processes  of  de- 
veloping the  mines.  His  capability  gradually  increasing,  he  was  at  length 
given  charge  of  a  mine  at  Lake  City,  Colorado,  where  he  remained  for 
about  a  year.  He  located  the  first  mine  at  Cripple  Creek,  called  the  Prince 
Albert,  and  was  superintendent  of  mines  in  that  locality  for  about  five 
years.  He  afterward  went  to  Globe,  Colorado,  where  he  organized  the 
Live  Oak  Copper  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  continuing  in  business  at 
that  point  for  about  five  or  six  years,  after  which  he  came  to  New  Mexico. 
The  year  of  his  arrival  in  Hillsboro  was  1900.  He  accepted  a  position  as 
superintendent  of  the  Ready  Pay  mine,  and  in  1903  he  purchased  the 
Bonanza  and  Good  Hope  mines,  and  with  others  organized  a  company  for 
their  operation.  He  won  a  first  prize  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago  for  the  finest  specimens  of  free  gold.  He  has  since  1900  been 
actively  connected  with  the  development  of  the  rich  mineral  resources  of 
this  part  of  the  country  and  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  most  modern 
processes  for  taking  out  the  ore  and  separating  it.  thus  transforming  it 
into  a  marketable  commodity.  He  erected  a  concentrating  plant  of  ten 
stamps  in  1904,  and  is  now  enlarging  this  by  putting  in  ten  more  stamps, 
making  a  twenty-stamp  mill.  Mr.  Kasser  is  manager  of  the  business  con- 
ducted under  the  name  of  the  Empire  Gold  Mining  and  Milling  Company 
and  is  one  of  its  largest  stockholders.  He  is  a  member  of  Kingston  Lodge 
No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  expects  soon  "to  take  the  thirty-second  degree  in 
Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 

Ellsworth  F.  Bloodgood.  a  well  known  cattle  man  living  at  Kingston, 
New  Mexico,  is  a  native  of  Schoharie  county,  New  York,  born  July  11. 
1862.  His  education  was  acquired  in  Kansas  and  in  1879.  when  a  youth 
of  seventeen  years,  he  went  to  Colorado  with  an  emigrant  train.  He  has 
since  been  identified  with  business  interests  upon  the  plains  and  the  frontier. 
I  I,    came  t"  New  Mexico  in  1881,  settling  first  at  White  Oaks,  and  in  1882 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  7C7 

removed  to  Kentucky,  where  he  became  identified  with  freighting.  He 
hauled  the  first  load  of  ore  out  of  the  camp  and  continued  in  the  freight- 
ing business  from  1882  until  1884,  when,  believing  that  the  cattle  industry 
would  prove  more  profitable,  he  established  a  ranch  on  the  Gila  river,  mak- 
ing his  home,  however,  in  Kingston,  as  he  was  prevented  from  moving  to 
the  ranch  because  of  the  warlike  attitude  of  the  Indians,  who  were  con- 
tinually committing  atrocities  and  depredations  upon  the  white  settlers  of 
the  frontier.  Mr.  Bloodgood  has  now  for  twenty-two  years  been  actively 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business  and  at  the  same  time  has  followed  mining 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  He  has  developed  the  O.  K.  mine,  from  which 
he  has  taken  considerable  ore,  but  he  ceased  to  work  this  after  the  demoni- 
tization  of  silver.  He  now  has  extensive  herds  of  cattle  upon  his  ranch 
and  his  annual  sales  and  shipments  are  extensive,  yielding  him  a  good  prof- 
it. He  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  history  of  development  and  progress 
here  and  his  personal  experiences  in  connection  with  the  settlement  of  the 
frontier,  if  written  in  detail,  would  prove  again  the  correctness  of  the  old 
adage  that  "tnith  is  stranger  than  fiction." 

Mr.  Bloodgood  was  married  in  Kansas  to  Miss  Cora  Longfellow  and 
they  have  one  son.  In  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  a  Mason,  holding  mem- 
bership in  Kingston  Lodge  No.   16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


EDDY  COUNTY. 

Eddy  county  lies  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Pecos  river,  in  the  extreme 
southeastern  portion  of  New  Mexico.  On  the  north  it  is  bounded  by 
Chaves  county,  and  on  the  west  by  Otero  and  a  corner  of  Chaves  county. 
It  has  an  area  of  6,613  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  about  3,500. 

Although  strictly  speaking  the  valley  of  the  Pecos  is  the  entire  coun- 
try drained  by  the  river  along  its  course  of  five  hundred  miles  through 
New  Mexico  and  Texas,  in  recent  years  the  term  has  become  restricted  to 
the  districts  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  this  Territory  which  experts 
have  pronounced  capable  of  successful  irrigation  and  in  which  works  by 
the  national  government  and  private  companies  are  well  under  way.  The 
territory  included  substantially  in  Chaves  county  is  known  as  the  Upper 
Pecos  valley ;  that  in  Eddy  county,  as  the  Lower  valley. 

Early  Development  of  the  County. — The  early  and  much  of  the  late 
development  of  Eddy  county  is  due  chiefly  to  Charles  B.  Eddy,  Charles  W. 
Green  and  J.  J.  Hagerman. 

Mr.  Eddy  first  appeared  in  the  region  just  below  Seven  Rivers,  coming 
from  Colorado  and  opening  a  ranch  there  in  1881.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he 
commenced  to  stake  out  a  ditch  on  the  east  side  of  the  Pecos  river,  eight 
miles  above  the  present  county  seat,  Carlsbad.  After  taking  it  about  four 
miles  down  the  river  bank,  he  met  Mr.  Green,  who  had  just  come  into  the 
country,  and  the  latter  proposed  to  Mr.  Eddy  that  he  go  east  and  organize 
an  irrigation  company,  taking  the  water  from  a  point  about  two  miles 
below  the  ditch  already  constructed.  Within  the  coming  year  G.  B.  Shaw, 
General  Bradley,  R.  W.  Tansill  and  others  were  interested,  and  the  charter 
of  the  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Investment  Company  was  taken  out.  The  capital 
stock  of  the  company  was  $600,000,  and  the  irrigation  system  included 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Southern  canal  in  Eddy  county  and  the  reservoir 
of  Lake  Avalon,  supplied  from  the  Pecos  river,  as  well  as  the  Northern 
canal  in  Chaves  county,  whose  waters  were  drawn  from  the  Honda  river 
and  its  tributaries. 

For  a  short  time  after  its  organization  Mr.  Green  was  manager  of  the 
company,  but  in  the  spring  of  1880  Mr.  Eddy  succeeded  him,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  position  until  April.  1894.  During  that  period  the  canal  was 
extended  twenty-five  miles  down  the  river;  about  a  mile  down  the  eastern 
side,  and  there  crossing  in  a  flume  and  continuing  down  the  western  bank 
for  the  balance  of  the  distance.  A  great  many  laterals  were  also  built, 
and  many  thousands  of  acres  irrigated  and  brought  into  the  market  as 
productive  and  valuable  land.  In  fact,  it  may  be  said  to  the  credit  of  Mr. 
Eddy,  for  whom  the  county  was  named  at  its  birth  in  1891,  that  he  was 
the  first  man  to  really  foresee  the  bright  future  of  this  section  of  the  Pecos 
valley — a  great  agricultural  and  horticultural  future,  founded  on  the  sci- 
entific and  persistent  extension  of  irrigation.     Even   in  the  early  nineties 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  769 

most  people  (even  settlers)  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  country  would 
never  be  adapted  to  anything  but  the  live-stock  business.  But  Mr.  Eddy 
had  unbounded  faith  in  irrigation,  and  although  his  enterprises  were  con- 
sidered somewhat  visionary  by  many,  he  had  the  ability  to  make  money 
for  himself  out  of  these  pioneer  operations.  He  gave  employment  to  many 
poor  men,  and  was  their  acknowledged  friend ;  what  profits  he  derived 
came  from  the  pockets  of  investing-  capitalists,  many  of  whom  in  these  later 
years  are  still  reaping  the  benefits  of  his  long  foresight  and  sound  judg- 
ment. 

In  1889,  soon  after  the  company  had  begun  the  construction  of  the 
southern  canal  in  Eddy  county,  J.  J.  Hagerman,  of  Colorado  Springs, 
invested  $40,000  in  the  enterprise,  and  shortly  afterward  visited  Mr.  Eddy 
at  his  ranch  near  the  present  town  of  Carlsbad.  Being  much  pleased  with 
the  country  and  impressed  with  its  possibilities,  Mr.  Hagerman  increased 
his  investment,  as  well  as  raised  a  large  sum  of  money  in  the  east  for  the 
extension  of  the  irrigation  system.  During  the  same  year  (1889)  he  pro- 
cured the  charter  of  the  Pecos  Valley  Railway,  with  rights  to  build  from 
Pecos  City.  Texas,  to  Roswell,  now  Chaves  county.  He  raised  all  the 
money  to  build  the  railroad  from  Pecos  to  Eddy — a  distance  of  ninety 
miles — in  1889,  and  the  line  was  completed  to  the  latter  place  in  Janu- 
ary,   1900. 

Mr.  Hagerman  was  president  of  the  railroad  company  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  became  president  of  the  irrigation  company  in  1890.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  went  to  Europe  on  business  connected  with  the  Pecos  valley 
enterprises,  and  while  in  Geneva,  Switzerland,  met  a  number  of  capitalists 
of  that  country,  who  were  looking  for  a  good  location  in  which  to  plant 
a  colony  of  Swiss  farmers.  Their  agent  in  the  United  States  had  already 
met  Mr.  Eddy  and  about  the  time  of  Mr.  Hagerman's  arrival  was  making 
a  favorable  report  to  his  superiors  of  the  bright  outlook  of  the  Pecos  val- 
ley. The  outcome  of  the  matter  was  that,  after  the  Swiss  capitalists  had 
sent  an  irrigation  expert  to  make  a  further  investigation  and  report,  they 
invested  $500,000  in  the  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company,  which 
had  succeeded  the  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Investment  Company.  Of  the  new 
organization  Mr.  Hagerman  was  president  and  Mr.  Eddy  vice-president 
and  general  manager. 

In  the  fall  of  1892  a  colony,  mainly  of  Swiss,  with  a  few  Italians, 
bought  farms  of  about  forty  acres  each  in  the  country  between  Eddy  and 
Black  river.  They  had  money  enough  to  make  the  first  payment  on  their 
land,  build  houses,  buy  stock  and  put  in  their  first  crops ;  but,  although  the 
Swiss  immigration  agent  had  been  cautioned  not  to  send  over  any  but  prac- 
tical farmers,  the  Pecos  valley  colony  proved  to  be  largely  composed  of 
educated,  well-intentioned  young  men,  some  of  them  of  old,  aristocratic 
families,  and  an  overwhelming  majority  of  them  eminently  impractical. 
Other  immigrants  came  to  the  valley,  both  during  this  year  and  the  pre- 
ceding, and  it  became  necessary  to  extend  .the  irrigation  svstem. 

It  was  therefore  decided  to  construct  what  is  now  known  as  the  Mc- 
Millan reservoir,  eighteen  miles  north  of  Carlsbad,  at  a  cost  of  about  $300,- 
000.  In  March,  1893,  Mr.  Hagerman  met  a  number  of  eastern  capitalists 
at  Eddy  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money  to  build  the  reservoir  and  extend 
the  Pecos  Valley  road  from  that  point  to  Roswell,  as  the  first  step  in  the 
systematic  development  of  the  Upper  valley,  with  a  subsequent  extension 


770  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

northeast  to  Amarillo.  About  $2,500,000  was  subscribed  for  these  pur- 
poses, and  then  came  a  series  of  cumulative  misfortunes. 

In  August,  1893,  the  Lake  Avalon  dam  was  carried  out  by  a  flood, 
with  a  loss  of  $500,000,  and  the  panic  and  hard  times  of  that  year  are 
matters  of  stern  history.  But,  though  floods  came  and  subscribers  failed 
to  pay,  the  road  was  opened  to  Roswell  in  October,  1894 — and  there  stopped. 
The  period  of  financial  depression  which  covered  the  country  simply  par- 
alyzed the  Pecos  valley.  Capitalists  were  making  no  further  investments, 
there  was  no  demand  for  cattle,  sheep  or  agricultural  products  and  the  farm- 
ers could  not  even  pay  water  rent  on  their  land.  Being  absolutely  without 
incomes,  both  the  irrigation  company  and  the  railroad  company  went  into 
bankruptcy. 

In  1896  the  Pecos  Valley  Railroad  went  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver, 
and  was  reorganized  in  1897  under  the  name  of  the  Pecos  Valley  and 
Northeastern  Railway  Company,  with  power  under  its  charter  to  extend  its 
line  to  Amarillo.  The  irrigation  company  failed  in  1898.  All  the  prop- 
erty of  the  old  company  in  Eddy  county  was  sold  to  the  Pecos  Irrigation 
Company,  which  now  owns  it,  and  all  of  its  property  in  Chaves  county, 
including  the  Northern  canal  and  the  water  of  the  Hondo  river  and  its 
tributaries,  was  sold  to  J.  J.  Hagerman.  Within  late  years  the  development 
of  the  irrigation  systems,  as  inaugurated  by  Messrs.  Eddy  and  Hagerman, 
has  been  more  pronounced  in  the  Northern  Pecos  valley,  with  Roswell  as 
its  center. 

Charles  W.  Green,  on  being  superseded  as  manager  of  the  irrigation 
company  by  Mr.  Eddy,  undertook  several  quite  extensive  projects  con- 
nected with  the  direct  cultivation  of  the  land.  After  interesting  eastern 
capitalists,  he  bought  a  640-acre  tract  three  miles  south  of  Carlsbad  and 
converted  it  into  a  vineyard.  Pie  also  improved  another  square  mile  west 
of  that  point,  but  later  located  at  what  is  now  known  as  the  Greenfield 
farm,  twenty  miles  southeast  of  Roswell.  There  he  obtained  irrigation 
from  the  Northern  canal,  and  developed  a  large  alfalfa  project.  Alto- 
gether Mr.  Green  did  excellent  work,  and  deserved  much  credit  for  dem- 
onstrating the  practical  possibilities  of  the  valley  in  many  different  direc- 
tions. 

County  Officers. — Both  Chaves  and  Eddy  counties  were  portions  of 
Lincoln,  and  were  set  off  in  1889.  Since  1891  the  officers  of  Eddy  county 
have  been  as  follows : 

1891-2: — Probate  judge, :    clerk.  Thomas  Fennessey;    sheriff, 

David  L.  Kemp ;  treasurer,  W.  F.  Cochran ;  assessor,  J.  D.  Walker ;  county  com- 
missioners, Daniel  H.  Lucas  (chairman),  Bart  T.  Whitaker  (Harry  S.  Church  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Whitaker  in   May,   1S91),  C.  H.  McLenathan. 

1893-4 : — Judge.  James  A.  Tomlinson ;  clerk,  Thomas  Fennessey ;  sheriff,  David 
L.  Kemp;  assessor,  John  D.  Walker;  treasurer,  Harry  P.  Brown;  commissoners, 
William  A.  Finley    (chairman).  Thomas  Gardner,  George  W.  Witt. 

1895-6: — Judge,  Ananias  Green;  clerk,  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff.  J.  D.  Walker; 
assessor,  W.  F.  Cochran;  treasurer,  S.  T.  Bitting;  commissioners,  R.  S.  Cameron 
(chairman;  resigned  in  October.  1895).  U.  S.  Bateman  (appointed  to  succeed  Cam- 
eron; elected  chairman),  Frank  Reinholdt,  George  M.  Monroe. 

1897-8: — Judge,  Ananias  Green;  clerk,  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff,  J.  L.  Dow;  as- 
sessor, W.  F.  Cochran;  treasurer,  S.  T.  Bitting;  commissioners,  N.  Cunningham 
(chairman).   Frank  Reinholdt,  George  M.  Monroe. 

1899-1900: — Judge.  Ananias  Green;  clerk.  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff,  M.  C.  Stewart; 
assessor,  W.  F.  Cochran :  treasurer,  John  F.  Matheson ;  commissioners,  N.  Cunning- 
ham (chairman),  George  Wilcox,  N.  W.  Weaver. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  771 

igoi-2:— Judge,  Ananias  Green:  clerk,  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff,  M.  C.  Stewart; 
assessor,  Joseph  T.  Fanning;  treasurer.  J.  D.  Walker;  commissioners,  J.  H.  James 
(chairman),  George  Wilcox,  N.  W.  Weaver. 

1903-4 :— Judge,  Ananias  Green;  clerk,  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff,  N.  C.  Stewart; 
assessor,  John  O.  McKeen ;  treasurer,  J.  D.  Walker;  commissioners,  J.  H.  James 
(chairman),   George   Wilcox,   N.   W.   Weaver. 

1905-6:— Judge,  Ananias  Green;  clerk,  W.  R.  Owen;  sheriff,  M.  C.  Stewart, 
assessor,  J.  L.  Emerson;  treasurer,  J.  D.  Walker;  commissioners.  Allen  C.  Heard 
(chairman),  George  Wilcox,  N.  W.  Weaver. 

Towns. — The  principal  towns  of  the  county  lie  in  the  rich  valley  of 
the  Pecos,  on  the  line  of  the  Pecos  Valley  and  Northeastern  Railroad, 
and  in  the  midst  of  a  productive  agricultural  district.  In  fact,  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  there  is  a  finer  agricultural  country  in  the  Territory  than  about 
Carlsbad  (formerly  Eddy),  the  county  seat;  Lake  View,  Dayton,  Lake- 
wood  and  the  valleys  of  Blacky  Seven  and  Pefiasco  rivers  generally. 

Carlsbad  is  a  well  built  and  regulated  town  of  about  1,500  people,  its 
site  being  a  rolling  mesa.  It  contains  substantial  business  blocks,  graded 
streets,  mile  upon  mile  of  shade  trees  and  irrigation  ditches,  and  a  model 
court  house,  costing  $30,000.  When  the  town  site  company  laid  out  the 
place  the  first  pressing  business  was  the  location  and  building  of  school 
houses,  and  its  several  commodious  structures  devoted  to  the  cause  of 
public  education  indicate  that  practical  interest  in  this  municipal  department 
has  not  flagged.  Perhaps  the  greatest  source  of  pride,  after  its  irrigation 
and  public  school  systems,  is  in  the  matter  of  shade  trees. 

Seven  Rivers,  the  oldest  town  in  the  county,  was  moved  to  McMillan, 
at  the  mouth  of  Seven  rivers,  in  1894.  Later  McMillan  was  rechristened 
Lakewood,  which  is  also  called  the  White  Town.  Among  other  attractions 
which  it  presents  to  visitors  is  a  large  artificial  lake  to  the  east,  formed 
by  damning  the  Pecos  river,  which  abounds  in  fish,  although  its  primary 
object  is  to  irrigate  the  adjacent  lands. 

About  four  miles  from  Lakewood  is  the  old  town  and  settlement  of 
Seven  Rivers,  which  was  established  in  1878.  Seven  Rivers  is  noted  in 
the  history  of  the  Territory  because  of  the  Indian  fights  which  occurred 
there  in  1882-83,  also  of  its  connection  with  the  notorious  outlaw,  "Billy 
the  Kid."  The  raids  of  both  parties  were  a  great  disturbance  to  the  peace 
of  this  part  of  the  country  at  that  time.  A  militia  company  was  formed  for 
protection  against  them,  and  the  ruins  may  yet  be  seen  of  the  old  adobe 
house  which  they  used  for  a  fort  and  for  the  storage  of  guns  and  ammuni- 
tion.    Three  members  of  the  company  still  live  in  the  vicinity  of  Lakewood. 

Eight  miles  south  of  Artesia,  near  the  confluence  of  the  Pefiasco  with 
the  Pecos  and  on  the  line  of  the  railroad,  is  the  rapidly  growing  little  city 
of  Dayton.  Although  it  was  only  three  years  ago  that  J.  C.  Day  filed 
upon  the  tract  of  government  land  which  is  now  the  town  site,  the  place 
has  two  churches,  a  public  school,  a  good  hotel,  a  weekly  newspaper,  and 
all  the  business  and  social  accessories  of  a  flourishing  community.  It  is 
in  the  artesian  belt,  but  the  surrounding  farms  are  not  dependent  upon  its 
wells  for  irrigation,  as  the  waters  of  the  Pefiasco  are  already  "ditched"  and 
systematically  utilized. 

The  name  of  John  Richey  is  closely  associated  with  the  material  prog- 
ress and  substantial  advancement  of  the  town  of  Artesia.  He  came  to  the 
Territory  in  1895  from  Kansas  and  located  at  Roswell,  and  in  May,  1896, 


772  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

he  took  a  desert  claim  six  miles  from  what  is  now  Artesia,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  fanning  until  taking  up  his  aboue  in  the  new  town. 

The  first  record  of  settlement  here  is  that  of  a  man  of  the  name  of  J.  T. 
Truitt,  who  was  a  Union  soldier  and  had  a  homestead  embracing  the  pres- 
ent town  site.  He  proved  up  after  a  year's  residence  here  and  sold  the 
property  to  Frank  Rheinboldt,  who  afterward  sold  it  to  Mrs.  Robert  on  the 
18th  of  January,  1900.  In  1901  Messrs.  Richey,  Hamilton  Maddox  and  J. 
Mack  Smith  purchased  eighty  acres  from  J.  R.  Ray  and  later  laid  out  the 
town  of  Artesia  in  January,  1903.  The  land  was  platted  and  the  work  of 
building  the  town  and  securing  immigration  was  begun.  There  was  an 
old  siding  on  the  railroad  called  Miller  and  the  postofnce,  when  estab- 
lished, was  named  Stegman,  but  the  town  was  called  Artesia  and  later  all 
took  the  last  name.  Mr.  Richey  was  president  of  the  company,  suggested 
the  name  and  is  called  "the  father  of  Artesia."  The  newly  organized  com- 
pany was  known  as  the  Artesia  Town  Site  Company,  with  Mr.  Richey 
as  president,  Harry  Hamilton  as  treasurer  and  J.  Mack  Smith  secretary. 
A  short  time  after  the  organization  of  this  company  another  company 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  west  of  this  property,  operating  under 
the  name  of  the  Artesia  Improvement  Company,  the  incorporators  being 
E.  A.  Clayton,  John  Hodges,  J.  A.  Cottingham  and  S.  P.  Denning.  These 
two  companies  together  drilled  the  first  well  of  the  town  site,  it  being  com- 
pleted in  July,  1903.  This  gave  life  to  the  town,  which  has  steadily  grown 
from  that  time  forward  until  there  is  now  a  population  of  about  fourteen 
hundred.  Drilling  for  water  was  purely  an  experiment  at  that  time  and 
has  proved  not  only  a  great  boon  to  Artesia,  but  to  the  surrounding  country 
as  well,  showing  that  water  could  be  obtained  in  that  way  in  this  district. 

A  company  known  as  the  El  Verde  Grande  Improvement  Company,  of 
which  John  Richey  was  president,  had  drilled  a  well  in  1901  on  Dr. 
Breman's  land,  seven  miles  northeast  of  Artesia.  A  large  flow  was  obtained. 
A  good  portion  of  this  flow  was  lost  by  losing  the  tools  in  the  well.  This 
well  demonstrated  that  a  large  flow  could  be  obtained  in  that  portion  of  the 
valley.     This  well  was  nine  hundred  and  seventy-two  feet  deep. 

The  town  of  Artesia  was  incorporated  in  January,  1905,  and  the  first 
town  board  elected  was  A.  V.  Logan,  chairman,  who  later  resigned  and 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Richey ;  J.  C.  Gage,  George  P.  Cleveland  and  E.  B. 
Kemp.  This  board  was  first  appointed  and  in  April,  1905,  the  election  was 
held  and  the  above  named  were  chosen  by  regular  ballot.  The  election  of 
April,  1906,  resulted  in  the  choice  of  J.  C.  Beckham  as  chairman,  while 
Messrs.  Crandall,  Enfield,  McBride  and  Baskom  became  trustees. 

As  has  been  indicated,  Mr.  Richey  has  been  closely  associated  with 
the  development  and  improvement  of  the  town  from  its  inception.  He  is 
president  of  the  Pecos  Valley  Immigration  Company,  with  offices  in  Artesia, 
which  has  done  much  for  the  building. of  the  town  by  setting  forth  the 
natural  resources  and  advantages  of  the  district  and  inducing  immigrants 
to  locate  here.  He  has  brought  over  twelve  hundred  people  to  the  town 
on  excursions  since  the  fall  of  1905  and  is  laboring  earnestly  and  effectively 
toward  making  the  country  known,  that  settlers  may  be  induced  to  locate 
here  and  develop  its  rich  agricultural  and  horticultural  resources  and  re- 
claim the  once  wild  district  for  the  uses  of  civilization. 

H.  \Y.  Hamilton  was  one  of  the  owners  of  the  original  town  site  of 
Artesia  of  eighty  acres,  having  individually  thirty  acres,  while  John  Richey 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  "3 

owned  ten  acres  and  J.  Mack  Smith  forty  acres.  On  the  15th  of  January, 
1903,  these  three  gentlemen  laid  out  the  town  of  Artesia  and  before  the 
plat  had  been  completed  they  had  sold  lots  to  the  value  of  one  thousand 
dollars.  Mr.  Hamilton  had  previously  been  in  Colorado  as  manager  for 
the  Carnegie  Phipps  works  at  Alamosa,  where  he  spent  nine  years,  and  in 
1896  he  made  his  way  to  Carlsbad,  New  Mexico,  to  look  at  the  country  and 
determine  upon  its  attractiveness  as  a  place  of  location  and  investment. 
He  settled  at  Roswell  on  the  Cunningham  farm,  which  was  later  pur- 
chased by  Ceorge  M.  Slaughter,  and  in  1897  he  invested  near  the  present 
site  of  Artesia  on  what  was  then  known  as  the  Miller  switch.  Ten  men 
pooled  interests  and  together  sent  to  Giicago,  purchasing  a  $3,500  well 
rig.  They  put  down  a  well  on  Dr.  Breeman's  claim,  got  water,  and  after 
that  the  well  rig  continued  to  drill  in  the  vicinity.  Being  assured  of  the 
artesian  belt  from  indications  already  found,  Mr.  Hamilton  and  his  associ- 
ates determined  to  build  a  town  here  and  organized  the  Artesia  Town  Site 
Company,  with  Mr.  Hamilton  as  its  president,  John  Richey  vice-president, 
and  J.  Mack  Smith  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  Artesia  Town  Site  Com- 
pany combined  with  the  Artesia  Improvement  Company,  which  owned  all 
of  the  city  west  of  Rose  avenue,  in  putting  down  the  town  well  in  1903,  and 
together  they  organized  the  Artesia  Water,  Power  and  Light  "Company. 
Mr.  Hamilton  acted  as  president  of  this  company  for  some  time,  or  until 
recently,  when  he  sold  his  interest  therein  and  became  a  leading  stockholder 
in  the  Artesia  Telephone  Company,  which  was  organized  by  the  two  town 
site  companies  and  has  the  following  officers:  H.  W.  Hamilton,  president; 
D.  W.  Runyan,  vice-president ;  and  Floy  Richey  Hamilton,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  company  has  established  a  system  throughout  the  city  with 
one  hundred  and  sixty  'phones  and  long  distance  connections  with  Carls- 
bad and  Roswell.  They  also  own  a  line  to  Hope,  to  be  extended  to  Cloud- 
croft  for  El  Paso  connections.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  manager  of  the  Slaughter 
ranch,  near  Roswell,  for  seven  years,  but  since  November,  1904,  has  re- 
sided in  Artesia  and  has  brought  to  bear  the  forces  of  an  enterprising, 
progressive  nature  in  the  development  of  the  town  into  which  he  and  his 
associates  are  introducing  every  modern  improvement  and  equipment,  un- 
til the  town  vies  in  its  conveniences  and  advantages  with  the  old  towns 
of  the  east.  and.  in  fact,  is  in  many  respects  superior  to  municipal- 
ities of  long  standing. 

Mr.  Hamilton  was  married  April  15,  1896,  at  Roswell  to  Miss  Floy 
Richey,  daughter  of  John  Richey.  Their  children  are :  William  R.,  Har- 
ry B.,  John  C.  and  a  baby. 

John  R.  Hodges,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Artesia  Improvement 
Company,  has  been  an  important  factor  in  the  work  of  general  improve- 
ment and  in  Artesia  and  various  localities  are  seen  tangible  evidences  of 
his  life  of  activity  and  the  results  of  his  business  discernment  and  enterprise. 
In  the  fall  of  1897  he  came  from  Texas  to  New  Mexico,  settling  at  Ros- 
well, where  he  entered  the  employ  of  R.  L.  Moss,  a  druggist,  with  whom 
he  continued  for  a  year  as  a  clerk,  when  he  purchased  the  store  and  there 
developed  a  good  business,  which  lie  conducted  until  1903,  when  he  sold  to 
Daniel  Brothers.  He  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Texas  in  the 
pharmaceutical  department  in  1896,  and  was  thus  well  qualified  for  his 
mercantile  operations.  On  selling  his  store  he  became  connected  with  the 
Artesia  Improvement  Company,  which   was  organized  July  25,   1903,  and 


774  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  Territory.  This  company  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  constituting  the  former  homestead  of 
John  F.  Boyie,  lying  west  of  Ross  avenue.  After  securing  this  land  the 
company  laid  it  off  as  a  town  site  in  conjunction  with  the  similar  work  of 
the  Artesia  Town  Site  Company.  They  first  subdivided  forty  acres  into 
town  lots,  called  the  Clayton  and  Stegman  addition,  but  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  town  caused  them  soon  to  lay  off  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
as  the  Artesia  Improvement  Company  addition.  The  officers  of  this  com- 
pany are:  J.  A.  Cottingham,  president;  S.  P.  Denning,  vice-president; 
John  R.  Hodges,  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  E.  A.  Clayton,  manager. 
They  were  all  Roswell  people,  who  came  to  Artesia  when  they  saw  the 
advantages  of  the  country  and  recognized  its  possibilities  for  development. 
The  two  land  companies  in  Artesia  organized  a  company  known  as  the 
Artesia  Water,  Power  and  Light  Company  and  put  down  the  town  well, 
which  was  the  second  well  put  down  in  this  part  of  the  valley,  which  was 
a  great  boon  to  the  entire  countryside.  There  was  little  promise  for  rapid 
or  substantial  development  in  the  town  before  water  was  struck,  but  this 
gave  great  impetus  to  its  growth.  People  flocked  in  here  in  great  num- 
bers and  the  town  has  enjoyed  a  rapid  and  substantial  advancement.  At 
the  present  time  Mr.  Hodges  is  engaged  in  developing  Lake  Arthur,  a  town 
nine  miles  north  of  Artesia.  He  went  to  that  locality  in  the  fall  of  1904 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  town.  The  Lake  Arthur  Town  Site 
Company  was  formed  by  Mr.  Hodges,  C.  L.  Higday,  E.  C.  Cook,  J.  S. 
Venable,  J.  R.  Blair  and  H.  H.  Sigman ;  the  present  members  of  the  com- 
pany are  H.  H.  Sigman,  Elizabeth  Hodges  and  John  R.  Hodges.  The  work 
has  been  carried  on  at  Lake  Arthur  in  the  same  manner  as  it  was  in  Ar- 
tesia in  the  early  days  of  this  town.  The  company  first  put  down  a  town 
well,  going  down  ten  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  for  water.  The  town 
site  was  the  original  desert  entry  of  Tillman  Furr.  Mr.  Hodges  is  now  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  disposing  of  town  lots  in  Lake  Arthur,  and  as  a  pro- 
moter has  done  effective  and  far-reaching  work  for  the  Territory.  He  is 
also  the  secretary,  treasurer  and  manager  of  the  Artesia  Water,  Power  and 
Light  Company,  of  which  J.  Mack  Smith  is  president  and  S.  P.  Denning 
vice-president.  Mr.  Hodges  has  made  a  close  study  of  town  building,  has 
thoroughly  acquainted  himself  with  the  natural  resources  of  the  country 
and  its  possibilities  and  his  efforts  have  been  directed  along  practical  lines, 
producing  excellent  results. 

George  P.  Cleveland,  whose  advent  in  the  Territory  dates  from  1869, 
in  that  year  drove  to  New  Mexico  a  bunch  of  cattle  from  Blanco  county, 
Texas,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  Lone  Star  state.  In  1893  he  again 
came  to  the  valley  from  Coleman  countv,  Texas,  but  found  no  sufficient 
water  supply  and  so  returned  to  Texas;  but  in  1900,  after  the  artesian  belt 
had  been  assured,  he  came  again  and  located  at  Roswell.  He  was  engaged 
in  business  in  that  vicinity  until  October  16,  1902,  when  he  located  at  Arte- 
sia, one  mile  east  of  where  the  town  now  stands.  He  took  up  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land  and  began  improvements  there.  In  March, 
1903,  he  established  a  real  estate  business  under  the  name  of  the  Cleveland 
Land  Agency,  and  has  since  devoted  his  energies  to  the  purchase  and  sale 
of  property,  negotiating  many  important  realty  transfers.  He  has  five 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  six  miles  south  of  Artesia,  which  he  is 
actively  engaged  in  improving,  and  has  already  transformed  it  into  a  pro- 


JdCkX£^£,%ffcrfc+Ay{^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  775 

ductive  property,  which  is  constantly  appreciating  in  value.  He  has  made 
a  careful  study  of  the  artesian  supply  from  a  geological  standpoint  and  has 
prepared  an  article  showing  the  result  of  his  studies,  which  is  found  on 
another  page  of  this  work. 

Among  Artesia's  residents  is  numbered  J.  A.  Bruce,  who  came  to  the 
Territory  in  1898,  locating  first  at  Roswell,  but  soon  afterward  he  removed 
to  his  present  place,  two  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Artesia.  On  the  1st 
of  May,  1901,  he  began  drilling  a  well  and  struck  water  on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1902.  This  was  the  first  deep  well  in  the  Artesia  country  and  was 
a  visible  demonstration  to  people  of  the  fact  that  the  artesian  belt  crossed 
this  locality.  After  this  well  was  found  people  began  to  flock  in  large 
numbers  to  the  district  and  the  country  became  thickly  settled.  When  the 
well  was  struck  there  was  only  one  little  store  and  a  house  in  Artesia,  but 
now  it  is  a  thriving  and  rapidly  growing  town.  Previous  to  that  time  Air. 
Bruce  had  used  the  surrounding  country  as  a  range  for  his  cattle  and  he 
killed  antelopes  as  late  as  1899  on  the  town  site  of  Artesia.  His  wife  and 
mother-in-law  also  took  up  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  two  miles  east  of 
Artesia,  and  the  family  still  own  all  of  this  property.  At  the  time  the  arte- 
sian well  was  demonstrated  to  be  a  success  Mr.  Bruce  ceased  to  engage  in 
stock-raising  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  He  has  seventy  acres 
in  orchards  and  sixty  acres  in  alfalfa,  while  altogether  he  has  two  hundred 
acres  under  cultivation.  It  required  seventeen  months  to  drill  the  well, 
but  no  other  element  has  proven  so  valuable  a  factor  in  the  settlement  and 
upbuilding  of  this  district,  and  Air.  Bruce  certainly  deserves  the  gratitude 
of  his  fellow  townsmen,  proving  that  water  could  be  obtained  here  and 
thus  making  possible  the  irrigation  and  fertilization  of  the  arid  soil. 

The  many  prosperous  sites  now  found  in  the  Pecos  valley  are  the 
result  of  pioneering.  Water  was  found  beneath  the  surface  in  ample  quan- 
tities, and  then  quickly  followed  a  blossoming  of  the  land  with  all  the  fruits 
of  the  clime.  But  the  preliminary  work  involved  sacrifice  and  toil,  and 
the  results  of  the  present  are  the  actual  monuments  commemorating  what 
those  still  living  labored  hard  to  produce.  It  is  of  especial  interest  to  find 
one  of  the  so-called  weaker  sex  among  the  hardy  pioneer  class.  But  in  the 
history  of  the  beginning  and  development  of  Artesia  a  singular  record  of 
tribute  must  be  paid  to  Airs.  Sallie  L.  Robert,  who  was  one  of  the  first  to 
reside  on  the  town  site  of  Artesia. 

She  is  a  daughter  of  James  Chisum  and  the  niece  of  John  Chisum, 
names  well  known  in  the  Territory  and  inseparably  connected  with  its  an- 
nals. The  first  settler  upon  the  land  which  she  later  owned  was  John  Truitt, 
a  Federal  soldier.  He  sold  it  to  Frank  Rheinboldt,  who  sold  eighty  acres 
to  J.  R.  Ray  and  eighty  acres  to  Airs.  Sallie  Robert  on  the  18th  of  January, 
1896.  On  January  30th,  in  1890,  she  filed  on  the  homestead,  which  is  now 
within  the  corporation  limits  of  Artesia.  In  the  fall  of  1890  Airs.  Robert 
put  down  an  artesian  well  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  feet  deep.  This 
was  the  second  well  in  the  entire  valley  and  the  first  one  in  this  part  of  the 
valley.  She  resided  upon  the  place  as  her  homestead  property  from  1890, 
and,  as  she  prospered  in  her  undertakings,  bought  much  land  in  this  vicin- 
ity. She  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  entertaining  travelers,  as  the  old 
stage  line  from  Carlsbad  to  Roswell  passed  by  her  home.  In  1894  there 
was  a  cloudburst  just  west  of  her  home  and  in  a  few  moments  her  place 
was  under  water,  the  adobe  house  and  all  of  its  contents  being  destroyed. 


776  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

With  great  energy  and  determination — traits  which  have  ever  been  char- 
acteristic of  the  Chisum  family — she  sent  to  Carlsbad  for  material  and  re- 
built her  home  on  the  same  spot.  In  those  days  she  had  nothing  to  depend 
upon  but  her  stock  interests,  but  eventually  she  acquired  property  interests 
and  is  today  disposing  of  her  land  in  city  lots  and  also  selling  farm  prop- 
erty for  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre,  her  realty  interests 
having  greatly  appreciated  in  value,  so  that  she  is  now  reaping  a  very  grat- 
ifying financial  return  as  the  reward  of  her  earlier  labors  and  close  applica- 
tion. She  has  lived  to  see  a  good  town  spring  up  here  and  has  benefited  by 
the  rapid  development  of  the  district. 

James  Chisum,  who  is  extensively  engaged  in  raising  goats,  which 
has  become  one  of  the  important  industries  of  the  southwest,  is  located  at 
Artesia,  Eddy  county.  He  was  born  in  Hardeman  county,  Tennessee, 
September  25,  1827,  and  for  many  years  was  closely  connected  with  bus- 
iness interests  with  his  brother,  John  S.  Chisum,  one  of  the  distinguished 
pioneer  settlers  and  stock-raisers  of  the  Territory,  now  deceased.  John  S. 
Chisum,  however,  preceded  his  brother  to  Xew  Mexico.  James  Chisum  has 
devoted  his  entire  life  to  farming  and  live-stock  interests  and  in  1877  came 
to  New  Mexico  at  the  request  of  his  brother.  He  and  his  two  sons  re- 
mained on  the  ranch  of  John  Chisum  until  the  latter"s  death  and  then  con- 
tinued in  charge  of  the  ranch  until  1892.  In  that  year  they  disposed  of 
the  cattle  raising  interests  and  James  Chisum  turned  his  attention  to  sheep 
raising  industry,  from  which  he  eventually  worked  into  the  business  of 
raising  goats,  which  has  become  an  important  business  enterprise  of  the 
Territory  in  recent  years.  He  has  made  his  home  continuously  at  Artesia, 
Eddy  county,  since  1892.  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  prominent  and  rep- 
resentative stock  raisers  and  dealers  in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  has 
lived  here  from  pioneer  times  and  has  not  only  been  a  witness  but  a  partici- 
pant in  many  events  which  have  had  direct  and  important  bearing  upon  the 
history  of  the  Territory,  its  development  and  progress.  His  daughter,  Mrs. 
Sallie  E.  Robert,  now  lives  with  him. 

James  Chisum  was  married  to  Miss  Ara  Josephine  WTight,  who  was 
born  in  Hardeman  county.  Tennessee,  and  with  her  parents  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  the  year  which  witnessed  the  arrival  of  the  Chisums.  Her  father, 
Dr.  Wright,  was  of  a  very  prominent  and  wealthy  family.  Mrs.  Chisum 
died  March  11,  1875.  The  children  of  this  marriage  are:  Mary  Branch, 
who  died  in  1873;  Sallie  L..  who  is  the  widow  of  William  Robert  and  re- 
sides with  her  father;  Walter  P..  a  farmer  of  Roswell :  and  William  J.,  who 
is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Roswell. 

Walter  P.  Chisum,  the  elder  son,  was  born'  in  Denton  county,  Texas, 
September  25,  1861,  and  throughout  his  entire  life  has  been  engaged  in 
ranching  and  farming,  which  pursuit  has  proved  to  be  a  profitable  one.  He 
came  with  his  parents  to  Texas  and  for  a  number  of  years  resided  upon 
the  ranch  owned  by  his  uncle,  John  Chisum.  but  now  makes  his  home  in 
Roswell. 

On  the  15th  of  November.  1887,  Walter  P.  Chisum  was  married  at 
Dodge  City,  Kansas,  to  Miss  Inez  V.  Simpson,  and  their  children  are : 
Jamie  W..  born  February  28,  1889:  and  Ara  B.  and  Oscar  W.,  twins,  born 
June  9,  1802.  Walter  Chisum  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  active  and  influential 
in  the  councils  of  his  party,  and  has  served  as  county  commissioner  of 
Chaves  county.     He  is  a  prominent  Mason,  belonging  to  the  Blue  lodge, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ''" 

chapter  and  commandery  at  Roswell,  to  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Albuquerque 
and  to  the  Consistory  of  Wichita,  Kansas,  in  which  he  has  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree.  His  wife  is  prominent  in  the  Eastern  Star  and  for 
two  years  was  matron  of  Roswell  chapter,  while  from  October,  1904,  until 
October,  1905,  she  was  grand  matron  of  the  grand  chapter  of  New  Mexico 
and  was  also  a  delegate  to  the  general  grand  chapter  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri. 

William  J.  Chisum,  the  second  son  of  James  Chisum,  is  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  Roswell.  He  was  born  in  Denton  county,  Texas, 
August  7.  1864,  and  is  one  of  the  most  active  of  the  second  generation  of 
pioneers  in  the  Pecos  valley,  doing  everything  possible  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  and  make  the  valley  prosperous  and  a  desirable  place 
of  residence  as  well.  He  belongs  to  that  class  who  have  followed  those 
who  have  blazed  the  trail  and  have  exploited  the  resources  and  riches  of 
the  district  to  its  vast  renown  and  their  own  profit,  having  the  ability  to 
plan  and  perform  and  to  co-ordinate  powers  until  success  has  been  achieved 
and  his  position  in  real  estate  circles  is  one  of  prominence. 

On  the  3rd  of  July,  1887,  William  J.  Chisum  was  married  in  Dodge 
City,  Kansas,  to  Lina  Tucker,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Tucker,  now  of  Still- 
water, Oklahoma,  who  served  in  the  Mexican  war.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Josephine  Branch,  born  July  25,   1889. 

J.  C.  Gage  came  to  New  Mexico  in  the  spring  of  1887,  locating  in  the 
Sacramento  mountains,  with  postoffice  at  lower  Peiiasco.  He  came  from 
Texas  for  the  benefit  of  bis  wife's  health,  but  shortly  afterward  was  put 
in  charge  of  church  work  as  a  circuit  rider,  preaching  from  White  Oaks  to 
El  Paso  in  various  school  houses  and  churches  throughout  the  mountainous 
district.  He  has  traveled  altogether  for  fifteen  years  in  the  Territory.  He 
spent  four  years  at  James  Canyon,  one  year  at  Weed  and  in  1892  located 
at  Hope,  where  he  continued  his  ministerial  labors  as  a  preacher  of  the 
Methodist  church  for  ten  years.  He  has  been  a  most  valued  and  important 
factor  in  the  moral  growth  and  progress  of  the  Territory,  especially  in  its 
southern  section,  and  has  planted  the  seeds  of  truth  in  many  a  desolate  dis- 
trict. In  1902  he  purchased  a  farm  seven  miles  south  of  Artesia  and  in 
1904  removed  to  the  town.  In  1905  he  engaged  in  ministerial  work  there 
and  at  the  same  time  became  a  factor  in  its  business  activity,  purchasing  the 
Artesia  Hotel,  which  he  conducted  for  some  time.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Bank  of  Artesia,  with  a  capital  stock  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars,  and  became  its  president.  Whatever  he  undertakes  he  carries  for- 
ward to  successful  completion,  utilizing  the  means  at  hand  and  bringing  to 
his   labors   untiring  industry,  enterprise  and  determination. 

Mr.  Gage  was  elected  one  of  the  aldermen  of  Artesia  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  town  and  held  the  office  until  April  19.  1906.  He  belongs  to 
Artesia  Lodge  No.  21,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  also  to  Artesia  Lodge  No.  11.  I.  O. 
O.  F..  of  which  he  is  vice  grand.  During  the  early  vears  of  his  residence 
in  the  Territory  he  devoted  his  time  to  preaching  the  gospel  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Methodist  denomination  throughout  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Territory,  and  in  later  years  has  done  effective  service  for  his  fellow  men 
by  planting  the  seeds  of  civilization  and  promoting  progress  in  various 
localities.     He  is  most  highly  respected  and  is  loved  by  all  who  know  him. 

David  W.  Runyan,  of  Artesia.  was  born  in  Indiana,  left  home  when 
thirteen  vears  of  age  and  went  to  Texas  with  buffalo  hunters,  undergoing 
the  usual  experiences  of  such  a  life  on  the  plains.     He  came  to  the  Terri- 


778  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tory  from  Mason  county.  Texas,  in  the  fall  of  1885  with  the  firm  of  Shriner 
&  Light,  owners  of  large  cattle  interests.  He  drove  cattle  to  New  Mexico 
and  continued  with  the  company  for  several  years.  This  was  the  first 
firm  to  locate  on  the  Peiiasco,  the  date  being  the  fall  of  1886,  at  which 
time  they  filed  the  first  land  on  this  stream,  where  the  town  of  Hope  now 
stands.  Prior  to  this  period  the  Peiiasco  did  not  flow  through  to  the  Pecos 
river,  but  since  that  year,  1886,  because  of  the  cattle  tramping  down  the 
bed  of  the  stream,  the  Peiiasco  has  flowed  on  until  it  has  reached  the  larger 
body  of  water.  About  1890  Air.  Runyan  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  on 
his  own  account  on  the  Peiiasco  near  Hope  and  has  been  thus  engaged  to 
the  present  time,  covering  a  period  of  sixteen  years.  He  located  three  and 
a  half  miles  below  the  present  town  site  of  Artesia  in  1895  and  had  cattle 
all  over  the  country.  He  now  makes  his  headquarters  at  Hope,  twenty 
miles  southwest  of  Artesia,  and  his  old  ranch,  which  cost  him  eighteen 
hundred  dollars  and  which  was  located  three  and  a  half  miles  south  of  his 
present  location,  he  sold  for  ten  thousand  dollars.  He  has  today  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  town  of  Hope,  which  he  owns 
in  connection  with  J.  C.  Gage  and  which  constitutes  a  splendidly  improved 
farm.  He  is  a  very  popular  and  prosperous  stock  man,  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  development  of  his  section  of  the  Territory,  and  his  business  activ- 
ity and  energy  have  been  resultant  factors  in  making  him  one  of  the  pros- 
perous citizens  of  this  locality. 

This  is  an  era  of  town  building  in  New  Mexico  and  with  marvelous 
rapidity  the  unsettled  districts  of  a  few  years  ago  have  been  transformed 
into  populous  villages  and  cities  and  thriving  agricultural  or  horticultural 
communities.  With  this  work  E.  A.  Clayton  has  been  associated  in  recent 
years.  He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1899  and  located  at  Roswell,  whence 
he  removed  to  Artesia,  October  6,  1903.  He  then  purchased  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  from  John  Boyles,  who  had  homesteaded  and  commuted 
from  the  government  this  land,  all  lying  west  of  Rose  avenue.  It  was  first 
owned  by  Clayton  &  Company  and  later  the  Artesia  Improvement  Company- 
was  organized  with  J.  A.-  Cottingham  as  president,  S.  P.  Denning  secretary 
and  treasurer  and  E.  A.  Clayton  as  manager.  The  company  first  laid  out 
forty  acres  in  town  lots  and  after  the  town  well  was  completed  people 
came  in  such  large  numbers  that:the  remainder  of  the  tract  was  subdivided 
into  lots.  At  this  time  Mr.  Clayton  is  engaged  in  locating  people  on  the 
government  land  around  Artesia  and  the  country  is  becoming  rapidly  set- 
tled, lie  has  a  farm  two  miles  south  of  Artesia,  where  he  has  one  hun- 
dred acres  planted  to  alfalfa  and  forty  acres  in  orchards.  He  is  president 
of  the  ITton  Lake  Town  Site  Company,  developing  a  town  fifty-five  miles 
north  of  Roswell,  the  district  having  been  platted  and  the  town  laid  out. 
Mr.  Clayton  is  a  very  successful  and  vigorous  promoter,  towns  springing  up 
under  his  guidance  as  the  corn  springs  from  the  fields  which  have  been  cul- 
tivated by  the  farmer.  His  labors  are  of  a  most  practical  nature  and  al- 
ways accomplish  results.  Moreover  he  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and 
while  promoting  individual  success  also  advances  the  general  welfare. 

The  town  of  Lakewood  was  originally  known  as  McMillan.  It  was 
just  a  siding  placed  at  the  time  the  railroad  was  built  through  in  1894.  At 
that  time  or  shortly  afterward  a  store  was  established  by  T.  J.  Scott.  The 
next  building  was  a  saloon  put  up  by  L.  W.  Holt  and  G.  M.  Hogg.  This 
was  followed  by  a  drug  store,  the  property  of  Dr.  Shedloski.    The  postoffice 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  "9 

was  removed  from  Seven  Rivers  to  McMillan.  In  1905  a  town  site  com- 
pany was  organized,  purchased  the  land  from  J.  M.  Coburn  and  E.  C.  Cook, 
and  the  town  was  laid  out,  being  called  Lakewood.  The  discovery  of  arte- 
sian water  here  was  the  motive  factor  in  laying  out  the  town. 

D.  H.  Burditt  came  to  the  Territory  iii  1884,  located  at  Seven  Rivers 
and  was  connected  with  business  firms  in  that  historic  old  town  for  two 
years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to  the  stock  business  in  this  valley,  in 
which  he  continued  until  1904,  when  he  located  in  Lakewood  and  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business.  He  bought  out  and  has  since  conducted  the 
Seven  Rivers  Real  Estate  Company.  He  is  engaged  in  immigration  work 
from  the  middle  states  and  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  securing  many 
families  to  establish  homes  in  this  part  of  the  Territory,  his  efforts  being 
not  only  a  source  of  income  to  himself  but  of  direct  and  permanent  benefit 
to  this  section.  In  addition  to  his  realty  operations  he  is  also  engaged  in 
the  stock  business. 

M.  W.  Fanning,  who  came  to  the  Territory  from  Texas  in  October, 
1879,  nad  served  for  four  years  as  a  Texas  ranger  in  the  employ  of  the 
Lone  Star  state.  In  1880,  with  Peter  Corn,  he  located  a  place  in  the  Seven 
Rivers  country  and  started  to  improve  property  there.  They  began  business 
together  and  both  have  since  figured  in  the  material  development  and  prog- 
ress of  this  portion  of  the  Territory.  Mr.  Fanning  has  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  good  land  near  Lakewood,  where  he  is  engaged  in  the  rais- 
ing of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  the  Pecos  valley  and  has  remained  in  the  Seven  Rivers  country 
since  coming  to  the  Territory  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  He  is 
now  well  known  as  an  extensive  stockman  of  large  and  profitable  business 
interests. 

Peter  Corn,  of  Lakewood,  who  came  to  the  Territory  in  the  fall  of 
1879,  located  a  place  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  the  old  town  of 
Seven  Rivers  in  the  spring  of  1880,  at  which  time  there  were  but  four 
families  living  there,  and  this  was  the  only  settlement  between  Roswell  and 
the  Texas  line  on  the  west  side  of  the  Pecos  river.  In  1882  Mr.  Corn  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  business,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  spring  of  1888, 
when  he  removed  to  Hope.  There  he  resided  until  1896  and  was  connected 
with  stock-raising  interests  until  1903,  when  he  began  farming  here.  He 
has  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  rich  and  productive  land  and  his  labors 
are  demonstrating  the  possibilities  of  the  locality  for  successful  farming 
operations.  Mr.  Corn  is  well  known  as  a  pioneer  settler  and  one  highly 
respected. 

W.  P.  B.  Willburn  has  been  closely  associated  with  the  history  of  the 
Territory  and  deserves  mention  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  and  his 
brother.  Frank  Willburn,  brought  one  of  the  first  droves  of  cattle  to  this 
country  in  1867.  Mr.  Willburn  returned  in  1872  and  with  his  brother  lo- 
cated on  a  ranch  where  the  town  of  Roswell  now  stands.  They  had  an 
old  adobe  dwelling,  a  storehouse  and  shops  across  from  the  present  loca- 
tion of  the  court  house  and  they  remained  here  in  the  cattle  business  until 
1878.  when  the  "Lincoln  county  war"  was  waged,  when  they  left  the  Ter- 
ritory and  returned  to  Texas.  In  the  days  of  their  early  residence  in  the 
Territory  there  was  not  a  ranch  between  Roswell  and  St.  Angelo,  Texas. 

In  1895  W.  P.  B.  Willburn  returned  to  the  Territory  from  Texas  and 
located  near  Hope,  where  he  now  lives,  his  place  being  about  four  miles 

Vol.  II.     17 


780  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

east  of  the  town.  He  has  a  good  property,  which  he  has  brought  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  and  improved  with  many  modern  equipments  and 
good  buildings. 

"Linn"  J.  C.  Richards  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1898  from  Texas  and 
located  in  Hope  settlement  below  the  town  of  Hope,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  stock  business.  In  1903  he  removed  to  his  present  place,  a  mile  and  a 
half  west  of  Hope.  Here  he  has  an  excellent  farm  property,  owning  alto- 
gether rive  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  valuable  land,  which  responds  read- 
ily to  cultivation.  He  has  ninety  acres  devoted  to  various  crops  and  in  ad- 
dition fifteen  acres  is  planted  to  alfalfa,  while  a  fine  orchard  covers  twenty- 
four  acres.  Mr.  Richards,  Mr.  Riley  and  Mr.  Read  were  the  first  men  to 
ship  apples  by  car-load  from  Hope,  making  the  first  shipment  in  1904,  and 
in  1905  the  shipment  reached  fourteen  car  loads.  Mr.  Richards  is  doing 
much  to  demonstrate  the  possibilities  of  this  locality  as  a  fruit-producing 
center  and  is  thus  contributing  to  his  own  success  and  at  the  same  time 
leading  the  way  that  others  may  follow  and  enjoy  the  benefits  of  horticult- 
ural development  and  progress  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

Joseph  T.  Fanning,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  substantial  citizens  of 
the  Territory,  now  farming  near  Hope  with  a  property  embracing  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  came  to  New  Mexico  from  Texas  in 
1880  and  located  at  Seven  Rivers.  He  engaged  in  business  there  for  about 
fifteen  years  and  was  also  prominent  and  influential  in  community  affairs. 
He  was  serving  as  deputy  sheriff  under  Pat  Garrett  at  the  time  when  Billy 
the  Kid  was  leading  his  band  of  lawless  followers  in  many  depredations, 
only  to  be  ultimately  apprehended  by  Garrett. 

In  1900  Mr.  Fanning  came  to  the  Hope  settlement  and  located  at  his 
present  place,  which  he  purchased  of  W.  F.  Daugherity.  He  has  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land,  which  he  is  bringing  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  While  in  Texas  he  served  for  two  years  as  a  Texas  Ranger. 
He  was  county  assessor  of  Eddy  county  in  1901-02,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest 
and  most  substantial  citizens  of  the  Territory,  working  toward  those  ends 
which  are  of  permanent  benefit  in  the  Territory's  development. 

W.  P.  Riley  came  to  the  Territory  in  the  fall  of  1887  and  spent  the 
winter  at  La  Luz.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  Pefiasco  went  through  to  the 
Pecos,  and  in  1888  the  first  ditch  was  taken  out  of  Pefiasco  by  John  A. 
Beckett.  It  was  also  in  the  fall  of  1888  that  Mr.  Riley  filed  on  his  present 
place,  two  and  a  quarter  miles  west  of  Hope.  He  has  four  hundred  acres 
here,  including  a  large  orchard  and  fine  fields  of  alfalfa.  The  orchard 
covers  fifteen  acres  and  he  produces  some  excellent  fruit.  He  has  raised 
some  pears  weighing  two  pounds  each. 

Afr.  Riley  is  a  very  progressive  citizen,  constantly  seeking  out  new- 
methods  for  improvement  and  advancement,  and  is  one  the  prominent 
and  influential  men  of  the  community.  Recently  he  has  established  an 
automobile  line  from  Artesia  to  Hope,  with  two  machines.  He  is  in  touch 
with  modern  advancement  and  has  conducted  his  interests  along  lines  of 
improvement  which  make  him  a  leader  in  the  movements. 

Robert  Weems  Tansill,  who  was  very  active  and  prominent  as  a  pro- 
moter of  the  Pecos  valley,  his  business  enterprise,  capacity  and  diligence 
contributing  in  substantial  measure  to  its  development  and  settlement,  made 
his  home  at  Carlsbad,  where  he  passed  away  December  29,  1902.  He  was 
born  August   20,   1844.  in   Prince  William  county,  Virginia,  and   was   the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  781 

only  child  of  Robert  and  Fanny  (Weems)  Tansill.  In  the  maternal  line 
he  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Mason  Lock  Weems,  a  well-known  historian 
of  the  Revolution  and  the  author  of  the  Life  of  Washington.  It  was  he 
who  wrote  the  hatchet  story.  He  was  also  an  Episcopalian  clergyman,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  church  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  near  Mount  Vernon,  of 
which  General  Washington  was  a  communicant. 

Robert  W.  Tansill  was  educated  at  Alexandria,  Virginia,  and  in 
Georgetown  University,  at  Georgetown,  District  of  Columbia.  In  the 
spring  of  1861  he  accompanied  his  maternal  grandparents  to  Illinois,  and 
shortly  afterward  went  into  business  at  Clayton,  engaging  in  the  confec- 
tionery trade  and  the  jobbing  of  cigars.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1867,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Motter,  and  in  1868  they  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  continued  successfully  in  business  until  the  disastrous 
fire  which  swept  over  the  city  in  October,  1871.  He  lost  everything  but 
his  determination  and  enterprise,  and  he  soon  afterward  resumed  business, 
confining  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  cigar  trade.  Shortly  afterward 
he  originated  the  "Punch''  cigar,  which  won  him  fame  and  fortune.  It 
proved  to  be  a  ready  seller  and  the  demand  for  it  was  so  great  that  he  had 
to  increase  his  working  forces  in  order  to  meet  the  call  of  the  trade.  He 
was  the  originator  of  the  premium  method  of  advertising.  Through  the 
conduct  of  his  cigar  business  he  accumulated  a  large  fortune,  but  overwork 
and  an  inherited  tendency  to  pulmonary  disease  undermined  his  health, 
so  that  he  had  to  retire  from  business  in  1887.  He  visited  the  most  cele- 
brated health  resorts  of  America  and  of  Europe,  and  in  1888,  while  in 
Colorado  Springs,  he  met  C.  W.  Greene,  of  Chicago,  and  through  him  be- 
came interested  in  the  Pecos  valley.  He  was  one  of  a  large  number  of 
Chicago  'people  Mr.  Greene  piloted  to  the  valley  in  September,  1888,  and 
from  this  visit  resulted  the  original  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Improvement 
Company. 

It  was  Mr.  Tansill  who  first  interested  J.  J.  Hagerman  in  the  Pecos 
valley.  When  the  money  shortage  of  1803  to  1897  irretrievably  embar- 
rassed the  old  irrigation  company.  Mr.  Tansill  was  appointed  receiver,  July 
19,  1898,  and  it  was  almost  wholly  due  to  his  efforts  that  the  affairs  of  the 
company  were  straightened  out  successfully  and  put  upon  a  paying  basis. 
In  1888,  when  the  party  of  Chicagoans  arrived  in  this  country,  there  was 
nothing  here  but  prairie  dogs,  jack  rabbits  and  wild,  open  country.  The 
party  camped  at  the  Eddy  Brothers'  ranch,  the  rock  house,  which  was  lo- 
cated about  two  miles  north  of  Carlsbad.  At  that  time  C.  B.  Eddy,  who 
afterward  became  a  promoter  of  this  country,  was  engaged  in  the  cattle 
business.  While  talking  to  Mrs.  Tansill  he  told  her  that  it  was  the  inten- 
tion of  several  people  of  the  locality  to  start  a  town,  and  she  suggested 
that  the  proposed  village  be  called  Eddy.  This  was  done,  but  in  later 
years  Mrs.  Tansill  suggested  that  the  town  be  called  Carlsbad,  from  the 
fact  that  some  springs  had  been  discovered  near  the  town,  and  they  were 
called  Carlsbad  from  the  famous  springs  of  Germany.  Mrs.  Tansill  agitated 
this  change  until  it  was  finally  adopted  by  a  vote  of  the  people.  A  circular, 
"To  the  Citizens  of  Eddy,"  by  R.  W.  Tansill,  furnishes  the  following  his- 
torical facts  and  arguments: 

"Mr.  Charles  B.  Eddy  had  determined  to  give  this  town  the  Spanish 
name  'Halagueno.'  This  was  in  October,  1888.  Admiring  friends,  wish- 
ing to  honor  him.  suggested  the  name  of  'Eddy.'     Later  the  county  was 


782  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

named  'Eddy.'  The  desirability  of  changing  the  name  has  been  dis- 
cussed ever  since  the  curative  properties  of  our  springs  have  been  demon- 
strated. 

"About  a  year  ago  the  name  of  'Carlsbad'  was  proposed  for  our  city. 
It  struck  me  at  once  as  being  not  only  appropriate,  but  suggestive  as  well, 
up  to  that  time  our  celebrated  'Carlsbad  Springs'  had  been  known  as  "Tan- 
sill  Springs.'  No,  I  will  not  say  known,  for  as  'Tansill  Springs'  no  one 
ever  gave  them  a  second  thought.  I  suggested  applying  the  name  of  'Carls- 
bad' to  the  springs,  owing  to  the  resemblance  of  the  waters  to  those  of  their 
German  namesake.  It  was  done,  and  the  effect  has  been  electrical.  I  cer- 
tainly meant  no  reflection  upon  the  name  of  Tansill  by  removing  it  from 
the  springs,  to  which  it  did  not  apply,  an)-  more  than  do  I  mean  any  reflec- 
tion upon  the  name  of  Eddy  by  favoring  the  name  of  Carlsbad  vs.  Eddy. 
But  before  forming  a  definite  opinion  I  tested  the  name  of  'Carlsbad,'  as 
explained,  and  the  results  have  thoroughly  convinced  me  that  the  name 
of  Tansill  as  applied  to  the  springs  \vas  as  great  a  mistake  as  it  would  be,  in 
the  light  of  experience,  to  continue  the  name  of  Eddy  for  our  city. 

"What  has  been  our  experience?  Briefly  stated,  since  September, 
1888,  more  than  $10,000,000  have  been  invested  here,  approximately  as  fol- 
lows:  Over  $5,000,000  in  the  railroad,  over  $2,500,000  in  the  P.  I.  &  I. 
Company,  and  the  remainder  in  other  companies  and  by  private  individuals. 
Give  us  people  and  our  prosperity  is  assured.  If  any  one  will  tell  me  how 
we  can  secure  them,  except  through  united  effort  and  advertising,  1  shall 
be  glad  to  learn.  Since  our  town  was  named,  the  curative  properties  of 
these  springs  have  been  demonstrated.  I  believe  this  fact  to  be  worth 
millions  of  dollars  to  this  town  and  valley,  if  properly  advertised.  Such 
a  boon  rarely  falls  to  the  lot  of  any  community,  and  certainly  no  people  in- 
heriting such  a  valuable  curative  agent  should,  for  one  moment,  hesitate 
about  giving  it  the  widest  publicity  possible.  With  these  facts  before  us, 
I  ask,  do  you  consider  it  wise  to  continue  for  our  town  a  name  that  has 
neither  meaning  or  significance,  and  one  which  we  do  not  and  can  not  ad- 
vantageously advertise?  Personally,  1  would  distinctly  say  no.  The  major 
portion  of  my  life  has  been  devoted  to  practical  advertising,  and  after 
a  most  thorough  and  exhaustive  investigation  I  am  convinced  that  the 
proposed  change  of  name  will  bring  with  it  inestimable  benefits  and  sup- 
port which  will  greatly  stimulate  every  business  interest  of  this  town  and 
valley." 

Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Tansill  his  wife  has  conducted  the  business 
affairs  left  by  him.  and  has  continued  in  the  work  which  her  husband  began 
of  promoting  the  Carlsbad  country,  inducing  immigration  and  advancing  its 
interests  through  the  development  of  its  material  resources. 

Will  H.  Merchant,  living  in  Carlsbad,  is  deputy  county  treasurer  of 
Eddy  county.  He  is  a  son  of  Clabourn  W.  Merchant,  a  pioneer  cattleman 
of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  who  resides  in  Texas.  The  son  was  born  in 
Denton  county,  Texas,  November  1,  1874,  and  was  reared  in  the  Lone  Star 
state.  Having  acquired  his  education,  he  spent  five  years  in  the  cattle  in- 
dustry in  the  Indian  Territorv,  and  since  February.  1897,  has  resided  in 
Eddy  county,  save  for  the  brief  period  of  one  year  spent  in  ranching  in 
North  Dakota. 

In  his  political  views  Mr.  Merchant  is  an  earnest  Democrat,  and  since 
February,  1904,  has  filled  the  office  of  county  treasurer,  in  which  position 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  783 

he  is  found  to  be  prompt,  methodical  and  reliable.  He  is  a  Mason,  be- 
longing to  Carlsbad  Lodge  No.  21,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  in  the  community 
where  he  resides  he  has  a  wide  and  favorable  social  acquaintance. 

W.  F.  Daugherity,  engaged  in  farming,  with  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  good  farming  land  near  Dayton,  and  also  owning  a  half  interest 
in  a  forty-acre  addition  to  the  town  site,  is  prospering  in  both  branches  of 
his  business.  He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1883  from  Texas  and  located 
at  Las  Vegas,  where  he  remained  for  a  year.  In  1884  he  removed  to  Lin- 
coln county,  settling  on  Benito,  near  Fort  Stanton,  while  in  1885  he  re- 
moved to  James  canyon,  on  one  of  the  heads  of  the  Pehasco.  He  was 
the  first  man  to  put  a  board  roof  on  a  house  in  that  canyon.  In 
1892  he  removed  to  Hope  and  built  the  third  house  in  that  settlement. 
Making  his  headquarters  there,  he  had  sheep  over  the  valley  and  was  suc- 
cessfully and  extensively  engaged  in  the  sheep-raising  industry  until  the 
fall  of  1900,  when  he  sold  out.  In  1901.  however,  he  again  engaged  in 
the  sheep  business  as  a  partner  of  George  Beckett,  with  whom  he  con- 
tinued until  he  disposed  of  his  interests  in  January,  1905. 

In  1897  Mr.  Daugherity  took  up  his  abode  upon  his  present  place  near 
the  town  of  Dayton  and  purchased  the  propertv  in  1901.  Since  disposing 
of  his  sheep  he  has  been  engaged  in  farming  here,  having  three  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  cultivable  land,  from  which  he  is  now  producing  good 
crops.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Dayton  town  site,  owning  a  half  interest 
in  a  forty-acre  addition  thereto.  His  property  is  valuable  and  is  being 
rapidly  developed.  He  has  great  faith  in  the  future  of  this  country,  and 
that  his  trust  is  well  placed  is  indicated  by  the  rapid  rise  in  realty  values 
and  the  substantial  manner  in  which  the  work  of  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural development  and  of  stock-raising  is  being  carried  forward. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


CHAVES    COUNTY. 

Chaves  county  is  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  New  Mexico,  the  sec- 
ond county  from  the  southern  territorial  boundary,  north  of  Otero  and 
Eddy.  It  lies  south  of  Roosevelt  and  throws  up  a  narrow  strip  of  terri- 
tory into  Lincoln.  It  has  an  area  of  11,520  square  miles  and  a  population  of 
nearly  5,000  people.  Roswell,  the  county  seat,  is  one  of  the  brisk,  at- 
tractive and  somewhat  remarkable  cities  in  New  Mexico,  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  wonderful  artesian  belt  and  a  rapidly  developing  district  of 
farms  and  orchards,  and  being  only  eight  miles  northeast  of  the  great 
Honda  reservoir,  under  process  of  construction  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment and  designed  to  irrigate  10,000  acres  of  land  immediately  adjoin- 
ing that  city. 

Chaves  county  comprises  a  section  of  country  about  a  hundred  miles 
square  and  is  the  heart  of  the  Pecos  valley,  through  whose  western  third 
flows  the  river  by  that  name,  the  second  largest  in  the  Territory.  The 
affluents  of  the  Pecos,  from  the  west,  are  the  Rio  Hondo,  Rio  Felix  and 
Spring  river.  The  eastern  half  of  the  county  is  occupied  almost  wholly  by 
the  Staked  Plains. 

Organization  and  County  Officials. — By  an  act  of  the  legislature. 
passed  in  1889,  two  new  counties,  named  Chaves  (with  Roswell  as  the 
county  seat)  and  Eddy  (with  Eddy  as  the  county  seat),  were  cut  off  from 
the  eastern  half  of  Lincoln  county.  The  continuous  roster  of  county  offi- 
cials commences  with  1891  and  is  given  below : 

1891-2: — County  commissioners,  E.  T.  Stone  (chairman;  died  Jan.  25,  1891), 
Henry  Milne  (appointed  by  Governor  to  succeed  Stone),  A.  B.  Allen,  W.  P.  Chisum; 
clerk,  Frank  H.  Lee;  sheriff,  C.  C.  Fountain;  treasurer,  James  Sutherland;  assessor, 
C.  S.  McCarty. 

1893-4: — Commissioners,  C.  W.  Haynes  (chairman),  A.  B.  Allen,  W.  P.  Chisum; 
probate  judge,  F.  Williams;  clerk,  F.  H.  Lee;  sheriff,  William  M.  Atkinson;  assessor, 
C.   S.  McCarty ;   treasurer,  James   Sutherland. 

1895-6: — Commissioners,  C.  W.  Haynes  (chairman),  J.  A.  Gilmore,  L.  M. 
Long;  judge,  C.  A.  Keith;  clerk,  F.  P.  Gavle ;  sheriff,  C.  C.  Perry:  assessor,  F.  P. 
Lea;  treasurer,  J.  S.  Williamson. 

1897-8: — Commissioners,  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman),  W.  G.  Urton,  W.  P. 
Chisum;  judge,  Frank  Williams;  clerk,  F.  P.  Gayle ;  sheriff,  C.  W.  Haynes;  assessor, 
F.  P.  Lea ;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Gilmore. 

1899-1900: — Commissioners,  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman).  W.  G.  Urton,  N.  Jaffa; 
judge,  Frank  Williams;  clerk,  F.  P.  Gayle;  sheriff.  Fred  Higgins ;  assessor,  S.  M. 
Hodges ;  treasurer,  James  A.  Gilmore. 

1900-2: — Commissioners,  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman),  Thomas  D.  White,  A.  M. 
Robertson;  judge,  J.  F.  Evans;  clerk,  F.  G.  Gayle;  sheriff,  Fred  Higgins;  assessor, 
John  C.  Peck ;  treasurer,  Mark  Howell. 

1903-4: — Commissioners,  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman).  Thomas  D.  White,  A.  M. 
Robertson;  judge,  J.  T.  Evans;  clerk,  F.  P.  Gayle;  sheriff.  Fred  Higgins;  assessor, 
John  C.  Peck;  treasurer,  Mark  Howell. 

1905-6: — Commissioners,  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman).  Thomas  D.  White,  N.  J. 
Fritz;  judge.  J.  T.  Evans;  clerk,  F.  P.  Gayle;  sheriff,  K.  S.  Woodruff;  assessor, 
John  C.  Peck;  treasurer,  J.  Smith  Lea. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


r85 


Wonderful  Artesian  Field.— There  is  no  field,  or  belt,  or  stratum  of 
artesian  waters  in  the  world  which  is  more  constant  in  its  flow  or  more 
accessible  than  that  in  the  Pecos  valley,  within  the  limits  of  Chaves  county. 
As  compared  with  the  average  depth  of  wells  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  world,  the  borings  here  arc  ridiculously  shallow,  and  have  been 
from  die  first.  It  is  seldom  "that  the  wells  are  extended  to  a  depth  of  _  more 
than  600  feet,  although  some  have  been  sunk  1,000,  but  in  the  majority  of 
cases  the  main  body  of  water  has  been  struck  at  about  250  feet,  and  some 
of  the  300  wells  which  are  now  boiling  and  spouting  in  the  valley  have 
been  in  constant  operation  and  furnished  an  unvarying  supply  of  clear, 
cold,  pure  water  for  the  past  ten  years.  The  shallow  wells  give  a  supply  of 
about  250,000  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  deep  ones  225,000 
gallons  per  hour,  or  5.400,000  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours.  The  artesian 
wells  have  no  eight-hour  day ;  they  work  all  the  time  and  furnish  the 
cheapest  power  which  man  has  yet  discovered.  With  the  artificial  sys- 
tems of  irrigation  they  are  making  what  was  once  considered  the  Great 
American  Desert,  of  which  Chaves  county  is  a  part,  to  "blossom  as  the 
rose." 

As  nature  furnishes  the  power,  the  great  volume  of  the  artesian  flow 
is  used  for  irrigation.  A  great  majority  of  the  wells  in  this  field  of  the 
Pecos  valley  are  less  than  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  the  pressure  varies 
from  six  pounds  up.  Numerous  wells  are  now  supplying  1,500,000  gallons 
per  day,  and  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  one  such  well  will  irrigate  160 
acres  of  land  under  very  heavy  croppage,  and  much  more  when  the  land 
is  devoted  to  fruit  trees  and  crops  adapted  more  or  less  to  growth  in  an 
arid  country.  The  soil  of  the  vallev  is  rich  in  those  minerals  which  nourish 
vegetation ;  the  air  is  dry  and  pure  and  discouraging  to  all  forms  of  para- 
sitical life  which  create  such  havoc  to  the  fruits  and  grains  of  other  sec- 
tions of  the  country,  where  the  rainfall  and  supply  of  surface  water  is  con- 
stant; and  the  discovery  of  artesian  water  has  supplied  the  one  thing  need- 
ful tn  make  the  valley  a  garden  of  the  world. 

The  proven  artesian  field  in  Chaves  county  is  now  about  seventy-five 
miles  long  and  twenty  wide,  and  adventurous  drillers  are  increasing  the 
area  heyond  the  limits  of  what  was  thought  to  be  the  extent  of  the  flow. 
The  first  artesian  well  in  the  county  was  bored  by  Jaffa  &  Prager  on  the 
grounds  of  the  present  residence  of  Nathan  Jaffa,  in  Roswell,  in  1890.  A 
strong  artesian  flow  was  reached  at  a  depth  of  about  250  feet,  and  ever  since 
the  experience  of  borers  has  been  almost  uniform.  The  most  striking 
result  of  the  tapping  of  this  seemingly  inexhaustible  supply  of  irrigating 
waters  is  the  creation  and  remarkable  development  of  the  horticultural  in- 
terests of  the  valley.  It  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  apple  and  peach  growing, 
and  since  the  discovery  of  the  artesian  denosit  the  largest  orchards  in  the 
country  have  come  into  bearing,  their  products  being  in  demand  at  fancy 
prices  in  all  the  markets  of  the  country.  The  development  of  the  country 
has  not  only  made  Roswell  one  of  the  most  prosperous  cities  in  the  Terri- 
tory, hut  within  five  years  Artesia,  in  the  very  center  of  the  artesian  dis- 
trict, has  sprung  from  nothing  to  a  thriving  town  of  ^,000  people,  with 
handsome  buildings,  electric  lights  and  telephones  and  all  the  other  modern 
conveniences.  The  pressure  of  the  artesian  water  is  used  on  a  limited  scale, 
aside  from  its  utility  as  a  means  of  distribution  in  irrigation.  In  some 
instances,  however,   it  has  been   applied   to   such    domestic  occupations   as 


786  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

churning  and  washing,  all  the  power  necessary  for  such  purposes  being  de- 
rived through  a  three-quarter  pipe. 

Several  facts  have  been  noted  in  the  borings  and  investigations  of  the 
Chaves  count)'  fields  which  arc  worthy  of  note.  There  are  four  considerable 
streams  which  supply  the  surface  water — the  North  Spring  river,  the  South 
Spring  river,  North  Berendo  and  the  Rio  Hondo,  all  issuing  from  the 
White  mountains  west  of  Roswell.  All  of  them  flow  down  the  Pecos 
valley,  and  their  water  is  clear  and  cool.  The  North  and  South  Spring 
rivers  have  their  source  in  the  artesian  strata,  and  they  mark  the  highest 
point  in  the  field,  no  flow  of  artesian  water  having  been  encountered  at  a 
point  above  the  springs  from  whence  they  come. 

At  points  in  the  valley  there  are  two  distinct  artesian  stratas,  though 
the  upper  one  is  missing  altogether,  and  when  found  is  of  too  small  vol- 
ume to  be  of  much  value,  though  the  quality  of  the  water  is  exactly  the 
same.  It  always  has  a  temperature  of  about  forty-five  degrees  Fahrenheit, 
with  109  parts  of  solids  in  the  100,000.  The  first  flow  is  encountered 
usually  at  a  depth  of  about  150  feet,  and  the  main  body  at  250  feet.  In 
drilling  the  wells  the  strata  vary,  but  the  last  deposit  of  water  is  always 
found  in  the  same  formation — an  extremely  hard,  porous  limestone,  that,  so 
far  as  known,  has  never  been  drilled  entirely  through. 

The  utility  side  of  the  artesian  wells  has  already  been  described.  It 
may  be  added  that,  besides  the  successful  cultivation  of  fruits,  the  condi- 
tions are  especially  favorable  to  the  growing  of  vegetables  and  garden 
truck.  Roswell  has  already  in  operation  a  cannery  for  beans,  peas,  aspara- 
gus, pumpkins,  tomatoes,  berries,  etc..  and  before  long  tnere  will  be  a 
good  home  market  for  all  this  kind  of  produce.  In  general,  land  which 
a  few  years  ago  was  used  only  for  grazing  cattle  or  sheep  and  sold  by 
the  section  for  a  trifle,  is  now  worth  from  $35  to  $200  per  acre.  Truck 
farms  in  the  artesian  district  rent  as  high  as  $40  per  acre. 

Alfalfa  is  still  the  great  agricultural  crop  of  Chaves  county.  With  deep 
soil  and  plenty  of  water — say  thirty-six  inches  per  acre  per  annum — 
four  good  crops  can  be  grown  annually,  averaging  a  ton  per  acre.  The 
demand  is  chiefly  from  southwestern  Texas,  and  it  usually  sells  from  $8 
to  $10  per  ton  on  cars ;  the  cost  of  getting  it  started  to  market  is  about 
$4  per  ton. 

The  value  of  alfalfa  as  a  crop  is  not  confined  to  the  readiness  and 
luxuriance  of  the  plant,  but,  far  from  impoverishing  the  soil,  it  is  one  of  the 
best  fertilizers  for  other  crops,  as  it  takes  nitrogen  from  the  air  and  stores 
it  in  the  ground. 

Kaffir  corn  and  milo  maize  are  also  easily  raised  and  need  little  water, 
the  soil  requiring  to  be  irrigated  just  before  planting,  and  once,  with  six 
or  eight  inches  of  water,  afterward.  The  average  crop  is  from  thirty-five 
to  forty-five  bushels  per  acre,  and  about  two  tons  of  forage.  Sorghum, 
millet  and  several  other  varieties  of  forage  crops  also  grow  to  perfection 
with  very  little  water.  All  root  crops  do  well,  and  Pecos  valley  melons 
are  obtaining  quite  a  reputation. 

Despite  artesian  wells,  mountain  streams  and  artificial  irrigation,  the 
most  important  source  of  income  of  the  Pecos  valley  is  still  its  live-stock; 
but  the  old-time,  free-and-easv,  careless  methods  of  raising  cattle  and 
sheep — of  turning  them  out  on  vast  ranges  and  letting  them  forage  for 
themselves — have  given  place  to  the  modern  system,  founded  upon  a  plenti- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  7«7 

ful  supply  of  water  and  cultivated  forage,  summer  and  winter.  The  mar- 
ket has  also  continually  demanded  hetter  breeds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  and  this 
demand  can  only   be   met  in   the   irrigated   districts. 

The  Hondo  Irrigation  Reservoir. — In  1888  several  prominent  men  in 
the  upper  Pecos  valley,  headed  by  Leslie  M.  Loiig,  organized  the  New 
Mexico  Reservoir  and  Irrigation  Company  for  the  purpose  of  conserving 
the  waste  waters  of  the  Hondo  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Roswell.  The  place 
selected  for  the  site  of  the  storage  reservoir  was  about  twelve  miles  south- 
west from  that  point,  and  the  general  plan  appears  to  have  been  to  construct 
an  immense  dam  across  the  basin  of  the  river,  extending  from  the  hills  on 
either  side,  thus  making  a  reservoir  of  the  entire  stream  for  miles  above  the 
dam.  But  the  means  were  not  forthcoming  for  the  prosecution  of  this  sim- 
ple plan,  and  in  1891  the  company  sold  all  of  their  rights  and  interests  to 
the  Pecos  Irrigation  and  Investment  Company,  which  had  been  organized 
two  years  before  in  the  lower  valley  and  which  then  was  under  the  control 
of  J.  J.  Hagerman  as  president  and  Charles  B.  Eddy  as  general  manager. 

Under  the  new  management  the  prospects  for  the  Hondo  reservoir 
looked  bright  until  the  latter  part  of  the  unfortunate  year  1893.  I"  March 
of  that  year  Mr.  Hagerman  had  interested  eastern  capital  in  the  various 
plans  inaugurated  for  the  development  of  the  Upper  valley,  and  sufficient 
money  had  been  subscribed  for  the  building  and  equipment  of  the  Pecos 
Vailey  road  from  Eddy  to  Roswell.  fifty-five  miles.  He  and  his  associates 
also  appreciated  the  advantages  of  the  northeastern  extension  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles  to  Amarillo,  Texas,  as  the  natural  outlet  into  Texas 
of  the  products  of  the  Pecos  valley.  But  the  panic  and  the  disastrous  floods 
of  1893  paralyzed  the  irrigation  project  for  the  time,  although  the  railroad 
was  opened  to  Roswell  in  October,  1894. 

The  celebration  of  the  opening  of  the  line  was  on  the  10th  of  that 
month,  and  upon  that  occasion  Mr.  Hagerman  first  visited  Roswell  and 
the  Northern  valley.  Although  he  continued  operations  sufficiently  to  keep 
his  rights  from  lapsing,  work  in  the  Hondo  was  never  actively  resumed, 
and.  although  several  efforts  to  revive  the  project  were  made  by  interested 
parties,  nothing  was  accomplished  until  1902.  In  June  of  that  year  the 
national  irrigation  act  was  passed,  and  in  the  fall,  chiefly  through  the  efforts 
of  W.  M.  Reed,  of  Roswell,  who  had  been  an  engineer  connected  with  the 
Pecos  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company,  the  chief  engineer  of  the 
Reclamation  Service  of  the  national  government  visited  the  site  of  the  pro- 
posed reservoir.  (  )n  the  basis  of  his  reports  preliminary  surveys  were  be- 
gun in  February,  1903.  Diamond  drill  boring  tests  were  made  throughout 
the  entire  bed  of  the  proposed  reservoir,  to  determine  the  non-existence  of 
subterranean  caverns  or  other  unsubstantial  conditions  of  the  substrata.  At 
first  the  people  of  Carlsbad,  through  the  Pecos  Irrigation  Company,  pro- 
tested against  the  prosecution  of  the  work  on  the  ground  that,  if  the  waters 
of  the  Hondo  river  were  thus  diverted,  their  own  irrigation  system  would 
be  destroyed;  but  eventually  they  withdrew  their  objections,  and  in  Jan- 
uary. 1905.  active  work  commenced  under  the  supervision  of  the  United 
States  engineers.  They  selected  10,000  acres  of  land  between  Roswell  and 
the  site  of  the  reservoir,  eight  miles  southwest,  as  the  tract  to  be  irrigated, 
this  great  fertile  body  lying  from  seventy-five  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
below  the  reservoir  itself.  The  works,  now  about  completed,  consist  of  a 
series  of  dams,  which  together  form  what  is  known  as  the  Hondo  reservoir. 


78S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

The  $250,000  necessary  to  complete  the  reservoir  is  being  expended  by  the 
government,  and  those  who  come  within  the  irrigated  tract  will,  within  the 
ten  years  following  the  completion  of  the  works,  reimburse  it  at  the  rate  of 
$2.50  per  acre.  No  one  person  is  allowed  to  own  more  than  160  acres. 
The  lands  for  which  reservoir  water  is  guaranteed  by  the  government  can 
be  bought  at  from  $30  to  $50  per  acre.  Although  the  title  and  control  of 
the  irrigation  system  will  remain  with  the  government  for  at  least  ten 
years  after  the  completion  of  the  reservoir,  the  irrigated  land  is  held  in 
private  ownership,  the  government  stipulating,  however,  that  it  shall  be  sold 
to  actual  settlers  and  not  to  speculators. 

After  the  selection  of  the  land  to  be  irrigated  and  acting  in  accord 
with  the  suggestion  of  the  Reclamation  Service,  a  corporation  was  formed, 
under  the  laws  of  New  Mexico,  known  as  the  Rio  Hondo  Reservoir  Water 
Users'  Association.  Only  those  owning  land  within  the  irrigation  district 
selected  by  the  government  engineers  were  eligible  to  membership.  The 
organization  virtually  assumes  the  debt  to  the  government  of  the  $250,000. 

The  Village  of  Roswell. — In  1874  a  man  named  Huggins  was  killed 
]>v  Comanche  Indians  while  carrying  letters  from  Fort  Sumner  to  a  trad- 
ing point  for  cattlemen  in  the  Upper  Pecos  valley,  a  distance  of  about  eighty 
miles.  The  growing  importance  of  the  place,  which  was  called  Roswell — ■ 
from  the  father  of  Van  C.  Smith,  the  first  to  make  a  claim  on  the  site  of  the 
town — induced  the  government  to  establish  a  postoffice  here  in  the  year  of 
the  death,  of  its  former  letter  carrier.  Paul  Schwartz  was  the  first  post- 
master. Roswell  was  then  a  youngster  of  five  years.  Its  first  store  build- 
ing was  an  adobe  erected  in  1869,  and  a  dwelling  of  the  same  material,  which 
still  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  block  fronting  the  court  house,  was  built 
about  the  same  time,  some  eighty  feet  north  of  the  store.  Captain  J.  C.  Lea 
bought  these  pioneer  improvements  early  in  1878  from  Marion  Turner, 
who  had  jumped  Mr.  Smith's  claim. 

In  October,  1885,  A.  E.  Lea,  a  brother  of  Captain  J.  C.  Lea  (deceased) 
made  a  plat  of  the  town  of  Roswell,  although  it  was  not  filed  at  the  county 
seat  until  two  years  later.  At  this  time  the  town  was  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  miles  from  the  nearest  railroad  point — Pecos,  Texas. 

In  1891  G.  A.  Richardson  drafted  and  introduced  an  act  in  the  Terri- 
torial assembly  for  the  incorporation  of  villages,  and  under  it  Roswell  as- 
sumed that  form  of  local  government.  The  act  was  passed  February  14, 
1891,  and  the  first  election  for  village  officers  was  held  July  6th,  subse- 
quent elections  being  held  in  April.  It  remained  a  village  until  December, 
1903,  its  officers  being  as  below: 

1891  :— Trustees,  Nathan  Jaffa  (chairman),  J.  S.  Lea.  Frank  Lesnet;  E.  H.  Skip- 
with,   S.   S.    Mendenhall;   clerk,    Scott   Truxton. 

1891-2: — Trustees,  Nathan  Jaffa  (chairman;  resigned),  Frank  Lesnet  (elected 
to  succeed  Mr.  Jaffa),  J.  S.  Lea,  E.  H.  Skipwith,  S.  S.  Mendenhall;  clerk.  Scott 
Truxton;   treasurer,   J.    S.   Lea. 

1893-4:— Trustees,  R.  S.  Hamilton  (chairman).  J.  P.  Church.  S.  P.  Nicholson 
(resigned  Jan.  9,  1894),  R.  T.  Barnett  (elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Nicholson),  James 
B.  Mathews  (resigned  July  17,  1893),  J.  A.  Gilmore  (appointed  to  succeed  Mr. 
Mathews),  Benjamin  F.   Daniels;  clerk,   Scott  Truxton;  treasurer,  J.   P.  Church. 

1894-5 :— Trustees.  W.  M.  Atkinson  (chairman).  A.  B.  Allen,  J.  P.  Church,  B. 
F.  Daniel  (resigned  Jan.  5,  1895),  Oscar  Robertson  (elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Daniel), 
Harry  Carmack ;  clerk,  Scott  Truxton ;  treasurer,  J.   P.  Church. 

1895-6 :— Trustees,    J.    P.    Church     (chairman),    Sidney    Prager,    J.    W.    Mullins, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  789 

Scott  Truxton,  W.  B.  Meeks :  clerk,  John  I.  Hinkle  (J.  J.  Jaffa  elected  to  the  position 
Dec.   17,   1895)  ;  treasurer,  Sidney  Prager. 

1896-7:— E.  A.  Cahoon  (chairman),  E.  S.  Seay,  E.  H.  Williams,  H.  A.  Bennett, 
Charles  H.  Sparks:  clerk,  J.  J.  Jaffa  (resigned  Nov.  n,  1896),  J.  H.  Devine  (elected 
to  succeed  Mr.  Jaffa)  ;   treasurer,  E.   H.  Williams. 

1897-8: — Trustees,  C.  H.  Sparks  (chairman;  resigned  Sept.  20,  1897),  J.  J.  Jaffa 
(elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Sparks,  and  made  chairman).  A.  Pruit,  R.  T.  Barnett,  W.  L. 
Amonett,  J.  W.  Mullins  (resigned  Nov.  18,  1897),  W.  A.  Finlay  (elected  to  succeed 
Mr.  Mullins)  :  clerk,  F.  J.  Beck;  treasurer,  A.  Pruit. 

1898-9 :— Trustees,  E.  L.  Wildy  (chairman),  E.  H.  Williams,  R.  F.  Barnett  (re- 
signed July  12,  1898),  John  W.  Poe  (elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Barnett),  W.  L. 
Amonett,  F.  P.  Lea:  clerk,  J.  P.  Lea;  treasurer,  E.   H.  Williams. 

1899-1900: — Trustees,  John  C.  Sheridan  (chairman),  R.  L.  Moss,  F.  H.  Calfee, 
W.  S.  Prager,  B.  F.  Hammett,  Jr.;  clerk,  B.  F.  Hammett,  Jr.;  treasurer,  F.  H. 
Calfee. 

1900-1:— L.  K.  McGaffey  (chairman),  J.  P.  Church,  H.  L.  Gill,  C.  W.  Haynes, 
R.  Kellahin  ;  clerk,   Samuel  Atkinson;  treasurer,  H.  L.  Gill. 

1901-2: — Trustees,  John  W.  Poe  (chairman),  L.  D.  Danenburg.  E.  S.  Seay,  C. 
R.   Carr,  William  Robinson;   clerk,   Samuel   Atkinson;  treasurer,   L.  D.   Danenburg. 

1902-3: — Trustees,  Harry  Cannack  (chairman),  James  Sutherland,  John  W. 
Poe,  E.  S.  Seay,  W.  G.  Ballinger;  clerk,  Robert  Kellahin;  treasurer,  James  Suther- 
land. 

1903: — Trustees,  Nathan  Jaffa  (chairman),  L.  B.  Tannehill,  S.  P.  Denning,  V. 
O.  McCallum:  clerk,  Robert  Kellahin;  treasurer,  L.   B.  Tannehill. 

The  City  of  Roswell. — When  Roswell  was  incorporated  as  a  village  in 
1891,  it  had  a  population  of  about  400.  in  1900  it  had  2,000  and  its  present 
population  is  about  6,000.  The  first  election  for  municipal  officers  was  on 
December  8,  1903,  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  following:  J.  C.  Lea, 
mayor;  F.  J.  Beck,  clerk;  E.  H.  Williams,  treasurer;  L.  B.  Tannehill,  alder- 
man from  the  first  ward ;  Ralph  Parsons,  alderman  from  the  second  ward ; 
S.  P.  Denning,  alderman  from  the  third  ward ;  W.  W.  Ogle,  alderman  from 
the  fourth  ward:  A.  L.  Whiteman,  alderman  from  the  fifth  ward.  Mayor 
Lea  died  February  4,  1904,  and  L.  B.  Tannehill  acted  in  that  capacity  for 
the  balance  of  the  term. 

On  April  5,  1904,  the  following  were  elected :  Mayor,  James  F.  Hinkle; 
clerk,  Fred  J.  Beck;  treasurer,  A.  Pruit:  aldermen — M.  D.  Burns  and  S.  P. 
Johnson,  first  ward;  R  M.  Parsons  and  George  L.  Wyllys,  second  ward; 
J.  W.  Kinsinger  and  Clarence  Cilery,  third  ward.;  W.  W.  Ogle  and  J.  P. 
Church,  fourth,  ward. 

The  city  of  Roswell  has  a  good  system,  both  for  sewerage  and  drain- 
age. It  has  telephone  and  electric  light  services,  and  along  its  well-built 
streets  are  laid  twenty  miles  of  cement  walks.  Within  its  limits  are  120 
artesian  wells,  many  of  them  gushing  up  in  the  form  of  fountains  and 
forming  a  picturesque  feature  of  the  city.  The  free  mail  and  rural  de- 
livery systems  are  well  organized.  It  has  an  ice  plant,  a  steam  laundrv, 
a  canning  factory,  a  creamerv,  and  is  preparing  to  install  a  large  sugar- 
beet  factory.  The  city  has  a  pork  packery.  and  its  hog  ranch,  where  about 
8,000  head  of  swine  are  being  raised  on  alfalfa,  is  among  the  largest  in  the 
United  States.  One  daily  and  two  weekly  newspapers  and  a  job  printing 
plant,  six  lumber  yards  and  three  national  banks  should  be  added  to  its 
institutions. 

The  school  system  of  Roswell  is  represented  by  about  2,000  pupils 
and  nearly  fifty  teachers.  Its  ward  school  houses  are  substantial  buildings, 
while  the  so-called  Central  structure  is  quite  imposing,  having  been  erected 
at  a  cost   of  $25,000.     Eight  churches  supply   the   religious   needs  of  the 


790  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

community,  and  in  1906,  with  the  co-operation  of  the  Roswell  Commercial 
Club,  a  modern  hospital  was  completed  by  the  Catholic  Sisters  of  the  Sor- 
rowful Mother.  It  is  situated  on  Main  street,  about  a  mile  south  of  the 
court  house. 

Educational  Institutions. — The  first  public  school  building  in  Roswell 
was  erected  in  1878,  being  located  east  of  G.  W.  Stevens'  residence  by  J.  M. 
Miller,  the  contractor.  Judge  A.  C.  Rogers  was  the  first  teacher.  This 
first  building  was  used  seven  or  eight  years,  when  the  "Farms  school"  of 
district  Xo.  2  was  built,  with  Miss  Sarah  Lund  (now  Mrs.  C.  D.  Bonney) 
as  teacher.  The  adobe  school  house  on  the  hill  south  of  town  was  built 
in  1885,  and  Fred  Farner  opened  it  to  his  pupils.  The  brick  structure  which 
replaced  it  in  1891  was  the  first  building  to  be  completed  under  what  was 
practically  the  first  public  school  act  passed  by  the  legislature  of  New 
Mexico.  During  that  year,  when  the  act  dividing  Lincoln  county  became 
effective,  school  district  Xo.  1  comprised  the  entire  northern  part  of 
Chaves  county.  District  Xo.  2,  known  as  the  Farms,  remained  intact,  and 
since  that  time  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  districts  have  been  organized  from 
these  two. 

In  1895  the  Pauly  building  on  the  west  side  of  town  was  erected,  and 
in  1904  the  beautiful  Central  or  high  school  building,  as  well  as  the  Mark 
Howell  school  on  Military  Heights. 

Roswell  takes  a  just  pride  in  the  Xew  Mexico  Military  Institute,  which 
covers  forty  acres  of  a  beautiful  mesa,  elevated  some  thirty  feet  above  the 
main  portion  of  the  city.  It  is  the  only  strictly  military  school  in  the 
Southwest  and  gives  the  name  Military  Heights  to  the  entire  surrounding 
section,  which  is  considered  as  a  northern  suburb  of  Roswell,  although 
within  the  city  limits.  The  buildings  consist  of  seven  large  and  well-built 
structures,  three  of  which  are  used  as  barracks  and  quarters  for  the  100 
cadets  and  officers. 

The  institute  owns  its  own  waterworks,  and  artesian  water  is  both 
piped  through  the  buildings  for  domestic  purposes  and  over  the  grounds 
for  irrigation.     The  school  has  been  opened  since  September  6,  1898. 

Headquarters  of  United  States  Institutions. — The  first  government  in- 
stitution at  Roswell  was  the  postoffice,  in  1874,  and  was  for  many  years 
located  in  the  old  Poe-Lea-Cosgrove  building.  In  July,  1903,  it  reached  the 
dignity  of  a  second-class  office,  and  March,  1905,  the  free  delivery  system 
went  into  effect. 

In  1889,  when  the  Lincoln  land  district  was  carved  out  of  the  Las 
Crnces  district,  the  United  States  land  office  was  transferred  from  Las 
Cruces  to  Roswell,  with  John  W.  Mills  as  register  and  Frank  Lesnet  as 
receiver.  The  district  now  comprises  the  counties  of  Chaves,  Eddy,  Gauda- 
lupe,  Lincoln,  Otero,  Roosevelt  and  Torrance.  From  July  1,  1904,  to 
July  1,  1905,  homestead  entries  were  made  through  this  office  to  the  ex- 
tent of  107,795  acres;  121,523  acres  were  taken  up  as  desert  claims;  15,787 
acres  were  scripped,  and  the  Territory  selected  from  the  government  lands 
29,849  acres,  making  a  total  of  274.952  acres  taken  up  during  the  year 
named.  Of  this  amount  Chaves  countv  took  35,985  acres  in  homesteads  and 
44,000  acres  in  desert  claims,  also  7,432  acres  of  scrip. 

In  1902  the  United  States  opened  an  office  of  the  Reclamation  Service, 
Department  of  the  Interior,  at  Roswell,  the  district  engineer  being  W.  M. 
Reed,  formerly  connected  with  the  Pecos  Irrigation  Company.     Among  the 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  791 

first  undertakings  of  the  office  was  the  preliminary  work  on  the  Hondo 
reservoir,  made  by  W.  A.  Wilson.  Maps  were  drawn  of  the  proposed 
reservoir  site,  and  all  the  data  was  submitted  to  the  department  at  Wash- 
ington, the  construction  of  the  irrigation  works  being  authorized  Sep- 
tember 6,  1904.  Since  that  time  the  work  has  been  progressing  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Reed.  The  office  has  also  had  active  charge  of  the  pre- 
liminary work  in  connection  with  the  construction  of  the  $570,000  reservoir 
on  the  Sapello  and  Gallinas  rivers,  a  few  miles  north  of  Las  Vegas,  and  it 
is  believed  that  before  long  the  reclamation  office  will  take  over  all  the  prop- 
erty and  partially  developed  irrigation  system  of  the  Pecos  Irrigation  and 
Improvement  Company  of  the  Lower  valley,  which  is  understood  to  em- 
brace about  13,000  acres  of  land  in  its  operations.  The  Urton  Lake  reser- 
voir, to  which  reference  has  been  made,  contemplates  the  irrigation  of 
about  75,000  acres,  and  is  the  largest  project  under  the  investigation  and 
control  of  the  district  office.  In  December,  1903,  surveys  at  that  point — 
fifty  miles  northeast  of  Roswell — were  begun  by  H.  C.  Hurd  and  finished 
the  following  March.  Plans,  estimates  and  maps  have  been  submitted  to  the 
department,  but  no  decision  has  yet  been  rendered. 

When  the  fifth  judicial  district  was  formed  of  Eddy,  Chaves  and  Roose- 
velt counties,  Roswell  was  made  the  place  for  holding  the  United  States 
court.  The  first  federal  grand  jury  in  Roswell  met  in  April,  1905,  and  the 
first  term  of  the  United  States  court  was  held  at  the  same  time,  with  Judge 
William  H.  Pope  presiding. 

The  Weather  Bureau  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  opened  an 
office  at  Roswell,  September  1,  iqoi,  the  observer  in  charge  being  M. 
Wright. 

Roswell  Commercial  Club. — One  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  up- 
building of  Roswell  and  the  Upper  Pecos  valley  is,  without  question,  the 
Roswell  Commercial  Club,  composed  of  two  hundred  men  who  now  con- 
stitute the  brains  and  motive  power  of  any  movement  which  is,  or  is  to  be, 
beneficial  to  this  section  of  the  Territory.  Considering  that  for  two  years  only, 
the  commercial  and  public-spirited  nature  of  the  club  has  been  uppermost, 
that  for  the  prior  decade  the  objects  of  the  organization  were  almost  entirely 
social,  its  achievements  have  been  really  remarkable  and  place  it  among  the 
ieading  bodies  of  the  kind  in  the  Southwest. 

The  Roswell  Club  was  organized  at  the  Pauley  Hotel  for  purely  social 
purposes  on  March  23,  18(14,  and  its  officers  for  the  first  year  were:  E.  A. 
Cahoon,  president ;  Charles  H.  Sparks,  first  vice-president ;  C.  A.  Keith, 
second  vice-president ;  A.  M.  Robertson,  treasurer,  and  J.  F.  Hinkle,  secre- 
tary. Until  1904  the  club  was  the  cTand  promoter  of  sociability  in  Ros- 
well, but  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  under  the  presidency  of  Judge  < ;.  A. 
Richardson,  the  suggestion  that  its  scope  be  expanded  so  as  to  include 
matters  of  public  concern  and  utility,  first  began  to  be  seriously  con- 
sidered. 

A  meeting  was  called  at  the  rooms  of  the  club  in  the  Gallieur  block 
on  the  night  of  December  16,  1904,  and,  in  the  absence  of  President  Rich- 
ardson, E.  A.  Cahoon  presided.  It  was  the  sentiment  of  the  meeting  that 
the  commercial  work  of  the  club  be  pushed  to  the  front,  and  before  ad- 
journment its  name  was  changed  to  the  Roswell  Commercial  Club.  In  a 
few  days  W.  C.  Valentine,  of  Chicago,  was  employed  as  secretary,  to  de- 
vote his  entire  time  to  the  expanded  objects  of  the  club.     In  February,  1905, 


792  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

J.  A.  Graham  succeeded  him.  Under  the  active  and  diplomatic  manipula- 
tions of  the  latter  the  greatest  work  of  the  club  has  been  accomplished, 
"for,"  as  a  friend  of  his  states,  "Mr.  Graham  is  a  natural  promoter." 

Of  Judge  Richardson  it  should  be  stated  that  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  club  since  becoming  a  resident  of  Roswell  in  1888,  and  has  been 
its  president  for  the  past  five  terms.  He  is  a  Kentuckian,  head  of  the  law 
firm  of  Richardson,  Reid  &  Hervey  (which  he  organized  several  years 
ago),  has  served  twice  as  a  member  of  the  Territorial  senate,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  national  committee  in  i8q2  and  is  now  president  of  the  Territo- 
rial Bar  Association. 

Besides  Messrs.  Graham  and  Richardson,  the  other  officers  of  the  club 
are  as  follows :  E.  A.  Cahoon,  first  vice-president ;  H.  Hurd,  second  vice- 
president  ;  Robert  Kellahin,  treasurer. 

The  social  feature  has  been  extended  into  the  country.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1905  certain  members  of  the  Commercial  Club  organized  and  in- 
corporated the  Roswell  Country  Club,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000.  The  offi- 
cers were  as  follows :  W.  E.  Wiseley,  president ;  E.  A.  Cahoon,  treasurer ; 
J.  A.  Graham,  secretary.  The  grounds  consist  of  fifty  acres  of  land  about 
two  miles  east  of  the  city  and  were  purchased  from  Cosmos  Sedillo  and  the 
Stone  estate. 

Captain  Joseph  Callaway  Lea  is  always  spoken  of  as  the  pioneer  of 
Chaves  county,  and  to  no  man  is  due  in  as  great  measure  the  early  develop- 
ment of  this  part  of  the  Territory.  Roswell  largely  stands  as  a  monument 
to  his  enterprise  and  labor,  and  in  the  days  of  lawlessness  and  violence  he 
ever  stood  for  justice,  right,  honor  and  truth.  He  was  a  man  among  men, 
who  in  any  community  and  under  any  circumstances  would  have  been  re- 
spected and  honored.  No  history  of  Chaves  county  would  be  complete 
without  the  record  of  his  career. 

He  was  born  in  the  hamlet  of  Cleveland,  Tennessee,  on  the  8th  of 
November.  1841,  and  was  the  second  son  of  Dr.  Pleasant  J.  G.  and  Lucinda 
(Callaway)  Lea.  In  1849  the  parents  removed  to  Missouri  with  their 
family,  settling  at  Lea's  Summit,  which  was  so  named  in  honor  of  Dr.  Lea. 
Educational  opportunities  were  limited  at  that  early  day,  and,  although  Dr. 
Lea  was  a  successful  country  practitioner  and  farmer,  he  was  able  to  give 
his  children  only  the  rudiments  of  an  education,  but  by  precept,  admoni- 
tion and  example  he  instilled  in  them  the  principles  of  honor,  sobriety 
and  rectitude  of  purpose,  more  valuable  than  the  world's  accumulated 
store  of  knowledge. 

Joseph  C.  Lea  grew  to  manhood,  a  hard-working,  energetic  farmer 
boy  of  simple  tastes,  who  viewed  the  internecine  struggle  then  just  begin- 
ning as  something  at  a  distance  that  did  not  concern  boys  of  his  age.  From 
this,  however,  he  was  suddenly  awakened,  when,  in  December,  1861,  he  and 
his  younger  brother,  Frank  H.  Lea.  were  arrested  while  gathering  corn  in 
their  father's  field  by  a  squad  of  Kansas  border  soldiers,  making  their  escape 
just  before  all  the  other  captives  of  that  raid  were  shot  down,  and,  realiz- 
ing that  their  safety  depended  upon  staying  away  from  home,  thev  imme- 
diately joined  their  fortunes  with  the  Confederacy  as  members  of  the  Sixth 
Missouri  Regiment,  forming  a  part  of  Shelby's  brigade.  How  well  he 
bore  bis  part  in  the  great  struggle  is  attested  by  the  records.  He  en- 
tered the  service  a  farmer  boy,  without  anv  training,  and  was  a  colonel  be- 
fore the  third  year  of  his  service  had  expired.     He  made  a  reputation  as 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  793 

•captain  and  that  title  ever  after  stuck  to  him.  A  dashing-  young  officer 
who  seemed  to  have  no  thought  of  fear,  yet  he  was  constantly  on  the  alert 
to  protect  his  men,  especially  his  close  personal  friends.  A  vacancy  in  the 
office  of  first  lieutenant  was  to  be  filled,  and  Captain  Jason  W.  James,  of 
this  county,  and  another  whose  name  is  not  now  at  hand  were  aspirants. 
Captain  James  felt  hurt  at  not  getting  the  place  and  asked  Captain  Lea 
why  he  had  turned  him  down.  With  a  look  that  showed  his  heart  was 
touched,  he  replied  :  "James,  I  love  you  too  well  to  put  you  in  a  place 
where  I  know  you  will  get  killed."  Manv  instances  of  this  character  could 
he  given  concerning  Captain  Lea.  When  the  war  ended  he  accepted  the 
situation  with  the  same  fortitude  he  displayed  in  everything  else  and  went 
to  Georgia,  where  he  engaged  in  railroad  building  and  in  cotton-planting, 
"but  in  a  short  time  he  removed  to  Mississippi. 

In  the  year  1867  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Captain  Lea  and 
Mrs.  Douglass  Burbridge,  who  lived  about  four  years  after  their  marriage. 
In  1875  he  married  Miss  Sallie  Wildy,  a  sister  of  Ernest  L.  Wildy  and 
Mrs.  George  T.  Davis.  In  1876  they  removed  to  Colfax  countv,  New 
Mexico,  and  in  1877  became  residents  of  Roswell,  where  in  1884  Mrs. 
Lea  died,  leaving  two  children :  Harry  Wildy  Lea,  and  Mrs.  Ella  L.  Bedell. 
In  1889,  Captain  Lea  married  Mrs.  Mabel  Doss  Day,  of  Coleman,  Texas, 
who  survived  him  until  April,  iqofi.  As  stated,  Captain  Lea  came  to  the 
Territory  and  was  one  of  the  first  white  settlers  of  Chaves  county  who 
left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  its  development  and  upbuilding. 
Those  were  wild  days  when  death  was  to  be  feared  not  only  at  the  hands 
•of  the  savages  but  of  lawless  white  men  as  well.  Having  become  convinced 
that  Colfax  county  did  not  possess  the  elements  for  a  future  home,  he 
journeyed  down  into  the  Pecos  valley  and  on  the  12th  of  February  reached 
the  present  site  of  Roswell  with  his  little  caravan.  There  were  few  settlers 
in  the  country  then.  A  number  of  Mexicans  lived  on  the  Berrendo  and 
a  few  white  people  at  Missouri  Plaza,  a  short  distance  up  the  Hondo.  The 
country,  however,  was  almost  totallv  a  wilderness.  Captain  Lea  began 
his  life  here  as  other  pioneer  settlers,  handling,  raising  and  dealing  in  cattle. 
In  the  '70s  he  turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  and  so  continued  until 
the  '80s.  his  place  of  business  being  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Record 
building.  For  many  years  this  was  the  principal  mercantile  establishment 
of  the  great  Pecos  country  and  the  trading  point  for  hundreds  of  miles  in 
every  direction.  All  the  while  Captain  Lea  kept  on  investing  his  money  in 
lands  and  at  one  time  owned  a  vast  tract  of  what  is  today  the  most  valuable 
land  in  the  country.  When  he  arrived  here  the  only  law  was  one  of  might 
and  the  six  shooter,  and  undoubtedly  he  would  not  have  escaped  with  his 
life  if  it  had  not  been  that  the  lawless  band  recognized  a  dauntless  spirit  in 
his  clear  gray  eve.  He  was  about  the  only  man  who  was  able  to  maintain 
absolute  neutrality  in  the  historic  Lincoln  countv  war.  He  told  the  bellig- 
erents that  when  he  felt  like  doing  any  fighting  he  would  do  it  on  his 
own  hook  and  thev  could  fight  out  their  little  unpleasantnesses  to  suit 
themselves ;  nor  did  thev  question  his  decision.  Thev  knew  better,  and 
while  the  conflict  raged  Captain  Lea  attended  strictly  to  his  own  business. 
Monev  was  plentv  in  those  davs  and  he  prospered,  amassing  much  of  this 
world's  goods,  consisting  mostlv  of  land  and  cattle.  He  was  known  to 
every  man.  woman  and  child  in  the  great  valley,  up  into  the  mountains, 
and  out  upon  the  llano,  and  neither  then  nor  in  the  years  that  have  come 


794  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  gone  was  the  voice  of  dishonor  ever  raised  against  him.  By  the 
people  of  every  decade  he  was  regarded  with  general  respect  and  trust. 

Captain  Lea  was  one  of  the  first  to  realize  the  great  future  that  lay 
before  Giaves  county  and  Roswell.  His  wide  experience  had  taught  him 
that  every  element  of  greatness  was  here — soil  that  was  a  veritable  mine 
of  richness,  a  splendid  water  supply  adequate,  it  seemed,  to  the  demands 
of  all  time,  a  matchless  climate,  a  wealth  of  all  the  elements  necessary  to 
cattle  growing — were  at  every  hand.  The  first  fruit  trees  had  given  forth 
great  promise  and  the  captain  realized  that  there  was  a  great  future  in 
store  for  the  country,  and  from  the  beginning  of  his  residence  here  until 
his  death  he  has  been  an  active  co-operant  in  every  measure  to  help  build 
up  the  town  and  valley.  Xo  project  has  ever  been  advanced  for  the  com- 
mon good  that  he  did  not  do  his  part. 

<  >n  one  occasion  Captain  Lea  suffered  heavy  losses.  When  there  was 
a  great  decline  in  the  value  of  cattle  he  was  the  central  figure  in  the  Lea 
Cattle  Company.  The  financial  disaster  overtook  the  company  and  he 
parted  with  the  greater  portion  of  his  wealth.  In  keeping  with  the  sterling 
integrity  that  had  always  marked  the  man  was  his  conduct  at  this  period. 
Instead  of  saving  what  he  could  from  the  wreck  he  placed  his  entire  assets 
in  the  mill  and  when  the  last  dollar  of  indebtedness  was  paid  he  had  but 
little  remaining.  But  for  the  rapid  increase  in  values  on  his  property  that 
remained  he  would  have  been  forced  to  start  anew  in  his  old  age  with 
everything  gone  save  honor.  His  influence,  more  than  that  of  any  other 
man,  has  beep  felt  in  the  upbuilding  of  Roswell  and  Chaves  county.  He 
was  never  too  busy  to  give  his  time  and  experience,  without  price,  to  all 
those  who  came  to  see.  and  no  vale  ever  had  a  more  loyal  champion. 
Whether  he  was  directly  benefited  or  not  it  was  all  the  same  to  him.  He 
gave  of  his  lands  and  money  to  every  public  enterprise  that  was  instituted. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  loyal  champions  of  the  noble  educational  insti- 
tution for  boys  now  known  as  the  XTew  Mexico  Military  Institute.  In  his 
social  relations  he  was  an  enthusiastic  Mason.  He  was  also  captain  and 
commander  of  the  local  camp  of  Confederate  Veterans,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death,  and  was  its  first  delegate  to  the  national  encampment. 
Public  office  was  always  distasteful  to  him,  but  at  length  he  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  accent  the  position  of  mavor,  and  after  he  had  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  the  office  he  said.  "I  would  rather  be  the  first  mayor  of  Ros- 
well than  to  be  governor  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico."  Such  was 
his  love  for  the  town  that  he  builded. 

The  Roswell  Record  said  of  him :  "Captain  Lea  was  in  almost  every 
aspect  a  remarkable  man.  In  stature  he  stood  six  feet  and  four  inches 
and  his  nobility  of  nature  was  as  far  above  that  of  the  average  man  as  he 
exceeded  him  in  stature.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was 
a  citizen  in  Roswell.  He  came  here  when  this  was  simply  a  wayside  post- 
office  on  a  star  route.  He  saw  the  place  bud  into  a  village  and  blossom  into 
a  city,  and  to  his  aid  more  than  to  any  one  is  the  growth  of  his  beloved 
town  due.  At  one  time  he  owned  all  the  land  upon  which  the  town  is 
built  and  had  he  been  a  selfish  gain-seeker  he  could  have  been  one  of  the 
wealthiest  men  in  all  the  land,  but  such  was  the  breadth  of  his  charity 
that  he  died  comparativelv  a  poor  man.  No  worthy  person  ever  applied 
to  him  in  vain.  Even  when  most  burdened  with  his  own  affairs  he  was 
constantly  working  for  the  general  good  of  his  town  and  countv.     Like  all 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ™5 

truly  good  men,  he  was  exceedingly  modest  and  could  never  hear  himself 
praised  without  blushing.  He  was  more  active  than  any  other  in  securing 
the  creation  of  this  county  and  when  it  was  suggested  that  it  be  named 
in  his  honor  he  modestly  demurred.  He  steadfastly  declined  all  public 
honors  until  Roswell  was  incorporated  as  a  city  and  then  at  the  almost 
unanimous  demand  of  the  people  he  consented  to  become  its  first  mayor. 

"Captain  Lea  had  a  kind  word  and  was  always  ready  to  do  a  good 
deed  for  every  one.  No  man  ever  had  higher  ideals  of  manhood  and 
womanhood  than  he.  To  the  young  man  he  was  a  father  and  elder  brother, 
and  there  are  hundreds  today  who  feel  a  personal  obligation  to  him  for  his 
kindness  and  advice.  It  is  given  to  but  few  men  to  have  such  a  hold  upon 
the  affections  of  a  people  as  he  had.  To  those  familiar  with  life  here  in 
the  early  days  in  the  southwest  there  need  not  be  recounted  the  many  inci- 
dents in  which  Captain  Lea  in  his  stand  for  the  supremacy  of  law  displayed 
a  courage  and  heroism  as  great  as  ever  soldier  displayed  on  the  field  of 
battle.  So  from  the  time  that  Roswell  was  but  a  trading  post  Captain 
Lea  has  been  a  central  and  foremost  figure.  Public  spirited  as  he  was,  he 
liked  to  keep  in  close  touch  with  the  progress  of  local  events  and  to  talk 
of  plans  for  the  public  good  which  he  wished  to  see  consummated.  Believ- 
ing firmly  as  he  did  that  Roswell  is  destined  to  be  the  metropolis  of  New 
Mexico,  all  of  his  plans  were  made  with  this  in  view." 

When  death  claimed  Captain  Lea  resolutions  of  respect  were  passed 
by  Yalverde  Camp  No.  1419,  N.  C.  V.,  of  Roswell,  by  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  other  organizations,  including  the  city  council,  who  ordered  that 
all  city  offices  and  buildings  be  closed  until  after  the  funeral  and  the  stores 
of  the  city  also  closed  their  doors  and  suspended  business  out  of  respect 
to  the  honored  mayor  and  foremost  citizen  of  the  town.  Most  impressive 
funeral  services  were  held,  more  than  one  thousand  friends  and  neighbors 
of  Captain  Lea  following  in  solemn  procession  the  remains  to  their  last 
resting  place.  The  services  were  held  in  the  Christian  church,  of  which 
Captain  Lea  was  a  devoted  member.  The  body  had  lain  in  state  in  the 
church  from  six  o'clock  on  the  previous  evening  and  hundreds  of  friends 
had  called  to  pay  their  last  tribute  of  respect  to  one  whom  they  had  long 
known  and  honored.  Interment  was  made  by  the  Masonic  lodge  to  which 
he  belonged,  the  beautiful  Masonic  burial  ceremony  being  observed,  at  the 
conclusion  of  which  the  veterans  of  A^alverde  Camp  took  position  around 
the  grave,  holding  over  it  the  folds  of  the  stars  and  bars,  while  a  firing 
squad  from  the  New  Mexico  Military  Institute  fired  a  salute  of  three  vol- 
leys. Taps  were  then  sounded.  Long  years,  however,  will  have  passed 
before  Captain  Lea  will  have  been  forgotten  by  those  among  whom  he  lived 
and  labored,  and  as  long  as  the  history  of  Chaves  county  has  a  place  in  the 
records  of  the  Territory  his  name  will  be  honored  for  what  he  did  for  his 
locality,    for   public   progress   and    for   common   humanity. 

Hagerman. — After  Roswell,  Hagerman  is  the  most  important  point 
in  Chaves  county,  and  one  of  the  largest  shipping  centers  for  fruit,  alfalfa 
and  live  stock  along  the  line  of  the  Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern  road.  It 
is  situated  two  miles  southwest  of  where  the  Rio  Felix  makes  its  junction 
with  the  Rio  Pecos,  and  is  nearly  midway  between  Amarillo  and  Pecos, 
Texas.  It  is  a  place  of  about  800  people  and  is  substantially  and  taste- 
fully built. 

Hagerman  has  a  good  bank,  with  average  deposits  of  $100,000,  a  fine 
Vol.  11.    is 


796  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

school  and  societies  of  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  Methodists  and  Episcopa- 
lians. Its  water  supply  is  furnished  by  two  ot  the  best  artesian  wells  in 
Pecos  valley,  the  pressure  from  which  is  sufficient  to  force  a  stream  to 
a  height  of  one  hundred  feet,  or  over  the  tallest  buildings  in  the  town. 

the  town  was  founded  by  J.  J.  Hagerman  in  1695.  Mr.  Hagerman 
passed  through  the  Northern  valley  in  October,  1894,  upon  the  completion 
of  the  Pecos  V  alley  road  from  Eddy,  or  Carisbad,  to  Roswell.  Due  of  the 
first  things  that  attracted  his  attention  at  that  place  was  a  large,  luscious 
apple  raised  by  John  Chisum  on  his  South  Spring  ranch,  ana  known  all 
up  and  down  the  valley  as  the  Chisum  apple.  Air.  Chisum  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  in  the  cultivation  of  that  fruit,  which  has  made  especially 
famous,  in  a  horticultural  sense,  all  that  portion  of  the  Pecos  valley  be- 
tween Roswell  and  Hagerman.  The  development  of  this  special  indus- 
try commenced  about  thirty  years  ago  in  the  live-acre  apple  orchard  on 
Chisum's  ranch. 

Parker  Earle,  who  now  lives  near  Roswell,  was  for  sixteen  years  presi- 
dent of  the  American  Horticultural  Society,  and  is  known  all  over  the 
west  in  connection  with  both  the  raising  and  refrigeration  of  fruit.  Being 
in  Roswell  with  Mr.  Hagerman  at  the  time  of  the  railroad  celebration,  he 
was  so  captivated  by  the  Chisum  apple  that  he  sent  to  some  eastern  nur- 
serymen and  brought  them  to  Colorado  Springs  to  form  the  Pecos  Valley 
Orchard  Company,  and  especially  to  propagate  the  apple  named.  He  was 
enthusiastically  supported  by  Mr.  Hagerman,  who  soon  became  the  leading 
business  spirit  in 'the  enterprise. 

In  the  winter  of  1894-95  a  500-acre  apple  orchard  was  planted,  and 
from  this  has  sprung  what  is  known  the  country  over  as  the  Hagerman 
apple  orchard,  with  a  product  of  100,000  bushels  per  year.  Its  apples  have 
taken  the  highest  honors  in  all  the  great  expositions  of  recent  years,  and  it 
has  been  the  means  of  encouraging  others  to  plant  apple  trees  in  both  large 
and  small  orchards. 

At  the  present  time  there  are  about  3,000  acres  of  apple  orchards  in 
the  Upper  Pecos  valley,  none  of  them  over  ten  years  old.  Some  varieties 
of  apples  come  into  bearing  in  this  country  in  the  fourth  or  fifth  year  after 
planting.  It  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  widiin  five  years  at  least  1,000 
carioads  of  apples  will  be  shipped  yearly  from  the  Upper  valley  from  or- 
chards already  planted. 

In  1898  the  Felix  Irrigation  Company  was  formed  to  operate  the  North- 
ern canal,  formerly  a  portion  of  the  system  of  the  old  Pecos  Valley  Irri- 
gation and  Improvement  Company.  This  canal  waters  about  7,000  acres  of 
land  in  what  is  known  as  the  Hagerman-Felix  district,  about  twenty  miles 
south  of  Roswell.  No  finer  farms  can  be  found  in  the  valley  than  in  this 
region,  which  is  being  rapidly  settled,  and  die  center  of  which  is  the  town 
of  Hagerman. 

Lake  Arthur. — The  town  site  of  Lake  Arthur  was  surveyed  and  platted 
in  August,  1904,  and  in  the  following  November  W.  L.  Stull  commenced 
the  erection  of  the  Lake  Arthur  Hotel,  the  first  building  to  be  com- 
pleted in  the  place.  Boyd  Brothers'  store  was  the  next  building  to  be 
erected,  which  was  followed  by  the  structure  in  which  the  Town  Site  Com- 
pany's office  was  located.  The  town  has  now  a  population  of  about  400, 
water  for  drinking  and  irrigation  purposes  being  supplied  from  artesian 
sources. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  ™7 

One  nursery  has  over  20.000  apple  trees  set  out,  large  orchards  are 
in  bearing,  and  the  finest  alfalfa  and  garden  truck  are  raised  in  the  local- 
ity. Lake  Arthur  is  a  short  distance  south  of  Hagerman,  on  the  Pecos 
Valley  &  Northeastern  Railroad,  and  it  is  a  large  point  for  the  ship- 
ping of  wool,  an  average  of  10,000  sheep  being  shorn  here  during  the 
season. 

Fred  P.  Gayle,  probate  clerk  at  Roswell  and  the  oldest  continuous 
resident  of  that  place,  came  from  Texas  to  New  Mexico  in  January,  1882. 
He  was  born  in  Alabama  and  rendered  military  aid  to  the  Confederacy  for 
four  years  (luring  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the  Fifteenth  Confederate 
Cavalry.  He  was  afterward  connected  with  the  Sixth  South  Carolina 
Cavalry. 

During  the  greater  part  of  his  active  business  life  Mr.  Gayle  has  re- 
sided in  Texas,  but  in  January,  1882,  came  to  New  Mexico  in  company  with 
Pat  Garrett.  They  went  to  White  Oaks  and  Mr.  Gayle  clerked  in  one  of 
the  early  stores  in  Roswell  in  1882-3.  He  is  now  the  oldest  continuous 
resident  of  the  town  and  has  witnessed  its  development  from  villagehood 
to  its  present  proportions,  when  all  the  evidences  of  a  progressive  civiliza- 
tion are  here  found.  In  1804  he  was  elected  probate  clerk  of  the  county 
and  has  since  been  continued  in  the  office,  covering  a  period  of  twelve 
years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Democrat,  active  and  influential  in  the  party 
councils,  and  has  served  on  various  committees  appointed  to  promote  the 
growth  and  insure  the  success  of  the  party. 

In  the  history  of  the  pioneer  development  of  Xew  Mexico  mention 
should  be  made  of  M.  V.  Corn,  who  came  to  the  Territory  in  1879  and  has 
been  closely  associated  with  its  material  development  and  with  its  progress 
along  lines  leading  to  good  citizenship  and  substantial  improvement.  He 
came  from  Kerr  county,  Texas,  making  the  overland  trip  to  Roswell,  after 
which  he  located  on  a  place  three  miles  southeast  of  the  town.  There  he 
took  homestead  and  timber  culture  claims  in  one  body.  In  later  years  he 
bought  land  adjoining  his  original  tract  and  when  he  sold  he  had  three 
hundred  and  eighty-four  acres  in  one  tract.  In  1893  he  disposed  of  this 
to  Mr.  Hagerman.  In  the  meantime  he  had  carried  on  the  work  of  general 
improvement  and  development.  In  1880  he  planted  Lovers'  Lane,  a  public 
highway  bordered  by  trees  for  a  mile  in  length,  and  it  is  now  the  most 
famous  driveway  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Corn  made  many  early  improve- 
ments on  the  place  and  nlanted  twenty  acres  of  apple  orchards,  having 
une  1  if  the  earliest  orchards  in  the  Pecos  valley.  He  has  taken  many  blue 
ribbons  on   farm  and  garden   fruit  crops. 

John  Poe  was  the  first  to  raise  alfalfa  in  this  valley  and  Mr.  Corn 
was  one  of  the  earliest  to  establish  this  great  industry.  His  place  was 
under  the  Texas  ditch,  which  was  among  the  first  irrigation  ditches  of 
the  valley.  In  connection  with  A.  O.  Spencer,  W.  L.  Holliman  and  James 
H.  Hampton  be  took  out  his  ditch  from  South  Spring  river  just  a"  little 
below  the  old  Chisum  ranch.  The  ditch  was  made  in  the  fall  of  1879,  and 
as  a  result  thereof  it  was  soon  demonstrated  that  the  soil  of  the  locality 
was  very  productive  when   water  was  added. 

In  1894  Mr.  Corn  removed  to  Eden  valley  and  located  a  ranch  twenty 
miles  north  of  Roswell.  He  took  a  desert  claim  and  improved  it  and  he 
now  has  about  seven  hundred  acres  of  deeded  land  twelve  miles  west  of 
the  Pecos  river  devoted  to  stock  raising.     His  sons,  John  R.,  Robert  L. 


798  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Martin  V.  and  George  W.  Corn,  are  all  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  the 
Eden  valley  and  the  family  has  proved  an  important  factor  in  the  material 
development  and  progress  of  this  part  of  New  Mexico,  Mr.  Corn  giving 
his  influence  to  every  measure  that  tends  to  promote  public  progress  and 
introduces  the  evidences  of  an  advanced  civilization  into  a  district  which 
up  to  a  few  years  ago  had  not  been  reclaimed  for  the  purposes  of  culti- 
vation. 

Richard  F.  Ballard,  filling  the  office  of  deputy  probate  clerk  at  Ros- 
well,  was  born  in  Fort  Griffin,  Shackelford  county,  Texas,  in  1877,  and  is 
a  son  of  Allen  J.  Ballard.  In  Eebruary,  1878,  the  father  brought  his  family 
to  New  Mexico,  locating  at  Fort  Sumner,  and  Richard  F.  Ballard  has 
since  remained  a  resident  of  the  Territory.  He  acquired  his  preliminary 
education  in  the  early  public  schools  and  afterward  attended  the  New 
Mexico  Military  Institute.  Early  in  his  business  career  he  became  con- 
nected with  the  cattle  industry  and  was  thus  engaged  until  September,  1903, 
when  he  was  appointed  deputy  probate  clerk  by  F.  P.  Gayle. .  His  political 
allegiance  is  given  to  the  Democratic  party.  Although  a  young  man  he  has 
exerted  considerable  influence  in  local  political  circles  and  he  is  a  typical 
son  of  New  Mexico,  possessing  the  alert  and  enterprising  spirit  which  has 
been  the  dominant  factor  in  the  rapid  and  substantial  growth  of  this  part 
of  the  country. 

Robert  Kellahin,  a  real  estate  operator  at  Roswell,  also  filling  the 
position  of  postmaster,  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  on  crossing  the  Atlantic 
to  America  in  1892  came  to  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  locating  in 
Carlsbad,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  Charles  W.  Green  offices  at  Carlsbad 
as  bookkeeper.  Mr.  Green  was  for  some  time  a  promoter,  who  contributed 
in  substantial  measure  to  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the  Territory. 
Subsequently  he  was  connected  with  the  Hagerman  Company  and  with 
irrigating  companies  in  and  around  Carlsbad,  acting  as  bookkeeper.  In  1895 
he  came  to  Roswell  and  accepted  a  position  as  auditor  and  cashier  with 
the  Roswell  Land  and  Water  Company,  acting  in  that  capacity  for  three 
years.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Kellahin  &  Calfee,  and  they  have  a  large  cli- 
entage, writing  considerable  business  as  insurance  agents  and  also  negotiat- 
ing important  realty  transfers.  Mr.  Kellahin  was  appointed  to  his  present 
office  as  postmaster  by  President  Roosevelt  in  July,  1904.  This  is  a  second- 
class  office  and  was  the  third  office  in  the  Territory.  There  is  a  carrier 
system  in  the  city.  He  has  placed  the  business  of  the  office  upon  a  method- 
ical basis,  resulting  in  a  splendid  discharge  of  the  work  therein  carried 
on  and  his  administration  has  won  uniform  commendation  and  good  will. 

Mr.  Kellahin  is  a  member  of  Roswell  Lodge  No.  18,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
and  in  the  year  of  1906  was  elected  grand  lecturer  for  the  Territory.  He 
also  belongs  to  Columbia  Chapter  No.  7.  R.  A.  M.,  of  Roswell,  and  to 
Rio  Hondo  Commandery  No.  6,  K.  T.,  of  which  he  is  eminent  commander. 
In  October,  1905,  he  became  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge  of  the  Territory 
at  Albuquerque,  and  is  today  one  of  the  prominent  Masons  of  the  Terri- 
tory. His  business  interests,  too,  have  prospered  since  he  came  to  the 
new  world  and  he  has  never  had  occasion  to  regret  his  determination  to 
seek  a  home  in  this  country  with  its  broader  opportunities  and  advance- 
ment  more   quickly  Secured. 

Joshua  P.  Church,  the  efficient  manager  of  the  telephone  companv,  has 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  799 

been  a  resident  of  Roswell  since  the  spring  of  1880.  About  twelve  years 
ago  the  Roswell  Telephone  and  Manufacturing  Company  was  incorporated, 
at  which  time  the  franchise  was  received,  and  the  following  gentlemen  were 
the  organizers  of  the  concern :  Messrs.  Cahoon,  Poe,  McGaffey  and  Church. 
The  work  was  started  as  a  local  system,  with  thirty-five  'phones,  but  the 
number  has  since  been  increased  to  five  hundred  in  this  city,  and  two 
years  ago  they  put  in  a  long  distance  system,  connecting  Roswell  with 
Carlsbad,  a  distance  of  eighty  miles,  also  establishing  a  system  at  Artesia 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  'phones,  and  they  are  now  putting  in  three 
different  exchanges,  Hagerman,  Dexter  and  Lake  Arthur.  The  officers  of 
the  company  are :  President,  J.  W.  Poe ;  vice-president,  J.  P.  Church ; 
treasurer.  E.  A.  Cahoon ;  and  secretary,  L.  K.  McGaffey.  This  is  the 
pioneer  system  of  the  Pecos  Valley,  and  at  the  present  time  the  company 
is  doubling  the  toll  line.  Mr.  Church  is  numbered  among  the  public- 
spirited  and  progressive  citizens  of  the  community,  and  he  is  now  serving 
his  fifth  term  on  the  city  board,  having  also  been  twice  chairman  of  the 
board. 

For  a  number  of  years  past  Mr.  Foreman  has  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  the  business  interests  of  Roswell,  and  in  this  time  has  become 
recognized  as  one  of  its  leading  and  useful  citizens.  He  came  from  the 
Cherokee  Nation,  Indian  Territory,  to  Roswell  in  1899.  In  September  of 
the  same  year  he  purchased  the  Hotel  Richards,  which  he  conducted  for 
about  two  years,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period  he  rented  the  hotel  and 
took  up  his  abode  a  half  mile  east  of  the  town,  where  he  bought  five  acres 
of  land,  the  purchase  price  being  two  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  During  his 
residence  here  he  has  greatly  improved  his  land  and  has  erected  thereon 
a  nice  residence.  He  returned  to  take  charge  of  the  hotel  again  January  1, 
1906.  In  April,  1904,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Ros- 
well, the  cause  of  education  ever  finding  in  him  a  firm  friend,  and  he  is 
numbered  among  the  wealthy  and  influential  citizens  of  Chaves  county. 

For  many  years  J.  D.  Hortenstein  was  closely  associated  with  the  his- 
torv  of  Chaves  county,  and  when  death  claimed  him  the  community 
mourned  the  loss  of  a  representative  citizen,  widely  and  favorably  known 
in  agricultural  circles.  He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1897  from  Illinois 
and  selected  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  twelve  miles 
from  Roswell,  and  in  1898  the  family  moved  here  from  Mattoon,  Coles 
county,  Illinois.  In  May,  1 901,  he  completed  an  artesian  well  eight  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  deep,  this  being  the  first  well  sunk  in  the  vicinity. 
Sixty  acres  of  his  place  was  devoted  to  orchard  and  alfalfa.  He  also  owned 
the  town  site  of  Orchard  Park,  located  on  the  railroad  twelve  miles  south- 
east of  Roswell,  which  was  platted  in  November,  1905.  The  postoffice 
name  of  Orchard  Park  is  Alellen.  The  estate  is  managed  by  his  widow  and 
son.    Hale    Homtenstein. 

Among  those  who  have  attained  distinctive  prestige  in  the  business  life 
of  Chaves  county  is  A.  M.  Robertson,  who  is  now  serving  as  the  Roswell 
agent  for  the  Continental  Oil  Company.  On  his  arrival  in  New  Mexico 
in  1880  he  engaged  in  mining  at  White  Oaks,  where  for  three  years  he 
prospected  for  gold,  and  from  that  time  until  1885  he  followed  the  search 
for  the  precious  metal  in  Dona  Ana  county,  near  Las  Cruces.  He  then 
came  to  Lincoln  county,  and  fromi  1885  to  1888  served  as  its  efficient 
deputy  sheriff.     In   February,   1889.   Mr.  Robertson  took  up  his  abode  in 


800  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  city  of  Roswell,  and  in  company  with  G.  A.  Richardson  embarked  in  the 
lumber  business,  they  conducting  the  first  yard  established  in  the  valley,  but 
in  1897  the  firm  dissolved  partnership  and  Mr.  Robertson  afterward  con- 
ducted the  business  alone  for  two  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
the  transfer  business,  becoming  agent  for  the  Continental  Oil  Company, 
in  which  position  he  has  ever  since  continued,  discharging  the  duties  de- 
volving upon  him  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned.  For  four 
years  he  served  as  a  commissioner  of  Chaves  county,  and  in  both  his  busi- 
ness and  official  record  he  has  been  true  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him  and 
has  shown  himself  worthy  of  the  public  regard. 

C.  W.  Haynes,  who  has  for  a  number  of  years  been  numbered  among 
the  substantial  citizens  of  Chaves  county,  taking  an  active  and  helpful  part 
in  the  progress  and  welfare  of  the  community,  took  up  his  abode  within 
the  borders  of  New  Mexico  in  1883,  first  locating  at  Las  Vegas.  For  five 
years  he  conducted  a  cattle  ranch  eighty  miles  southeast  of  that  city,  near 
Fort  Sumner,  on  the  expiration  of  which  period,  in  1888,  he  came  to  Lin- 
coln county,  locating  on  a  ranch  forty  miles  north  of  this  city,  and  in  1895 
located  in  Roswell.  In  1896  Mr.  Haynes  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Thornton  as  sheriff  of  Chaves  county,  to  fill  the  position  vacated  by  Charles 
Perry,  who  had  embezzled  eight  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  the  county's 
funds  and  escaped  to  southern  Africa,  where  he  is  supposed  to  have  been 
killed.  Mr.  Haynes  was  elected  to  the  position  of  sheriff  in  1897,  serving 
for  two  years,  and-  during  his  tenure  of  office  he  discharged  the  duties 
encumbent  upon  him  with  signal  ability  and  trustworthiness.  Prior  to 
entering  upon  the  duties  of  that  office  he  had  served  as  county  commis- 
sioner, and  since  retiring  from  office  he  has  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  owning  large  interests.  On  the  17th  of  January,  1902,  Mr. 
Haynes  completed  a  dam  across  Spring  river,  which  conveys  water  through 
thirty-two  hundred  feet  of  canal  and  generates  power  for  a  water  system. 
He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  future  of  Roswell,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  hun- 
dreds of  city  lots  which  he  has  bought.  He  deals  extensively  in  real  estate 
on  his  own  account,  and  is  also  associated  with  C.  D.  Bonney  in  the  busi- 
ness, they  having  large  and  extensive  interests. 

The  name  of  James  F.  Hinkle  is  deeply  engraved  on  the  pages  of 
Chaves  county's  history,  for  he  has  been  an  active  factor  in  administering 
the  affairs  of  government,  and  is  widely  recognized  as  a  Democratic  leader. 
He  is  a  native  of  Missouri.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  from  Texas  in  1885 
and  established  the  Penasco  Cattle  Company,  with  which  he  was  connected 
until  1  go  1.  This  county  was  then  known  as  Lincoln,  and  he  maintained 
his  headquarters  sixty-five  miles  from  Roswell.  He  had  about  twenty-five 
thousand  cattle  on  the  range,  and  his  was  one  of  the  largest  cattle  ranches 
in  the  Territory,  but  in  1901  he  disposed  of  his  interests  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Roswell.  In  the  following  year,  1902,  he  became  associated  with 
J.  J.  Hagerman,  with  whom  he  has  since  been  connected. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Hinkle  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  in  which  he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree,  and  is  a  member 
of  all  its  branches,  and  also  holds  membership  relations  with  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  No.  169,  of  which  he  is  the  exalted  ruler. 
His  political  support  is  given  to  the  Democratic  party,  and  on  its  ticket 
he  was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1892,  and  again  in  1895,  to  the  terri- 


/    'S 


tirt.tX 


^a^tu^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  SQ1 

torial  council  in  1901,  and  as  mayor  of  Roswell  in  April,  1904,  two-year 
term.     He  is  also  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Roswell. 

Frank  Divers,  of  Roswell,  first  came  to  the  Territory  in  1883,  at 
which  time  he  located  fifty  miles  east  of  Carlsbad,  in  what  was  then  Lin- 
coln county,  but  is  now  Eddy  county.  He  came  from  Texas,  and  in  1886 
he  removed  his  family  to  Midland,  Texas,  but  continued  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness in  the  Territory  until  1896.  The  ranch  of  which  he  was  formerly 
owner  now  belongs  to  C.  B.  Merchant,  and  was  the  first  ranch  located  in 
the  southeast  part  of  the  Territory,  while  Mr.  Divers  also  erected  the  first 
windmill  in  that  part  of  the  Territory.  Returning  to  Midland,  Texas,  he 
there  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  for  a  few  years. 

In  June,  1900,  Mr.  Divers  removed  to  Roswell,  trading  his  Texas 
property  for  a  ranch  ten  miles  southeast  of  the  town.  Later  he  sold  this 
place  of  eight  hundred  acres  to  C.  Chisholm,  and  it  now  constitutes  a  part 
of  the  Chisholm  hog  ranch.  In  February,  1901,  Mr.  Divers  became  a 
resident  of  Roswell,  and  in  1903  he  purchased  a  ranch  near  Campbell, 
whereon  he  has  about  seven  hundred  head  of  short-horn  Durham  cattle. 
He  has  been  grading  up  this  herd  for  seventeen  years,  and  now  owns 
some  very  fine  and  valuable  stock.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank.  He  has  prospered  in  his  business  undertakings,  owing  to  his 
close  application  and  indefatigable  energy,  his  keen  sagacity  and  reliable 
business  judgment.  He  is  a  strong  man,  strong  in  his  honor  and  good 
name,  as  well  as  in  his  success.  The  Baptist  church  finds  in  him  a  most 
active,  earnest  and  helpful  worker  and  generous  contributor,  and  he  is 
also  a  co-operant  factor  in  many  measures  that  have  had  direct  bearing 
upon  the  welfare  and  progress  of  Roswell  and  this  part  of  the  Territory, 
along  material,  intellectual  and  moral  lines. 

The  name  of  Lucius  Dills  is 'one  well  known  throughout  this  section 
of  the  southwest  territory,  for  here  he  has  passed  many  years  of  his  life 
and  is  now  filling  the  important  office  of  city  engineer.  In  1885  he  arrived 
in  New  Mexico,  and  for  one  year  thereafter  practiced  law  at  Lincoln, 
after  which  he  came  to  Roswell  and  turned  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  thus  continuing  for  three  years.  In  1891,  in  connection  with  J. 
D.  Lea,  he  established  the  Roswell  Record,  a  weekly  newspaper,  which  he 
conducted  until  December,  1898.  when  he  took  up  the  work  of  a  civil 
engineer.  Since  entering  upon  this  occupation  Mr.  Dills  has  done  much 
surveying  for  sidewalk  work,  having  surveyed  about  twelve  miles  of  ce- 
ment walk,  and  he  has  also  done  much  levee  work  on  the  Rio  Hondo  for 
flood  protection.  Two  years  age  he  was  made  the  city  engineer  of  Ros- 
well, and  in  this  position  he  lias  acquitted  himself  with  credit. 

Colonel  Charles  L.  Ballard,  a  stockman  at  Roswell,  Chaves  county, 
and  a  veteran  of  the  Spanish-American  and  Philippine  wars,  is  a  native  of 
Texas  and  came  to  the  territory  in  February,  1878,  with  his  father,  A.  J. 
Ballard,  who  was  a  buffalo  hunter  and  took  up  his  residence  at  Fort  Sum- 
ner. After  a  year  he  removed  to  Lincoln  county,  settling  near  Lincoln, 
where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  merchandising. 

Colonel  Ballard  remained  with  his  father  until  1880,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Roswell  and  entered  the  employ  of  Captain  Lea.  In  1890  he 
began  the  stock  business  on  his  own  account  and  has  since  conducted  oper- 
ations here  as  a  ranchman  and  stock  raiser  save  during  the  period  of  his 
military  service.     In  1898  he  enlisted  in  a  squadron  raised  in  New  Mexico, 


802  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  regiment  mobilizing  at  San  Antonio,  Texas.  He  was  second  lieutenant 
of  the  second  squadron.  Roosevelt  joined  the  regiment  at  San  Antonio 
and  they  proceeded  to  Cuba,  Colonel  Ballard  serving  throughout  the  period 
of  military  operations  in  that  country.  Later  he  was  commissioned  as 
second  lieutenant  to  join  the  Eleventh  Volunteers  in  the  Philippines,  and 
served  there  for  two  years,  being  mustered  out  with  the  rank  of  first  lieu- 
tenant. He  made  a  most  creditahle  military  record,  owing  to  his  loyalty 
and  his  valor. 

Returning  to  the  United  States  in  iqoi,  Colonel  Ballard  resumed 
stock  raising,  to  which  he  now  gives  his  time  and  energies  with  good 
success.  In  iqoi  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  cattle  sanitary  board 
bv  Governor  Otero,  and  at  the  last  general  election  was  chosen  to  repre- 
sent his  district  in  the  territorial  council.  His  political  allegiance  is  given 
the  Democracy  and  his  opinions  constitute  a  decisive  factor  in  the  local 
councils  of  his  party  and  are  not  without  weight  in  territorial  affairs. 

W.  P.  Turner,  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  Roswell,  came 
to  this  territory  from  Texas  in  October.  1895,  while  in  search  of  health, 
and  took  up  his  abode  in  Roswell.  For  the  succeeding  five  years  after  his 
arrival  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  on  the  expiration  of 
that  period,  in  1900,  he  organized  the  firm  of  Williamson  &  Turner,  real 
estate,  fire  and  life  insurance  dealers.  In  1904  the  firm  of  Turner  &  Ma- 
lone  was  organized,  engaged  in  the  same  business.  In  1905  was  organized 
the  Pecos  Valley  Immigration  Company,  with  offices  in  Kansas  City,  and 
the  members  of  this  well  known  company  are:  Turner  &  Malone.  Ros- 
well :  Warren  &  Malone,  Hagerman ;  John  Richey  &  Sons,  Artesia ;  Alli- 
son &  Hancher,  Carlsbad,  and  McLenathan  &  Tracy,  also  of  Carlsbad. 
The  officers  of  the  company  are :  President,  John  Richey ;  vice-president, 
W.  W.  Warren ;  secretary  and  treasurer.  W.  P.  Turner ;  and  general  man- 
ager, W.  R.  Allison.  This  company  has  brought  more  immigrants  to  the 
valley  than  any  other  organization.  It  has  about  four  hundred  agents 
located  over  the  United  States  from  New  York  to  California,  and  pre- 
dicts great  possibilities  for  the  future  of  the  Pecos  Valley. 

Mark  Howell,  chief  deputy  sheriff  of  Chaves  county,  living  in  Ros- 
well, was  born  near  Warrensburg,  Missouri,  in  1842,  and  in  his  boyhood 
days  went  to  Independence,  Missouri,  with  his  parents.  In  1853  he  accom- 
panied them  on  the  long  and  tedious  journev  to  California.  The  family 
home  was  established  on  the  Tuolumne  river,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  engaged  in  freighting.  He  has  lived  at  different  times  in  various  parts 
of  California,  laid  out  and  surveved  the  town  of  Madera  and  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  Merced,  California,  taking  up  his  abode  there  in  1872. 
In  January,  1882,  he  came  to  New  Mexico,  locating  in  Las  Vegas,  and  in 
1884  he  removed  to  Roswell.  He  has  surveyed  most  of  the  ditches  in 
Chaves  county  and  also  land.  His  work  in  this  connection  has  been  an 
important  one.  for  there  is  nothing  which  has  as  direct  bearing  upon  the 
development  and.  prosperity  of  the  Territorv  as  its  irrigation  system. 

Aside  from  his  activitv  in  business,  Mr.  Howell  has  been  recognized 
as  a  leading  merchant  of  Chaves  county  because  of  his  capable  and  active 
service  in  public  office.  He  was  deputy  treasurer  for  six  years,  county 
treasurer  for  four  years,  and  was  the  first  countv  surveyor,  receiving  that 
office  through  appointment.  Since  the  first  of  October,  1905.  he  has  been 
chief  deputy  sheriff,  and  over  the  record  of  his  public  career  and  private 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  «03 

life  there  falls  no  shadow  of  wrong  or  suspicion  of  evil.  Fraternally  he 
is  a  Mason  and  Odd  Fellow,  prominent  in  the  ranks  of  that  order,  as  well 
as  in  political  and  business  life.  His  labors  have  been  of  direct  and  perma- 
nent good  in  Chaves  county,  proving  a  valued  factor  in  the  upbuilding  and 
advancement  of  this  part  of  the  Territory. 

One  of  the  most  successful  business  men  of  Chaves  county  is  J.  A. 
Cottingham,  a  member  of  the  Roswell  Lumber  Company  of  Roswell.  He 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  southwest  since  the  18th  of  June,  1899,  when  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  this  city,  and  here  he  has  ever  since  been  an  important 
factor  in  its  business  circles.  In  1899  he  erected  the  Roswell  Steam 
Laundry,  in  connection  with  which  he  also  conducted  a  small  lumber  busi- 
ness, the  nucleus  of  his  present  large  enterprise.  Prior  to  his  removal  to 
New  Mexico  Mr.  Cottingham  had  conducted  a  lumber  business  in  Kopperl, 
Texas,  and  it  was  from  that  city  that  he  came  to  Roswell.  In  March,  1902, 
he  organized  a  home  company,  which  was  incorporated  as  the  Roswell 
Lumber  Company,  with  John  Shaw,  president,  I.  B.  Rose,  vice-president, 
H.  Fitzgerald,  secretary,  and  J.  A.  Cottingham,  treasurer  and  manager. 
On  the  10th  of  March,  1902,  they  purchased  the  interests  of  the  Lewis  & 
Wells  Lumber  Company.  The  capital  stock  of  this  company  is  valued  at 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  they  carry  paints  and  building  material. 

In  his  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Cottingham  is  a  member  of  the  blue 
lodge  and  chapter  of  the  Masonic  order  at  Roswell. 

L.  K.  McGaffey,  a  real  estate  dealer  of  Roswell,  New  Mexico,  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  his  people  having  come  to  this  country  in  colonial 
days.  He  was  born  in  Caledonia  county,  Vermont,  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  Territory  since  1884,  when  he  located  at  Los  Lunas.  He  was  there 
employed  in  the  mercantile  firm  of  L.  &  H.  Huning  for  one  year  and  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  seven  years  had  charge  of  a  cattle  ranch  for  that  firm 
in  western  New  Mexico.  He  settled  in  Roswell  in  1892,  and  was  post- 
master of  the  city  under  appointment  of  President  Cleveland  from  1893 
until  1898,  and  since  the  latter  date  has  been  dealing  in  Pecos  valley  lands, 
being  one  of  the  prominent  real  estate  dealers  of  this  section  of  the  Terri- 
tory. He  is  a  director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Roswell,  and  has  pro- 
moted various  land,  gas  and  telephone  companies,  operating  through  the 
valley,  which  connections  indicate  his  progressive  spirit  and  the  important 
part  which  he  is  taking  in  introducing  all  modern  improvements  into  this 
new  but  rapidly  developing  region. 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  McGaffey  has  taken  a  helpful  part,  has  served 
as  chairman  of  the  city  council  and  is  at  this  writing,  in  1906,  a  member  of 
the  board  of  education  at  Roswell.  He  has  likewise  been  president  of  the 
Roswell  Commercial  Club  and  has  held  various  other  positions  of  a  similar 
nature.  In  1904  he  attended  the  Democratic  national  convention  as  a  dele- 
gate from  his  Territory.  His  labors  have  been  of  direct  and  immediate 
serviceableness  in  upbuilding  Roswell,  the  intellectual,  material  and  polit- 
ical interests  feeling  the  stimulus  of  his  co-operation  and  benefiting  by  his 
keen  discrimination   and  practical  methods. 

Although  a  resident  of  Austin.  Texas,  the  extensive  business  interests 
of  G.  W.  Littlefield  in  the  southwest  place  him  among  the  leaders  in  in- 
dustrial circles  here.  He  formerlv  owned  what  was  once  known  as  the 
L.  I.  T.  ranch,  which  was  established  in  1877  in  Texas,  but  in  1881  sold 
that   property  to  the  Prairie  Cattle   Company,   this   being  just   before   the 


804  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

rise  in  cattle,  and  Captain  Littlefield  then  went  to  southern  Texas  and 
bought  cattle,  which  he  drove  to  the  Pecos  Valley,  locating  at  Bosque 
Grande,  on  the  Pecos.  There  he  established  the  L.  F.  D.  ranch,  one  of 
the  most  important  in  New  Mexico,  and  at  that  time  there  were  no  ranches 
between  Fort  Sumner  and  Roswell.  In  1887  he  went  on  the  plains  eighty 
miles  east  of  this  place,  this  being  at  a  very  early  day  in  the  southwest, 
and  not  a  house  could  be  seen  between  Roswell  and  Midland,  Texas.  In 
1892  Captain  Littlefield  purchased  a  farm  three  miles  from  Roswell,  where 
he  keeps  blooded  stock  and  a  large  feeding  yard.  He  purchased  the  land 
for  five  dollars  an  acre,  and  there  he  now  owns  twelve  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  acres,  all  of  which  is  under  irrigation.  In  1901  he  went  to  Texas  and 
purchased  the  south  end  of  the  Capital  Syndicate  land,  known  as  the  X. 
I.  T.  ranch,  consisting  of  about  three  hundred  thousand  acres,  all  of  which 
is  grazing  land,  and  there  he  has  a  fine  herd  of  high-grade  Durhams  and 
Hereford  cattle. 

Major  Littlefield  maintains  his  home  in  Austin,  Texas,  where  he  is 
president  of  the  American  National  Bank,  and  his  extensive  interests  in 
New  Mexico  are  conducted  by  his  nephews,  T-  P.  White  and  Thomas  D. 
White. 

David  L.  Geyer,  who  is  filling  the  position  of  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  at  Roswell,  New  ulexico,  was  appointed  to  this  position 
by  President  McKinley  on  the  1st  of  October,  1897,  from  Pomeroy,  Ohio, 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  on  the  17th  of  November  of  the 
same  year.  His  second  term  in  this  official  position  will  expire  in  March, 
1907.  ' 

Judge  J.  T.  Evans,  probate  judge  of  Chaves  county,  and  a  resident  of 
Roswell,  has  made  his  home  in  the  Territory  since  the  fall  of  1892.  He 
was  born  in  Alabama  and  pursued  his  education  at  Meridian,  Mississippi. 
For  four  years  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Texas  and  was  county 
surveyor  of  Coleman  county,  Texas,  for  four  vears.  Preparing  for  the 
practice  of  law,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Coleman  county  about  1886, 
and  while  residing  there  was  elected  and  served  for  four  years  as  county 
judge,  bringing  to  the  bench  excellent  qualifications  for  the  discharge  of 
the  responsible  duties  of  an  office  to  which  the  general  public  must  look 
for  the  protection  of  its  rights  and  liberties.  In  the  fall  of  1892  he  removed 
from  Texas  to  New  Mexico  and  has  since  resided  in  Roswell,  where,  open- 
ing an  office,  he  entered  upon  the  active  practice  of  law,  displaying  an 
ability  that  soon  made  his  clientage  a  distinctly  representative  one.  In 
1901  he  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  probate  judge,  which  position  he  is  now 
filling  for  the  third  term,  proving  most  capable  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  as  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  has  been  twice  re-elected.  His 
political  support  is  given  to  the  Democracy  and  he  has  loyally  adhered  to 
the  party  in  times  of  defeat  as  well  as  in  times  of  victory  because  of  his 
firm  belief  in  its  principles  and  policy. 

In  his  social  relations  Judge  Evans  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  belonging  to 
Samaritan  Lodge  No.  12,  at  Roswell,  in  which  he  has  taken  all  of  the  de- 
grees and  filled  all  of  the  chairs.  He  likewise  belongs  to  the  Masonic  lodge 
and  the  Royal  Arch  chapter  and  is  a  worthy  exemplar  of  the  teachings  and 
tenets  of  the  fraternity. 

Extensive  business  interests  in  Chaves  county  place  Mr.  White  among 
the  leaders  in  industrial  circles,  and  he  has  achieved  that  success  which  is 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  805 

the  logical  result  of  enterprise  and  straight-forward  methods.  He  came 
to  this  Territory  from  the  Lone  Star  state  of  Texas,  arriving  in  Roswell 
in  March,  1899,  and  at  once  embarked  in  the  sheep  industry.  He  has  thus 
been  identified  with  one  of  the  leading  enterprises  of  this  section  of  the 
country  for  many  years,  and  now  has  twelve  thousand  head  of  sheep 
ranging  west  of  Roswell,  averaging  a  nine-pound  wool  clip.  His  life  has 
been  a  success,  but  all  his  achievements  are  the  result  of  patient  effort  and 
industry. 

Harold  Hurd,  the  president  of  the  Roswell  Wool  and  Hide  Company, 
was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  completed  a  course  of  study  in  the 
law  department  of  Columbia  University,  New  York  city,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  with  the  class  of  1896.  He  was  then  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  New  York  state,  where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession. In  1898,  however,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  New  York  and  went 
to  Cuba  on  the  Yankee.  In  September,  189S,  he  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge and  took  up  law  practice  in  New  York,  where  he  remained  until 
1899.  In  February  of  that  year  he  came  to  the  Territory,  going  first  to 
Albuquerque,  and  in  February,  1900,  came  to  Roswell  and  made  arrange- 
ments whereby  he  became  owner  of  a  ranch  devoted  to  sheep  raising. 
After  conducting  it  for  a  time,  however,  he  sold  that  business  and  joined 
in  the  organization  of  the  Roswell  Wool  &  Hide  Company,  incorporated. 
This  company  is  officered  by  Harold  Hurd,  president;  Clark  A.  Baker, 
treasurer;  and  William  A.  Bryant,  secretary.  They  are  wholesale  and 
retail  dealers  in  coal,  hay  and  grain  and  shippers  of  hides,  wool  and  pelts 
and  also  agents  for  the  Anheuser-Busch  and  Pabst  Brewing  Companies. 
The  company  was  incorporated  February  15,  1905,  and  has  a  paid  up  cap- 
ital of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Hurd  is  also  vice-president  of 
the  Commercial  Club  and  is  a  business  man  of  enterprise,  whose  ambition 
and  keen  foresight  are  proving  an  essential  and  valuable  factor  in  the 
management  of  the  business  in  which  he  is  now  engaged. 

In  January,  1906,  Mr.  Hurd  was  admitted,  on  motion,  to-  the  supreme 
court  of  the  Territory. 

In  the  history  of  the  business  interests  of  Chaves  county  the  name  of 
A.  Pruit  is  indelibly  inscribed,  for  through  a  number  of  years  he  has  been 
one  of  its  leading  promoters,  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  leading  firms 
of  the  valley.  In  1893  he  became  connected  with  the  firm  of  Pierce  & 
Walker,  of  Carlsbad,  with  whom  Ik;  remained  for  three  years,  at  which  time 
that  company  was  absorbed  by  that  of  Joyce.  Pruit  &  Company,  this  being 
in  1895.  The  Joyce-l'ruit  Company  was  incorporated  on  the  1st  of  June, 
1905,  with  the  following  officers:  president,  John  R.  Joyce;  vice-president, 
J.  F.  Joyce ;  and  secretary  and  treasurer,  A.  Pruit.  Their  first  branch 
house  was  established  at  Roswell  June  15,  1895,  Mr.  Jovce  continuing  in 
business  here  while  Mr.  Pruit  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pierce  & 
Walker  at  Carlsbad  until  the  consolidation  in  1895.  The  branch  house  at 
Artesia  was  established  in  August,  1904,  that  at  Hagerman  July  1,  1906, 
and  the  branch  at  Pecos,  Texas,  was  established  in  1896.  The  capital  stock 
of  this  company  is  valued  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  In 
addition  to  all  the  above  mentioned  connections  Mr.  Pruit  is  also  vice- 
president  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Roswell,  and  he  occupies  an  eviable 
position  in  the  business  circles  of  Chaves  countv. 

Prominent  among  the  business  interests  of  Roswell  is  that  of  String- 


806  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

fellow  &  Tannehill,  hardware  merchants,  whose  business  was  established 
in  Roswell  in  1899,  at  which  time  they  purchased  the  firm  of  Wilson  Broth- 
ers. In  1903  this  firm  erected  the  Tannehill  Building,  one  of  the  best 
equipped  hardware  stores  in  the  southwestern  territory.  The  officers  of 
this  company  are :  L.  B.  Tannehill,  president,  and  C.  C.  Tannehill,  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  and  they  have  a  paid  up  capital  of  sixty  thousand  dol- 
lars. In  1905  this  business  was  sold  to  the  Roswell  Hardware  Company, 
and  in  June  of  the  same  year  was  established  the  Southwestern  Land  Com- 
pany. Since  its  establishment  this  company's  business  has  increased  from 
eight  hundred  to  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  a  month,  and  they  handle 
both  their  own  and  listed  property,  their  business  extending  over  Iowa, 
Illinois  and  the  north  middle  west.  For  a  number  of  years  the  members 
of  this  firm  have  been  prominently  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
the  southwest,  and  in  this  time  have  become  recognized  among  its  valued 
and  useful  citizens. 

James  A.  Gilmore,  connected  with  the  substantial  growth  and  im- 
provement of  the  city  of  Roswell  from  an  earlv  period  in  its  development 
and  now  extensively  and  successfully  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Gilmore  &  Fleming,  dates  his  residence  in  this 
state  from  the  23d  of  June,  1887.  During  that  period  great  improvements 
have  been  made  in  the  town  and  wonderful  changes  have  been  wrought. 
After  a  few  months  residence  here  Mr.  Gilmore  opened  a  drug  store,  which 
was  the  first  in  Pecos  valley,  and  continued  actively  in  its  managemeent  for 
six  years.  It  is  now  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  Roswell  Drug  Com- 
pany. He  was  also  associated  with  his  brother  George  G.  Gilmore  in  es- 
tablishing and  conducting  bottling  works,  which  are  still  in  operation.  In 
1896  Mr.  Gilmore  was  called  to  public  office,  being  elected  county  commis- 
sioner, which  position  he  tilled  for  two  years.  He  is  a  man  of  excellent 
business  capacity  and  of  broad  resources,  whose  recognition  and  utiliza- 
tion of  opportunity  have  been  salient  features  in  his  success.  In  1904  he 
began  operating  in  real  estate  in  connection  with  W.  C.  Fleming  and  the 
firm  of  Gilmore  &  Fleming  now  handle  listed  property  and  are  prominent 
real  estate  dealers  of  Chaves  county. 

George  F.  Bixby,  a  contractor  of  Roswell,  whose  building  operations 
have  been  of  direct  and  substantial  benefit  in  the  improvement  of  his  city, 
came  to  the  Territory  in  June,  1893.  He  was  born  in  Vermont  and  in  early 
life  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  for  a  number  of  years  he  followed 
as  a  journeyman.  Even  after  his  removal  to  New  Mexico  he  continued  to 
work  at  carpentering  in  the  employ  of  others,  but  in  1896  began  contracting 
and  building  on  his  own  account.  In  that  year  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Frank  H.  Pearce  under  the  firm  style  of  Pearce  &  Bixby  with  office 
on  Richardson  between  1st  and  2nd  streets  at  present,  and  shop  at  No. 
313  Main  street.  Roswell.  In  November,  190s,  he  purchased  his  partner's 
interest  and  has  since  been  alone  in  business  with  a  patronage  that  has  con- 
nected him  with  leading  building  operations  in  his  county.  His  first  con- 
tract was  for  the  erection  of  the  L.  K.  McGaffev  residence.  The  New 
Mexico  Military  Institute  was  erected  by  the  firm  together  with  other  im- 
portant structures.  Recently  Mr.  Bixby  has  completed  the  Goodin  build- 
ing, and  has  now  a  planing  mill  in  process  of  construction.  In  1904  he 
built  the  American  National  Bank  Building  and  the  Bixby  Building.  In 
recent  vears  the  buildings  have  become  of  more  substantial  character  and 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  »07 

the  excellence  of  his  workmanship  and  his  thorough  reliability  in  trade 
relations  are  matters  well  known  to  the  general  public.  He  is  now  building 
the  new  Walker  Hotel  and  doing  about  $20,000  worth  of  improvements 
on  the  Garst  property;  also  Costa  Block  on  Alain  street,  and  in  fact  is 
doing  more  building  this  year  then  any  time  before. 

J.  S.  Lea,  or  Smith  Lea  as  he  is  familiarly  known,  the  present  treas- 
urer and  ex-officio  collector,  of  Chaves  county,  Xew  Mexico,  was  born  in 
Johnson  county,  Missouri,  January  18,  1856.  He  arrived  in  Roswell  on 
the  3rd  day  of  May,  1881,  and  has  been  identified  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  the  county  ever  since.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  under  Pat 
F.  Garrett  and  John  W.  Poe,  when  they  were  sheriffs  of  Lincoln  county 
in  the  early  eighties.  During  that  time  he  was  located  at  Lincoln,  where 
he  says  he  spent  his  happiest  days  despite  the  rough  experiences  he  had, 
such  as  was  incident  to  the  sheriff's  office  in  those  times.  Later  he  was 
receiver  for  DeLany  &  Terrell  and  wound  up  their  large  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Fort  Stanton,  New  Mexico,  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  warring 
partners  and  the  court  who  appointed  him.  He  was  for  a  time  manager  of 
the  Milne  &  Bush  ranch,  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Roswell, 
New  Mexico,  cattle  inspector,  etc.  Each  position  of  trust  he  has  held  with 
credit  to  himself  and  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  secured  his  election 
or  appointment.  He  is  well  known  111  lodge  circles,  being  a  blue  lodge, 
chapter,  commandery  and  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  also  a  member  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  an  Odd  Fellow,  an  Eagle  and  an  Elk.  He  has  always 
been  an  enthusiastic  Democrat  and  a  great  admirer  of  Wm.  J.  Bryan. 

C.  D.  Bonney,  of  Roswell,  came  to  the  Territory  June  4,  188 1,  and  in 
that  year  purchased  an  interest  in  the  store  owned  by  Captain  J.  Lea,  at 
which  time  the  firm  of  Lea,  Bonney  &  Company  was  organized.  The  con- 
ducted a  store  across  the  street  from  the  site  upon  which  the  present  court 
house  now  stands.  This  was  the  pioneer  firm  of  the  Pecos  valley  and  had 
a  continuous  and  prosperous  existence  until  1884.  The  goods  were  freighted 
from  Las  Vegas  by  Mexican  bull  teams  and  they  shipped  out  wool  and 
beans,  transporting  at  one  shipment  sixty  thousand  pounds  of  Mexican 
beans.  Their  business  was  continued  until  1884,  when  they  sold  out  to 
the  firm  of  Lea,  Poe  &  Cosgrove. 

Mr.  Bonney  then  turned  his  attention  to  dealing  in  horses  and  was  the 
first  to  embark  in  the  business  on  a  large  scale.  He  had  a  ranch  thirty- 
miies  west  of  Roswell  on  the  Hondo  and  at  one  time  had  fifteen  hundred 
head  of  horses  there.  He  continued  in  business  with  gratifying  prosperity 
until  1898,  when  he  sold  out  to  R.  F.  Barnett,  while  he  became  proprietor 
of  a  livery  stable,  which  was  located  across  the  street  from  where  the  Amer- 
ican National  Bank  now  stands,  in  what  is  at  the  present  time  the  heart  of 
the  city.  He  conducted  the  business  until  1902,  when  his  barn  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire.  Since  that  time  he  has  operated  in  real  estate  with  Captain 
Haynes,  handling  his  own  property.  He  laid  out  Riverside  Heights,  a 
tract  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  town  lots,  and  he  now  has  for  sale  two  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  lots.  He  established  a  power  plant  on  the  Spring  river 
and  furnishes  all  this  tract  with  electric  light  and  water.  Mr.  Bonney  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  west  of  Roswell,  adjoining  the  city 
limits  and  laid  this  off  as  Sunset  Heights  in  ten  and  five  acre  tracts.  As 
a  real  estate  operator  he  has  contributed  in  verv  large  and  substantial  man- 
ner to  the  growth  and  improvement  of  Roswell,  and  his  efforts  while  bring-. 


808  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ing  him  substantial  success,  have  been  of  practical  and  immediate  servicea- 
bleness  to  the  community. 

John  C.  Peck,  whose  name  appears  on  the  roster  of  county  officials  in 
New  Mexico  in  connection  with  the  position  of  county  assessor  of  Chaves 
county,  was  born  in  Gonzales  county,  Texas,  February  21,  1870.  His  edu- 
cation was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  in  Louis- 
ville. Kentucky.  After  completing  the  high  school  course  he  attended  the 
Southern  Business  College  in  Louisville  and  he  entered  upon  his  business 
career  in  the  employ  of  the  Littlefield  Cattle  Company  on  the  L.  F.  D.  ranch 
in  1892.  A  few  months  later  he  came  to  Roswell,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained. He  was  chief  deputy  sheriff  under  William  Atkinson  from  1893 
until  1895  and  also  under  Sheriff  Haynes  for  two  years.  From  1897  until 
1899  he  was  engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  on  the  1st  of  January  of  the 
latter  year  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of  county  assessor,  to 
which  he  was  elected  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  He  is  still  interested  in 
the  stock  business,  carefully  managing  bis  affairs  in  this  connection  and 
enjoying  thereby  some  of  the  success  which  has  made  the  stock  industry 
a  leading  source  of  income  to  the  Territory.  Fraternally  he  is  connected 
with  Roswell  Rio  Hondo  Commandery  No.  6,  K.  T.,  having  thus  taken  the 
highest  degree  in  York  Masonry. 

Fritz  Brinck  has  made  for  himself  a  place  in  connection  with  the 
activities  of  Chaves  county,  being  one  of  its  most  prominent  sheep  raisers. 
He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1892,  and  for  some  time  thereafter  was  en- 
gaged in  buying  sheep.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  here  there  were  not 
over  fifty-five  thousand  sheep  in  the  county,  and  thus  he  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  business.  In  1898  he  purchased  a  ranch  on  Salt 
Creek,  sixteen  miles  from  Roswell,  and  in  1902  he  purchased  the  interests 
of  the  Salt  Creek  Sheep  Company.  Since  1905  he  has  been  associated  in 
business  with  Mr.  A.  J.  Knollin,  who  resides  in  Chicago,  and  the  firm  of 
Knollin  &  Brinck  is  well  known  over  this  section  of  the  Territory.  Mr. 
Brinck  now  has  about  sixteen  thousand  sheep,  of  blooded  Shropshire  stock. 
He  believes  that  due  to  the  uncertainty  of  rainfall  the  lease  law  as  agitated 
in  this  Territory  is  unjust.  As  many  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent 
within  the  confines  of  Chaves  county  he  is  identified  with  much  of  its 
history,  and  is  numbered  among  its  public  spirited  and  progressive  citi- 
zens. 

Occupying  an  enviable  position  in  the  agricultural  circles  of  Chaves 
county,  Mr.  Buss  has  from  an  early  period  in  its  development  resided  within 
its  borders.  He  came  to  the  territory  from  Nebraska  on  the  6th  of  April, 
1895,  and  in  December  of  the  following  year  homesteaded  a  tract  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Roswell,  which  constitutes 
his  present  home  place.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Buss  bored 
a  well,  this  being  the  second  six  hundred  foot  well  dug  in  the  Territory,  and 
in  those  early  days  in  the  southwest  he  followed  the  drilling  business  as 
an  occupation.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  160  acres  of  excellent  land,  ail  of 
which  is  under  cultivation,  and  twenty  acres  of  the  place  is  devoted  to 
alfalfa,  while  seven  acres  is  planted  in  orchard.  Mr.  Buss  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the  locality,  and  he  is  also  activelv 
interested  in  stock  raising,  having  on  his  place  two  blooded  stallions  and 
one  jack,  and  he  also  keeps  about  fifty  head  of  horses,  colts  and  mules. 


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LOCAL  HISTORIES  809 

Lewis  W.  Neatherlin,  one  of  the  prominent  and  well-known  residents 
of  Chaves  count)-,  is  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits on  his  farm  three  miles  northeast  of  Roswell.  At  die  time  of  his 
arrival  in  New  Mexico  in  September,  1880,  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Stone's 
ranch,  where  he  remained  during  the  following  winter  and  then  removed 
to  Seven  Rivers,  near  Lakewood,  there  locating  a  ranch  and  devoting  his 
time  to  the  stock  business  until  1882.  Mr.  Neatherlin's  next  location  was 
at  the  head  of  Black  river,  east  of  the  Guadalupe  Mountains,  and  he  then 
went  to  the  foothills  of  the  Sacramento  Mountains,  where  he  did  well  in 
the  stock  business  and  remained  there  from  1885  to  I&93-  Selling  his  pos- 
sessions there  he  came  to  his  present  home  place  in  Chaves  county,  New 
Mexico,  three  miles  northeast  of  Roswell,  where  he  has  a  small  farm  de- 
voted to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  alfalfa.  His  land  is  watered  by  the  Stone 
ditch.  Aside  from  his  private  affairs  Mr.  Neatherlin  has  found  time  to 
devote  to  public  office,  and  from  1889  to  1890  he  served  as  assessor  of 
Lincoln  county.  Spiva  L.  Neatherlin.  a  son  of  Lewis  W.,  is  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  and  also  has  charge  of  a  rural  delivery  mail  route. 
His  was  the  first  route  established  in  the  Territory,  having  been  organized 
in   March.   1901. 

Mr.  Neatherlin  was  married  at  Belmont,  Texas,  December  21,  1854,  to 
Miss  Mary  E.  Clinton.  Mr.  Neatherlin  was  made  a  Mason  in  June,  1868, 
at  Pleasanton,  Texas. 

E.  S.  Seay,  closely  associated  with  business  interests  in  Roswell  as 
proprietor  of  the  Wool  Scouring  Mills,  is  also  secretary  of  the  Gill  & 
Morrow  hardware  firm,  which  was  organized  in  1900.  On  the  1st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1905.  this  was  consolidated  with  the  business  of  the  firm  of 
Stringfellow  &  Tannehill  under  the  name  of  the  Roswell  Hard- 
ware Company,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  commercial  enterprises 
of  Chaves  count}-.  Mr.  Seay  came  to  the  Territory  in  the  fall  of  1894 
and  the  following  year  embarked  in  the  hardware  business,  since  which 
time  he  has  been  identified  with  this  line  of  trade.  When  he  arrived  there 
were  about  one  thousand  people  in  the  town,  which  has  grown  with  marvel- 
ous rapidity,  yet  with  a  substantiality  that  makes  it  one  of  the  leading  cities 
of  this  part  of  the  territory,  rendering  investment  safe  and  business  enter- 
prises profitable.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  wool  scouring  business  as  pro- 
prietor of  the  Wool  Scouring-  Mills,  there  being  about  two  million  pounds 
of  wool  marketed  here  each  vear.  In  community  affairs  he  has  also  been 
interested,  giving  his  co-operation  to  many  plans  and  measures  for  the 
public  good,  and  for  throe  terms  he  served  mi  the  board  of  trustees. 

G.  W.  Jernigan,  residing  eighteen  miles  east  of  Weed,  in  Chaves 
count)-,  owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in  Quano  canvon, 
and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  came  to  the  Territorv  in 
1884  and  located  on  Black  river,  below  Carlsbad.  In  1890.  however,  he  re- 
moved to  his  present  ranch,  and  has  since  engaged  successfullv  in  the  stock 
business,  while  to  some  extent  he  has  followed  farming.  He  has  a  very 
fine  stock  ranch  located  in  Chaves  county,  and  is  raising  high  grades  of 
cattle.  His  place  is  now  well  equipped  for  carrying  on  this  business,  and 
desired  results  are  attending  his  efforts,  making  him  a  substantial  citizen 
of  his  community.  Moreover,  he  takes  a  keen  interest  in  affairs  to  the 
extent  of  giving  tangible  support  to  many  movements  for  the  general  good. 

A.   E.   Macy  has   for  eleven   years  been  a   resident  of  the   Territorv, 


810  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

where  he  arrived  in  1895.  He  located  at  -Hagerman  and  for  two  years 
worked  for  the  Pecos  Improvement  &  Irrigation  Company.  In  the  fall  of 
1899  he  purchased  his  present  place  from  F.  M.  Brooks,  who  had  home- 
steaded  the  property  and  planted  an  orchard  of  about  twenty-eight  acres. 
Brooks  was  about  to  let  go  the  land.  Mr.  Macv,  however,  purchased  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  at  once  began  its  further  improvement  and 
development.  He  planted  twenty-two  acres  to  fruit  trees  and  now  has 
fifty  acres  of  bearing  orchards,  mostly  apples,  irrigated  from  the  ditch  of 
the  Felix  Irrigation  Company.  All  of  the  place  is  improved,  and  is  now 
a  valuable  property.  In  the  spring  of  1903  he  purchased  forty  acres  from 
Air.  Campbell  along  the  line  of  the  Pecos  &  Eastern  railroad,  laid  out  the 
townsite  and  named  the  place  Dexter,  in  honor  of  his  old  home  town, 
Dexter,  Iowa.  He  sold  lands  there  and  started  that  town,  but  in  1904  dis- 
posed of  his  holdings  to  the  C.  L.  Tallmadge  Real  Estate  Company.  He  is 
now  concentrating  his  energies  upon  his  fruit  raising  interests  and  his  suc- 
cess is  another  proof  of  the  value  of  New  Mexico  as  a  good  horticultural 
district. 

Alfred  Stinson  came  from  Iowa  to  the  Territory  on  the  18th  of  No- 
vember, 1887,  arriving  in  Las  Vegas.  He  was  born  in  Williams  county, 
Ohio,  but  had  spent  some  time  in  Iowa  prior  to  his  removal  to  the  south- 
west. He  remained  in  Las  Vegas  until  November,  1889,  when  he  went  to 
Chaves  county,  locating  forty  miles  north  of  Roswell.  on  the  Pecos  river. 
There  he  took  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  now  has 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  section  14.  He  is  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  having  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle.  During  the  years 
of  his  residence  in  the  Territory  he  has  prospered,  and  as  the  district  has 
emerged  from  pioneer  conditions  he.  too,  has  made  substantial  progress  in 
his  business  career,  and  at  the  same  time  has  contributed  to  the  general 
improvement  of  this  district. 

The  name  of  Frank  Williams  is  enduringly  inscribed  on  the  pages  of 
New  Mexico's  history  in  connection  with  the  records  of  her  jurisprudence. 
His  professional  record  and  his  official  record  are  alike  commendable,  for 
in  both  relations  he  has  been  true  to  the  trusts  reposed  in  him,  and  has 
shown  himself  worthy  of  public  regard.  He  is  a  native  son  of  Tennessee, 
and  in  its  schools  he  received  his  educational  training,  being  a  graduate 
of  Cumberland  University  in  the  class  of  1875.  On  the  20th  of  January, 
1875.  ne  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  Tennessee,  there  remaining  in  practice 
for  a  few  years.  He  then  went  to  Texas,  taking  up  his  abode  in  Maynard 
county,  where  he  followed  his  chosen  profession  for  four  years.  On  the 
10th  of  November,  1889,  Mr.  Williams  arrived  in  New  Mexico,  locating  at 
once  in  Roswell,  then  in  Lincoln  county,  but  in  1890  Chaves  county  was 
organized,  and  Air.  Williams  was  elected  its  probate  judge,  continuing  in 
that  position  for  four  years,  from  1890  to  1894.  In  1896  he  was  re-elected 
to  that  position,  his  term  expiring  in  1900.  when  he  resumed  the  general 
practice  of  law,  making  a  specialty  of  land  matters.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Chaves  County  Bar  Association,  and  is  accorded  a  prominent  position 
at  the  New  Mexico  bar. 

A.  D.  Garrett,  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Chaves 
county,  has  long  been  identified  with  one  of  the  principal  industries  of  the 
southwest,  that  of  sheep  raising.  He  first  engaged  in  that  occupation  in 
California,   from   there  going  to  Nevada,  and  thence  to  Texas,  where  he 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


811 


maintained  his  home  for  eighteen  years.  While  in  that  state  he  leased 
two  hundred  sections  of  land  in  Martin  county,  but  the  uncertainty  of  rain 
fall  drove  him  into  New  Mexico,  where  he  arrived  in  April,  1896.  At 
that  time  the  Mexicans  were  the  principal  sheep  raisers  here,  but  in  the 
severe  competition  which  followed  they  were  obliged  to  leave.  The  firm 
of  Godair  &  Garrett  was  formed,  and  they  generally  run  about  forty  thou- 
sand sheep,  having  equipments  for  that  many,  but  at  the  present  time  their 
number  has  decreased  to  twenty  thousand.  The  Godair-Crowley  Com- 
pany have  commission  houses  in  St.  Louis  and  Fort  Worth,  with  also  a 
branch  in  Kansas  City,  and  they  conduct  an  extensive  live  stock  business. 
Mr.  Godair  maintains  his  home  in  Chicago.  Dtiring  a  term  of  five  years 
the  average  increase  in  sheep  is  seventy  per  cent,  and  their  average  wool 
clip  is  about  eight  and  a  half  pounds.  '  They  handle  the  Rambouillet  and 
Merino  stock,  and  are  meeting  with  well  deserved  success  in  their  under- 
takings. 

To  Charles  de  Bremond  has  come  the  attainment  of  a  distinguished 
position  in  connection  with  the  agricultural  and  stock-raising  industries  of 
the  Territory.  Prior  to  leaving  his  native  land  of  Switzerland  he  was  for 
eight  years  in  military  life,  and  he  came  to  the  Pecos  Valley  in  company 
with  his  uncle,  Henry  Gaullier,  and  invested  here  at  the  instigation  of  J.  J. 
Hagerman.  In  1S91  he  located  in  Carlsbad,  Eddy  county,  and  in  1894 
took  up  his  abode  in  Roswell,  purchasing  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  northeast  of  the  city.  In  addition  to  this  he  leases  ninety  thousand 
acres  of  Indian  reservation  land  near  Capitan,  where  he  ranges  sheep. 
He  believes  in  a  just  lease  law,  and  is  numbered  among  Chaves  county's 
most  prominent  and  honored  citizens.  He  has  a  beautiful  place,  and  has 
clearly  demonstrated  what  can  be  done  by  industry  and  close  application. 

Walter  H.  Long  came  to  the  Territory  on  the  1st  of  January,  1885, 
from  California,  having  previous  to  that  time  been  engaged  in  the  sheep 
business  in  Shasta  county,  driving  sheep  from  California  to  Montana  and 
Colorado,  selling  Ids  sheep,  however,  largely  in  Montana.  Removing  to 
New  Mexico,  he,  in  May,  1885,  went  with  his  brother,  G.  S.  Long,  to 
Texas  and  purchased  cattle  which  they  drove  to  this  Territorv,  locating  on 
Conchos  creek  in  San  Miguel  county,  about  sixty  miles  southeast  of  Las 
Vegas.  They  were  thus  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  until  1892,  when 
they  turned  their  attention  to  the  sheep  industry.  For  four  years  they  were 
engaged  in  buying  and  driving  sheep  to  Clayton  for  shipment.  In  1899  Mr. 
Long  purchased  a  ranch  on  the  Mesa  and  removed  to  that  place  in  1900. 
In  July,  1905.  he  bought  the  Charles  D.  Keyes  ranch  on  Maro  creek,  fiftv- 
one  miles  north  of  Roswell.  He  is  now  operating  both  ranches  and  he  has 
one  of  the  best  locations  in  the  Territory  for  raising  sheep.  His  flocks 
number  fifteen  thousand,  all  fine  stock,  and  averaging,  at  a  wool  clipping, 
from  nine  to  ten  pounds.  He  will  clip  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  in 
the  year  1906.  He  also  deals  in  sheep  and  handles  the  Rambouillet  and 
Delaine  breeds.  He  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  sheep  raisers  of  the  Ter- 
ritory, his  business  having  reached  extensive  proportions. 

Harry  Cowan,  coming  to  the  Southwest  from  Iowa  in  December, 
1894.  spent  some  time  in  looking  over  the  Territory,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1895  took  up  his  abode  here,  settling  near  Hagerman  on  sixty  acres  ol 
land  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  northwest  of  the  town  site.  He  began  mak- 
ing improvements  in  that   spring,  and   in  the   following  spring  planted   a 

Vol.   II.      19 


812  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ten-acre  orchard.  Later  he  had  twenty-seven  acres  altogether  in  orchards, 
and  he  continued  in  the  improvement  of  the  property  until  the  fall  of  1905, 
when  he  sold  his  place,  having  previously,  however,  disposed  of  twenty 
acres  of  it.  He  then  removed  to  his  present  place  of  residence,  which  is  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  southwest  of  Hagerman,  and  here  he  has  ninety-seven 
acres,  upon  which  he  is  planting  a  thirty-five-acre  orchard.  He  intends 
to  give  his  attention  to  horticultural  pursuits,  recognizing  the  possibilities 
of  the  Territory  as  a  fruit-producing  center,  and  already  he  has  won  suc- 
cess along  these  lines. 

A.  G.  Mills,  who  dates  his  residence  in  New  Mexico  from  1883, 
located  in  that  year  on  the  Pecos  river,  thirty-five  miles  north  of  Fort  Sum- 
ner. In  1886  he  became  connected  with  the  sheep  industry  and  settled  on 
the  Salado  arroyo,  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Las  Vegas.  There  he  was 
engaged  in  the  sheep  business  until  1899  and  in  the  face  of  adverse  circum- 
stances built  up  a  good  property.  At  times  he  sold  wool  for  as  little  as 
four  and  a  half  cents  per  pound,  but  as  the  years  passed  times  improved 
and  he  prospered  in  his  undertakings.  In  1899,  however,  he  sold  his  prop- 
erty there  to  a  large  company,  consisting  of  Governor  Otero,  Judge  Mills 
and  John  S.  Clark,  and  they  are  now  operating  extensively  there. 

In  the  fall  of  1899  Mr.  Mills  removed  to  his  present  place  at  Green- 
field, four  miles  north  of  Hagerman,  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  which  was  the  old  homestead  of  Judge  G.  A.  Richardson, 
who  had  improved  this  place,  had  planted  cotton  wood  trees  on  the  road 
and  made  it  a  beautiful  farming  property.  Mr.  INI  ills  has  since  made  many- 
other  improvements  and  now  has  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
one  tract  all  improved,  two  hundred  acres  being  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. He  has  thirty  acres  in  orchards  and  there  is  much  alfalfa  raised. 
He  secures  water  from  the  Felix  irrigation  ditch.  Mr.  Mills  has  also  been 
extensively  engaged  in  raising  stock  and  in  farming  and  he  feels  that  the 
future  of  the  valley  depends  largely  upon  the  small  diversified  farmer, 
knowing  that  this  section  of  the  country  is  adaptable  for  the  production  of 
all  kinds  of  grain  and  fruits. 

L.  Wallace  Holt,  who  on  coming  to  the  Territory  in  1884  located  at 
Lakewood,  in  the  cattle  business,  was  connected  with  the  Holt  Live  Stock 
Company,  having  about  twelve  thousand  head  of  cattle.  About  1898, 
however,  the  company  closed  out  the  cattle  business  to  a  great  extent.  Mr. 
Holt  was  engaged  in  merchandising  at  Lakewood  for  about  eight  years, 
being  the  first  merchant  at  that  place.  A  year  ago  he  removed  to  his 
present  home,  one  mile  west  of  Hagerman.  where  he  has  eighty  acres  of 
land  under  cultivation,  of  which  forty  acres  have  been  planted  to  fruit 
trees.  He  also  has  four  thousand  acres  in  the  Pecos  valley  below  the  town, 
and  nearly  all  of  the  entire  amount  is  in  the  artesian  belt.  Mr.  Holt  was 
born  in  Maine,  but  became  interested  in  Colorado  in  1873  in  the  stock 
business,  and  thus  almost  his  entire  life  has  had  an  interest  in  the  west. 
He  is  a  very  prosperous  and  prominent  farmer  and  cattleman,  having  large 
property  interests,  and  his  efforts  are  a  direct  factor  in  promoting  the  de- 
velopment and  progress  of  his  section  of  the  Territory. 

Henry  C.  Barron,  retiring  from  the  practice  of  law  at  Republican  City, 
Nebraska,  came  to  the  territory  in  February,  1895,  and  settled  at  Green- 
field. There  he  planted  an  orchard  of  forty  acres,  continuing  its  improve- 
ment for  two  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  a  place  below  the 


/f4  hiM  V^^  P^^fcp- 


IfakUM  t^  ^cw^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  813 

townsite  of  Hagerman,  where  he  devoted  twenty-four  acres  to  horticul- 
tural pursuits.  The  land,  however,  proved  to  be  alkali  and  the  orchard 
died.  Experience  proved  a  hard  task-master,  but  the  lessons  learned  have 
never  been  forgotten,  and  six  years  ago  he  came  to  his  present  place  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  southwest  of  Hagerman.  He  has  here  twenty  acres,  all 
in  orchard,  for  which  he  paid  twenty  dollars  per  acre,  including  the  water 
right.  The  land  has  rapidly  advanced  in  value  and  he  would  not  today  take 
five  hundred  dollars  per  acre  for  the  property,  for  he  found  it  to  be  an 
excellent  fruit-producing;  tract  and  his  orchards  now  yield  fine  crops. 

From  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  the  development  of  Chaves 
county  the  name  of  J.  M.  Miller  has  appeared  frequently  upon  its  records 
in  connection  with  one  of  its  most  important  industries,  that  of  sheep  rais- 
ing. As  early  as  1878  he  took  up  his  abode  within  the  borders  of  the  Ter- 
ritory, at  that  time  locating  on  a  farm  eleven  miles  southeast  of  Roswell, 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Chisholm  Hog  ranch.  In  1880  he  embarked 
in  the  sheep  business,  being  thus  numbered  among  the  pioneers  in  the  in- 
dustry, for  at  that  time  the  only  two  men  engaged  in  the  business  in  what 
is  now  Eddy  and  Chaves  counties  were  Judge  Stone  and  Captain  Lea.  In 
those  early  days  the  sheep  business  was  very  badly  conducted,  scab  being 
very  prevalent,  with  no  preventatives  whatever,  for  the  scab  laws  had  not 
then  been  enforced.  It  was  not  until  1893  that  the  first  scab  law  was 
enacted,  but  was  not  even  then  enforced  to  any  great  extent,  until  finally, 
in  1904,  the  government  took  hold  of  the  matter  and  sent  representatives 
to  conduct  the  dipping,  and  the  disease  is  now  practically  eliminated.  Mr. 
Miller  continued  in  the  sheep  business  until  1897,  when  he  sold  twenty- 
one  thousand  head,  and  was  practically  retired  from  the  industry  for  two 
years,  when  he  again  became  interested  financially,  with  his  sons.  He 
now  has  property  interests  in  the  Pomona  Farmers'  Tract,  consisting  of 
fifteen  blocks,  from  thirty  to  fifty  acres  each,  making  in  all  about  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  acres,  while  in  addition  he  is  the  owner  of  1,920  acres 
along  the  Pecos  river,  eight  miles  southeast  of  Roswell.  which  is  devoted 
to  grazing  and  farming  purposes. 

Fred  H.  Miller,  a  son  of  James  M.  Miller,  represented  elsewhere  in 
this  work,  has  always  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  Southwest 
and  for  several  years  was  engaged  in  the  sheep  industry.  He  is  now 
giving  his  attention  to  the  real  estate  business,  handling  his  own  property. 
He  has  sixteen  hundred  acres  of  fine  land  in  the  Pecos  valley  and  lives 
upon  a  farm  of  eighty  acres,  a  miles  and  a  half  west  of  Roswell.  His  at- 
tention is  given  to  the  development  of  the  property,  and  as  a  promoter  of 
the  interests  of  this  section  of  the  Territorv  he  has  contributed  in  sub- 
stantial measure  to  general  progress  and  improvement. 

Xoah  S.  West,  who  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  and  eightv  acres  of 
well  irrigated  land  near  Hagerman,  New  Mexico,  was  bom"  February  5, 
1871,  at  Brook.  Grant  county,  Arkansas,  and  is  a  son  of  John  A.  and  Eliza- 
beth (Clement)  West,  the  former  born  in  Mississippi,  August  4,  1847,  ar>d 
the  latter  in  Georgia,  March  18,  1850.  The  father  became  a  resident  of 
Grant  county.  Arkansas,  in  1849,  and  tne  mother  in  1853.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation  and  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  in  carpentering 
and  blacksmithing. 

Noah  S.  West  attended  the  common  schools  in  his  vouth  and  attended 
a  high  school  for  ten  months  after  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twentv-two 


814  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

years.  His  time  and  attention  were  largely  occupied  by  the  work  of  the 
home  farm,  and  throughout  his  life  he  has  been  interested  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  After  leaving  school  he  engaged  in  teaching,  but,  deciding  that 
he  preferred  the  work  of  the  fields,  he  returned  to  the  farm. 

It  was  after  leaving  the  schoolroom  that  he  married  and  removed  to 
a  farm  in  Grant  county,  Arkansas,  where  he  remained  for  six  years,  and 
then,  on  account  of  illness,  removed  to  the  plains  in  northwestern  Texas 
in  the  winter  of  1901-2.  There  he  lived  for  two  years,  being  engaged  in 
farming  for  one  year  and  in  the  lumber  business  for  one  year.  On  the 
26th  of  September,  1902,  he  went  from  Canon  City,  Texas,  to  Roswell, 
New  Mexico,  to  visit  the  fair,  and  was  so  well  pleased  with  the  red  apple 
and  alfalfa  farms  that  he  purchased  land  before  returning  home.  He 
took  up  his  abode  upon  his  new  purchase  in  October  of  the  same  year  and 
has  here  since  resided,  having  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  well  irri- 
gated and  productive  land  near  Hagerman.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Hagerman  Real  Estate  Company,  and  is  now  serving  for  the  second  term 
as  horticultural  commissioner  on  the  board  of  Chaves  county. 

Mr.  West  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  south.  He  was  married,  February  14,  1895,  in  Cleveland 
county,  Arkansas,  to  Mattie  A.  Mullis,  and  their  children  are:  Harvey 
C,  born  March  15,  1896;  Guy  A.,  April  15,  1898;  Beryl  A.,  January  20, 
1900;  Joseph  H,  May  5,  1902;  and  Roy,  January  15,  1906. 

O.  R.  Tanner,  clerk  of  the  newlv  organized  town  of  Hagerman,  came 
to  Hagerman,  October  1,  1894.  J.  J.  Hagerman,  through  the  Pecos  Irri- 
gation and  Improvement  Company,  had  laid  out  the  town  site  here  and 
named  the  place.  Mr.  Tanner  had  come  to  the  Territory  in  1891  and 
located  in  Carlsbad,  where  he  had  followed  farming  until  his  removal  to 
Hagerman  in  1894.  He  put  up  an  office  in  the  town,  it  being  the  second 
building  erected  here,  and  he  established  a  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness. He  engaged  in  that  individually  until  the  fall  of  1905,  when  he  or- 
ganized a  company  known  as  the  Hagerman  Real  Estate  Company,  with 
N.  S.  West  as  president ;  S.  Totzek,  superintendent  of  agencies ;  John  B. 
Reeves,  general  salesman  and  O.  R.  Tanner,  secretary  and  treasurer.  The 
company  has  general  offices  at  Roswell,  New  Mexico ;  Monmouth,  Illinois, 
and  Hagerman,  New  Mexico.  The  company  is  engaged  in  immigration 
as  well  as  local  work,  and  handles  listed  property  throughout  the  valley 
from  Roswell  to  Lakewood.  Mr.  Reeves  came  to  Hagerman  in  the  fall  of 
1902  from  Texas,  and  Mr.  West  arrived  in  the  same  fall  from  Texas  and 
lives  upon  a  farm  three-fourths  of  a  mile  northwest  of  Hagerman,  where 
he  has  eighty  acres  of  land  and  one  of  the  finest  orchards  in  the  valley. 
Mr.  Reeves  has  a  place  of  forty  acres  adjoining  the  town  site  on  the  north, 
and  of  this  twelve  acres  are  in  orchard.  Mr.  Tanner  has  a  place  adjoin- 
ing the  town  site,  and  all  these  gentlemen  are  demonstrating  through  the 
conduct  of  their  business  interests  the  wonderful  possibilities  of  the  Pecos 
valley.  They  are  also  doing  much  to  induce  immigration  and  thus  pro- 
mote the  rapid  growth  and  development  of  the  district,  and  their  efforts 
are  being  attended  with  excellent  results. 

W.  D.  Ames  came  to  New  Mexico,  January  1,  1895,  from  Nebraska, 
and  located  on  a  place  about  one-eighth  of  a  mile  west  of  Hagerman,  at 
which  time  he  purchased  from  Mr.  Hagerman  ten  acres  of  land  and  began 
improvements,  planting  an  orchard  and  otherwise  transforming  the  tract 


($4CC^  W , 


9^2U£w  *  ^yc. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  §15 

into  one  of  fertility.  In  1898  he  bought  an  adjoining  ten  acres  from  Mr. 
Hagerman  and  now  has  twenty  acres,  all  in  fruit,  his  orchards  yielding  an 
excellent  return.  He  has  a  very  fine  place  with  about  sixteen  hundred 
apple  trees,  and  he  has  water  right  from  the  Felix  Irrigation  Company.  He 
is  managing  his  orchards  in  a  way  that  indicates  the  successful  results  which 
can  follow  effort  along  horticultural  lines  here. 

Born  in  Indiana,  in  Vermilion  county,  in  1835,  Mr.  Ames  went  to  the 
first  gold  excitement  at  Pike's  Peak  in  1859,  and  has  always  lived  in  the 
west  since.  He  was  lately  offered  for  his  twenty  acres  $10,000  in  cash, 
which  he  refused.  He  says  this  suits  him  better  than  any  place  he  ever 
lived,  and  as  he  is  getting  old  he  proposes  to  remain  here. 


816  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


GUADALUPE   COUNTY. 

Guadalupe  county  is  situated  east  of  the  central  portion  of  New  Mex- 
ico, and  the  legislative  act  setting  the  territory  to  form  it  aside  from  San 
Miguel  was  passed  in  1891,  but  was  not  signed  by  the  governor.  In  1893  a 
supplementary  act  was  passed,  confirming  the  former,  which  received  the 
executive  approval,  and  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  the  patron  saint  of  Mex- 
ico, was  thus  given  a  place  on  the  territorial  map. 

As  then  constituted,  the  county  had  an  area  of  3,125,160  acres,  was 
sixty  miles  wide  from  north  to  south  and  no  miles  long,  from  east  to 
west,  being  a  perfect  parallelogram  with  the  exception  of  a  little  square  of 
nine  townships  in  the  northwest  corner,  which  was  added  so  as  to  include 
the  town  of  Anton  Chico.  In  its  reduction  to  its  present  dimensions,  Roose- 
velt and  portions  of  Quay.  Lincoln  and  Chaves  counties  were  carved  from 
the  Guadalupe  county  of  1891-3.  In  1902,  by  legislative  enactment,  the 
name  of  the  county  was  changed  to  Leonard  Wood,  but  in  1904  the  legis- 
lature granted  the  demands  of  the  majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
and  restored  the  original  name  of  Guadalupe,  changing  the  location  of 
the  county  seat  from  Puerto  de  Luna  to  Santa  Rosa. 

County  Officers : — The  Board  of  County  Commissioners  was  organized 
and  held  its  first  meeting  May  4.  1891.  its  members  being  as  follows: 
Ramon  Dodge  (chairman),  Matilde  Chaves,  Placidio  Baca  y  Baca;  the 
last  named  was  also  probate  clerk,  the  body  serving  through  1891  and  1892. 
The  officials  since  have  been  as  below : 

Probate  judges: — 1893-4.  A.  Grzelachowski ;  1895-6,  Jose  Pablo  Sandoval;  1897-8, 
Julian  Sisneros ;  1899-1900,  Desiderio  Jaramillo  y  Aragon ;  1901-2,  Jose  Dolores 
Gallegos ;  1903-4.  Florencio  Garcia;  1905-6.  Nicacio  C.  de  Baca. 

Probate  clerks : — 1893-4.  W.  B.  Giddings ;  1895-8,  Perfecto  Baca ;  1899-1900, 
Ramon  Aragon;  1901-2,  Luis  Aquilar;  1903-4,  Manuel  B.  Baca;  1905-6.  Crescenciano 
Gallegos. 

Sheriffs: — 1893-4.  Carlos  Casaus ;  1895-6.  Ramon  Casaus;  [897-8,  Placido  Baca 
y  Baca;  1899-1900,  Ramon  Dodge  declared  elected;  office  contested  by  Placido  Baca 
y  Baca,  the  courts  deciding  in  favor  of  the  latter;  1901-2,  Benigno  Romero:  1903-4, 
T.  Casaus;  1905-6,  Felipe  Sanchez  y  Baca. 

Treasurers: — 1S93-4,  Jesus  y  Hinjos;  1895-6,  Juan  Chavez  y  Garcia;  1897-8,  Vicente 
Sanchez;  1899-1900,  Camilo  Sanchez;  1001-2,  Joaquin  Gutierrez;  1903-4,  Deopoldo 
Sanchez ;    1005-6,    Camilo    Sanchez. 

ors: — 1893-4,  Leandros  Casaus,  1895-6,  Juan  Hinojos;  1897-1900,  Camilo 
Sanchez;  1901-2,  Joaquin  Gutierrez;  1903-4,  Juan  B.  Giddings;  1905-6,  Pablo  M. 
Padillo. 

County  commissioners: — 1893-4.  Melquiades  Ramires.  Jose  M.  Baca.  Francisco 
Aragon;  1895-6,  Robert  Mingus,  Pascual  Baca,  Manuel  Uroste;  1897-8,  Ezequiel 
Sandoval,  Florencio  Garcia,  Juan  H.  Lena;  1800- 1000.  Bernable  Gallegos,  Juan  Mar- 
quez,  Luciano  Ulibarri ;  1901-2.  Benigno  Padilla.  Miguel  Martinez.  Randolfo  Aragon; 
1903-4,  Benigno  Padilla,  J.  C.  Thomas,  Reymundo  Hariso:  1905-6.  Pablo  Aragon, 
J.  D.  Mott,  Jose  Pablo  Sandoval. 

Natural  Features  and  Towns. — The  county  lies  chiefly  in  the  valley 
of  the   Pecos  river,  which,  with  numerous  small  lakes  and  living  springs, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  817 

is  its  principal  source  of  water  supply.  A  few  unimportant  streams  flow 
from  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  county  toward  the  Canadian.  The 
climate  of  this  section  is  mild  and  the  altitude  about  4.000  feet  above  the 
sea,  making  it  a  desirable  locality  for  the  fanner,  the  fruit  grower  and  the 
stock  raiser. 

All  along  the  Pecos  are  great  flocks  of  sheep,  most  of  them  of  the 
improved  breeds,  and  there  is  no  section  of  the  Territory  where  this  in- 
dustry has  been  more  successful  than  in  Guadalupe  county.  It  is  also  de- 
veloping very  rapidly  as  a  fruit  country,  which  is  the  cause  of  much  of  the 
late  prosperity  of  Puerto  de  Luna,  the  old  county  seat,  and  Santa  Rosa, 
the  new.  With  the  formation  of  the  new  counties  to  the  east  and  south, 
Puerto  de  Luna  was  too  far  south  of  the  center  of  the  county.  Therefore 
the  change  was  made. 

Santa  Rosa  is  growing  into  a  substantial  town,  and  its  orchards  are 
an  important  source  of  the  fruit  supply  of  Las  Vegas.  The  orchards  of 
Don  Lorenzo  Dabadie  and  Don  Celso  Baca  are  to  be  particularly  men- 
tioned, the  proprietors  being  progressive  natives  of  the  Territory,  who 
showed  -rent  enterprise  years  ago  in  planting  these  beautiful  and  valuable 
grounds.  The  apples  from  their  orchards  have  earned  especial  praise  and 
taken  many  premiums. 

I  )on  Celso  Baca,  now  living  retired  at  Santa  Rosa,  was  born  in  San 
Miguel  county,  New  Mexico.  April  6,  1836,  and  is  a  descendant  of  Cabeza 
Baca.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  Catholic  schools  of  the  Territory, 
and  from  1858  until  1866  was  engaged  in  freighting  with  wagon  trains 
between  Kansas  City  and  Santa  Fe  over  the  Santa  Fe  trail.  From  1853 
until  1858  he  had  served  as  a  private  in  the  United  States  army,  partici- 
pating in  the  Navajo  Indian  war.  In  r866  he  went  to  Fort  Sumner,  and 
upon  his  return  secured  his  present  location  in  San  Miguel  county,  made 
a  claim  and  settled  upon  the  ranch.  He  originally  held  the  townsite  of 
Santa  Rosa.  He  made  the  first  timber  entry  in  the  Territory,  his  patent 
being  No.  1. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  Don  Celso  Baca,  in  1862,  organized  a 
company  of  soldiers  for  the  northern  army  and  was  commissioned  its 
captain.  He  served  in  the  battle  of  Val  Yerde  and  other  skirmishes,  and 
was  a  loyal  defender  of  the  Union  cause  until  the  supremacy  of  the  LTnion 
arms  was  established.  Since  181  id  he  has  made  his  home  in  what  is  now 
Guadalupe  county,  and  has  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  is 
interested  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Santa  Rosa  and  in  his  varied 
business  affairs  has  conducted  all  of  his  interests  in  a  capable  manner,  re- 
sulting in  the  acquirement  of  very  desirable  success.  He  served  for  sev- 
eral terms  as  senator  and  representative  in  the  territorial  legislature,  and 
has  been  very  prominent  in  Republican  politics,  exerting  considerable  in- 
fluence in  both  the  county  and  territorial  rank  of  the  party.  He  was  also 
sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  national  convention  which  nominated  William 
McKinley  for  the  presidency  in  1896.  He  has  had  many  experiences  with 
the  Indians  during  the  early  days  of  his  residence  upon  his  ranch,  and  is 
familiar  with  pioneer  historv  and  earlv  development  in  the  Territory. 

His  two  sons,  Placido  Baca  y  Baca  and  Crescenciano  Baca,  were  born 
in  San  Miguel  county  and  educated  in  the  Jesuit  college  at  Las  Vegas. 
They  are  associated  with  their  father  in  farming  and  stock  raising  inter- 
ests.   The  former  practicallv  has  charge  of  all  of  the  father's  business,  for 


81S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  elder  Baca  has  retired  from  active  life.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the 
management  of  a  paper,  having  in  1898  established  the  La  Voz  Publico,, 
which  he  continues  to  edit  and  publish.  He  also  manages  his  father's  in- 
terests in  the  town  site.  In  political  affairs  he  has  been  prominent  and 
influential,  and  from  1897  until  1900,  inclusive,  filled  the  office  of  sheriff 
of  Guadalupe  county.  He  was  also  one  of  the  county  commissioners  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  upon  the  organization  of  the  county,  and  in  1901 
he  served  as  deputy  county  clerk.  For  sixteen  years  he  was  postmaster 
of  the  town  of  Eden  on  the  present  site  of  Santa  Rosa  before  the  latter 
town  was  founded.  He  has  been  notary  public  since  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years,  and  in  these  various  political  positions  has  discharged  his  duties 
with  capability  and  energy,  making  him  one  of  the  leading  and  representa- 
tive citizens  of  the  community.  The  business  interests  of  father  and  son 
are  extensive  and  profitable  and  they  have  long  maintained  a  prominent 
place  in  agricultural,  commercial  and  financial  circles  in  this  part  of  the 
territory. 

P.  B.  Baca  was  the  third  sheriff  of  Guadalupe  count}'.  During  his 
first  term  he  acted  as  collector.  During  his  second  term  as  sheriff,  1898, 
he  assisted  in  the  capture  of  the  gang  of  desperadoes  who  had  killed  Flor- 
entine Gonsales.  The  gang  is  now  broken  up,  having  all  found  their  way 
to  the  penitentiary. 

Crescenciano  Gallegos,  filling  the  office  of  probate  clerk  and  also  en- 
gaged in  the  live  stock,  brokerage  and  commission  business  at  Santa  Rosa, 
is  a  native  son  of  the  southwest  and  has  displayed  the  spirit  of  enterprise 
and  progress  that  have  been  the  salient  elements  in  the  substantial  develop- 
ment of  this  section  of  the  country.  He  was  born  and  reared  in  Guadalupe 
county,  New  Mexico,  where  he  acquired  his  early  education,  after  which 
he  spent  two  years  as  a  student  in  St.  Michael's  College  at  Santa  Fe.  He 
is  a  son  of  Antonio  Jose  Gallegos,  who  was  prominent  in  Republican  circles 
in  the  Territory  and  exercises  a  wide  influence  in  the  ranks  of  his  party. 
He  represented  San  Miguel  county  in  the  territorial  legislature  in  1877, 
and  from  1884  until  1888  was  assistant  postmaster  of  Las  Vegas.  In  1889- 
90  he  was  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  San  Miguel  county,  and  in 
the  latter  year  he  took  up  his  abode  at  Puerto  de  Luna,  where  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school  for  about  five  years.  In  1904  he  was  elected  county 
clerk  of  Guadalupe  county.  Several  years  previously  he  had  served  as 
deputy  assessor  of  the  county,  and  in  1896  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  terri- 
torial legislature  and  was  elected,  but  the  election  was  contested  and  he 
was  unseated.  At  one  time  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  senate  against 
Charles  A.  Spier.  In  1905  he  entered  the  live  stock,  brokerage  and  com- 
mission business  in  partnership  with  W.  T.  Mclntire. 

Following  the  completion  of  his  education,  Crescenciano  Gallegos  em- 
barked in  the  sheep  and  cattle  industry,  which  has  claimed  much  of  his 
attention  since  he  has  attained  adult  age.  Called  to  public  office,  he  is  now 
serving  as  probate  clerk  and  is  also  engaged  in  the  brokerage  business  at 
Santa  Rosa. 

Charles  W.  Foor,  who  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1881,  arriving  at  Fort 
Sumner  on  the  29th  of  October,  is  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  removed  from 
that  state  to  Texas  in  1873.  He  left  Mitchell  county,  Texas,  en  route  for 
New  Mexico,  driving  the  second  bunch  of  cattle  ever  brought  across  the 
plains   from  the  Lone   Star  state  to  the   Territory.     The  destination   was 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  819 

Fort  Sumner,  and  after  reaching  that  place  Mr.  Foor  began  working  for 
the  Littlefield  Cattle  Company,  to  whom  the  cattle  were  sold,  continuing  in 
that  employ  from  April  until  August,  1882.  He  afterward  returned  to 
Fort  Sumner,  where  he  located  and  engaged  in  the  saloon  business  from 
August,  1882,  until  December,  1883.  He  next  turned  his  attention  to  mer- 
chandising, continuing  at  the  fort  for  one  year,  after  which  he  went  to 
Cedar  Canyon,  near  Bar  V  ranch.  He  was  afterward  engaged  in  ranching 
until  August,  1887,  when  he  removed  to  new  Fort  Sumner  and  opened  a 
hotel,  which  he  has  since  successfully  conducted,  and  since  1891  he  has 
been  postmaster  of  the  town.  In  August.  1905,  he  established  a  hotel  in 
the  new  town  of  Sunnyside,  where  he  is  now  located  temporarily.  He  also 
has  a  ranch  in  Roosevelt  county,  four  miles  east  of  Fort  Sumner,  on  which 
he  expects  to  take  up  his  abode  at  an  early  date.  It  is  situated  two  and  a 
half  miles  southeast  of  the  new  town  of  La  Lande  on  the  Belen  cut-off  of 
the  Santa  Fe  road.  Mr.  Foor  has  been  watchful  of  the  indications  pointing 
toward  success  and  improvement  in  the  Territory,  and  has  directed  his 
efforts  along  lines  leading  to  gratifying  financial  results. 

W.  C.  Burnett,  who  is  engaged  in  conducting  a  meat  market  at  Santa 
Rosa,  is  a  native  of  Kansas  and  was  at  one  time  a  student  in  the  State 
University  at  Lawrence.  He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1892  and,  locating 
in  Socorro,  engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  Socorro  County  Advertiser. 
Later  he  was  in  newspaper  work  in  Albuquerque  and  at  La  Junta,  Colo- 
rado. In  1894  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Elizabethtown,  New  Mexico,  where 
be  founded  the  New  Mexico  Miner,  remaining  there  in  active  publication 
of  the  paper  until  1897.  He  was  afterward  employed  in  old  Mexico  until 
1902,  when  he  came  to  Santa  Rosa  and  established  the  Guadalupe  County 
Democrat.  He  also  secured  the  franchise  for  the  water  works  and  the 
electric  lights  and  has  been  an  able  factor  in  promoting  the  welfare,  pro- 
gress and  substantial  upbuilding  of  the  city,  his  labors  in  this  direction 
being  far-reaching  and  beneficial.  In  1903  he  established  a  meat  market 
in  Santa  Rosa,  which  he  is  still  conducting  and  this  is  his  present  business 
connection  with  the  town.  He  is,  however,  a  public-spirited  man,  and  one 
whose  efforts  have  been  of  conspicuous  benefit  to  the  community. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


OTERO  COUNTY. 

Prior  to  the  organization  of  Otero  county,  in  1899,  Lincoln  county 
extended  south  to  the  Texas  boundary,  and  prior  to  1889,  when  Chaves 
and  Eddy  counties  were  carved  from  its  territory,  it  contained  about  30,000 
square  miles,  being  then  the  largest  county  in  New  Mexico. 

As  now  organized,  Otero  county  contains  6,874  square  miles,  and  is 
bounded  north  by  Lincoln  and  Chaves,  east  by  Chaves  and  Eddy,  south  by 
Texas,  and  west  by  Dona  Aha  county  and  Socorro  county.  Its  county  seat 
is  Alamogordo,  which  has  a  population  of  about  3.500.  It  is  situated  on 
the  El  1'aso  &  Northeastern  railroad,  and  is  one  of  the  best  towns  in  South- 
ern New  Mexico. 

Natural  Features. — The  average  elevation  of  Otero  county  is  4.500 
feet  above  sea  level.  The  San  Andreas  mountains  form  a  barrier  near  its 
western  border,  running  north  and  south  and  acting  as  a  drain  from  that 
section.  The  Sacramento  mountains  extend  directly  east  and  west  through 
the  central  portions,  with  the  Jicarilla  mountains  as  a  western  extension. 
All  these  ranges  are  well  forested.  Gold  has  been  discovered  among  the 
Jicarillas.  In  the  latter  district  placer  mining  was  worked  successfully  by 
the  Mexicans  with  the  use  of  melted  snow,  in  winter. 

Referring  more  particularly  to  the  timber  of  Otero  county,  it  is  an- 
ticipated that  it  will  eventually  constitute  one  of  its  chief  sources  of  wealth. 
The  wood  consists  of  pine,  pinyon,  juniper,  ash,  cottonwood  and  oak,  and 
makes  excellent  building  material.  It  is  estimated  there  are  some  700,- 
000,000  feet  awaiting  the  ax  and  saw  on  the  Sacramento  mountains,  which 
also  contain   rich  deposits  of  marble,  onyx  and  lithographic  stone. 

Geologists  claim  that  Alamogordo  is  in  the  center  of  a  great  artesian 
basin,  which  underlies  the  valley  about  1,000  feet.  It  is  estimated  that 
reservoirs  could  be  constructed  at  Temporal  canyon  capable  of  irrigating 
from  3,000  to  5,000  acres  of  land,  and  at  Tularosa  canyon  of  about  the 
same  capacity.  Experts  also  have  seen  that  La  Luz  canyon  is  wasting 
water  that  might  be  utilized  to  irrigate  several  thousand  acres,  and  that 
at  all  of  these  points  valuable  water  powers  might  lie  developed. 

With  these  natural  irrigation  advantages,  it  is  thought  that  the  coun- 
ty— especially  the  districts  around  the  centers  mentioned — will  eventually 
develop  into  a  fine  fruit  region  ;  and  wheat  has  already  yielded  enormous 
returns  per  acre.  Home  seekers  are  being  attracted  to  these  localities,  and 
since  the  building  of  the  railroad  to  Alamogordo,  in  1898,  several  hundred 
homesteaders  have  located  in  the  valley :  in  fact,  most  of  the  land  is 
now  homesteaded  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  north,  south  or  west  of 
that  point. 

Fruits  and  Vegetables. — In  their  native  state  grapes  and  currants 
mature  in  great  abundance,  while  cultivated  vines,  as  well  as  apples, 
peaches   and   pears   naturally    thrive.      In    the    mountain    districts    the    wild 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  821 

potato  is  found  in  large  quantities,  while  the  cultivated  article  is  astonish- 
ing in  its  production.  Indian  corn,  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  rye,  have  all 
been  tried  with  flattering-  results,  while  millet,  clover,  blue  grass,  alfalfa 
and  other  kindred  forage  crops  and  fertilizers  have  developed  to  perfec- 
tion. Alfalfa  is  notable  in  its  yields,  four  cuttings  being  often  made  in 
a  year  with  a  yield   of  five  tons  per  acre, 

Vegetables,  such  as  cabbage,  lettuce,  turnips,  parsnips,  carrots,  radishes, 
peas,  tomatoes,  pumpkins,  squashes,  onions,  melons,  celery,  and  cucumbers 
grow  to  astonishing-  size  and  perfection.  Beans  of  various  sorts,  raised 
for  the  market,  produce  from  goo  to  1,500  pounds  to  the  acres. 

Live-stock. — As  is  the  case  in  districts  where  neither  the  artesian 
nor  irrigation  systems  are  developed,  the  live-stock  interests  of  the  county 
depend  largely  upon  natural  conditions.  Its  various  grasses  are  abundant 
and  nutritious,  and  afford  an  unlimited  supply  of  feed,  while  the  moun- 
tain^ and  foot-hills  furnish  winter  protection.  Stock  of  all  descriptions 
usually  subsist  on  the  range  summer  and  winter.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  profit  on  cattle  is  at  least  fifty  cents  monthly  per  head  from  the  time 
they  are  calved,   while  the  profit  on   sheep  is  not  less  than  fifty  per  cent. 

The  Mescalero  Apache  Reservaion. — In  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  is  the  Mescalero  Apache  Indian  Reservation  of  575-000  acres,  on 
which  there  are  about  fioo  Indians;  this  gives  each  Indian  some  960  acres, 
or  a  section  and  a  half.  The  country  is  well  watered  and  grassed  and 
abounds  in  game.  The  Indians  are  making  good  progress  in  farming-  and 
the  industrial  arts,  and  many  of  their  children  are  attending  the  terri- 
torial schools  provided  for  them.  The  principal  town  of  the  reservation 
is  Mescalero. 

Countv  Officers. — The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners 
of  Otero  countv  was  held  April  18,  1800.  and  the  first  officers,  appointed 
by  Governor  Otero,  were  as  follows : 

1899-1900: — Probate  clerk,  W.  S.  Shepherd :  sheriff.  George  Curry;  assessor, 
Casemeria  C.  Candelaria ;  superintendent  of  schools.  Louis  Vigil;  surveyor.  J.  H 
Lucas-   treasurer,   D.   M.  Sutherland. 

The  officials  elected  have  been: 

Probate  Clerks: — 1901-4.  W.  K.  Stalcup:  1905-6,  H.  H.  Major. 

Probate  Judges: — 1901-2,  Jose  L.  Torres;  iqo.v4.  Rosalio  Lopez;  1905-6,  Fran- 
cisco Borunda. 

Sheriffs: — 1901-4,  James  Hunter:   1905-6,  A.  B.  Phillips. 

Assessors: — 1001-4.   Thomas   F.   Fleming;   1905-6.  J.  J.  Hill. 

Treasurers: — 1901-4.   I.  N.  Jackson:   1905-6,  J.  C.  Dunn. 

Alamogordo. — This,  the  county  seat  of  Otero,  although  a  place  of 
3. Son  people,  is  not  an  incorporated  town,  but  is  governed  by  the  Board 
of  Countv  Commissioners,  which  is  an  anomaly  in  the  history  of  large 
towns.  One  reason  for  this  state  of  affairs  is  that  the  place  has  grown 
rapidly,  and  contains  a  majority  of  the  population  of  the  county,  and 
as  the  countv  government  is  in  operation  it  is  more  economical  to  employ 
it  in  the  conduct  of  the  affairs  of  this  community. 

The  existence  of  Alamog-ordo  is  due  to  the  building  of  the  El  Paso 
&  Northeastern  Railroad  in  1898-99.  whose  primary  design  was  to  de- 
velop the  coal  fields  at  Capitan.  Lincoln  county,  and  ultimately  to  con- 
nect with  the  Rock  Island  system  east.  Charles  B.  Eddy  was  the  chief 
mover    in    the    enterprise,    he    and    others    conducting    it    under    the    name 


822  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  the  New  Mexico  Railway  &  Coal  Company.  Although  after  the 
road  was  constructed  the  Capitan  coal  lands  did  not  prove  productive, 
Alamogordo  was  founded  and  is  flourishing,  because  situated  in  the  midst 
of  an  unusually  rich  country — rich  in  lumber,  fruit,  alfalfa,  marble,  onyx, 
and  various  kinds  of  building  and  ornamental  stone.  In  May,  1905,  "the 
railroad  was  sold  to  the  Phelps-Dodge  Company,  and  the  town  site  is  now- 
owned  by  the  Alamogordo  Improvement  Company.  The  railroad  shops 
were  among  the  first  buildings  to  be  completed  at  Alamogordo,  but  there  is 
now  (1906)  a  prospect  of  their  removal. 

The  town  site  is  an  arid  plain,  but  was  surveyed  by  the  railroad  en- 
gineers into  fine,  wide  streets,  and  a  great  number  of  the  rapidly  growing 
cottonwoods  planted  everywhere.  Both  the  company  and  citizens  vied  with 
each  other  in  the  planting  of  this  variety  of  shade  trees,  and  christened  the 
place  Alamogordo,  which,  translated,  is  "fat  cottonwoods."  It  was  found 
that  an  abundance  of  water  for  irrigation  purposes  could  be  obtained  at  a 
small  depth — from  30  to  150  feet — and  the  surface  flow  from  neighboring 
canyons  was  plentiful.  So,  even  without  an  artesian  supply,  the  problem 
of  irrigation  was  never  a  difficult  one  for  the  people  of  Alamogordo.  At 
the  present  time  water  for  domestic  use  is  obtained  chiefly  from  Alamo 
canyon,  southeast  of  town,  in  the  Sacramento  mountains,  and  for  the  irriga- 
tion supply  dependence  is  placed  largely  upon  La  Luz  canyon,  a  few  miles 
to  the  northeast.  The  latter  has  been  dammed,  and  probably  will  become 
the  site  of  a  government  reservoir.  If  properly  developed,  it  is  believed 
that  there  is  the  probability  of  a  great  water  power  at  this  point.  A  short 
distance  west  of  Alamogordo  borings  have  progressed  to  a  depth  of  1,000 
feet,  but  the  anticipated  artesian  flow  has  not  yet  been  tapped. 

With  an  imperfect  development  of  the  natural  water  supply,  however, 
agricultural  and  horticultural  progress  has  been  marked.  The  fruit  land  is 
of  the  finest  quality,  and  the  climate  is  also  favorable  to  apples,  pears,  plums, 
prunes,  peaches,  apricots,  grapes,  figs,  quinces  and  cherries.  Experiments 
with  wheat  indicate  that  prolific  vields  are  possible,  while  alfalfa  is  already 
an  almost  inexhaustible  source  of  wealth. 

The  continuous  development  of  the  fruit  and  alfalfa  industries,  with 
the  lumber,  lithographic  stone,  marble  and  onyx  of  the  Sacramento  moun- 
tains, is  the  chief  cause  of  the  substantial  growth  of  Alamogordo.  The 
town  now  contains  a  reliable  bank,  two  newspapers,  several  churches,  fully 
attended  schools,  the  railroad  shops,  lumber  mills  operated  bv  a  company 
subsidiary  to  the  railroad  company,  an  ice  factory  and  a  company  devoted 
to  the  preparation  of  lithographic  stone  for  the  market.  The  New  Mexico 
Institute  for  the  Blind  has  recently  been  established  at  Alamogordo. 

Among  those  who  have  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  the  development  of 
the  town  and  the  surrounding  district  may  be  mentioned  Andrew  J.  King, 
manager  of  the  Alamogordo  Improvement  Company,  the  Alamogordo 
Water  Companv  and  the  Alamosrordo  Real  Estate  Company,  and  trustee  of 
the  Territorial  Institute  for  the  Blind,  who  is  an  able  and  enterprising  busi- 
ness man  of  forty-two,  and  came  in  1900,  soon  after  the  founding  of  the 
place;  R.  H.  Pierce,  W.  S.  Shepherd:  Mr.  Rhomberg,  jeweler  and  first 
postmaster;  George  Carl,  proprietor  of  the  ice  factorv ;  Dr.  C.  H.  Wald- 
schmidt;  Messrs.  W.  L.  Peeler,  Goode  and  Smith,  attorneys;  Mr.  Pelman, 
whose  ranch  is  seventeen  miles  away,  and  who  was  an  early  clerk  at  the 
Indian  agency ;  and  Charles  B.  and  J.  A.  Eddy. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  823 

The  future  of  Alamogordo  largely  depends  upon  the  development  of 
the  irrigation  resources  of  the  country  naturally  tributary  to  it,  as  well 
as  upon  its  proper  exploitation  as  a  health  resort.  Adjacent  districts  are 
admirably  adapted  to  the  alleviation  and  cure  of  lung  troubles,  especially  the 
country  in  the  Sacramento  mountains,  about  twenty  miles  south,  of  which 
Cloudcroft  is  the  center. 

New  Mexico  Institute  for  the  Blind. — In  1904  the  Territorial  legis- 
lature made  an  appropriation  of  $10,000  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  build- 
ing for  the  education  and  care  of  the  blind.  The  United  States  government 
donated  50,000  acres  of  land,  located  in  various  parts  of  the  Territory,  for 
its  support,  and  these  tracts  are  now  leased  for  grazing  purposes.  A  tax 
of  8/10  of  a  mill  has  also  been  levied  by  the  legislature:  but  up  to  date 
nothing  has  been  received  from  the  Territory.  The  structure  is  to  be  of 
brick,  with  a  capacity  of  forty  patients,  and  its  total  estimated  cost,  exclusive 
of  furnishings,  will  be  nearly  $18,000.  Work  upon  the  main  building  was 
begun  in  September,  1905  ;  with  the  addition  of  the  contemplated  dormi- 
tories  the  capacity  of  the  institute  may  be  doubled. 

The  brick  of  which  the  main  building  is  constructed  was  manufactured 
at  the  Territorial  Penitentiary,  and  it,  as  well  as  the  lumber,  was  hauled  by 
the  railroad  at  cost. 

The  present  officers  of  the  New  Mexico  Institute  for  the  Blind  are  as 
follows :  A.  J.  Kino-,  president,  Alamogordo ;  R.  H.  Pierce,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Alamogordo;  other  trustees — Oscar  Snow  (Mesilla  Park),  Dr. 
Charles  W.  Gerber  (Las  Cruces),  Jacobo  Chaves  (Los  Timos). 

Standard  Lithograph  Stone  Company. — Incorporatd  in  1904,  this 
company  is  engaged  in  the  exploitation  of  lithographic  stone,  its  quarries 
being  at  High  Rolls.  H.  W.  Fleming,  of  Cleveland,  organized  the  company, 
which  has  already  spent  about  $15,000  in  the  enterprise.  Shipments  have 
been  made  to  Toledo  and  other  points,  and  the  prospects  of  the  company 
for  making  an  enduring  success  of  the  project  are  bright. 

Tularosa  and  Its  Water  Privileges. — Among  the  earliest  settlements  in 
the  Territory  were  those  made  at  Tularosa  and  vicinity.  In  1858  Mexicans 
came  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  this  district,  but  were  driven  back  by  the 
Indians.  But  the  former  returned  in  i860,  and  settled  on  the  site  of  Tula- 
rosa, the  town  being  platted  by  surveyors  of  the  United  States  government 
in  1862.  About  the  first  work  accomplished  by  the  colonists  was  to  appro- 
priate the  waters  of  Tularosa  river,  building  canals  and  ditches  from  the 
foot  hills,  erecting  dams  at  proper  places  and  concentrating  them  and  dis- 
tributing them  among  their  lands  as  best  they  could. 

During  the  Apache  troubles  of  later  years  the  Mescalero  Indian  agency 
was  established,  and  in  the  prosecution  of  the  various  agricultural  and  in- 
dustrial experiments  with  the  dusky  wards  of  the  government  it  was  neces- 
sary to  use  the  water  privileges  partially  organized  by  the  settlers  of  Tula- 
rosa in  the  upper  streams  of  the  river.  First,  there  was  an  experimental 
garden  to  be  cultivated  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians.  Dr.  Blazer,  owner  of 
the  flouring  mill,  secured  the  right  from  the  colonists  to  use  water  power, 
provided  he  conducted  the  water  back  to  the  stream.  Other  settlers  located 
along  the  canyon  and  took  advantage  of  the  irrigation  improvements  of 
the  early  settlers,  while  the  irrigated  area  in  the  agency  continually  in- 
creased— despite  the  protests  of  the  Tularosa  colonists.    Upon  one  occasion 


824  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

some  Mexicans  from  the  town  visited  several  new  comers  to  notify  them 
to  let  their  water  alone,  and  four  of  them  were  killed  for  their  interference. 

In  1905,  the  people  of  the  town  instituted  legal  proceedings  against  the 
national  government  to  restrain  the  use  of  the  water  by  the  Indians,  under 
the  direction  of  the  agents,  beginning  with  Captain  Stoller.  An  injunction 
was  issued  through  the  United  States  Court,  early  in  the  year,  but  it  was 
dissolved  in  the  summer,  and  the  entire  matter  has  been  reopened  and  re- 
ferred to  a  referee. 

During  and  after  the  Civil  war  many  soldiers  connected  with  Califor- 
nia volunteer  regiments  served  throughout  New  Mexico  in  the  campaigns 
against  the  Apache  and  Navajos,  and  not  a  few  of  them  became  settlers 
in  the  country  with  which  they  became  so  well  acquainted.  Of  those  who 
located  at  Tuferosa  were  Wesley  Fields,  John  Waters,  H.  C.  Brown,  An- 
drew Wilson,  George  Xesmith,  Robert  Dixon,  "Paddy"'  Ryan  and  David 
Wood. 

Cloudcroft  and  Other  Summer  Resorts. — The  beautiful  Sacramento 
mountains  are  becoming  famous  as  a  district  of  health  resorts.  Cloudcroft, 
the  center  of  this  picturesque  and  health-giving  country,  is  a  little  village 
perched  among  the  mountains  9,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Leav- 
ing Alamogordo.  on  the  Sacramento  road,  one  passes  through  fields  of 
alfalfa,  orchards  of  peaches,  apricots  and  apples,  and  vegetable  gardens. 
The  train  gradually  ascends  the  verdant  sides  of  the  forest  clad  mountain, 
and  as  the  journey  progresses  the  way  becomes  more  tortuous  and  the 
scenery  more  rugged  and  magnificent.  Finally.  Cloudcroft  itself  is  reached, 
overlooking  a  splendid  expanse  of  country.  It  is  quite  a  pretentious  village, 
with  good  stores  and  settlements  of  neat  summer  cottages,  within  the  limits 
and  for  miles  around.     The  place  was  founded  in  1900. 

The  Lodge,  the  leading  hotel,  is  unique  and  comfortable,  and  for  out- 
side amusements  there  are  tennis  courts  and  golf  links,  and  bowling  alleys 
and  billiard  parlors  are  provided  for  indoors.  Driveways  lead  out  in  va- 
rious directions  over  the  mountains  to  charming  retreats  in  the  midst  of  the 
fragrant,  invigorating  forests  of  pine.  It  is  noticeable,  also,  that  the  air 
is  so  sufficiently  laden  with  moisture  that  the  elevation  does  not  affect  the 
visitor,  even  if  he  have  any  heart  trouble,  so  that  all  are  able  to  take  long 
walks  and  drives  with  the  best  results. 

Near  Cloudcroft  are  located  many  setlements  and  summer  resorts  on 
a  smaller  scale,  among  which  are  Mountain  Park,  several  miles  to  the  north 
and  at  an  elevation  of  about  7,000  feet ;  and  Weed.  Mayhill,  Elk,  Avis, 
Russia,  Lower  Peiiasco  and  Felix,  all  lying  west.  These  are  also  villages 
of  more  or  less  business  enterprise. 

A.  P.  Jackson,  president  of  the  Jackson-Galbraith-Foxworth  Company, 
dealers  in  lumber  in  Alamogordo.  has  been  one  of  the  most  active  business 
men  of  the  town  since  its  establishment  in  1898,  and  his  efforts  have  been 
of  a  practical  beneficial  nature,  far-reaching  in  their  extent,  scope  and  re- 
sults. He  is  a  native  of  Texas,  having  been  born  in  Denton  county  in  1866. 
He  was  reared  to  farm  life  and  educated  in  the  public  schools.  In  1892  he 
became  connected  with  the  lumber  trade,  and  from  that  time  until  1898 
operated  lumber  yards  in  Texas.  Upon  the  founding  of  the  new  town  of 
Alamogordo  he  embarked  in  business  here  in  June,  1898.  He  had  a  stock 
of  lumber  shipped  to  this  point  and  unloaded  from  the  first  train  entering 
the  town.     He  was  here  two  months  before  the  railroad  was  built  this  far. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  825 

Most  of  the  frame  houses  of  the  town  have  been  erected  from  lumber  fur- 
nished by  this  company.  The  business  is  conducted  under  the  name  of  the 
Jackson-Galbraith-Foxworth  Company,  and  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  New  Mexico  in  January,  1904,  with  a  capital  stock  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  officers' are  A.  I'.  Jackson,  president;  H.  W.  Gal- 
braith,  secretary ;  W.  L.  Foxworth,  vice-president,  and  J.  H.  Williams, 
treasurer.  The  company  is  doing  an  extensive  and  constantly  growing  busi- 
ness, now  operating  yards  in  Alamogordo,  Santa  Rosa  and  Tucumcari,  New 
Mexico,  and  in  El  Paso,  Dalhart,  Channing  and  Stratford,  Texas,  and  Tex- 
homa,  Oklahoma.  Mr.  Jackson  and  his  associates  operate  along  modern 
lines  of  business,  and  the  progress  made  by  the  company  has  been  most  sat- 
isfactory, bringing  a  large  measure  of  success,  and  at  the  same  time  con- 
tributing in  a  substantial  way  to  the  business  activity  of  the  various  cities 
in  which  the  plants  are  located.  Also  they  have  two  wholesale  lumber  com- 
panies, known  as  the  Logan  Lumber  Company,  at  El  Paso,  and  the  other 
at  Texarkana,  Texas. 

The  town  of  Alamogordo.  now  scarcely  eight  years  old,  has  been 
equipped  with  all  modern  industrial  and  commercial  enterprises  known  to 
the  older  east.  George  Carl  is  among  those  who  have  instituted  an  im- 
portant plant  in  the  town.  He  came  here  in  the  summer  of  1898  with  the 
building  of  a  railroad,  and  erected  an  ice  factory,  since  which  time  he  has 
engaged  in  the  business.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  but  has  resided  con- 
tinuously in  America  since  1866,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  from  Colorado. 
Since  establishing  his  ice  plant  he  has  supplied  the  railroad  with  this 
product,  as  well  as  meeting  the  demands  of  a  large  local  trade.  He  erected 
a  plant,  put  in  modern  machinery  and  has  since  conducted  the  business  with 
constantly  growing  success.  This  is  the  only  ice  factory  between  El  Paso 
and  Dalhart,  Texas,  and  its  capacity  is  twenty  tons  per  day. 

.Mr.  Carl  was  married  to  Miss  Ellen  Spearman,  who  was  reared  in 
Minnesota.  She  has  in  her  possession  a  gold  medal  inscribed,  "The  only 
lady  operating  a  Linde  Ice  Machine.  From  the  Fred  W.  Wolf  Company." 
This  was  presented  to  her  by  some  of  the  citizens  of  Alamogordo. 

In  addition  to  the  manufacture  of  ice.  Mr.  Carl  has  become  an  able 
exponent  of  the  possibilities  of  southeastern  New  Mexico  as  a  fruit-produc- 
ing center.  He  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the  raising  of  peaches.  Six 
miles  from  La  Luz  he  owns  a  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  upon 
which  he  has  fish  lakes,  which,  in  1901,  he  stocked  with  rainbow  trout. 
He  also  has  large  alfalfa  fields,  and  in  his  orchards  raises  pears,  apples, 
peaches,  apricots  and  quinces.  He  is  a  great  believer  in  the  future  of  the 
valley  surrounding  Alamogordo  as  a  fruit  country,  and  in  his  business  is 
demonstrating  its  possibilities  in  this  direction,  his  ranch  having  already 
become  a  paying  investment,  while  his  ice  plant,  too,  is  a  source  of  gratify- 
ing profit. 

Samuel  E.  Pelphrey,  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Alamogordo,  New 
Mexico,  is  a  native  of  Johnson  county.  Kentucky,  in  which  place  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  were  passed.  Attracted  to  the  southwest,  with  its  growing 
opportunities,  he  went  to  Texas  in  1880,  and,  in  1881,  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Texas  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  remaining  in  the  service  of  that 
corporation  until  coming  to  New  Mexico,  in  1889.  He  took  up  his  abode 
in  Carlsbad  and,  recognizing  the  fact  that  the  rapid  growth  of  the  Territory 
gave  excellent  opportunity   for  operations  as  a  contractor  and  builder,  he 


826  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

began  business  in  that  line.  In  1892  he  removed  to  Roswell,  where  he 
erected  many  handsome  business  blocks,  and,  in  1894,  he  went  to  El  Paso, 
where  he  engaged  in  contracting  until  1898.  In  that  year  he  came  to 
Alamogordo,  the  railroad  being  extended  to  this  place,  and  built  the  court- 
house and  annex  and  many  other  business  blocks,  school  buildings,  public 
structures  and  private  residences.  He  now  owns  and  operates  a  planing 
mill  in  connection  with  the  conduct  of  .a  general  contracting  business,  and 
his  labor  has  always  brought  so  beneficial  and  capable  a  service  that  he  is 
enjoying  a  very  large  and  gratifying  patronage.  Connected  with  the  fron- 
tier, he  has  contributed  in  large  and  substantial  measure  to  the  upbuilding 
and  progress  in  the  various  localities,  and  Alamogordo  has  profited  by  his 
work,  for  he  belongs  to  that  class  of  representative  American  citizens  who, 
while  advancing  individual  interests,  also  contribute  to  the  general  good. 

Mr.  Pelphrey  and  his  family  maintain  their  residence  in  Alamogordo, 
and  are  well  known  socially.  He  is  a  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge  No. 
24.  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Alamogordo  Lodge  No.  7,  K.  P.,  and  is  active  in  educa- 
tional matters,  serving  as  a  school  trustee  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to 
promote  the  cause  of  public  instruction. 

J.  E.  Bochtel  is  general  manager  of  the  Alamogordo  Lumber  Company 
and  a  prominent  and  enterprising  business  man,  operating  extensively  in 
this  industry.  He  entered  the  employ  of  the  company  in  1899,  and  his 
capability  and  readiness  of  business  resources  led  to  his  promotion,  from 
time  to  time,  until,  in  July,  1904,  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  present 
responsible  position  as  manager. 

The  Alamogordo  Lumber  Company  was  founded  in  December,  1898, 
and  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  New  Jersey.  The  first 
mill  was  completed  in  1898  and  the  second  in  September,  1899.  There  are 
now  two  modern  band  mills,  with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  There  is  a  modern  timber  preserving 
plant,  and  two  cylinders  with  a  capacity  of  sixty  thousand  ties  a  month, 
made  by  the  Burnetlizing  or  Welhouse  process.  Thirty  per  cent  of  the 
raw  material  handled  by  the  company  is  made  into  railroad  ties,  while  the 
remainder  is  converted  into  yard  stock.  The  market  extends  north  and 
east  to  Chicago,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  also  to  Colorado,  El  Paso  and  Ari- 
zona. Originally  the  company  owned  about  forty-five  thousand  acres  of 
timber  land  in  the  Sacramento  mountains,  adjoining  the  Mescalero  Indians 
reservation,  and  about  ten  thousand  acres  have  been  cut  there,  with  four 
hundred  thousand  feet  of  lumber  remaining.  This  company  has  carried  on 
operations  on  a  very  extensive  scale,  having  a  splendidly  equipped  plant  and 
manufacturing  lumber  according  to  modern  processes,  and  its  business  has 
reached  mammoth  proportions.  Mr.  Bochtel,  in  his  connection  as  manager 
of  the  business,  ranks  among  the  prominent  representatives  of  industrial 
interests  in  the  Territory.  , 

W.  E.  Warren,  druggist  of  Alamogordo,  is  a  native  son  of  Texas,  and 
was  reared  in  the  place  of  his  birth.  He  came  to  Alamogordo  in  1898  and 
opened  the  drug  store  which  he  has  since  conducted,  having  now  a  well 
appointed  mercantile  establishment,  in  which  he  has  obtained  a  liberal  pa- 
tronage. On  the  1st  of  January.  1905,  his  brother,  G.  E.  Warren,  was 
admitted  to  a  partnership.  Mr.  Warren  belongs  to  Alamogordo  Lodge  No. 
7,  K.  P.,  and  is  in  thorough  sympathy  with  the  teachings  and  tenets  of  the 
order. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  827 

Alonzo  J.  Buck,  engaged  in  the  undertaking  business  in  Alamogordo,  was 
born  in  Canada  in  1856,  but  was  reared  in  New  Hampshire,  and,  in  1876, 
when  twenty  years  of  age,  came  to  Texas.  He  resided  in  the  Lone  Star 
state  for  about  twenty-two  years,  being  largely  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness in  Edwards  county.  In  1898  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and  did  the 
first  photographic  work  in  Alamogordo.  In  1901  lie  established  a  livery 
business,  which  he  conducted  successfully  until  the  22A  of  December,  1905, 
when  he  sold  out  to  T.  L.  Bean.  He  was  practically  the  author  of  the  livery 
law  which  was  passed  by  the  last  legislature.  In  connection  with  his  livery 
business  he  established  undertaking  parlors  and  has  since  continued  in  this 
line.  He  also  owns  a  farm  eight  miles  from  the  town,  on  the  old  Malone 
ranch,  one  of  the  oldest  ranches  of  the  valley,  its  location  being  west  of 
La  Luz,  and  his  varied  interests  have  been  capably  conducted,  each  pos- 
sibility for  success  being  well  utilized  and  bringing  to  him  the  desired  re- 
turn. 

Mr.  Buck  is  a  Mason,  having  attained  the  Royal  Arch  degree  in  the 
fraternity.  Moreover,  he  is  a  public-spirited  citizen  who  does  everything 
in  his  power  to  promote  the  business  interests  of  the  community,  and  his 
labors  are  of  a  practical  and  beneficial  character. 

William  K.  Stalcup,  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business 
in  Alamogordo,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  but,  when  two  years  of  age,  was 
taken  to  Missouri,  where  he  was  reared,  acquiring  a  public  school  educa- 
tion there.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas, 
and  spent  six  years  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk.  He  afterward  spent 
one  year  in  Denver,  and  in  pioneer  days  made  his  way  to  the  Pecos  valley, 
where  he  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern 
railroad,  from  Pecos  to  Carlsbad.  While  residing  in  the  latter  place  he  was 
chosen  deputy  county  clerk  of  Eddy  county  for  a  two-years"  term,  and  was 
also  for  two  years  justice  of  the  peace  there. 

In  1898  Mr.  Stalcup  came  to  Alamogordo  to  assist  in  founding  the 
town  and  aided  literally  in  its  building,  and  has  since  been  closely  associated 
with  its  development  and  progress.  At  La  Luz  he  was  bookkeeper  for 
Charles  Meyer.  He  was  afterward  elected  county  clerk  of  Otero  county 
upon  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  the  fall  of  1900,  and  his  capable  service 
during  the  first  term  led  to  his  re-election.  Since  his  retirement  from  office, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1905,  he  has  given  his  attention  to  his  present  busi- 
ness, conducting  a  real  estate,  insurance  and  abstract  office.  His  clientage 
in  this  line  has  already  reached  gratifying  proportions.  Fraternally  he  is 
an  Odd  Fellow,  and  is  a  past  chancellor  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  Lodge. 

T\  C.  Rolland,  who  is  engaged  in  the  drug  and  curio  business  in  Alamo- 
gordo and  is  serving  as  county  commissioner  of  Otero  county,  a  fact  which 
is  indicative  of  his  prominence  in  public  affairs  as  well  as  in  commercial  cir- 
cles, came  to  this  city  in  March,  1900.  He  was  born  in  Fenton,  Michigan, 
and  was  in  the  drug  business  as  clerk  in  Fenton  and  Saginaw,  Michigan,  for 
seven  years.  Coming  to  Alamogordo  in  March,  1900,  he  entered  the  emplov 
of  Aragon  Brothers,  druggists,  with  whom  he  continued  until  the  1st  of 
May,  1901,  when,  in  connection  with  S.  H.  Sutherland,  he  bought  out  his 
employers  and  the  firm  of  F.  C.  Rolland  &  Co.  continued  in  business  until 
the  1st  of  May,  1903.  when  Mr.  Rolland  purchased  his  partner's  interest, 
and  is  now  sole  proprietor.  He  has  a  well  appointed  store  and  is  enjoying 
a  large  trade,  drawn  from  the  town  and  surrounding  country. 
Vol.  11.    20 


828  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

In  community  affairs  Mr.  Rolland  is  deeply  and  helpfully  interested. 
He  assisted  in  organizing  the  Alamogordo  Fire  Department,  a  volunteer 
company,  and  has  co-operated  in  many  progressive  public  movements.  In 
November,  1904,  he  was  elected  county  commissioner  upon  the  Republican 
ticket,  having  supported  the  party  since  attaining  his  majority.  He  became 
a  charter  member  of  Sacramento  Lodge  No.  24,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Hal  H.  Major,  probate  clerk  of  Otero  county  and  a  resident  of  Alamo- 
gordo, is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  remained  in  that  state  until  the 
summer  of  1899,  his  attention  being  given  to  railroads.  He  then  came  to 
New  Mexico  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern  Rail- 
road Company  until  July  1,  1904,  being  first  employed  in  the  auditing  depart- 
ment, while  later  he  became  general  storekeeper.  Eventually,  however,  he 
resigned  and  entered  upon  the  real  estate  business.  In  1905  he  homesteaded 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  a  half  mile  north  of  Alamogordo,  and 
is  now  irrigating  it  by  means  of  wells.  He  is  making  his  home  thereon, 
giving  his  time  and  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  property,  which  he 
intends  to  devote  to  the  raising  of  fruits.     He  has  a  wife  and  two  children. 

In  his  political  affiliation  Mr.  Major  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  his 
personal  popularity  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that,  in  the  fall  of  1904,  he  was 
elected  probate  clerk  in  a  strong  Democratic  county.  Progress  and  patriot- 
ism may  well  be  termed  the  keynote  of  his  character,  a  fact  which  indicates 
that  no  mistake  has  been  made  in  selecting  him  for  office.  He  is  a  prom- 
inent Mason,  belonging  to  Sacramento  Lodge  No.  24,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
he  has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Albuquerque. 

R.  H.  Pierce,  a  merchant  of  Alamogordo,  who  is  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  New  Mexico  Institute  for  the 
Blind,  was  born  in  Virginia  and,  in  early  life,  went  to  Texas.  He  was  after- 
ward engaged  in  business  in  Desdemona,  that  state,  and  thence  went  to 
Seven  Rivers,  New  Mexico.  Soon  afterward  he  established  a  general  mer- 
cantile store  at  Carlsbad  in  Eddy  county.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Carlsbad,  and  the  citizens  of  that  town  erected  there  a  brick  building,  allow- 
ing him  to  use  it,  rent  free,  if  he  would  conduct  a  store.  His  business 
capacity  and  enterprise  were  important  factors  in  the  substantial  upbuilding 
and  improvement  of  that  part  of  the  Pecos  valley.  For  years  he  had  been 
a  warm  personal  friend  of  C.  B.  Eddy,  promoter  of  the  town  of  Eddy,  after- 
ward Carlsbad,  and  was  associated  with  him  in  his  numerous  enterprises. 

When  Alamogordo  was  laid  out  by  Mr.  Eddy  and  his  associates  Mr. 
Pierce  was  one  of  the  first  to  establish  a  business  here,  opening  a  general 
mercantile  store.  He  carries  a  well  selected  stock  and  has  contributed  in 
substantial  measure  to  the  business  activity  and  prosperity  of  the  new  town. 
Every  movement  for  its  upbuilding  and  progress  has  received  his  endorse- 
ment and  co-operation.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Baptist  College  at 
Alamogordo.  which  institution  he  helped  to  build,  and  in  connection  with 
A.  J.  King  he  has  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  founding  the  institution  for 
the  blind  "at  this  place,  securing  an  appropriation  from  the  legislature  for 
the  same.  He  is  a  thoroughly  representative  citizen,  a  public-spirited  man 
who  stands  as  a  high  type  of  American  manhood  and  chivalry,  placing  gen- 
eral progress  before  self-aggrandizement. 

James  C.  Dunn  is  filling  the  position  of  county  treasurer  and  collector 
of  Otero  county,  and  makes  his  home  in  A'.amogodo.    At  the  same  time  he 


(uZ^^vcJ   sty 

f 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  829 

is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  fruit  and  cereals,  demonstrating  the  possibilities 
of  this  section  of  the  Territory  in  that  line  of  production.  He  was  born  in 
Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  and  was  reared  as  a  fisherman.  He  entered  the 
army  in  1862,  enlisting  in  defense  of  the  Union  as  a  member  of  the  Twelfth 
Massachusetts  Light  Battery,  but  was  soon  afterward  transferred  to  the 
navy  and  served  in  the  West  Gulf  blockading  squadron  under  Admiral  Far- 
ragut.  When  the  war  was  over  he  entered  the  merchant  service,  and,  in 
1882,  went  to  California,  becoming  a  pioneer  resident  at  Long  Beach,  where 
he  made  his  home  until  1900. 

That  year  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Dunn  in  Alamogordo.  He  had 
previously  been  engaged  in  fruit  farming,  in  milling  and  contracting  in 
California.  He  studied  what  is  now  known  as  the  Campbell  system  of 
dry  farming  for  the  production  of  fruit  and  found  that  it  was  a  good  sys- 
tem, producing  excellent  results.  He  was  the  first  man  in  this  Territory 
to  institute  that  method.  He  now  raises  grapes,  pears,  peaches,  plums, 
prunes  and  apricots,  growing  all  these  with  success  upon  his  place,  about 
two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Alamogordo.  He  began  the  business  in  1900 
and  continues  therein,  now  having  thirty  acres  of  land  under  cultivation, 
about  five  acres  being  devoted  to  fruits,  while  the  remainder  is  used  in  the 
cultivation  of  corn,  oats  and  barley.  In  1905  he  raised  rye  which  was 
six  feet  two  and  a  half  inches  high,  and  in  1902  he  won  the  premium  on 
corn  at  the  Territorial  fair,  a  fact  illustrative  of  his  excellent  methods  and 
his  gratifying  position  as  a  leader  in  agricultural  circles.  He  is  now  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  fruit,  increasing  his  business  in  this  direction  annually. 

Mr.  Dunn  is  a  Republican,  unfaltering  in  his  allegiance  to  the  party, 
and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  position  of  county  treasurer  and  collector 
of  Otero  county,  which  position  he  is  now  filling.  He  is  also  recognized  as 
an  exemplary  Mason,  being  a  faithful  follower  of  the  craft. 

John  M.  Hawkins,  now  postmaster  at  Alamogordo,  in  which  office  he 
has  served  since  August,  1903,  was  for  many  years  identified  with  jour- 
nalism in  New  Mexico,  notably  connected  with  newspapers  at  Santa  Fe, 
Silver  City  and  Carlsbad.  He  has  resided  in  the  Territory  for  about  sev- 
enteen years  and  for  about  three  years  has  capably  discharged  the  duties 
of  postmaster  at  Alamogordo. 

Perry  Kearney,  proprietor  of  a  mercantile  establishment  at  Cloud- 
croft,  was  born  and  reared  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  He  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  1878,  making  his  way  to  Black  Ranch  in  Lincoln  county,  where 
he  accepted  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  cattle  interests  upon  that  place. 
Later  he  removed  to  La  Luz  in  1881  and  began  the  cattle  business  on 
his  own  account,  continuing  at  that  point  for  seven  years,  when  he  dis- 
posed of  his  cattle  there.  He  afterward  turned  his  attention  to  general 
farming  and  ranching,  in  which  he  continued  successfully  until  1898,  when 
he  came  to  Cloudcroft  and  opened  a  general  mercantile  store.  Here  he  has 
since  remained,  selling  his  ranch  to  the  railroad  company.  He,  however, 
owns  real  estate  in  Alamogordo  and  a  good  property  in  Cloudcroft.  He 
has  a  well  equipped  store,  carefully  selecting  his  goods  to  meet  the  varied 
tastes  of  the  general  public,  and  has  a  gratifying  patronage  here. 

Mr.  Kearney  is  an  active  supporter  of  the  Republican  party  and  its 
principles  and  is  a  member  of  the  Alamogordo  lodge  of  Masons.  Identi- 
fied with  interests  of  the  southwest  through  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  he  has  been  an  interested  witness  of  the  changes  that  have  occurred 


830  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

as  the  county  has  emerged  from  pioneer  conditions  and  left  behind  the  evi- 
dences of  frontier  life,  taking  on  all  of  the  advantages  and  improvements 
of  modern  civilization.  He  is  associated  in  the  work  of  general  develop- 
ment and  manifests  a  public-spirited  interest  in  every  movement  and  meas- 
ure for  the  general  good. 

H.  M.  Denney,  a  merchant  of  Cloudcroft,  Otero  county,  is  a  native  of 
Tennessee.  Coming  to  the  southwest  he  was  engaged  in  business  in  the 
Indian  Territory  until  his  removal  to  New  Mexico  in  the  spring  of  1900. 
In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  he  established  his  store  at  Qoudcroft, 
where  he  has  since  conducted  a  growing  business.  His  political  affiliation 
is  given  to  the  Democracy,  but  he  is  without  aspiration  for  office,  preferring 
to  concentrate  his  energies  upon  his  business  affairs.  However,  he  served 
as  postmaster  while  at  Courtney,  Indian  Territory.  He  became  a  Mason  in 
Leon  Lodge  No.  16,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  Indian  Territory,  from  which 
he  now  holds  a  demit. 

Mr.  Denny  was  married  to  Miss  Lula  Meekin  and  they  have  six  chil- 
dren. 

Samuel  Melvin,  proprietor  of  Hotel  Virginia  at  Cloudcroft,  Otero  coun- 
ty, is  a  native  of  Indiana,  but  was  reared  in  Kentucky  and  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  has  been  engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  which  he 
has  followed  quite  extensively  in  the  southwest.  For  the  past  twenty  years 
he  has  also  been  identified  with  the  hotel  business  in  Texas,  conducting 
hotels  at  different  times  in  Lacona  and  Spanish  Fort,  Texas,  in  Roswell, 
New  Mexico,  and  at  Cloudcroft,  opening  the  Hotel  Virginia  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1901.  Here  he  has  accommodations  for  one  hundred  guests  and 
has  furnished  meals  to  as  high  as  three  hundred.  He  has  permanent  sleep- 
ing accommodations  for  about  sixty.  The  seasons  extend  from  the  1st 
of  May  until  the  last  of  September  and  his  hostelry  has  become  a  popular 
resort,  receiving  a  large  patronage. 

E.  F.  Cadwallader,  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  E.  F.  Cadwallader 
&  Son,  engaged  in  the  nursery  business  and  fruit  growing  at  Mountain 
Park  in  Fresnal  Canyon  in  Otero  county,  sixteen  miles  east  of  Alamogordo, 
is  one  of  the  most  scientific  agriculturists  of  the  southwest  and  combines 
with  his  technical  knowledge  most  practical  experience.  He  was  born 
in  Fulton  county.  Illinois,  and  learned  the  nursery  business  in  Blooming- 
ton,  that  state.  He  was  afterward  engaged  in  that  line  of  business  for 
twenty-five  years  near  Paola,  Kansas,  and  then  located  in  the  Rio  Grande 
valley  in  northwestern  Texas,  where  he  conducted  a  nursery  and  fruit  farm 
until  March,  IQ02,  when  he  came  to  his  present  location.  He  has  experi- 
mented in  the  Fresnal  Canyon  with  a  great  variety  of  fruits  and  finds  that 
apples  are  the  most  remunerative  and  safest  crop.  The  soil  is  especially 
adapted  to  their  growing  on  account  of  the  presence  of  iron.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  the  production  of  several  varieties  of  apples,  including  the 
Parmain,  the  Winesap.  the  Jonathan.  Grimes'  Golden,  the  Mammoth  Black 
and  the  Gano,  the  last  mentioned  being  the  best  for  commercial  purposes. 
He  has  never  had  any  trouble  with  the  codlin  moth,  so  great  a  pest  else- 
where in  New  Mexico.  The  solidity  of  the  apples  which  he  raises  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  a  box  ordinarily  carrying  forty  pounds  will  hold  from  forty- 
three  to  forty-seven  pounds.  The  blue  mission  fig,  grapes,  cherries,  plums. 
and  small  fruits  also  do  well  under  the  careful  cultivation  of  Mr.  Cadwal- 
lader.    The  altitude  of  bis  farm  is  sixty-seven  hundred  feet.     There  is  iron 


a 


liAAt, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  831 

in  the  soil,  with  a  deep  clay  subsoil.  He  now  has  on  his  place  thirty  thou- 
sand young  fruit  trees  and  many  ornamental  shrubs,  plants  and  flowers  in 
his  nursery  and  he  is  doing  much  for  the  improvement  of  the  Territory  by 
demonstrating  its  possibilities  for  agricultural  and  horticultural  develop- 
ment.    He  is  now  serving  as  postmaster  at  Mountain  Park. 

W.  D.  Tipton,  a  merchant  of  Tularosa,  has  resided  in  New  Mexico 
since  1886.  He  was  born  in  Jacksboro,  Texas.  On  coming  to  New  Mex- 
ico he  settled  in  Las  Vegas,  where  he  resided  for  several  years,  but  since 
1891  has  been  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Tularosa  and  La  Luz.  He  has 
been  a  successful  grower  of  alfalfa,  averaging  one  and  a  quarter  tons  to 
the  acre  at  each  cutting.  There  are  four  cuttings  each  year,  so  that  there 
is  a  total  average  of  five  tons  per  acre. 

Mr.  Tipton  is  not  only  engaged  in  the  successful  management  of  his 
private  business  interests,  but  has  also  labored  effectively  and  earnestly 
for  the  welfare  of  this  section  of  the  Territory.  He  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican, has  served  on  the  Territorial  committee  and  has  been  chairman  of 
the  county  central  committee  of  his  party.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Otero  county  and  has  labored  earnestly  to  save  to  the 
people  of  Tularosa  and  vicinity  their  original  water  rights,  of  which  the 
United  States  government,  through  the  Indian  agents,  has  sought  to  de- 
prive them.  His  activity  in  public  matters  and  his  devotion  to  the  general 
welfare  have  made  him  highly  respected. 

Patrick  Coghlan,  of  Tularosa,  one  of  the  most  widely  known  of  the 
living  pioneers  of  southeastern  New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Ireland,  March 
15,  1822,  and  was  educated  in  his  native  country.  In  1848,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  New  York  city  and  in  1849 
came  to  Texas,  since  which  time  he  has  been  largely  identified  with  the 
pioneer  history  of  the  southwest.  He  fought  the  Apaches  and  Comanches 
in  the  Lone  Star  state.  He  had  extensive  cattle  ranches  in  Texas  and  in 
1872  drove  his  first  cattle  to  New  Mexico.  In  1874  he  located  on  a  big 
ranch  in  Lincoln  county,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Capitan,  known  as 
the  Block  ranch.  He  was  a  witness  of  both  the  Harrold  war  and  the  Lin- 
coln countv  war.  He  has  experienced  all  the  hardships,  trials  and  priva- 
tions incident  to  the  settlement  of  this  section  of  the  country.  At  Tularosa 
he  established  a  store,  which  cattle  thieves  and  Mexicans  repeatedly  robbed, 
and  they  also  frequently  stole  his  stock,  but  he  persevered  in  his  efforts  to 
establish  and  conduct  a  profitable  business  and  aid  in  the  reclamation  of 
the  district  for  the  uses  of  the  white  man,  and  is  numbered  among  those 
who  have  laid  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  for  the  present  development, 
prosperity  and  advanced  civilization  of  this  section  of  the  country.  The 
raid  of  the  notorious  Apache  chief.  Victorio,  began  on  the  Coghlan  ranch, 
the  Indians  stealing  seventeen  of  his  best  cattle  and  horses  in  1879.  He 
knew  the  chieftain  well  and  Victorio  was  at  times  very  friendly  with  him. 
When  Mr.  Coghlan  first  came  to  Texas  the  nearest  house  was  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles  away,  there  being  not  a  single  habitation  between  Mason 
and  Chadbourne.  The  Indians  protesting  against  the  advance  of  the  white 
men,  there  occurred  many  fights,  in  a  number  of  which  Mr.  Coghlan  par- 
ticipated. In  1866  he  lost  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  through  the  In- 
dian depredations  in  Texas.  He  has,  however,  persevered  in  his  pur- 
pose to  establish  a  home  and  has  aided  in  extending  the  frontier  and  con- 
verting southeastern  New   Mexico  into  a  district  where  all  of  the  advan- 


832  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tages  of  an  advanced  civilization  are  now  found.  As  the  years  have  gone 
by  he  has  continued  his  live-stock  interests  and  in  more  recent  years  has 
given  considerable  attention  to  horticultural  pursuits,  which  he  has  carried 
on  successfully.  The  splendid  results  that  have  attended  his  efforts  may 
be  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  won  the  first  prize,  a  gold  medal,  for 
peaches  exhibited  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at  St.  Louis,  .Mis- 
souri, in  1904.  Mr.  Coghlan  is  a  splendid  type  of  the  pioneer,  and  well 
does  he  deserve  the  honor  and  gratitude  of  residents  of  New  Mexico  for 
what  he  has  accomplished  for  her  upbuilding  and  improvement. 

Jefferson  J.  Sanders,  a  farmer  of  Tularosa,  was  born  in  Australia  in 
1863  and  on  coming  to  the  United  States  when  ten  years  of  age  became 
a  resident  of  Texas.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the  mother 
of  England,  and  in  1873  they  arrived  in  the  Lone  Star  state.  Jefferson  J. 
Sanders  accompanied  them  on  their  removal  to  New  Mexico  in  1891  and 
since  that  time  they  have  resided  in  Tularosa.  Mr.  Sanders  of  this  review 
became  proprietor  of  the  Sanders  Hotel,  which  he  conducted  until  1905, 
and  in  the  meantime  he  gave  considerable  attention  to  farming  and  is 
now  devoting  his  energies  exclusively  to  general  agricultural  pursuits. 
His  principal  crop  is  alfalfa,  but  he  believes  that  fruit  can  be  profitably 
cultivated  in  this  part  of  the  country  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  future 
of  the  valley. 

Mr.  Sanders  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Williamson,  a  native  of  Ten- 
nessee, and  they  have  five  children :  William,  Barney,  May,  Nellie  and  Ed- 
ward. They  occupy  a  fine  new  residence  which  stands  in  the  midst  of  a 
fertile  farm,  indicating  the  careful  supervision  and  practical  progressive 
methods  of  the  owner  in  its  cultivation  and  improvement. 

Andrew  Wilson,  a  retired  rancher  living  in  Tularosa,  Otero  county, 
has  resided  in  New  Mexico  since  1862,  when  he  came  with  the  "California 
Column"  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  Company  A,  First  California 
Cavalry.  He  was  born  in  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  January  8,  1839,  and 
in  his  boyhood  days  went  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama, 
making  the  journey  with  an  uncle  in  1854  when  a  youth  of  fifteen  years. 
He  mined  on  the  Michigan  Bar  at  Placerville  and  in  other  places,  resid- 
ing there  until  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  on  the 
1 2th  of  August,  1861,  becoming  a  member  of  Company  A,  First  California 
Cavalry.  With  his  command  he  fought  the  Mescalero  Apaches  from  1862 
until  discharged  on  the  31st  of  August,  1864.  Following  his  retirement 
from  the  army  he  worked  for  wages  until  1871  and  in  the  meantime  was 
married  in   1868  to  Natividad  Duran  in  Tularosa. 

In  1871  Mr.  Wilson  took  up  unsurveyed  government  land,  which  he 
finally  entered,  this  being  about  twelve  miles  east  of  Tularosa.  In  1875 
he  discovered  copper  on  his  ranch  and  for  several  years  operated  the  mine. 
He  continued  in  possession  of  the  property  until  December,  1905,  when  he 
sold  out,  having  in  the  meantime  shipped  large  quantities  of  ore,  while  he 
still  has  much  on  hand  and  yet  owns  a  mill.  While  engaged  in  mining 
operations  he  at  the  same  time  conducted  his  farming  interests,  using  water 
from  the  mountains  for  irrigation.  The  ranch  lies  on  the  Tularosa  river 
and  the  soil  is  well  adapted  when  irrigated  to  the  production  of  all  kinds 
of  grains,  vegetables  and  fruits.  He  has  made  a  specialty  of  the  cultiva- 
tion of  apples  and  for  years  has  raised  apples  weighing  a  pound  and  a 
half.    He  was  the  first  American  to  locate  here  and  has  done  much  for  the 


'Atuc     i/y* 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  833 

substantial  improvement  and  development  of  the  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilson  have  been  born  four  children  :  Mary  L.,  the  wife  of  Charles  An- 
derson, of  Otero  county ;  Manoah,  also  of  Otero  county ;  Margaret  and 
Andrew. 

Mr.  Wilson  has  served  as  county  commissioner  of  Lincoln  county. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  widely  known  of  the  pioneers  of  this  part  of  the  Ter- 
ritory and  in  the  careful  conduct  of  his  business  interests  he  has  amassed 
wealth.  His  life  has  been  eventful,  fraught  with  many  hardships  and  nar- 
row escapes  from  the  Indians  in  early  days,  and  he  is  familiar  with  all  the 
experiences  and  trials  that  come  to  the  frontiersman,  but  as  the  years  have 
gone  by  bis  carefully  directed  labors  have  brought  him  success  and  also 
contributed  to  the  substantial  improvement  and  upbuilding  of  southeastern 
New  Mexico. 

C.  Meyer,  a  prominent  merchant  of  La  Luz,  Otero  county,  New  Mex- 
ico, was  born  in  Germany,  and  in  that  country  he  was  reared  and  received 
a  common  school  education.  At  the  a^e  of  eighteen  years  he  came  to 
America,  and  a  few  months  after  his  arrival  in  New  York  city  he  enlisted 
his  services  in  defense  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  war,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  B,  Seventh  New  York  Regiment,  in  which  he  served 
for  ten  months.  After  a  military  career  of  ten  months  he  received  his 
discharge  at  Hart's  Island,  New  York,  for  his  adopted  country  then  no 
longer  needed  his  services,  and  he  returned  to  the  duties  of  private  life. 

In  1869  Mr.  Meyer  made  his  way  to  Texas,  remaining  in  the  Lone 
Star  state  from  that  time  until  1882,  when  he  removed  to  old  Mexico,  and 
for  three  years  was  there  engaged  in  merchandising.  On  the  expiration 
of  that  period  he  returned  to  Texas,  and  for  the  following  six  years  was 
emploved  as  bookkeeper  for  an  American  Mining  Company.  He  then 
came  to  New  Mexico  and  opened  his  present  place  of  business  at  La  Luz, 
being  now  the  proprietor  of  a  large  general  merchandise  store,  in  which  he 
has  a  complete  and  well  selected  stock  of  goods,  his  being  the  only  store 
of  its  kind  in  the  beautiful  little  settlement  of  La  Luz. 

In  this  city  in  1894  Mr.  Mever  was  united  in  marriage  to  Lillie  M. 
Greenwood,  and  they  have  three  children  :  Lillie.  Carl  and  Pauline.  In  his 
fraternal  relations  Mr.  Meyer  is  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Alamogordo  Lodge. 
He  is  also  a  director  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Alamogordo. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


McKINLEY  COUNTY. 

McKinley  county  was  organized  from  a  part ,  of  Bernalillo  county  in 
1901.  It  lies  in  the  first  tier  of  western  counties,  and  is  bounded  north  by 
San  Juan,  east  by  Sandoval  and  Bernalillo  counties,  south  by  Valencia  and 
west  by  Arizona  Territory.  Since  the  organization  of  the  county,  the  seat 
of  the  government  has  been  Gallup,  which  was  settled  in  the  early  eighties, 
and  is  the  center  of  a  rich  coal  field. 

On  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Railroad  (Santa  Fe),  which 
passes  through  the  southern  and  southwestern  portions  of  the  county, 
numerous  seams  of  coal  make  their  appearance  almost  to  the  Arizona  line. 
The  product  is  of  very  good  quality,  containing  from  92  to  95  per  cent  of 
combustible  matter,  and  is  supplied  to  the  railroads,  iron  works  and  ma- 
chine shops  as  far  east  as  Albuquerque  and  as  far  west  as  the  San  Fran- 
cisco mountains  in  Arizona,  a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles.  The  seams 
of  coal  average  from  four  to  six  feet  in  thickness. 

For  ten  years  or  more  before  the  creation  of  McKinley  county  the 
people  in  the  western  portions  of  Bernalillo  and  Valencia  counties  were 
agitating  the  question  of  subdivision,  knowing  that  Gallup  would  be  the 
county  seat.  It  was  generally  understood  that  the  new  county  would  be 
named  Summit,  but  the  popularity  of  the  martyred  president  carried  the 
day. 

Countv  Officers. — The  following  officials  have  served  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  county   in    1901  : 

County  commissioners: — 1901-2.  Edward  Hart  (chairman').  W.  L.  Bretherton.  W. 
L.  McVickers;  1003-4,  Edward  Hart  (chairman).  W.  H.  Morris,  S.  E.  Aldrich; 
1905-6,  W.  L.  Bretherton   (chairman),  W.  H.  Morris,  John  A.  Gordon. 

Probate  judge: — 1901-6,  D.  Apodaca. 

Probate  clerks :— 1001-2,  D.  C.   Russell;   1003-6,  Fred  W.  Meyers. 

Sheriffs: — 1001-4,    William   A.    Smith;    1005-6,    T.    H.    Coddington. 

Treasurers: — 1001-4,  John   C.   Spears;   1905-6,   Palmer  Ketner. 

Assessor: — 1001-6,    Stephen    Canavan. 

Fort  Wingate  and  Early  Settlement. — Fort  Wingate,  in  the  southern 
part  of  McKinley  county,  has  been  one  of  the  most  historic  points  in  the 
Territory  since  1862.  The  military  occupation  of  that  region,  however,  be- 
gan in  1 801,  during  the  administration  of  Ferdinand  Chacon,  when  a 
Spanish  colonv  and  presidio,  or  military  post,  were  established  at  Cebol- 
leta,  fifteen  miles  north  of  Laguna.  It  was  at  this  point  that  Governor 
Codallos.  in  1746.  had  erected  a  mission  for  the  purpose  of  evangelizing 
the  Navajos.  The  first  garrison  consisted  of  thirty-five  soldiers.  This  post 
was  continued  by  the  Spanish  authorities  until  Mexico  became  a  republic 
in  1821 ;  then  by  the  republic  of  Mexico  until  New  Mexico  became  a  Terri- 
tory of  the  United  States  in  1850.    It  was  then  re-established  as  a  camp  by 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  8^ 

the  United  States  government  and  thus  maintained  until  1862,  when  it  was 
removed  to  El  Gallo,  near  the  present  town  of  San  Rafael  (Valencia  coun- 
ty), and  named  Fort  Wingate.  In  1870  it  was  again  moved  to  its  present 
site  at  the  west  end  of  the  Zuni  mountains. 

General  Eugene  A.  Carr,  who  was  in  command  of  the  district  of  New 
Mexico,  with  headquarters  at  Fort  Wingate,  in  1888-90,  in  his  annual 
report  to  the  asistant  adjutant  general,  Department  of  Arizona,  under  date 
of  August  22,  1889,  wrote  as  follows:  "In  looking  over  the  records  in  the 
headquarters  office,  I  am  struck  with  the  names  of  men  prominent  before 
and  since  the  war,  as  well  as  those  not  so  celebrated,  but  whose  memories 
are  so  dear  to  many  of  us  who'  are  still  on  praying  ground.  On  the  reg- 
ister, which  commences  with  October,  1854,  I'  find  Andrew  Jackson  lodg- 
ing with  Major  Brooks.  S.  D.  Sturgis  with  General  Garland,  and  J.  L. 
McFerron  with  A.  McD.  McCook.  In  1853  I  escorted  General  Garland 
from  Fort  Leavenworth  as  far  as  Council  Grove,  where  the  command  was 
waiting  under  Elecuis  Backus,  and  remember  McCook  singing  songs  with 
a  lot  of  jolly  fellows  in  a  tent  that  evening,  viz..  B.  L.  Ewell,  Charles 
Sutherland,  Gary  H.  Fry,  George  Sykes,  John  D.  Wilkins,  Henry  B. 
(Joler)  Davidson,  R.  W.  (Bob)  Johnson,  H.  L.  Kendrick,  whose  rem- 
iniscences of  Fort  Defiance  are  so  vivid,  and  who  no  doubt  recalls  the  Ojo 
del  Oso.  which  fixes  the  location  of  this  post;  W.  R.  Shoemaker,  George 
Gibson,  Robert  Williams.  D.  H.  Rucker,  H.  B.  Clitz.  B.  J.  D.  Irwin,  W.  N. 
Grier  (bueno  commandante),  J.  H.  Carleton,  John  Adams,  C.  H.  Ogle, 
Jonas  P.  Holliday  (bueno  teniente ) .  Enoch  and  A.  E.  Steen,  Elmer  Otis, 
W.  D.  Pendor,  D.  McM.  Gregg,  W.  W.  Loring,  Julian  May,  Roger  Jones, 
J.  H.  Edson.  J.  R.  Smead,  W.  B.  Lane,  Lewellyii  Jones,  A.  J.'  Lindsay,  G.  B. 
Crittenden.  W.  L.  Elliott.  Alexander  (General)  McRae.  who  was  killed  at 
Valverde  and  had  said  the  evening  previous  that  he  had  nothing  to  live 
for,  his  family  having  disowned  him  on  account  of  his  adherence  to  the 
Union ;  John  P.  Hatch.  R.  M.  Morris.  Andrew  Porter,  James  Longstreet, 
John  G.  Walker,  my  old  captain  and  a  perfect  soldier  and  gentleman  (  I  had 
been  promoted  out  of  the  regiment  of  mounted  riflemen  in  1855,  before  it 
came  to  this  Territory,  where  it  gained  great  distinction  in  Indian  war- 
fare) ;  Orrin  Chapman,  Jonathan  Litterman,  William  D.  Whipple,  Fred 
Myers,  John  Pope.  J.  G.  Lee.  George  B.  Cosby,  who  had  a  $20  gold-piece 
in  his  pocket  where  an  Indian  arrow  struck  it ;  Johnny  Dubois,  Thomas 
Duncan,  T.  G.  Pitcher,  George  E.  Pickett.  B.  Wingate,  afterward  killed, 
and  for  whom  this  post  is  named  :  Alex.  Chambers,  John  G  Marmaduke, 
Basil  Norris,  John  Pegram,  Will  Kearney,  J.  G.  Tilford,  Albert  J.  Myer, 
A.  L.  Anderson.  R.  H.  Hall,  our  present  inspector;  L.  L.  Rich,  and  manv 
others.     *     *     *     *     * 

"The  first  United  States  military  commander  was,  of  course.  General 
Stephen  W.  Kearnv ;  the  next.  Colonel  Doniphan ;  the  third.  Sterling  Price. 
Subsequently  the  command  was  exercised  by  the  following  distinguished 
officers.  The  records  are  deficient,  but  I  remember  that  E.  V.  Sumner  was 
sent  out  in  1850,  with  a  large  quantity  of  stock,  seeds  and  farming  uten- 
sils, with  the  idea  of  making  the  troops  self-supporting.  General  Garland 
came  out  in  1853;  Colonels  Bonneville  and  Loring  commanded  about  1857. 
General  Canby  was  in  command  when  the  rebellion  commenced,  in  1861." 

General  Carr  gives  the  following  as  the  post  commanders  from  1864 
to  1888:     General  Carleton,  1864-6;  General  Getty,  1867-9;  General  Grang- 


§a6  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

er,  1870-3  (part  of  1871).  1875;  General  Gregg:,  1871  (part  of  year),  1874, 
1878  (part  of  year)  ;  General  Hatch,  1876-8  (part  of  year),  1879-81  ;  Gen- 
eral Mackenzie,  1882-3  (part  of  year);  General  Stanley,  1883-4;  General 
Bradley;  1884-6;  General  Swaine,  1885  (part  of  year);  General  Grierson, 
1886-8. 

In  closing  his  report  and  calling  attention  to  the  resources  of  the 
surrounding  country,  General  Carr  wrote:  "The  cattle  interest  has  in 
some  places  overstocked  the  area  where  water  is  to  be  had.  In  marching 
from  Fort  Bauard  to  Fort  Wingate,  in  June,  1888,  I  found  most  of  the 
cattle  with  their  hides  clinging  to  their  bones,  and  considerable  numbers 
dead  in  the  sloughs,  where  they  had  mired  when  trying  to  drink,  or  to 
eat  the  green  grass  and  weeds.  *  *  *  I  will  add  that  the  native  peo- 
ple are  sober,  frugal  and  industrious,  and  the  educated  among  them  and 
the  American  settlers  form  a  superior  bodv  of  men.  All  Latin  races  and 
all  persons  in  a  hot  climate  are  supposed  to  take  life  easier  than  those  who 
have  to  struggle  with  severe  cold,  but  New  Mexico  is  not  so  hot  as  some 
portions  of  the  Union,  and  I  think  there  is  plenty  of  work  in  its  inhabitants 
and  that  it  is  the  making  of  a  prosperous  state.  The  country  is  practicable 
for  railroads  in  almost  every  direction.  The  mountains  and  canyons  look 
forbidding,  but  there  is  always  a  way  to  get  across  or  through  them.  In 
my  opinion."  he  concludes  prophetically,  "it  would  not  be  difficult  to  con- 
struct a  railroad  north  of  the  San  Juan,  near  Farmington,  south  to  Silver 
City.  New  Mexico,  or  Clifton,  Arizona,  thus  connecting  Durango  and 
Deming."  In  another  portion  of  his  report  he  intimates  a  desire  which  has 
not  yet  been  fulfilled:  "The  Moquis  had,  on  the  17th  inst.,  their  quad- 
rennial snake  dance,  a  disgusting  ceremony,  of  which  this  may  be  the  last 
exhibition." 

In  March,  1888.  General  Carr  assigned  Second  Lieutenant  John  M. 
Stotsenburg.  Sixth  Cavalry,  to  the  work  of  making  a  survey  of  the  Navajo 
reservation  for  purposes  of  irrigation.  This  was  the  first  step  taken  by  the 
federal  government  in  that  direction. 

Early  Settlement  of  the  County. — In  the  early  days,  prior  to  and  for 
a  few  years  after  the  construction  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad 
(1881),  the  region  now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  McKinley  county  was 
the  scene  of  extensive  and  profitable  operations  in  cattle  and  horses.  But 
long  before  any  cattle  men  of  note  began  to  occupy  the  range  in  this  sec- 
tion "Uncle  Billv"  Crane,  who  had  come  to  the  Territory  as  a  scout  under 
Kit  Carson,  established  himself  at  Bacon  Springs,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
west  of  the  site  of  the  station  on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  known 
as  Coolidge  (afterward  Guam),  where  he  built  a  house  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  passengers  on  the  overland  stage  route  from  Santa  Fe  to  Prescott. 
This  was  about  the  time  of  the  location  of  Fort  Wingate  on  its  present  site, 
in   1870. 

Bacon  Springs  was  also  a  stage  station  for  the  government  Star  route, 
and  Crane  remained  there  the  balance  of  his  life,  in  the  seventies  commenc- 
ing to  raise  cattle  and  horses.  He  supplied  the  troops  at  Fort  Wingate 
with  beef,  hay  and  other  commodities,  under  contract  with  the  govern- 
ment, and,  though  he  accumulated  a  fortune  of  $30,000  or  $40,000,  he  lost 
it  in  gambling  with  the  officers  at  the  fort.  Among  the  Navajo  Indians  he 
was  known  as  "Hostin   Kloee,"  or  the  "hay  man." 

The  town  of  Gallup,  the  county  seat  of  McKinley  county,  was  first 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  »3< 

settled  a  short  time  prior  to  the  advent  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad 
line  to  this  point  in  1881.  The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  one  of  the 
auditors  of  the  company  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  road.  The  first 
permanent  settler  was  J.  \\  .  Swartz,  who  arrived  on  the  15th  of  December 
of  that  year  as  a  member  of  the  bridge  construction  party  m  charge  of 
his  brother,  A.  C.  Swartz.  now  of  Fresno,  California.  Air.  Swartz  was  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  his  son,  Frank  C,  and  they  made  their  home 
in  the  upper  story  of  the  rough  section  house.  For  several  months  follow- 
ing their  arrival  Mrs  Swartz  was  the  only  white  woman  in  the  new  town 
and  their  son.  Frank,  was  the  only  child  in  the  town.  Wiley  Weaver,  who, 
with  John  McMillan  and  William  Pegram,  formed  the  Gallup  Coal  Com- 
pany, also  made  the  new  town  his  home.  Tom  Dye,  who  discovered  the 
first  bed  of  coal  in  that  section,  conducted  a  saloon  and  was  a  notorious 
character.  Among  those  who  are  said  to  have  met  death  at  his  hands  were 
his  mother-in-law  and  his  sister-in-law.  whom  he  claimed  to  have  killed  at 
the  same  time  by  accident.  Dye  flagrantly  violated  the  federal  statute  rel- 
ative to  the  sale  of  liquor  to  the  Indians,  selling  openly  to  the  Xavajos. 
His  place  was  surrounded  by  a  United  States  cavalry  troop  one  day  and  he 
was  taken  to  Albuquerque  under  arrest  and  for  this  offense  was  sentenced 
to  the  penitentiary  for  four  years.  Charles  Harding,  who  opened  a  saloon 
just  prior  to  the  construction  of  the  railroad  to  Gallup,  came  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  became  quite  wealthy,  owning  considerable  real  estate  in  the 
town.  Thomas  Hinch,  proprietor  of  Hindi's  Hotel,  is  another  pioneer. 
Among  the  other  early  settlers  were  James  P>aylis,  who  came  as  agent  for 
the  railroad  and  afterward  located  at  Fort  Defiance.  Arizona:  Mr.  Dennis, 
section  foreman ;  and  Frank  Ritz.  who  had  the  first  stock  of  drugs  and  med- 
icines and  the  first  store  of  any  kind  excepting  the  general  merchandise 
establishment  of  the  Gallup  Coal  Company.  J.  W.  Swartz  soon  afterward 
established  a  general  store,  the  only  one  except  the  company's  store.  The 
latter  was  also  the  first  postmaster  of  Gallup,  serving  from  1883  to  1885 
under  appointment  by  President  Arthur.  George  W.  Sampson,  now  an 
Indian  trader  at  Rock  Springs,  was  also  an  early  merchant.  Gus  Mul- 
holland  came  in  1884  and  the  following  year  established  an  Indian  trad- 
ing store,  which  he  conducted  for  several  years.  In  the  spring  of  1885 
W.  F.  Kuchenbecker  and  his  brother-in-law.  Worth.  Keene.  started  a  gen- 
eral store.  J.  W.  Swartz  was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  being  elected 
in  the  summer  of  1883  anc^  serving  two  years. 

The  town  of  Gallup  was  incorporated  July  9,  1891,  and  the  first  elec- 
tion for  officers  was  held  August  10th  of  that  year.  Upon  the  creation  of 
McKinley  county  in  [901  and  its  designation  as  the  county  seat,  tem- 
porary accommodations  were  provided  for  the  courts  and  officers.  In 
1905  the  erection  of  a  court  house  was  begun,  but  after  laying  the  founda- 
tions the  work  was  temporarily  abandoned.  The  plans  of  the  county  of- 
ficials contemplate  a  structure  costing  between  $10,000  and  $12,000. 

The  first  school  district  organization  was  perfected  in  1883  by  the 
selection  of  J.  W.  Swartz,  Wiley  Weaver  and  James  Baylis  as  trustees. 
Mr.  Swartz  raised  three  hundred  and  sixty-seven  dollars  by  subscrip- 
tion for  the  support  of  the  school  and  W.  S.  Burke,  of  Albuquerque,  then 
county  superintendent  of  schools,  donated  an  equal  amount  from  the  fund 
in  his  charge.  As  the  result  of  this  enterprise  a  one-room  schoolhouse  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  eleven  hundred  dollars,  and  finally  equipped.     This,  it 


833  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

is  claimed,  was  the  first  public  school  to  be  opened  in  New  Mexico.  The 
present  school  was  not  erected  -until  1892-3,  but  prior  to  this  a  traveling 
musician  named  Woods,  who  had  tramped  into  Gallup  from  California, 
taught  six  or  eight  pupils  in  the  old  railroad  pump  house.  Mrs.  Swartz 
had  the  first  private  school  in  the  town,  with  seven  pupils. 

The  first  religious  services  of  any  kind  in  Gallup  were  conducted  by 
Mr.  Ashley,  a  Congregational  minister  from  Albuquerque,  who  preached 
twice  a  month,  in  1883  and  1884,  in  the  waiting  room  of  the  railroad  sta- 
tion. The  first  church  to  be  regularly  organized  was  that  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  society,  with  Mr.  Bush  as  pastor,  in  1888.  The  Roman  Catholic 
church,  established  by  Father  Brim,  a  French  priest,  was  the  second.  Dr. 
Z.  B.  Sawyer  was  the  first  physician  and  surgeon  to  be  permanently  located 
at  this  point.  Dr.  Edward  D.  Harper,  who  came  later,  became  widely 
known  as  a  successful  physician.  John  Woods,  one  of  the  early  post- 
masters, was  also  town  marshal  for  some  time. 

J.  W.  Swartz,  the  oldest  resident  pioneer  of  Gallup,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1838  and  was  taken  to  Illinois  by  his  parents  at  the  age 
of  fifteen.  Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  One  Hundred  and  Third  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  and  served 
three  years,  participating  in  the  campaign  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  about 
Atlanta,  the  march  to  the  sea  and  the  grand  review  in  Washington.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 
In  1880  he  accompanied  his  brother,  A.  C.  Swartz,  to  New  Mexico,  and 
since  the  15th  of  December,  1881,  has  been  a  resident  of  Gallup,  with  the 
exception  of  the  years  1885  to  1890,  when  he  returned  to  his  former  home 
in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  son.  Upon  his 
return  to  Gallup  in  1890  he  was  employed  by  the  Crescent  Coal  Company 
for  four  years,  but  since  1894  has  lived  in  practical  retirement. 

In  1866  Mr.  Swartz  married  Delia  B.  Swain,  a  native  of  Glens  Falls, 
New  York.  Their  only  child  is  a  son,  Frank  C.  Swartz.  who  was  born 
in  Galesburg,  Illinois,  in  1868,  and  completed  his  education  in  the  nor- 
mal school  at  Bushnell.  Illinois.  After  coming  to  Gallup  he  was  employed 
for  thirteen  years  in  the  commissary  department  of  various  coal  compa- 
nies. In  1896  he  established  himself  in  the  mercantile  business,  selling  to 
Palmer  Ketner  in  May,  1904,  and  afterward  starting  a  retail  and  jobbing 
business.  He  has  served  as  town  trustee  and  has  been  the  Democratic  can- 
didate for  county  commissioner. 

Mysterious  Ruins. — About  one  and  a  haif  miles  northeast  of  Gallup, 
on  the  summit  of  a  rocky  hill,  known  as  "Crown  Point,"  are  the  ruins  of 
a  structure  which  many  believe  to  have  been  one  of  the  early  Spanish 
forts  erected  in  New  Mexico.  The  ruins,  part  of  which  are  in  a  fair  state 
of  preservation,  show  that  this  fortification — if  such  it  was — was  eighty- 
eight  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  and  constructed  of  stone.  The  east 
and  south  walls  have  fallen,  but  the  northwest  portion,  with  its  numerous 
portholes,  is  in  good  condition. 

This  structure  was  first  discovered,  so  far  as  can  be  learned,  by  A.  C. 
Swartz,  formerly  engineer  in  charge  of  the  work  of  bridge  construction 
on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad,  who  ascended  the  hill  from  the  north 
side  in  1883.  In  later  years  his  brother,  J.  W.  Swartz.  of  Gallup,  found 
among  the  stones  entering  into  the  structure  one  in  which  was  cut  the  name 
"E.  Maynox,"  and  the  date  1589. 


Mrs.  J.  W.  Swartz 


J.  W.  Swartz 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  S39 

Coolidge  (now  Guam). — The  town  of  Coolidge,  now  Guam,  located 
on  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  twenty-one  miles  east  of  Gallup,  was  at  one  time 
one  of  the  liveliest  places  in  New  Mexico.  When  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  extended  its  line  to  that  point  it  was  made  a  division 
station  and  was  maintained  as  such  for  over  ten  years.  But  it  was  a  live 
and  progressive  town  even  before  the  advent  of  the  railroad.  The  cattle 
industry  in  that  part  of  the  Territory  had  become  established  in  earlier  days, 
but  the  approach  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  railroad 
gave  a  fresh  impetus  to  the  place.  Like  most  of  the  frontier  towns  of 
those  days,  it  was  a  rendezvous  for  desperate  characters,  and  blood-letting 
was  not  uncommon  during  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  its  history. 

Among  the  early  general  merchants  of  Coolidge  were  John  B.  Hall 
and  Charles  Paxton.  who  were  partners  in  trade.  Hall  came  from  Canada 
and  Paxton  from  Pennsylvania,  and  they  transacted  an  extensive  business 
until  Gallup  was  made  the  division  town  of  the  railroad.  Gregory  Page 
and  James  Page,  brothers,  had  a  sawmill  and  lumber  yard  there  from 
1881  to  1885.  C.  L.  Flynn  conducted  a  general  mercantile  establishment. 
The  only  physician  permanently  located  was  Dr.  Burke.  The  settlement 
was  without  religious  organization  or  school  facilities,  and  the  law  was 
administered,  for  the  most  part,  by  the  citizens  without  recourse  to  the 
constituted  court. 

W.  F.  Kuchenbecker.  one  of  the  oldest  living  pioneer  residents  of 
that  portion  of  the  Territory  now  included  within  the  limits  of  McKinley 
county,  has,  since  1885,  Deen  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  Gallup. 
The  career  of  Mr.  Kuchenbecker  is  of  more  than  passing  interest.  Born 
in  Hesse  Cassel,  Germany,  in  185 1,  he  came  to  America  in  1867,  and  for 
the  first  six  months  of  his  stav  in  the  new  world  was  employed  in  a  lum- 
ber yard  in  Chicago.  Going  thence  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  he  became  a  sales- 
man in  a  wholesale  grocery  house,  remaining  there  until  a  short  time  prior 
to  his  enlistment  in  the  United  States  army  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  August 
27,  J8"5-  A  few  weeks  later  his  command  was  sent  west,  traveling  by  train 
as  far  as  Granada,  Colorado,  and  thence  on  foot  by  way  of  Raton  Pass 
and  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  to  Fort  Union,  where  he  was  assigned  to  Com- 
pany K,  Fifteenth  United  States  Infantry.  He  was  ordered  to  Fort  Win- 
gate,  garrisoned  by  four  companies  under  Major  William  Redwood  Price. 
In  1878  he  participated  in  guarding  a  town  of  about  four  hundred  Warm 
Springs  Apaches  under  the  noted  chief,  Victorio,  and  Geronimo  and  Nana 
were  members  of  the  party.  In  1879  he  was  ordered  north  to  the  San 
Juan  river  and  the  Pine  River  agency  to  help  quell  the  Ute  uprising  of 
that  year  at  the  time  of  the  Meeker  massacre.  He  remained  there  from 
October,  1879,  until  March,  1880,  and  at  Pagosa  Springs  until  May  31, 
1880.  On  the  latter  day  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  the  La  Plata  to 
assist  in  the  erection  of  a  new  post  headquarters  under  the  direction  of 
General  George  P.  Buel,  but  at  Animas  City,  while  en  route,  a  courier 
overtook  his  command  with  orders  that  they  should  proceed  as  quickly 
as  possible  to  Fort  Wingate.  as  a  serious  Navajo  uprising  was  feared. 
By  forced  marches  the  little  company  made  the  trip  in  three  days  and  two 
nights,  but  the  threatened  uprising  did  not  materialize.  Mr.  Kuchen- 
becker relates  many  other  exciting  experiences  of  the  frontier  days. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1880,  after  five  years'  service,  Mr.  Kuchen- 
becker   received    his    discharge,    and    within    an    hour   thereafter    he    was 


840  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

behind  the  counter  in  the  post  trading  store  of  Lambert  N.  Hopkins  at 
Fort  Wingate,  in  whose  employ  he  remained  about  a  year.  In  1882  William 
S.  Woodside  became  the  trader  and  Air.  Kuchenbecker  remained  with  him 
until  March,  1885,  when  he  came  to  Gallup,  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Worth  Kcene,  established  a  general  store.  Two  years 
later  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Kuchenbecker  continued  the 
business  until  1891,  when  he  sold  out  and  established  a  wholesale  ice 
and  beer  business.  Since  1898  he  has  conducted  a  trade  in  hardware 
and  furniture,  and  also  has  in  connection  therewith  an  undertaking  es- 
tablishment. 

Mr.  Kuchenbecker  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs  ever 
since  locating  in  Gallup.  As  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party  he 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1886  and  again  on  the  fusion  ticket  in 
1892.  Upon  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Gallup  he  was  elected  its 
first  mayor. 

He  was  married,  April  14,  1882,  at  Fort  Wingate,  to  Angelina  Young, 
of  Daviess  county,  Missouri,  who  died  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  Decem- 
ber 11,  1905.  Mr.  Kuchenbecker  has  one  son,  Louis  F.,  who  assists  his 
father  in  business. 

Few  living  residents  of  the  western  part  of  New  Mexico  have  had 
a  wider  experience  throughout  the  west  and  the  southwest  than  S.  E. 
Aldrich,  of  Gallup.  A  descendant  of  old  and  prominent  New  England 
families,  he  was  born  at  Cranston,  a  suburb  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,' 
in  1845.  1°  youth  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  American  Water  and 
Gas  Pipe  Company  of  New  Jersey,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  near  the 
close  of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted  in  Battery  E,  First  Rhode  Island  Light 
Artillery,  serving  in  the  closing  campaign  on  the  James  river. 

After  his  discharge  Mr.  Aldrich  entered  the  service  of  the  American 
Water  and  Gas  Pipe  Company  in  Portland,  Maine,  and  in  New  Jersey, 
but  his  health  failed,  and,  believing  that  a  few  years'  experience  in  the 
west  would  prove  beneficial,  on  the  6th  of  September,  1870,  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  the  United  States  army.  He  was  at  once  assigned  to  Com- 
pany A,  Third  United  States  Cavalry,  and  sent  to  Fort  Verde,  Arizona, 
traveling  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  San  Diego  and  Yuma.  After 
five  years'  service  in  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Wyoming  and  other  centers 
of  trouble  in  the  west,  he  was  discharged,  but  immediately  re-enlisted, 
joining  Company  D  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry  at  Fort  Apache.  He  thus  was 
in  continuous  service  for  ten  vears.  During  the  last  year  of  his  military  life, 
in  which  he  filled  successively  all  the  offices  except  those  under  commission, 
he  was  also  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  with  a  partner  on  a  ranch  near 
St.  Johns.  Arizona. 

In  November,  1882,  Mr.  Aldrich  went  to  Manuelito,  New  Mexico, 
and  purchased  of  a  Mr.  Brown  a  trading  post,  which  the  latter  had  estab- 
lished there  about  a  year  before.  He  also  had  a  licensed  trading  post  at 
Navajo  reservation,  at  Washington  Pass,  but  soon  abandoned  it.  With 
Elias  S.  Clark,  afterward  attorney-general  for  Arizona,  as  a  partner,  he 
subsequently  established  a  store  at  Tase-a-lee.  Archibald  Sweetland  aft- 
erward purchased  Mr.  Clark's  interest  and  remained  as  Mr.  Aldrich's 
partner  for  three  years,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time,  in  1890,  Mr. 
Aldrich  opened  his  present  store  at  Round  Rock,  a  noted  Indian  trading 
point.     In  February,  1891,  Henry  Dodge,  a  half-breed  Navajo  and  a  self- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  841 

made,  self-educated  man,  became  his  partner  in  the  latter  store,  Mr. 
Aldrich  retaining  individual  control  of  the  Manuelito  store.  In  1896 
he  erected  a  handsome  residence  in  Gallup,  where  he  and  his  family  have 
since   resided. 

A  strong-  Republican  and  a  man  of  high  public  spirit,  Mr.  Aldrich 
has  exhibited  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs  in  town  and  county.  He 
was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the  erection  of 
McKinley  county  from  Bernalillo,  and  in  1903  and  1904  was  a  member 
of  the  board  of  county  commissioners.  He  has  been  intimately  identified 
with  the  best  interests  of  McKinley  county  for  so  long  a  period  that  a  record 
of  his  life  forms  an  interesting  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  Territory  dur- 
ing the  days  of  American  occupancy. 

Gus  Mulholland,  president  of  the  Pacific  Improvement  Company  and 
identified  with  other  enterprises  in  New  Mexico,  resides  at  Gallup  and 
has  made  his  home  in  the  Territory  since  1884.  He  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Soon  after  locating  in. Gallup  he  established  a  general  mercan- 
tile business  and  carried  it  on  about  four  years,  then  sold  out  to  the  Black- 
Diamond  Coal  Company.  From  the  early  days  of  his  residence  in  this 
town  to  the  present  time  he  has  exhibited  a  keen  and  unselfish  interest 
in  the  general  welfare  of  the  community.  For  several  years  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  education  and  helped  to  erect  the  present  public 
school  building,  one  of  the  best  equipped  in  New  Mexico.  He  was  post- 
master of  Gallup  in  1891-92,  under  appointment  of  President  McKinley,  and 
in  1896  was  elected  to  the  Territorial  legislature  from  Bernalillo  county 
as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party,  with  which  he  has  always  affiliated 
and  whose  interests  he  has  always  stanchly  espoused.  He  has  stood  for 
progress  and  advancement  along  material,  intellectual  and  political  lines  and 
has  left  the  impress  of  his  individuality  upon  the  upbuilding  and  progress 
of  his  county  and  the  Territory. 

Mr.  Mulholland  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  Fidelity  Lodge  Xo.  10, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Gallup,  and  his  social  acquaintance  is  wide  and  favorable. 
His  business  affairs,  too,  have  proved  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  this  city. 
For  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  drilling  wells  throughout 
the  Territory  for  the  Territorial  government,  for  corporations  and  for  in- 
dividuals, most  of  the  work  along  the  line  of  the  El  Paso  &  Southwestern 
Railway  having  been  done  by  him.  He  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial 
citizens  of  McKinley  county. 

A.  W.  Coddington,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  who  subsequently 
resided  in  Illinois  and  Colorado,  came  to  Las  Vegas  in  1879  as  a  partner 
of  C.  P.  Jones,  and  soon  afterward  began  ranging  cattle  from  that  city 
to  the  Sandia  mountains  and  thence  to  the  Zufii  mountain  countrv.  He  took 
his  sons,  C.  B.,  who  died  in  1893  at  Albuquerque,  and  J.  H.  Coddington, 
now  of  Gallup,  into  partnership  with  him,  but  the  stringent  financial  con- 
ditions of  the  early  '90s  forced  them  to  close  out  their  business.  A.  \Y. 
Coddington,  now  a  resident  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  hunted  buffalo 
on  the  plains  before  the  days  of  the  railroads  and  was  closely  assqciated 
with  the  pioneer  progress  and  development  of  this  part  of  the  Territory. 
After  his  original  activities  in  the  cattle  industry  he  had  ranching  inter- 
ests in  the  San  Juan  valley,  a  cattle  ranch  in  the  Sandia  mountains  and  a 
dairy  near  Albuquerque. 

His    son,    J.    H.    Coddington,    who   was    elected    sheriff    of    McKinley 


842  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

county  in  1904,  located  at  Chaves,  east  of  Gallup,  on  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
Railroad  in  1883  with  his  father.  The  earlier  years  of  his  young  man- 
hood were  devoted  entirely  to  the  cattle  business,  his  duties  compelling  him 
to  ride  over  a  large  range  of  country.  He  is  now  proprietor  of  a  livery 
stable  in  Gallup.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  public  matters  as  a  Re- 
publican, laboring  earnestly  and  effectively  for  the  welfare  of  the  party, 
and  fraternally  he  is  identified  with  the  Elks  at  Albuquerque. 

Palmer  Ketner,  of  Gallup,  who  was  elected  treasurer  of  McKinley 
county  in  1904  as  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party,  came  to  New 
Mexico  in  1888  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Aztec  Coal  Company.  He  remained 
in  the  employ  of  that  concern  until  189.2,  when  it  was  merged  into  the 
Crescent  Coal  Company.  In  that  year  he  assumed  charge  of  the  books 
.and  merchandising  department  of  the  Caledonian  Coal  Company  and  was 
identified  with  that  concern  until  December,  1904,  when  he  purchased  the 
general  merchandise  establishment  of  Frank  C.  Swartz,  which  he  still 
owns.  He  is  here  conducting  a  profitable  business,  having  closely  studied 
the  demands  of  the  public  and  selecting  his  goods  with  regard  to  the  trade. 
His  methods  are  strictly  honorable  and  his  conformity  to  a  high  standard 
of  professional  ethics  has  been  one  of  the  elements  in  his  success.  He  is 
a  member  of  Lebanon  Lodge  No.  27,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  is  justly  ac- 
counted one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of  Gallup. 

Gregory  Page,  to  whom  much  of  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  of  Gallup 
is  due,  is  proprietor  of  Hotel  Page.  He  was  born  in  Canada,  removed  to 
Michigan  in  1878,  and  three  years  later,  just  before  the  construction  of  the 
railroad  to  Coolidge,  he  located  at  that  place,  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  James  began  the  operation  of  a  sawmill  and  lumber  yard.  Four 
or  five  years  later  he  went  to  Winslow,  Arizona,  where  he  remained  until 
locating  in  Gallup  in  1891.  In  that  year  he  erected  his  hotel,  which  he 
conducted  on  the  American  plan  until  the  opening  of  the  Harvey  eating 
house.  It  has  since  been  conducted  as  a  European  hotel.  In  1899  he 
installed  a  plant  for  the  manufacture  of  ice,  the  only  one  in  the  county. 
In  1905  was  organized  the  Pacific  Improvement  Company,  which  estab- 
lished a  modern  electric  light  and  power  plant  and  took  over  the  ice 
manufacturing  plant,  both  of  which  are  now  controlled  by  the  new  cor- 
poration. 

Mr.  Page  has  been  a  recognized  leader  of  the  Republican  party  in 
McKinley  county  for  several  years,  but  has  not  sought  elective  office. 
Since  the  organization  of  the  county  in  1001  he  has  been  chairman  of 
the  Republican  county  central  committee,  and  during  the  same  period  has 
represented  his  county  in  the  Territorial  central  committee.  His  activity 
in  business  and  political  circles  has  made  him  a  valued  citizen  of  this  part 
of  the  Territory,  and  he  early  had  the  prescience  to  discern  the  eminence 
which  the  future  had  in  store  for  this  great  and  growing  district.  He  has 
co-operated  in  many  movements  which  have  been  of  direct  and  immediate 
serviceableness.  and  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  public  progress  and  im- 
provement have  made  him  one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  residents  of 
Gallup. 

John  A.  Gordon,  of  Galluo.  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  McKinley  countv,  has  resided  in  New  Mexico  since  1890.  His 
father,  Henry  Gordon,  located  in  the  Territory  in  1888.  John  A.  Gor- 
don  was   employed  upon  the  railroad  in  New   Mexico  and   Arizona   until 


*±?j&&&L~ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  843 

1897,  when  he  engaged  in  the  tobacco  and  cigar  trade  in  Albuquerque. 
Since  1898  he  has  resided  in  Gallup,  where  he  has  become  known  as  a  sub- 
stantial and  public-spirited  citizen.  He  also  has  business  interests  in 
Clarkville  and  Gibson,  and  owns  valuable  undeveloped  coal  lands  in  Mc- 
Kinley  county.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  Republican  politics,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1904  was  elected  county  commissioner  for  the  full  term  of 
four  years. 

On  the  25th  of  December,  1900,  John  A.  Gordon  was  married  to  Rosa 
Renn.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Manuelito  Tribe  No.  9  of  the  Redmen, 
in  which  he  is  a  prophet.  In  an  active  career  he  has  been  watchful  of 
opportunities  and  has  readily  utilized  the  advantages  which  have  come  to 
him,  wherebv  he  has  made  steady  progress  toward  the  goal  of  prosperity. 
He  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1873,  but  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his 
parents  at  the  age  of  five  months  and  has  always  been  thoroughly  American 
in  spirit  and  interests.  He  is  numbered  among  the  pioneers  whose  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  southwest  have  been  effective,  beneficial  and  far-reaching. 

Eugene  F.  Kenney,  a  contractor  and  builder  at  Gallup,  whose  business 
activity  contributes  to  the  substantial  improvement  of  his  adopted  city,  was 
born  in  Maine  in  August,  1853,  and  engaged  in  railroading  in  that  state 
in  1869  for  a  few  months.  He  afterward  went  to  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  Salem  Lead  Company's  mill,  and  subse- 
quently filled  a  position  in  a  Boston,  Massachusetts,  bakery  for  ten  years. 
On  the  expiration  of  that  decade  he  came  to  the  southwest,  locating  in 
Winslow,  Arizona,  in  1882.  For  eleven  years  he  was  engaged  in  railroad- 
ing in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  spent  one  year  as  a  carpenter  in 
California.  He  has  resided  in  Gallup  since  1889,  and  for  five  years  con- 
tinued in  the  railroad  service  as  air-brake  inspector  and  repairer.  In 
1894  he  left  that  position,  however,  and  turned  his  attention  to  contract- 
ing and  building.  He  erected  the  schoolhouse,  the  Episcopal  church  and 
many  residences  and  stores  here,  having  a  liberal  share  of  the  public 
patronage.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  location  of  oil  lands  in  this  vi- 
cinity. 

Mr.  Kenney  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  town  board  for  several 
years,  and  has  been  a  helpful  promoter  of  community  interests.  He  belongs 
"to  the  Odd  Fellows  societv  and  planned  the  Odd  Fellows  Hall  in  1898.  He 
also  holds  membership  with  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men. 

The  Kitchen  Opera  House  in  Gallup  was  erected  in  1895  by  Peter 
Kitchen,  who  located  in  McKinley  county  in  1887,  first  establishing  himself 
in  the  liquor  business  at  Gibson.  Since  1801  he  has  been  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Gallup.  He  was  born  in  Galicia,  Poland,  in  1862,  came  to  America 
in  1879  and  for  a  few  years  before  deciding  to  settle  in  New  Mexico  he 
traveled  through  Nebraska.  Colorado  and  other  western  states.  His  opera 
house  was  the  first  to  be  erected  in  Gallup.  His  business  career  has  been 
marked  by  financial  success.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  local  affairs 
and  has  served  as  trustee  of  the  town. 

T.  C.  DeShon,  proprietor  of  a  finely  equipped  blacksmith  shop  and 
vehicle  establishment  at  Gallup,  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1885  as  a  me- 
chanic in  the  Albuquerque  shops  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  system,  having 
been  sent  there  from  the  shops  at  Topeka,  Kansas.  He  was  born  at  St: 
Joseph,  Missouri,  and  for  several  vears  before  coming  to  this  Territory 
had  been  employed  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Com- 

Vol.    II.      81 


S44  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

pany  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  Edgemont,  South  Dakota,  and  by  the 
Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company  at  Topeka.  In  1898  he  was  sent  from  Albu- 
querque to  Gallup,  where  he  remained  in  the  employ  of  the  company  for 
eighteen  months. 

With  almost  no  capital,  he  then  purchased  a  small  building  and  rented 
two  lots  and  established  himself  in  business  as  a  general  blacksmith,  wheel- 
wright and  wagonmaker,  and  has  added  to  this  until  now  he  is  doing  a 
wholesale  as  well  as  retail  business,  and  carries  a  large  stock  of  wagons 
and  buggies.  He  soon  found  a  large  trade  among  the  Navajos  and  has 
been  quite  successful. 

Politically,  unswerving  in  his  devotion  to  Republican  principles, 
he  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  from  1901  to  1905 
served  as  police  justice.  He  is  now  chief  deputy  sheriff  of  McKinley 
county.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Alliance,  Nebraska,  and  has  attained  the 
thirty-second  degree,  entering  the  higher  lodges  at  Deadwood,  South 
Dakota,  and  the  Shrine  at  Albuquerque.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  lodge 
of  Elks  at  Albuquerque. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


LUNA   COUNTY. 

Luna  county  is  in  the  southernmost  tier  of  counties  and  in  the  second 
from  the  west.  Its  territory  extends  into  Grant  county  to  the  west,  and 
it  is  bounded  north  by  Sierra,  east  by  Doiia  Ana  and  south  by  Old 
Mexico. 

Luna  county  was  carved  from  portions  of  Grant  and  Doiia  Ana  coun- 
ties in  1901,  after  many  years  of  agitation.  The  real  cause  of  the  division 
was  the  rivalry  between  Silver  City  and  Deming,  and  the  general  senti- 
ment among  the  people  residing  in  what  were  the  southern  districts  of  Grant 
county  that  they  were  unfairly  treated  in  politics  and  otherwise  by  the 
northern  clique,  with  headciuarters  at  Silver  City.  The  definite  agitation 
for  a  division  began  as  early  as  1888,  and  much  time,  money  and  bitter 
feeling  were  expended  before  the  champions  of  Deming  and  a  new  county 
secured  their  end.  Logan  and  three  or  four  other  names  were  proposed, 
but  the  rather  impersonal  and  euphonious  name  by  which  it  is  now  known 
was  finally  adopted. 

County  Officers. — The  following  have  officially  served  the  county  since 
its  organization : 

County  commissioner';: — 1901-2,  James  P.  Byron  (chairman),  Newton  A.  Bolich, 
William  M.  Taylor    (resigned),  John  T.   Onstott    (appointed  to  succeed   Taylor). 

1903-4.  Walter  C.  Wallis  (chairman),  Stephen  S.  Birchfield  (resigned),  B.  Y. 
McKeyes  (appointed  to  succeed  Mr.  Birchfield,  William  Cotton  (died  in  office),  Will- 
iam M.  Taylor  (appointed  to  succeed  Mr.  Cotton;  resigned),  Albert  L.  Foster  (ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Mr.  Taylor). 

1905-6.  W.  C  Wallis   (chairman),  A.  L.  Foster,  B.  Y.  McKeyes. 

Probate  judges :— 1901-4,  E.  H.  Matthews;   1905-6,  Seaman   Field. 

Probate  clerks :—i 901 -4,  B.  Y.  McKeyes:  1905-6,  E.  J.  Carskadon. 

Sheriffs: — 1001-2,  Cipriano  Baca;  1903.  William  Foster  (resigned);  Dwight  B. 
Stevens    (appointed  to  fill   unexpired  term).   1005-6. 

Treasurers :— 1901-2,  C.  J.  Kelly:  1903.  Walter  H.  Guiney  (died  in  office)  ;  C.  J. 
Kelly   (appointed  to  fill  unexpired  term),  1905-6. 

Assessors: — 1901-4,  Edward  Pennington:  1905-6,  J.  B.  Hodgon. 

Natural  Features. — Luna  county  is  pre-eminentlv  a  cattle  country,  al- 
though with  the  development  of  irrigation  systems  founded  upon  the 
waters  of  the  Rio  Mimbres,  cereals,  fruits  and  vegetables  will  undoubt- 
edly become  important  sources  of  wealth.  The  soil  of  the  valleys  is  a  rich, 
sandy  loam,  light  and  porous  and  of  surprising  fertility,  and  best  adapted 
to  fraits  and  vegetables.  Cabbages  and  onions  reach  a  remarkable  de- 
velopment, the  former  often  weighing  from  thirty  to  forty  pounds  and  the 
latter  from  one  to  two.  Delicious  melons  also  grow  to  grand  proportions, 
and  the  root  crops  grow  well  everywhere.  The  cereals  do  best  in  the  ele- 
vated plateaus. 

The  general  surface  of  the  county  is  that  of  a  plain,  dotted  with  clus- 
ters of  mountains  rising  from   1,000  to   2,000  feet  above  the   level.     The 


846  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

broad  plains  are  covered  with  black  and  white  gama  grass,  and  the  showers 
ordinarily  induced  by  the  mountain  clusters  serve  to  keep  the  forage  in 
nutritive  condition. 

The  Mimbres  rises  in  the  mountains  of  the  same  name,  at  the  con- 
tinental divide,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Grant  county.  It  takes  its 
headwaters  within  about  a  mile  of  the  principal  feeders  of  the  Gila,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  divide.  Below  the  mountains  in  Luna  county  the  river 
takes  the  form  of  what  is  usually  termed  a  "lost  river."  About  thirty 
miles  north  of  Deming  it  debouches  upon  a  plateau  of  the  Sierra  Madre 
as  a  large  plain  of  deep  alluvial  soil.  Little  or  no  water  is  in  sight,  except 
in  the  flood  seasons,  but  it  always  may  be  reached  at  moderate  depths  be- 
low the  surface.  The  rivers  rise  in  the  mountains,  drain  a  considerable 
watershed  and  then  disappear  into  the  earth.  It  is  believed  that  in  former 
ages,  when  the  courses  were  much  greater  and  the  currents  more  rapid, 
scoriations  of  gravel  and  sand  from  the  mountain  sides  filled  up  certain 
sections  of  the  river  beds,  and  that  the  water  still  percolates  through  these 
vast  filters  of  nature.  It  is  certain  that  in  the  case  of  Deming  the  phenome- 
non has  been  the  means  of  furnishing  the  citv  with  one  of  the  best  supplies 
in  the  world. 

Deming. — The  county  seat  is  a  prosperous  village  of  about  1,500  peo- 
ple, lying  at  the  junction  of  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  Atchison.  Topeka 
&  Santa  Fe  Railroads,  which  from  this  point  run  west  toward  California, 
southeast  to  El  Paso,  Texas,  and  northeast  to  the  upper  portion  of  Xew 
.Mexico,  with  spurs  to  Silver  City  and  the  adjacent  mining  country.  It 
is  not  only  the  center  of  an  extensive  stock-raising  country,  but  the-  mines, 
both  south  and  north,  give  trade  to  many  of  its  people.  Gardens  and  or- 
chards surround  the  place,  and  the  waters  of  the  Mimbres  are  being  de- 
veloped into  a  comprehensive  system  of  irrigation,  and  an  extension  of  the 
surrounding  cultivated  area  means  a  corresponding  growth  of  the  settle- 
ment to  which  it  is  tributary. 

Like  most  southwestern  towns,  Deming  was  founded  upon  railroad 
land.  The  first  government  grant  of  land  covering  its  site  was  to  the 
Texas  Pacific  Railroad,  covering  each  alternate  section  from  Texas  to  the 
Pacific  coast.  But  the  line  was  not  built  and  the  land  was  forfeited.  In 
1880  the  Santa  Fe  reached  Deming,  the  town  being  surveyed  upon  Wyan- 
dotte scrip  land,  which  had  been  bought  by  that  company.  The  original 
Texas  Pacific  grant  was  near  the  site  and  included  the  ground  upon  which 
the  railroad  depot  was  erected.  Although  this  tract  was  inclosed  by  a 
wire  fence,  in  1882  several  men  jumped  the  land  and  organized  a  town 
company.  The  land  was  platted  and  many  lots  were  sold,  and  after  a  legal 
fight  of  twenty  years  the  squatters  won  their  case. 

The  early  prosperity  of  Deming  was  largely  on  account  of  its  large 
trade  with  Mexico.  The  first  church  to  be  established  was  the  Methodist, 
in  1883.  Dr.  Keefe  was  the  pioneer  physician,  and.C.  H.  Dane  the  first 
banker,  with  Frank  H.  Seabold,  cashier.  Among  the  earliest  lawyers  were 
Murat  Masterson,  a  Canadian,  who  became  widely  known;  Fred  Clarl  and 
Philip  Colby.  The  best  known  of  the  old-time  merchants  were  German  & 
Company.  John  Corbett.  A.  J.  Clark,  J.  A.  Mahoney,  H.  H.  Kidder,  Frank 
Thurmond,  A.  W.  Armstrong  and  N.  A.  Bolich. 

While  the  long  fight  was  progressing  in  the  courts  between  the  South- 
ern Pacific  and  the  Santa  Fe  roads  and  those  who  occupied  the  land  along 


Richard  Huds 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  847 

their  lines  included  in  the  original  Texas  Pacific  grant,  the  feeling  became 
so  bitter  that  the  companies  discriminated  against  the  town  people  and 
greatly  retarded  the  growth  of  the  place.  But  with  the  settlement  of  that 
difficulty,  as  well  as  of  the -contentions  with  Silver  City  (when  Luna  county 
was  created),  Deming  commenced  to  grow  rapidly. 

In  February,  1902,  Deming  was  incorporated  under  the  general  village 
act,  its  first  board  of  trustees  being  as  follows:  Seaman  Field  (president), 
T.  A.  Carr,  Lou  H.  Brown,  Albert  Beals,  A.  J.  Clark,  Ed  Pennington 
(clerk).  In  February,  1905,  M.  A.  A.  Lemke  succeeded  Mr.  Pennington 
as  clerk,  but  Mr.  Field  has  acted  as  president  to  the  present. 

On  November  18,  1905,  the  Deming  City  Water  Company  was  in- 
corporated, with  Colonel  P.  R.  Smith  as  president,  J.  J.  Bennett  vice-presi- 
dent and  W.  E.  Willis  secretary  and  treasurer.  The  supply  is  obtained 
from  the  subterranean  waters  of  the  Mimbres  and  the  entire  watershed 
to  the  north,  the  main  reservoir,  about  six  miles  from  the  village,  being 
forty-five  feet  deep  and  containing  fifteen  feet  of  water.  The  water  is 
carried  to  Deming  in  eight-inch  pipes.  One  well,  twelve  feet  in  depth, 
with  a  capacity  of  1,500,000  pallons  daily,  supplies  the  domestic  require- 
ments of  the  village,  and  another,  eighteen  feet  deep,  having  a  capacity  of 
2,000.000  gallons  in  twentv-four  hours,  is  used  for  irrigation. 

The  capital  stock  of  the  company  is  $100.000 ;  bonded  indebtedness, 
$35,000;  assets  (estimated),  $150,000.  Colonel  Smith,  its  president,  is  in 
correspondence  with  the  Reclamation  Service  of  the  government  with  a 
view  of  extending  its  investigations  to  the  Mimbres  valley  in  the  vicinity 
of  Deming.  He  is  convinced  that  fifty  square  miles  of  valuable  land  can 
be  irrigated,  with  the  natural  resources  at  hand,  at  a  cost  of  one  cent  per 
thousand  gallons. 

The  importance  of  Deming  as  a  center  of  the  cattle  trade  will  be  real- 
ized when  it  is  known  that  100.000  head  are  shipped  annually  from  the  three 
yards  which  were  established  bv  the  Santa  Fe  road  in  1892-93. 

The  Adelphi  Club  was  organized  solely,  for  social  purposes  in  1899. 
Its  membership  is  limited  to  Deming  and  the  country  immediately  sur- 
rounding. Besides  social  and  literary  features,  it  supplies,  in  the  way  of 
amusements,  bowling,  billiards  and  gymnastic  facilities. 

Colonel  Richard  Hudson,  now  living-  retired  in  Deming,  is  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  of  the  pioneers  of  New  Mexico,  and  his  life  has  been 
of  direct  and  immediate  serviceableness  in  the  substantial  upbuilding  and 
development  of  his  part  of  the  Territory.  He  was  born  in  England.  Feb- 
ruary 22.  1830,  was  earlv  left  an  orphan  and  in  his  childhood  came  to  the 
United  States.  He  was  educated  in  Brooklyn.  -New  York,  and,  attracted 
by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  went  to  San  Francisco  in  1852,  when 
but  thirteen  years  of  age.  In  1856  he  ran  away  from  home  and  began 
mining  in  Oroville,  California.  In  1861  he  helped  organize  the  First  Cali- 
fornia Regiment  for  duty  in  the  Civii  war.  but  this  regiment  was  not  sent 
into  active  service.  Subsequently,  therefore,  he  joined  Company  I  of  the 
Fifth  California  Infantry  and  was  made  sergeant,  while  in  1863,  in  south- 
ern California,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  second  lieutenant.  He 
came  to  New  Mexico  with  his  command  in  the  same  year  and  assisted  in 
preserving  order  in  the  lower  Rio  Grande  valley.  In  1864  he  was  pro- 
moted to  first  lieutenant  and  adjutant,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  the 
end  of  the  war.     On  the  17th  of  October,   1866,  he  was  mustered  out  at 


848  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Fort  Union,  New  Mexico.  He  has  since  resided  in  the  southwest,  and  in 
1868  was  appointed  by  Governor  Mitchell  captain  of  militia,  while  Gov- 
ernor Wallace  made  him  major  in  the  National  Guard  and  Governor  Shel- 
don promoted  him  to  the  rank  of  colonel  of  the  First  Regiment.  He  has 
ever  been  interested  in  military  affairs,  and  yet  possesses  much  of  the  old 
military  spirit  which  prompted  his  active  duty  with  the  Union  troops  in 
the  Civil  war. 

In  the  fall  of  1866  Colonel  Hudson  located  at  Pinos  Altos,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  also  in  mining,  staging  and  freighting.  The 
same  year  he  was  elected  the  first  sheriff  of  Grant  county  and  served  in  that 
capacity  for  two  years.  In  1870  he  was  elected  probate  judge  and  served 
four  years.  In  1871  he  removed  to  Silver  City,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
livery  and  freighting  business  and  subsequently  purchased  the  hot  springs, 
which  then  became  known  as  the  Hudson  Hot  Springs.  Recognizing  their 
value  because  of  their  medicinal  properties,  in  1876  he  built  a  hotel  and 
bath  houses  there  and  conducted  the  hotel  for  a  number  of  years  with 
good  success.  At  the  same  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  business. 
In  March,  1892,  his  hotel  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  he  then  re- 
turned to  Silver  City,  where  he  conducted  the  Timmer  Hotel.  Soon  after- 
ward he  was  appointed  by  President  Harrison  as  agent  for  the  Mescalero 
Apaches  and  acted  in  that  capacity  for  one  year.  Since  then  he  has  lived 
in  honorable  retirement  from  further  official  or  business  cares,  and  well 
does  he  merit  the  rest  which  has  come  to  him,  for  his  life  has  been  one  of 
activity,  and  in  the  control  of  his  private  business  interests  he  has  also  con- 
tributed to  the  public  welfare. 

Fraternally,  Colonel  Hudson  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  Shriner  Mason, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  society  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  He  is  a  man  of  many  sterling  qualities  and  characteristics,  and 
wherever  known  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  reason  of  his  genuine  worth  and 
what  he  has  accomplished. 

September  24,  1871.  at  Silver  City,  Mr.  Hudson  married  Miss  Mary 
E.  Stevens,  of  Silver  City.  One  daughter  was  born,  Mamie,  now  Mrs. 
H.  H.  Williams,  of  Deming. 

Dwight  B.  Stephens,  sheriff  of  Luna  county  and  a  resident  of  Dem- 
ing, was  born  in  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio.  He  came  to  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory in  1892  and  entered  the  cattle  business.  He  has  since  been  identified 
with  this  industry,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  resources  of  the 
Territory,  and  his  labors  have  been  of  material  benefit  in  grading  up  stock 
in  the  last  few  years,  thereby  greatly  increasing  their  market  value.  He 
was  appointed  sheriff  of  Luna  county  to  fill  out  the  unexpired  term  of 
W.  X.  Foster,  and  in  November,  1905,  was  elected  to  the  position  which  he 
is  now  filling. 

Mr.  Stephens  and  his  family  reside  in  Deming.  He  belongs  to 
Deming  Lodge  No.  20,  K.  P.;  Deming  Lodge  No.  12,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and 
the  Elks  Lodge  No.  413,  at  Silver  City.  New  Mexico.  He  is  a  man 
of  social,  genial  disposition,  having  a  wide  acquaintance  and  many  friends. 

James  H.  Tracy,  well  known  in  business  circles  in  Deming,  Luna 
county,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Marvland,  August  10,  1850,  and  "in  1872 
went  to  Virginia,  whence  in  1874  he  made  his  way  to  Texas.  In  1880  he 
came  to  New  Mexico,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  four  or  five  years. 
He  had  charge  of  Carroll  Brothers'  Silver  Cave  mining  group  and  Poca- 


<g§£L~_(2^^ 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  849 

hontas  mines  at  the  south  end  of  the  Florida  mountains  and  yielding  lead 
and  silver.  They  were  discovered  in  1880  and  were  worked  up  to  1885  as 
patented  ground.  Little  work,  however,  was  done  from  1885  until  1904. 
Mr.  Tracy  has  been  with  the  firm  of  Carroll  Brothers,  in  charge,  since  1885. 
He  is  engaged  in  business  in  Deming,  having  been  a  partner  of  J.  W.  Han- 
nigan  since  1889. 

Mr.  Tracy  has  attained  high  rank  in  Masonry,  belonging  to  the  blue 
lodge,  chapter  and  commandery,  being  a  charter  member  of  the  last  named. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mystic  Shrine  at  Albunuerque. 

Judge  Seaman  Field,  probate  judge  of  Luna  county,  at  Deming,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  February  27,  1829.  His  educational 
advantages  in  youth  were  very  meager,  but  he  has  been  a  broad  reader  and 
is  now  a  well-informed  man,  having  a  comprehensive  knowledge  not 
equaled  by  many  a  college-bred  student.  He  began  business  life  as  a  clerk, 
and  while  still  but  a  boy  went  to  New  York  city,  where  he  was  employed  in 
the  same  capacity  by  his  uncle.  In  1849  he  removed  to  New  Orleans, 
Louisiana,  and  for  ten  years  traveled  for  a  mercantile  house. 

In  1862  Judge  Field  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-third  Texas  Confederate 
Cavalry  and  served  on  the  frontier  of  Texas,  Louisiana  and  Arkansas.  He 
eniisted  as  a  private,  but  was  promoted  from  the  ranks  to  sergeant  and 
successively  to  first  lieutenant,  captain  and  lieutenant-colonel.  When  the 
war  was  over  he  returned  to  New  York  city  and  again  entered  the  old 
mercantile  house  in  which  he  had  formerlv  been  employed,  spending  the 
succeeding  eleven  years  in  the  north.  In  1876,  however,  he  again  went  to 
Texas,  and  in  1882  came  to  Deming,  where  he  owned  a  ranch  and  also 
conducted  a  wholesale  liquor  house.  In  1884  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  United  States  collector  of  customs  at  Deming,  and  served 
for  four  years,  being,  perhaps,  the  only  man  to  ever  hold  that  office  with- 
out bond.  He  also  held  that  office  four  years  in  Cleveland's  second  term ; 
was  chairman  of  the  board  of  school  trustees  of  the  high  school  of  Deming 
for  six  years,  serving:  for  over  ten  years  on  the  board  during  his  residence 
here;  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Adelphi  Club,  which  has  been  a 
great  advantage  to  this  town ;  is  also  brigadier-general,  commanding  the 
New  Mexico  Brigade,  Pacific  Division,  U.  C.  V.  &  S.,  and  is  president  of 
the  board  of  regents  of  the  Agricultural  College,  in  which  he  has  served 
for  four  years.  He  has  been  engaged  more  or  less  in  mining,  and  has  thus 
led  a  busy  life  with  his  industrial,  commercial  and  official  duties  demand- 
ing his  time  and  attention. 

Judge  Field  was  married  in  New  Orleans,  in  1857,  to  Miss  Maggie 
Clannon,  who  died  on  October  14,  1878.  and  on  the  8th  of  February,  1881, 
he  was  married  to  Airs.  Achsa  Minis,  of  Dallas,  Texas.  Judge  Field  is 
a  Mason,  having  held  the  highest  offices  in  the  lodge,  chapter  and  com- 
mandery, and  in  his  life  exemplifies  the  beneficent  spirit  of  the  craft.  He 
has  been  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  village  of  Deming  since 
its  organization.  He  is  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  the 
southern  portion  of  New  Mexico,  a  man  who  in  the  breadth  of  his  vision, 
his  business  activity  and  his  political  service  has  made  his  life  of  benefit 
to  his  fellow  men. 

Joseph  A.  Mahoney,  who  is  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Deming. 
where  he  is  also  operating  in  real  estate,  has  figured  prominently  as  well 
in  political  circles  and  has  been  a  representative  to  the  Territorial  le°is- 


850  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

lature.  He  was  born  in  Ladoga,  Indiana,  on  the  4th  of  April,  1864,  and 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  state,  supplementing  a  public  school 
course  by  attendance  at  a  normal  school.  In  May,  1882,  when  eighteen 
years  of  age,  he  came  to  Deming  and  has  since  resided  continuously  in 
this  city.  He  entered  upon  his  business  career  here  in  the  capacity  of  a 
clerk  in  the  employ  of  A.  J.  Clark,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two  years, 
when,  in  1885.  he  established  a  grocery  business  on  his  own  account.  On 
the  1st  of  January,  1889,  he  extended  the  field  of  his  operations  by  open- 
ing a  hardware,  furniture  and  crockery  business  and  now  has  a  liberal 
patronage  accorded  him  in  recognition  of  his  straightforward  dealing,  his 
reasonable  prices  and  his  earnest  efforts  to  please  his  customers.  He  has 
remained  at  the  same  location  continuously  since  May  20.  1885,  although 
on  the  5th  of  July  of  that  year,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  his  store  was 
burned  in  the  big  general  fire  which  swept  over  the  town.  At  seven  o'clock 
the  next  morning  he  resumed  business  and  as  rapidly  as  possible  again 
stocked  his  store,  and  has  through  all  the  intervening  years  been  a  fore- 
most factor  in  commercial  circles  in  Deming.  He  also  has  lead  and  zinc 
mine  properties  and  owns  considerable  valuable  real  estate,  including  three 
large  business  blocks,  two  of  which  were  erected  by  him.  He  has  thus  con- 
tributed in  substantial  measure  to  the  material  progress  and  development 
of  his  adopted  city. 

Mr.  Mahoney  was  married  to  Ella  Broderick.  a  native  of  Crawfords- 
ville,  Indiana,  and  they  have  a  daughter.  Marv.  Mr.  Mahoney  belongs 
to  the  Elks  lodge  at  Silver  City.  In  politics  he  is  a  stalwart  Democrat  and 
he  was  very  active  in  the  fight  for  the  erection  of  Luna  county  from  Grant 
county.  In  1807  ne  represented  his  district  in  the  lower  house  of  the  Ter- 
ritorial legislature  and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  equaliza- 
tion and  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Regent's  Normal  School  for  six 
years.  His  activity  in  public  service  has  been  of  material  benefit  to  the 
Territorv  along  the  various  lines  to  which  his  energies  have  been  directed. 

Colonel  Paschal  Smith,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  now  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business  in  Deming  and  one  of  the  best  known  pioneers  of  Grant 
county,  New  Mexico,  was  born  near  Dyersburg.  Tennessee,  in  November. 
1833.'  In  his  early  boyhood  davs  he  went  to  Arkansas  and  subsequently  to 
Texas,  arriving  in  Guadalupe  in  1844.  His  father  had  died  in  Arkansas 
and  subseriuentlv  Colonel  Smith  returned  to  that  state,  becoming  a  student 
in  Mine  Creek  College,  now  extinct.  He  early  displayed  the  elemental 
strength  of  his  character  by  working  his  way  through  college  and  thus, 
when  equipped  for  life's  practical  and  responsible  duties,  he  entered  into 
business.  At  the  opening  of  the  Civil  war.  however,  he  put  aside  all  bus- 
iness and  personal  considerations  and,  true  to  his  loved  southland,  became 
a  private  in  the  Confederate  army.  He  soon  won  promotion,  however,  to 
the  rank  of  second  lieutenant,  eventually  becoming  lieutenant  colonel  of 
the  Nineteenth  Arkansas  Regiment  and  acted  as  its  commander  through- 
out the  war.  being  commissioned  colonel  just  before  the  close  of  hostil- 
ities. He  served  in  Arkansas.  Missouri  and  Louisiana,  being  first  attached 
to  the  armv  under  General  McCullough.  later  under  General  Holmes  and 
subseouently  under  General  Kirby  Smith  in  Louisiana.  Two  months  be- 
fore the  cessation  of  hostilities  he  was  sent  on  a  special  secret  mission  to 
Europe  for  the  Confederate  government  and  there  he  secured  arms,  which 
were  placed  on  shipboard  readv  to  be  taken  to  the  Confederacy,  but  the 


7)U  a/i^cl    7bU*>    (fy,*J./3fab 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  851 

war  ended  and  he  was  recalled  from  England.  He  then  sailed  to  Matamoras, 
whence  he  returned  to  the  United  States. 

After  the  war  was  over  Colonel  Smith  engaged  in  business  in  Bryant, 
Texas,  for  seven  years,  covering  the  period  from  1869  until  1876.  He 
was  afterward  connected  with  business  enterprises  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
and  because  of  ill  health  sought  a  change  of  climate,  going  to  Denver,  Col- 
orado, in  1878.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  New  Mexico  and  entered  upon 
business  connection  with  the  Valverde  Mining  Company  in  the  Burro 
mountains,  acting  as  general  manager  of  that  company  and  also  becoming 
director  in  the  Valverde  Company,  then  operating  in  that  locality.  Subse- 
quently Colonel  Smith  spent  a  few  years  in  New  York,  but  since  1890  has 
lived  in  Deming,  where  he  is  engaged  in  real  estate  operations.  He  is 
also  president  of  the  Deming  City  Water  Company,  which  he  organized. 
The  works  were  successfully  completed  and  put  in  operation  May  I,  1906. 
He  is  now  thoroughly  informed  concerning  property  values  in  this  part 
of  the  Territory  and  has  negotiated  a  number  of  important  realty  trans- 
fers, having  a  good  clientage  in  this  direction.  He  lias  also  promoted  three 
successful  mining  sales  since  May  15,  1906,  aggregating  $600,000.  Colonel 
Smith  is  a  supporter  of  the  Democracy  who  entertains  liberal  and  progres- 
sive views.  He  has  steadilv  refused  office,  having  no  aspiration  in  that 
direction,  but  keeps  well  informed  on  the  questions  and  issues  of  the  day, 
as  every  true  American  citizen  should  do.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
the  Masons.  His  life  has  been  one  of  intense  and  well  directed  activity 
and  he  is  today  one  of  the  prominent  and  representative  residents  of  Dem- 
ing. 

Colonel  Smith  has  four  daughters  by  his  first  wife,  all  now  married. 
He  was  married  again  in  1869  to  Miss  Mattie  G.  Kendrick,  of  Kentucky, 
by  whom  he  had  one  son  and  two  daughters.  The  son,  a  graduate  of 
Stanford  University  and  New  York  Law  School,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  a  brilliant,  highly  respected  young  man,  whom  everybody  loved  and 
trusted.  He  was  the  idol  and  life  of  the  home  and  his  untimely  death  was 
the  greatest  sorrow  of  all.  Lillian  and  Manda,  recent  graduates  of  Mills 
<  <]h  ge,  California,  and  Vassar  College,  New  York,  are  both  at  home  with 
their  parents  and  are  very  intellectual  and  beautiful  young  ladies. 

N.  A.  Bolich.  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Deming,  is  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  state  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  passed.  Seek- 
ing to  benefit  by  the  business  opportunities  of  the  west  he  located  first  in 
Iowa  and  in  1882  came  to  Deming,  where  he  has  now  for  almost  a  quar- 
ter of  a  centurv  made  his  home.  Here  he  engaged  in  general  merchandis- 
ing and  has  since  continued  a  representative  of  commercial  interests.  He 
has  become  a  prosperous  and  influential  citizen  of  the  community,  whose 
co-operation  can  always  be  counted  upon  to  further  progressive  public 
measures. 

C.  L.  Baker,  conducting  a  livery  business  in  Deming.  was  born  and 
reared  in  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  and  while  in  the  Lone  Star  state  became 
familiar  with  the  cattle  business.  He  arrived  in  Lincoln  county,  New  Mex- 
ico, in  1885,  with  a  band  of  cattle  from  Texas,  but  as  that  locality  was  not 
a  favorable  one  for  cattle  raising  he  continued  en  to  Grant  countv  and 
located  a  ranch  south  of  Lordsburg.  He  is  running  cattle  there  now  and 
has  continued  in  the  cattle  business  since  his  removal  to  the  Territorv 
more  than  twenty-one  years  ago.     In  1892  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Deming, 


852  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

where  he  purchased  a  livery  stable,  which  he  has  since  successfully  con- 
ducted, and  he  also  engages  in  mining  on  a  small  scale. 

Mr.  Baker  belongs  to  Deming  Lodge  No.  18,  of  Red  Men.  He 
married  in  this  city  in  1904  and  is  well  known  socially  and  in  a  business 
way. 

S.  Merideth  Strong,  M.  D..  physician  and  surgeon  of  Deming,  was 
born  in  Logansport,  Indiana,  August  8.  1877,  but  was  reared  in  Xew  York, 
acquiring  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that  state.  He  won  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  arts  from  Columbia  University  and  prepared  for  his 
profession  as  a  student  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New 
York,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  M.  D.  He  further 
perfected  his  knowledge  by  broad,  practical  experience  in  Roosevelt  Hos- 
pital and  in  Bellevue  Hospital  of  New  York.  He  was  also  in  the  Sloan 
Fraternity  Hospital  and  a  student  in  A'anderbilt  Clinic.  He  practiced  to 
a  limited  extent  in  Xew  York  aside  from  his  hospital  work  before  com- 
ing to  New  Mexico,  and  here  he  has  made  a  notable  reputation  because  of 
his  superior  skill  in  handling  the  intricate  and  complex  problems  which 
continually  confront  the  physician.  He  arrived  in  Silver  City  in  1902  and 
began  practice,  but  after  a  brief  period  removed  to  Santa  Rita.  In  No- 
vember, 1902,  he  took  charge  of  the  Santa  Rita  Hospital  and  the  hospital 
of  the  Nevada  Mining  Company  at  Hanover,  also  the  Colorado  Fuel  and 
Iron  Company's  Hospital  at  Fierro.  He  left  Santa  Rita  on  the  1st  of 
April.  1905,  and  came  to  Deming  with  the  idea  of  building  a  sanitarium 
for  the  treatment  of  tuberculosis.  Arrangements  have  been  completed  for 
the  erection  of  the  building,  which  is  built  on  the  cottage  plan,  with  an 
administration  building  and  wards  for  the  bedridden  cases.  He  has  kept 
abreast  with  the  rapid  strides  made  in  the  profession  in  the  treatment  of 
this  disease,  which  was  formerly  considered  incurable.  He  feels  fully  as- 
sured that  the  dry  climate,  combined  with  outdoor  life,  careful  sanitation 
and  diet,  will  do  much  for  the  cure  of  tubercular  patients,  and  undoubted- 
ly  he  will  meet  with  both  professional  and  financial  success  in  the  con- 
duct of  the  institution,  which  is  now  in  process  of  construction. 

Dr.  Strong  was  married  in  the  Episcopal  church  in  Albuquerque,  Sep- 
tember 17.  1902,  to  Miss  Zerlena  Morrill  Ouimby,  of  Xew  York  city. 
Thev  have  one  child,  a  son,  S.  Merideth.  Jr.  The  family  are  an  addition 
to  the  social  circles  of  Deming.  Especially  interested  in  his  profession 
from  the  scientific  and  the  humanitarian  standpoint,  he  devotes  his  atten- 
tion largely  to  his  work,  to  the  exclusion  of  outside  interests,  and  his 
labor  is'  of  practical  benefit  to  his  fellow  men.  He  is  now  a  member  of 
Luna  and  Grant  Counties  Medical  Society,  the  Territorial  Medical  Asso- 
cafion  and   the  American  Medical   Association.     He  is  a   Mason. 

C.  J.  Kelly,  who  makes  his  home  in  Deming  and  is  filling  the  position 
of  treasurer  of  Luna  county,  was  born  and  reared  in  Bloomington,  Indiana, 
where  he  acquired  a  high  school  education.  He  has  been  a  resident  of 
Deming  since  1S94,  at  which  time  he  entered  mercantile  circles  in  this 
city.  He  has  since  been  identified  with  business  interests  here  and  is  now 
bookkeeper  for  the  J.  A.  Mahonev  Mercantile  Company.  Ten  years  after 
settling  in  Deming  he  was  called  by  popular  suffrage  to  the  position  of 
collector  and  treasurer  of  Luna  county,  the  election  being  held  in  Novem- 
ber, 1004.  In  1902  he  had  been  appointed  to  the  position  by  Governor 
Otero  upon  the  organization  of  the  county,  so  that  he  has  been  five  years 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  853 

in  this  position.  In  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  is  prompt  and  capable 
and  has  been  found  to  be  a  worthy  custodian  of  the  public  exchequer. 
Fraternally  he  is  connected  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  at  Bloomington,  Indiana,  and  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  lodge  at 
Deming. 

James  W.  Hannigan.  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Hannigan  &  Tracy. 
who  since  1889  have  operated  in  Deming  and  whose  opinions  and  labors 
have  likewise  been  an  influence  in  public  affairs  in  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
torv.  was  born  in  California,  April  17,  1856.  He  came  to  New  Mexico  in 
1882,  having  previously,  however,  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  a 
bookkeeper  in  San  Francisco  for  the  firm  of  Carroll  Brothers.  Removing 
to  New  Mexico  he  settled  at  Lordsburg  as  a  representative  of  the  firm  of 
Carroll  Brothers,  who  were  proprietors  of  stores  and  mines  at  that  place 
and  at  Shakespeare.  He  acted  as  bookkeeper  for  a  year  and  in  1883  came 
to  Deming.  continuing  in  the  employ  of  Carroll  Brothers  until  1885,  when 
they  closed  down  their  mines.  He  was  associated  with  J.  H.  Tracv  in  the 
management  of  the  Carroll  interests  and  since  1880  he  and  Mr.  Tracy  have 
been  in  business  in  Deming.  where  they  own  two  good  business  houses. 

Mr.  Hannigan  has  always  been  an  earnest  Republican,  supporting  the 
party  since  age  gave  to  him  the  right  of  franchise.  In  1904  he  was  elected 
to  the  Territorial  legislature  from  the  district  comprising  Luna.  Grant, 
Dona  Ana  and  Otero  counties,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  deliberations 
of  that  body,  where  he  was  regarded  as  an  active  working  member.  For 
the  past  four  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican  countv  cen- 
tral committee  and  a  delegate  to  the  Territorial  conventions.  Fraternally 
he  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pvthias  and  the  Red  Men.  His  wife, 
who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Rosella  Chase,  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Mr. 
Hannigan  has.  through  the  improvement  of  opportunity  and  a  ready  rec- 
ognition and  utilization  of  advantages,  worked  his  way  steadily  upward  to 
a  position  of  prominence  in  business  circles,  and  at  the  same  time  has 
exercised   strong  and  beneficial   influence  in   public  affairs. 

F.  W.  Kille.  who  is  foreman  of  the  Hcadliglif,  published  at  Deming. 
New  Mexico,  was  born  in  Browning,  Missouri,  October  24,  1876.  He  is 
a  son  of  J.  L.  Kille.  an  old  settler  of  Browning  and  a  real  estate,  insurance 
and  loan  agent  at  Browning.  The  son  acquired  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  citv,  and  after  putting  aside  his  text  books  took 
up  the  printers'  trade,  which  he  learned  in  Browning,  following  the  bus- 
iness in  Missouri  for  about  twelve  years.  He  came  to  Deming,  October 
8,  1903,  and  entering  upon  the  position  of  foreman  of  the  Headlight,  has 
since  acted  in  that  capacitv  with  credit  to  himself  and  profit  to  the  paper. 

Mr.  Kille  was  married  at  Laclede.  Missouri,  to  Miss  Laura  E.  Brock, 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1901.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
camp  at  Browning,  and  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men  at  Deming.  and 
he  also  holds  membership  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  at  Browning. 

James  N.  Upton,  one  of  the  well  known  cattlemen  of  New  Mexico, 
now  living  in  Deming.  who  is  also  interested  in  the  development  of  the 
rich  mineral  districts  of  the  Territorv,  was  born  in  Tyler,  Texas,  and  was 
reared  in  Smith  countv.  that  state.  In  earlv  life  he  became  connected  with 
merchandising  and  continued  in  that  line  of  business  before  his  removal  to 
Deming.  where  he  arrived  in  1887.  Here  he  began  mining  and  also  gave 
a  part  of  his  time  and  attention  to  farming  and  to  the  raising  of  fine  horses. 


'   ,. 


854  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

He  has,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  been  connected  with  the  work  of  locat- 
ing and  developing  rich  mining  properties,  and  has  also  continued  in  the 
cattle  business,  which  has  been  his  chief  interest  during  the  past  nine  years. 
He  purchased  the  old  Mimbres  River  cattle  ranch  and  upon  this  has  large 
herds.  He  is  continually  improving  the  breed  of  cattle  raised  and  thus 
securing  advanced  prices.  He  is  also  operating  a  zinc  mine  in  Tres  Her- 
manos  district  and  this,  too,  is  proving  to  him  a  gratifying  source  of  in- 
come. Mr.  Upton  has  his  family  with  him  in  New  Mexico.  He  belongs 
to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  413,  B.  P.  O.  E.,  and  to  Deming  Lodge,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  For  two  terms  he  has  served  as  county  commissioner  of  Grant 
county  and  has  ever  manifested  a  public-spirited  interest  in  those  matters 
and  measures  which  pertain  to  the  material,  intellectual  and  political  prog- 
ress of  the  localitv. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SAN  JUAN  COUNTY. 

San  Juan  county  is  in  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of  New  Mexico, 
being  bounded  north  by  Colorado,  west  by  Arizona,  east  by  Rio  Arriba 
county  and  south  by  McKinley  and  a  small  portion  of  Bernalillo  county. 
It  contains  5,942  square  miles,  3,802,880  acres,  of  which  1,958,400  acres 
are  in  the  Navajo  Indian  reservation,  1,475,000  acres  are  suject  to  entry, 
about  260,000  acres  have  been  appropriated  and  about  300,000  are  esti- 
mated to  be  irrigable.  It  is  one  of  the  smaller  counties  of  the  Territory, 
and  yet  is  nearly  twice  as  large  as  the  combined  area  of  Rhode  Island  and 
Delaware.  Its  county  seat  is  Aztec,  on  the  Rio  Animas,  in  the  northeast- 
ern portion  of  the  county.  Lying  outside  the  main  railroad  lines,  being 
admirably  adapted  to  horticulture  and  agriculture  and  about  half  of  its 
area  being  embraced  in  the  Indian  reservation,  San  Juan  is  characteristical- 
ly rural.  Its  small  towns  are  chiefly  the  centers  of  farming  communities,  and 
its  chief  sources  of  wealth  are  live-stock,  alfalfa  and  fruits. 

Topography  and  Natural  Features. — The  northern,  or  irrigable  por- 
tion of  San  Juan  county,  presents  the  appearance  of  a  basin  surrounded  on 
all  sides  with  mountains  and  high  ridges,  with  a  deep  notch  cut  into  one 
side  for  the  exit  of  the  San  Juan  river  toward  the  Colorado.  It  is  a  por- 
tion of  the  foothill  country  of  the  Rocky  mountain  system,  furrowed  by 
fertile  river  valleys  and  checkered  with  broad  and  level  mesas.  Outside 
of  the  valleys  and  elevated  plains  the  country  consists  of  a  series  of  "double 
lands,"  broken  by  arroyos  and  generally  bearing  luxurious  growths  of  na- 
tive grasses.     The  altitude  ranges  from  5,000  to  6,000  feet. 

The  county  is  watered  by  the  San  Juan  river  and  its  branches.  The 
watershed  is  from  the  San  Juan  mountains  in  southwestern  Colorado,  the 
main  channel  having  its  rise  in  Archuleta  count}',  that  state.  It  enters  New 
Mexico  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county,  makes  a  huge  semicircle  and 
departs  at  the  extreme  northwestern  corner  of  the  Territory  on  its  course 
through  Utah.  Within  San  Juan  county  the  total  length  of  the  river  is 
one  hundred  and  twenty-four  miles,  about  thirty  miles  of  which  is  over 
lands  of  the  Navajo  reservation.  It  is  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  feet 
wide  on  an  average,  and  has  a  fall  of  about  eleven  feet  to  the  mile.  In  the 
spring  and  earlv  summer  it  is  only  fordable  at  a  few  places,  and  its  lowest 
depth  is  about  two  feet.  Even  as  late  as  October  and  November  its  waters 
will  generally  reach  a  wagon  bed.  The  least  flow  of  the  river  will  be 
about  4,000  cubit  feet  per  second,  or  amply  sufficient  to  irrigate  640,000 
acres. 

At  Largo  the  river  bottom  widens  out  into  rolling  mesa  and  bottom 
lands  available  for  cultivation.  The  most  important  of  these  tracts  are 
known  as  the  Bloomfield  and  Solomon  mesas,  which,  with  the  bottom  lands 
under  them,   will   aggregate   over   20,000  acres.     They   are   on   the   north 


85G  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

side  of  the  river.  On  the  south  side,  between  the  mouth  of  the  Animas 
and  Farmington,  is  a  fine  piece  of  valley  land  twenty-five  miles  long  and 
about  two  broad.  The  Animas  and  La  Plata  empty  into  the  San  Juan  near 
Farmington,  about  midway  in  the  county. 

The  Animas  river,  which  is  the  most  important  tributary  of  the  San 
Juan,  flows  south  from  Durango,  Colorado,  near  which  place  it  is  formed 
by  the  junction  of  two  mountain  streams,  and  will  irrigate,  if  systematical- 
ly handled,  30,000  or  40,000  acres  of  fruit  land.  The  stream  flows  thirty 
miles  within  the  county,  averages  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  width  and 
is  eighteen  inches  deep  at  low  water.  Besides  the  valley  of  the  Animas 
there  is  an  important  area  of  land  included  in  the  Farmington  Glade,  an 
intervale  between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata  rivers,  and  embracing  a  strip 
of  country  eighteen  miles  long  and  from  two  to  three  wide.  It  will  aggre- 
gate 25,000  acres  of  good  irrigable  land,  well  adapted  to  fruit  raising. 
In  this  locality  the  traces  of  an  ancient  Aztec  ditch  may  be  seen,  which 
once  irrigated  a  large  area  of  the  glade  from  the  Animas.  The  La  Plata 
river  flows  in  a  deep,  sandy  bed,  and  its  waters  generally  disappear  in  the 
last  week  of  August  or  the  first  week  of  September.  Along  the  upper 
part  of  the  river  after  it  enters  San  Juan  county  there  are  several  thousand 
acres  cultivated,  and  at  Jackson,  near  its  mid-course,  is  a  small  Mormon 
colony  with  some  one  thousand  acres  under  improvement. 

These  streams  are  permanent  in  character,  but  the  flow  fluctuates  with 
the  seasons,  depending  chiefly  upon  the  melting  of  winter  snows  in  spring 
and  upon  the  so-called  rainy  season,  occurring  usually  in  the  latter  part 
of  August  and  in  September.  The  spring  flow  begins  in  the  early  part  of 
March  and  reaches  its  maximum  about  the  middle  of  May ;  then  gradually 
declines  until  the  fore  part  of  July,  when  it  reaches  the  normal  summer 
flow.  The  rainy  season  flow  is  characterized  by  sudden  freshets,  which 
at  times  are  of  great  volume,  as  in  September,  1896,  when  a  flow  of  seven 
thousand  eight  hundred  feet  per  second  was  observed  in  the  Animas  river. 
Besides  the  valleys  along  the  streams  there  is  a  vast  extent  of  grain  and 
fruit  land  lying  back  from  the  rivers  in  large  plateaus,  a  great  portion  of 
which  will  ultimately  be  irrigated  from  the  streams  at  a  reasonable  expense. 
The  altitude  of  the  valleys  averages  -1,500  feet  in  the  lower  portion  of  the 
county,  increasing  as  the  rivers  are  ascended  at  the  rate  of  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five   feet  per  mile. 

Irrigated  and  Irrigable  Lands. — It  has  been  estimated  that  from  the 
average  flow  of  the  San  Juan,  the  Animas  and  La  Plata  rivers,  in  whose 
valleys  are  the  principal  areas  of  irrigable  land,  there  are  available  6,250 
cubic  feet  of  water  per  second,  or  a  volume  sufficient  to  irrigate  1,000,000 
acres.  In  addition,  and  properly  to  be  considered  in  the  San  Juan  basin, 
are  the  lands  on  either  side  of  the  Largo,  Canyon  Blanco  and  Canyon 
Gallegos.  which  flow  into  the  parent  stream  from  the  south,  but  are  dry 
part  of  the  year.  Still  further  south  are  twenty-four  townships  supplied 
with  water,  but  less  abundantly,  from  the  headwaters  of  Rio  Chaco,  or 
Chusca,  and  the  Ojo  Amarilla. 

According  to  a  careful  computation  there  are  at  least  600,000  acres  in 
San  Juan  county  available  for  irrigation,  about  100,000  acres  being  actual- 
lv  under  ditch,  most  of  which  is  used  for  pasturage.  The  areas  under  cul- 
tivation embrace  5,000  acres  on  the  Las  Animas,  under  twenty  ditches ; 
4,200  on  the  La  Plata,  with  the  same  number  of  irrigation  ditches ;  5,000 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  »57 

acres  on  the  San  Juan,  and  500  acres  on  the  Rio  de  los  Pinos,  in  the  ex- 
treme northeastern  portion  of  the  county. 

The  Irrigation  Ditches. — Irrigation  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil 
thereby  is  not"  a  new  art  in  the  San  Juan  county.  The  traces  of  ancient 
pueblos  and  surrounding  irrigating  canals  may  be  seen  in  several  places. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  Animas  and  skirting  the  bluffs  is  to  be  noticed  a 
ditch  of  higher  line  than  any  now  in  use.  It  covers  all  that  side  of  the 
valley  down  to  the  San  Juan,  and  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  is  another 
entering  the  Farmington  Glade. 

The  irrigation  system  of  San  Juan  county  is  mainly  described  by  the 
expression  "neighborhood  ditches."  The  status  of  affairs  in  this  regard  is 
thus  described  by  Granville  Pendleton  in  a  pamphlet  published  by  author- 
ity of  the  New  Mexican  Bureau  of  Immigration  in  1906:  "The  farmers 
have  joined  in  constructing  canals  and  ditches  sufficient  to  irrigate  nearly 
all  of  the  tillable  land  in  the  first  or  immediate  bottoms  of  the  rivers  and 
also  some  of  the  mesa  lands  on  the  second  bottoms.  While  the  various 
ditches  and  canals  under  the  law  are  called  corporation  or  community 
ditches,  they  are  owned  exclusively  by  the  farmers  and  land  owners  hav- 
ing land  under  them,  hi  the  first  construction  of  these  ditches  or  canals, 
the  farmers  owning  adjoining  land  would  associate  themselves  as  a  com- 
munity ditch  company  to  construct  a  ditch  with  sufficient  capacity  to  irri- 
gate all  of  their  respective  lands  under  this  particular  ditch.  The  shares 
of  water  were  then  divided  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  land  that  each 
held  for  irrigation.  Each  farmer  thus  procured  a  sufficient  water  right  for 
the  lands  owned  by  him  under  this  particular  ditch.  This  water  right  goes 
with  the  land  and  is  perpetual,  the  same  as  houses,  fencing  and  other  im- 
provement';. Of  course,  water  rights  can  he  divided,  transferred  and  sold 
separately   from  the  land  or  attached  to  other  lands  by  deed  or  transfer. 

"The  only  expense  connected  with  a  water  right  in  one  of  these  com- 
munity ditches  is  the  amount  of  work  and  expense  necessary  each  year  in 
repairing  and  putting  the  ditches  in  proper  shape.  This  expense  is  light 
and  is  done  mostly  in  work  of  cleaning  out  and  repairing  the  ditches,  each 
water  owner  doing  his  pro  rata  share  of  the  work.  The  average  cost  of 
a  water  right  for  forty  acres  ranges  from  $10  to  $25  and  averages  $15 
to  $17." 

The  one  syndicate  or  corporation  ditch  in  San  Juan  countv  is  now 
known  as  the  Animas.  La  Plata  and  San  Juan  Canal,  or,  more  familiarly, 
the  Coolidge  Ditch.  The  canal  is  twenty  miles  long  and  was  constructed 
bv  the  Coolidge  Brothers  (Dr.  J.  W.  and  F.  J.,  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania) 
at  a  cost  of  $109,000  (including  the  acquirement  of  lands  for  the  water- 
ways'). The  work  was  commenced  in  1887  and  the  original  builders  still 
own  and  operate  the  canal.  The  supply  is  drawn  from  the  Animas  river 
near  Aztec,  and  the  course  of  the  canal  is  westwardly  to  the  La  Plata.  It 
is  designed  to  irrigate  some  10.000  acres,  the  main  body  of  land  lying  just 
north  of  the  town  of  Farmington.  The  Canyon  Largo  ditch,  taken  from 
the  south  side  of  the  San  Juan,  near  Largo,  covers  a  large  tract  of  land 
opposite  Bloomfield.  and  the  High  Line  ditch,  taken  from  the  La  Plata  river 
near  the  Colorado  state  line,  covers  a  considerable  area  between  the  La 
Plata   and   the   Hogback. 

The  first  successful  irrigating  canal  on  the  San  Juan  was  that  con- 
structed by  J.  C.  Carson,  Joseph  Starriett  and  others,  mostly  stockmen,  and 


858  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

was  known  as  the  Bloomfield  ditch.  It  covered  a  portion  of  the  San  Juan 
valley  east  of  the  mouth  of  the  Animas  river,  and  is  still  in  operation. 

In  September,  1904,  the  federal  government  sent  a  surveying  party 
into  the  La  Plata  valley  for  the  purpose  of  planning  irrigation  works.  They 
ran  a  line  from  the  Animas  river  above  Durango,  but  found  that  the  ex- 
penses of  the  proposed  undertaking  would  be  too  great,  on  account  of 
the  necessity  of  constructing  tunnels  for  carrying  the  water.  A  good 
natural  dam  site  is  to  be  found  near  the  Colorado  line  on  the  La  Plata. 
Two  irrigation  projects  have  been  under  consideration  by  the  Reclamation 
Service  of  the  government.  One  covers  17,000  acres  lying  on  both  sides 
of  the  river ;  the  other,  about  9,000  additional  acres  on  what  is  called  the 
Meadows,  a  mesa  between  La  Plata  and  Fruitland.  The  latter  project 
includes  a  second  reservoir  at  a  point  known  as  "the  narrows,"  flooding 
about  1,000  acres,  and  being  connected  with  the  upper  reservoir  by  a  canal. 
The  estimated  cost  per  acre  is  about  $30. 

Among  the  most  important  development  projects  inaugurated  in  the 
county  within  recent  years  is  that  of  the  New  Eden  Ditch  and  Land  Com- 
pany, incorporated  April  3,  1906,  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  large  canal 
from  the  Animas  river  to  the  mesas  east  of  the  valley,  which  is  intended  to 
irrigate  about  30,000  acres  of  exceedinglv  fertile  tableland.  W.  Goff  Black, 
William  T.  Allen,  Thomas  P.  Maddox,"  Robert  W.  Bray  and  Charles  E. 
Gendenny  are  the  principal  spirits  in  the  enterprise. 

Several  companies  are  considering  the  advisability  of  constructing  a 
number  of  new  ditches  and  canals  that  will  brinp-  under  cultivation  large 
bodies  of  rich  government  lands  subject  to  homestead  and  desert  land  en- 
tries. Not  one-fifth  of  the  land  that  can  thus  be  reclaimed  has  yet  been 
filed  upon.  In  the  western  part  of  the  county,  tributary  to  the  La  Plata 
valley,  a  large  storage  reservoir  is  contemplated,  which  will  bring  to  pro- 
ductiveness considerable  tracts  of  uplands  and  mesas,  consisting  of  gov- 
ernment land  well  adapted  to  fruit  culture.  The  La  Plata  river,  being  the 
shortest  in  the  county  and  having  its  source  in  the  La  Plata  mountains, 
verv  moderate  in  height,  the  surface  drainage  is  small,  the  snows  near  its 
source  melt  rapidly  and  .the  supply  of  water  sometimes  does  not  last  to  the 
latter  part  of  the  irrigation  season.  As  the  valley  is  unusually  fertile  and 
productive  when  water  is  sufficient,  it  is  all  the  more  necessary  that  artificial 
storage  should  be  provided,  that  none  of  the  supply  shall  go  to  waste. 
Even  under  present  conditions  La  Plata  valley  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
county,  and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years  farming  and  fruit-growing  have 
been  profitably  conducted  on  the  first  and  second  bottoms. 

Resources  of  the  County. — Aside  from  the  lands  of  the  county  sus- 
ceptible of  irrigation  and  cultivation,  the  country  is  one  vast  stock  range, 
occupied  by  large  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  and  flocks  of  sheep,  thereby 
guaranteeing  a  good  home  market  for  the  surplus  forage  grown  in  the 
valleys.  Lnder  the  mild  winters  all  kinds  of  stock  subsist  the  year  through 
without  expense  to  the  owner,  except  the  marking  and  branding,  until  the 
time  for  fattening  arrives.  There  are  from  40,000  to  50,000  head  of 
sheep  fed  each  winter  and  from  8.000  to  10.000  head  of  cattle.  Manv  of 
the  latter  are  thoroughbreds — Shorthorns,  Herefords  and  Red  Poles.  It 
is  only  within  the  past  few  years  that  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  alfalfa- 
fed  cattle  make  the  finest  of  beef,  and  also  the  cheapest  that  can  be  pro- 
duced     For  that  reason  stock-growers  and  farmers  are  acquiring  the  best 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  »59 

breeds  of  cattle — White  Face,  Shorthorns,  Red  Poles  and  Polled  Angus  for 
beef,  and  Jerseys  and  Holsteins  for  dairying  purposes.- 

Farmers  who  have  learned  the  value  of  alfalfa  do  not  now  feed  grain 
to  their  stock  unless  for  the  heaviest  kind  of  work,  such  as  freighting  or 
heavy  teaming.  It  is  the  average  feed  for  both  horses  and  cows.  The 
average  yield  is  five  tons  per  acre,  and  in  San  Juan  county  three  crops  can 
be  cut.  It  does  not  deteriorate  with  successive  crops,  and  with  all  its 
prodigious  growth  continuously  fertilizes  and  invigorates  the  soil  It 
is  the  most  valuable  crop  in  the  county  and  the  greatest  source  of  wealth- 
Stock  sheep  very  rarely  require  feed  in  the  winter.  There  are  times, 
however,  when  snow  covers  the  ground  for  a  few  days  and  at  such  time- 
alfalfa  is  often  fed.  About  100,000  head  of  sheep  are  owned  and  grazed  in 
the  county  at  the  present  Jime,  and  the  wool  clip  in  1905  amounted  to  some 
350,000  pounds.  There  are  5,000  head  of  horses  and  about' as  many  goats. 
The  raising  of  a  good  class  of  draught  and  road  horses  is  proving  a  profit- 
able occupation,  as  is  also  the  breeding  of  Anecra  goats.  Goats  need  no 
feed  the  year  round,  and  thrive  en  the  open  range.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  public  range  of  the  county  now  embraces  1.500,000  acres,  exclusive  of 
the  Navajo  reservation. 

Although  cereals  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds  flourish  in  San  Juan 
county,  more  progress  has  been  made  in  horticulture  than  in  any  other 
branch  of  husbandry.  The  orchards  extend  along  all  the  rivers,  those  at 
Farmington  and  Junction  City  being  the  oldest  and  largest.  Apples,  pears, 
plums,  peaches,  apricots,  cherries  and  all  small  fruits  do  well.  Besides 
American  grapes,  the  foreign  varieties  have  succeeded  beyond  expectation, 
even  the  seedless  Sultana  ripening  to  perfection.  Many  varieties  of  apples 
bear  the  next  year  after  setting,  when  set  at  two  years- from  graft,  and  seem 
to  be  quite  regular  bearers  thereafter,  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  wait 
from  five  to  ten  years  for  fruit,  as  is  often  the  case  in 'the  middle  states. 
Peaches,  plums  and  apricots  often  bear  the  first  year  after  being  planted, 
and  produce  large  crops  during  the  second  year.  Southwestern  Colorado 
is  now  almost  wholly  supplied  with  fruit  from  San  Juan  count}-,  and  the 
apples  grown  here  have  pained  a  reputation  for  fine  flavor  and  freedom 
from  blemishes  not  excelled  by  any  other  locality  in  the  United  States. 
In  the  Chicago  markets  they  have  sold  as  high  as  $5  per  fifty-pound  box. 
Besides  the  fruits  mentioned,  San  Juan  is  a  good  country  for  all  kinds  of 
nuts,  especially  peanuts,  almonds  and  black  walnuts.  The  cottomvood, 
willow  and  cedar  are  native  growths,  while  in  ornamental  trees  the  Lom- 
bard poplar,  the  maples,  the  weeping  willow,  the  locust  and  the  eatalpa 
naturally  flourish,  and  a  great  variety  of  roses,  the  honeysuckle,  the  snow- 
ball and  a  world  of  other  flowers  adorn  the  lawns  and  beautify  the  gar- 
dens. 

Bee  culture  has  passed  the  experimental  stage,  and  there  Tare  several 
profitable  apiaries  of  100  hives  and  upward.  The  orchards  and  alfalfa 
fields,  and  especially  the  cleome,  or  wild  bee  weed,  furnish  inexhaustible 
food.  The  quality  of  the  honev  is  superior,  while  the  mild  winters  render 
it  easy  to  carry  the  bees  through  with  comparatively  small  loss.  Dairying 
is  a  rapidly  growing  industry,  and  several  creameries  are  about  to  be  estab- 
lished at  central  points. 

The  colleges  of  agriculture  at  Fort  Collins,  Colorado,  and  at  Mesilla 
Park,  New  Mexico,  have  made  tests  of  the  percentage  of  saccharine  matter 


'»6ft  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

in  the  sugar  beets  raised  in  the  western  states  and  territories,  which  have 
demonstrated  that  San  Juan  and  Santa  Fe  counties  stand  at  the  head  of 
the  list. 

San  Juan  comity  was  without  railroads  until  1905,  when  the  Denver 
&  Rio  Grande  constructed  a  standard-gauge  branch  line  from  Durango 
south  through  Aztec  and  Farmington.  The  main  irrigable  areas  of  the 
county  are  thus  brought  into  close  touch  with  the  general  markets  of  the 
west.  The  Colorado  &  Arizona  Railroad  has  made  three  complete  sur- 
veys through  San  Juan  county — one  up  the  San  Juan  river  to  Pagosa 
Springs,  Colorado;  one  up  the  Animas,  via  Durango,  to  Pueblo,  and  the 
third  crossing  the  San  Juan  river  at  Jewett,  and  thence  through  the  Mead- 
ows, the  La  Plata  valley  and  the  coal  fields  of  that  locality  to  Durango 
and  Pueblo,  Colorado.  The  Southern  Pacific,  of  which  system  this  line  is 
really  a  part,  has  acquit  ed  title  to  large  tracts  of  these  coal  lands,  and  has 
begun  the  construction  of  its  main  line  from  the  copper  district  of  Arizona 
to  Denver.  The  road  will  follow  the  coal  belt  in  the  western  portion  of 
San  Juan  count)',  cross  the  San  Juan  river  at  Jewett,  tapping  the  Meadows 
and  La  Plata  valley  on  its  way  to  Pueblo  and  Denver.  As  these  coal 
fields  constitute  the  largest  body  of  the  mineral  of  convenient  access,  not 

ionly  to  Arizona  and  Mexico,  but  to  the  southern  sections  of  the  Pacific 
coast,  the  opening  of  this  line  will  mean  much  for  the  future  development 
of  the  count)'. 

Telephone  Connections. — The  people  of  San  Juan  county  have  been 
supplied  with  another  means  of  communication,  almost  as  important  as 
the  railroad.  In  1904  a  telephone  line  was  completed  from  Durango 
through  the  county  by  way  of  Aztec  and  Farmington,  and  on  to  Fruitland 
and  La  Plata  valley,  its  entire  circuit  being  about  150  miles.  This  con- 
nects with  the  long  distance  telephone  line  to  Pueblo,  Colorado  Springs, 
Denver,  Santa  Fe,  Albuquerque  and  other  points  in  New  Mexico,  as 
well  as  with  the  mining  towns  and  lumbering  camps  of  southwestern  Colo- 
rado. 

Scenery  and  Ruins. — Along  the  valleys  of  the  San  Juan,  Animas  and 
La  Plata  rivers  are  extensive,  interesting  and  picturesque  ruins  of  the 
ancient  civilization  of  the  Aztecs.  Besides  the  irrigating  canals  are  castles 
of  stone,  mortar  and  massive  masonry  and  huge  apartment  houses  that 
must  have  contained  more  than  a  thousand  rooms.  Buried  deep  in  these 
ruins  are  found  petrified  corncobs,  turkey  bones,  stone  mortars  and  other 
articles   which   give   a  fragmentary   idea   of  the   domestic   life   of  our  an- 

•  cestors.  Long  before  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards  the  entire  region  evi- 
dently supported  a  vast  and  an  advanced  population.  In  the  Chaco  canyon, 
which  empties  its  waters  into  San  Juan  from  the  south,  are  the  ruins  of 
seventeen  villages,  of  which  those  near  the  Pueblo  Bonito  are  the  most 
wonderful.  Several  of  the  larger  structures  are  of  dressed  stone  and  con- 
tain 1,200  rooms.  At  the  pueblo  itself  there  is  a  lower  city  in  the  valley  and 
one  two  hundred  feet  higher  on  the  mesa,  connected  by  a  stone  stairway, 
which  leads  up  the  face  of  a  bluff  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high. 
In  the  exploration  of  this  locality  an  archaeological  company  excavated 
five  hundred  rooms,  in  which  it  found  50,000  pieces  of  turquois,  10.000 
pieces  of  pottery,  i.ooo  stone  implements  and  many  skeletons. 

At  the  town  of  Aztec  the  foundations  of  more  than  a  dozen  large  ruins 
are  to  be  found,  while   directly  across   the   river  was   a   large   pueblo,   of 


Ancient  Pueblo  Ruins 


Ancient  Ruins  in  Chusco  Canon 

First   explored  by  Major   Powell.      Engraved  from  photographs  taken  in    1893  by  George  S.  Orth.   of 

Pittsburg.  Pa.,  in   company  with   Scott   N.   Morris,  of   Farmington.      These  buildings  are 

believed    by  archaeologists  to  have   been  erected  by   the  progenitors  of  the 

Aztecs,  and   afford  an   excellent  example  of  the  character 

of   pre-Columbian  architecture. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  861 

which  one  three-story  house  still  remains,  over  six  hundred  of  its  rooms 
being  still  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  In  the  neighborhood  of  Fruit- 
land  and  Olio  the  whole  valley  is  covered  with  ruined  structures.  These 
pueblos  differ  from  the  others  in  New  Mexico  in  that  they  are  not  built 
in  inaccessible  places,  but  on  the  open  mesas.  On  the  Mancos,  however, 
and  at  other  points  are  clustered  cliff  dwellings  so  difficult  of  access  that 
modern  ingenuity  has  been  unable  to  reach  them. 

The  Hyde  Exploring  Expedition  of  New  Mexico,  with  headquarters 
at  Farmington,  was  incorporated  January  17.  1903,  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$250,000,  for  the  purpose  of  exploiting  the  ruins  in  the  sections  of  the 
county  above  described.  This  corporation  began  operations  on  a  large 
scale,  and  its  work  was  so  destructive  that  in  1906  Congress  passed  an  act 
prohibiting  similar  research — particularly  the  excavation  of  ancient  Indian 
dwellings  and  ruins — unless  done  under  the  supervision  of  agents  of  the 
government,  if  the  scene  of  operations  be  government  land.  The  Hyde 
company  closed  its  affairs  in  February,  1904,  after  heavy  losses,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  San  Juan  Stores  Company,  which  likewise  suspended 
operations  in  the  following  winter. 

From  the  standpoint  of  nature,  San  Juan  county  has  a  grandeur  pe- 
culiarly its  own.  There  is  one  view  from  near  the  center  of  the  county 
which  is  especially  grand.  To  the  west  and  far  down  the  San  Juan  valley 
towers  Ship  Rock,  a  beautiful  peak  of  1,200  feet,  rising  like  a  giant  ship 
with  all  sails  set.  In  the  far  southeast,  on  a  high  crag,  stand  two  stone 
figures,  carved  by  nature  into  the  semblance  of  "Angels,"  as  they  are 
called.  All  along  the  southern  horizon  stretch  either  high,  rolling  mesas  or 
weather-beaten  cliffs,  while  to  the  north  tower  the  cloud-crowned  summits 
of  the  blue  La  Plata  mountains.  This  is  only  one  of  the  many  delightful 
prospects  for  tourists,  but  it  embraces  a  stretch  of  country  fully  one  hun- 
dred miles  long. 

County  Seat  Fight  and  County  Officers. — Like  all  other  counties  in  the 
United  States,  San  Juan  had  its  fierce  contentions  before  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment was  located  with  any  degree  of  permanence.  When  the  county 
was  organized  in  1887  the  legislature  named  Aztec  as  its  county  seat, 
and  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  commissioners  was  held  there  on 
March  7th  of  that  year.  In  the  same  month  the  citizens  of  the  older  town 
of  Farmington  petitioned  for  a  removal  to  that  place,  and  similar  requests 
were  received  from  Junction  City,  Largo  and  Mesa  City.  At  the  election 
held  in  1890  for  the  location  of  the  county  seat  Junction  City  received  255 
votes,  Aztec  246  and  Farmington  1.  The  county  officials  refused  to  move 
until  they  received  peremptory  orders  from  Judge  E.  P.  Seeds  to  do  so. 
No  building  had  yet  been  provided  by  Junction  City,  and  after  considerable 
delay  in  securing  accommodations  the  county  functionaries  occupied  their 
new  quarters  February  14.  1891.  But  the  case  was  taken  to  the  Terri- 
torial Supreme  Court,  which,  in  August,  1892,  decided  in  favor  of  Aztec. 

Following  are  the  officers  of  the  county  since  its  organization : 

1887: — Governor  Ross  commissioned  its  first  officers,  viz. — Commissioners,  Moses 
Blancett  (chairman),  Daniel  Rhodes,  David  Lobato ;  probate  clerk,  J.  G.  Kello; 
sheriff,  Daniel  Sullivan ;  assessor,  J.  G.  Wullett ;  treasurer,  C.  H.  McHenry.  Since 
this  year  the  choice  has  been  by  election. 

1888-9,— Commissioners.   Henry   Hull    (chairman),  L.   F.   Willmers,    H.   J.   KifTen ; 


862  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

probate  judge,  Salome  Jaquez ;  probate  clerk,  J.  G.  Kello ;  sheriff,  J.  C.  Carson; 
assessor,  Nestor  Martinez ;  treasurer,  Frank  M.  Pierce. 

1890-1  : — Commissioners,  Henry  J.  Kiffen  (chairman),  Simon  Martinez,  C.  J. 
Moss;  probate  judge,  Santiago  Martinez;  assessor,  Lawrence  Welch;  probate  clerk, 
J.  W.  Berry ;  sheriff,  J.  C.  Carson ;  treasurer,  J.  N.  Jaquez. 

1892-3: — Commissioners,  J.  G.  Kello  (chairman),  Simon  Martinez,  T.  J.  Arring- 
ton;  probate  judge,  Ricardo  Archuleta;  probate  clerk,  C.  F.  Jones;  sheriff,  A.  E. 
Dustin;  assessor,  C.  C.  Pinkney ;  treasurer,  Frank  M.  Pierce. 

1894-5: — Commissioners,  P.  M.  Salmon  (chairman),  J.  E.  Manzanares,  John 
Real;  probate  judge,  Chrisostomo  Dominguez ;  probate  clerk.  William  McRae;  sheriff, 
A.   H.  Dunning;   assessor.   Teofilo  Jaques  ;   treasurer,   Monroe   Fields. 

1896-7: — Commissioners.  John  Real  (chairman),  J.  E.  Manzanares,  P.  M.  Salmon; 
probate  judge,  Ramon  Lobato ;  probate  clerk,  William  McRae;  sheriff,  J.  W.  Brown; 
assessor,  Leonor  Garcia;   treasurer,  Monroe  Fields. 

1898-9: — Commissioners.  T.  J.  Arrington  (chairman).  J.  A.  Jaques,  A.  J.  Gil- 
mour;  probate  judge,  M.  Pacheco ;  probate  clerk.  C.  V.  Safford ;  sheriff,  J.  C.  Dod- 
son:  assessor,  John  R.  Young;  treasurer.  C.  H.  McHenry. 

1 900- 1  : — Commissioners.  C  A.  Chubb  (chairman),  J.  V.  Lujan,  C.  Brimhall ; 
probate  judge,  Juan  B.  Valdez ;  probate  clerk,  Charles  V.  Safford;  sheriff,  J.  W. 
Brown;  assessor,  D.  J.  Donovan:   treasurer,   Monroe   Fields 

1902-3: — Commissioners.  J.  E.  McCarty  (chairman),  J.  R.  Williams.  J.  V.  Lujan; 
probate  judge,  Marcelino  Garcia;  probate  clerk.  Joe  Prewitt ;  sheriff,  James  E. 
Elmer;  assessor,  Boone  C  Vaughan ;   treasurer,   W.   G.   Black. 

1904-5: — Commissioners,  J.  R.  Williams,  (chairman),  J.  V.  Lujan,  Frank  M. 
Pierce;  probate  judge,  Frank  Mir:  probate  clerk.  L.  G.  Eblen :  sheriff,  Boone  C. 
Vaughan ;  assessor,   Richard  Hendricks ;  treasurer,  W.   E.  Williams. 

School  Districts. — As  now  organized  there  are  thirty  school  districts 
in  the  county.  At  Farmington  and  Aztec  the  terms  are  from  eight  to  nine 
months,  and  the  schools  are  graded,  with  from  three  to  four  teachers.  At 
Jewett  there  is  a  large  Indian  mission  school,  and  about  fifteen  miles  down 
the  San  Juan  valley  the  government  has  just  established  the  Ship  Rock 
institution  for  the  education  of  the  Navajo  Indians.  The  plan  includes  both 
mental  training  and  practical  education  in  farming,  fruit-growing  and 
other  industrial  pursuits.  Large  irrigating  canals  are  being  constructed 
in  this  locality  and  large  tracts  of  land  are  being  reclaimed  and  placed  un- 
der cultivation.  It  may  be  added  that  almost  since  the  establishment  of  the 
Navajo  Indian  reservation  the  national  government  has  maintained  several 
schools  thereon. 

Towns  and  Villages. — Aztec,  on  the  southeast  bank  of  the  Animas, 
and  near  the  center  of  the  voting  population,  is  the  county  seat.  It  stands 
on  the  site  of  a  native  pueblo,  has  a  population  of  500  or  600  people  and  is 
twelve  years  old.  The  place  has  a  good  $10,000  court  house,  a  high  school 
building,  three  churches  (Baptist,  Methodist  and  Presbyterian),  a  modern 
flour  mill,  a  bank,  four  or  five  general  stores,  two  hardware  stores,  a 
hotel  and  drug  store,  a  number  of  lawyers  and  physicians  and  sufficient 
tradesmen  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  community.  Of  the  fraterni- 
ties, the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and  Maccabees  are  represented  by  lodges. 

Farmington,  the  oldest  and  largest  town,  has  a  population  of  about 
750,  and  is  "situated  on  the  San  Juan  river  between  the  Animas  and  La 
Plata.  It  was  an  Indian  trading  post  thirty  years  ago  and  was  for  some 
time  the  county  seat.  From  Farmington  the  full  scenic  beauty  of  the 
vallev  reveals  itself,  at  this  locality  being  the  densest  population  of  the 
countv  and  the  widest  spread  of  cultivation.  Every  branch  of  trade  and 
business  is  well  represented  in  the  place,  besides  the  ordinary  establish- 
ments of  the  region  there  being  a  flour  mill,  a  distillery  and  evaporater  and 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  803 

two  lumber  yards.  It  has  a  national  bank,  two  weekly  newspapers — the 
Farmington  Times-Hustler  and  the  Farmington  Enterprise — a  commodious 
brick  school  building,  three  churches,  and  lodges  of  Masons,  Odd  Fellows, 
Maccabees,  Woodmen  and  Workmen.  Farmington  is  an  incorporated 
town,  has  a  system  of  waterworks  and  an  electric  light  plant.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  it  is  the  terminus  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad. 

Largo  may  be  considered  the  center  of  population  on  the  upper  San 
Juan.  Taking  with  it  the  settlements  on  Pine  river  and  at  Bloomfield,  the 
population  is  between  1,000  and  1,200  persons,  the  majority  of  whom  are 
of  Spanish  descent. 

Olio,  Jewett  and  Fruitland  are  situated  on  the  San  Juan  below  its 
junction  with  the  La  Plata,  west  of  Farmington.  Fruitland,  the  largest  of 
the  trio,  has  a  population  of  about  400.  They  lie  in  a  rich  fruit  belt,  which 
is  thoroughly  irrigated  by  the  well-known  Coolidge  ditch,  or  the  Animas, 
La  Plata  &  San  Juan  Canal. 

Ten  miles  north  of  Aztec  is  the  village  of  Cedar  Hill,  and  six  miles 
south,  on  the  Las  Animas  river  and  in  the  heart  of  a  fair  agricultural  and 
fruit  country,  is  the  pretty  little  town  of  Flora  Vista,  or  Flowery  Vale.  The 
latter  is  a  station  on  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande. 

History  of  the  County. — In  the  early  days  of  white  settlement  the  re- 
gion now  embraced  within  the  limits  of  San  Juan  county  was  occupied 
chiefly  by  cattlemen,  most  of  whom  came  down  from  Colorado  with  their 
herds.  George  Thompson  was  probably  the  most  extensive  cattle  operator 
in  the  county  during  the  pioneer  period.  He  occupied  the  ranch  in  the 
upper  San  Juan  valley  as  earlv  as  the  spring  of  1882.  Though  at  one 
time  he  refused  a  cash  offer  of  $320,000  for  his  cattle  and  horses,  he  lost 
everything  during  the  hard  times  following  the  panic  of  1803.  He  now 
resides  in  Trinidad.  Mr.  Thompson's  herd  at  one  time  numbered  fully 
8,000  head.  "Uncle"  Washington  Cox  was  also  an  extensive  operator  in 
the  early  days.  He  once  refused  $100,000  for  all  his  branded  stock,  but 
died  a  pauper  in  Aztec.  John  and  Charles  Pierson,  brothers,  occupied  the 
San  Juan  range  about  the  same  time  and  owned  large  herds. 

For  many  years  this  region  was  a  portion  of  the  Jicarilla  Apache 
Indian  reservation.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1876,  this  portion  of  the  reserva- 
tion was  thrown  open  to  settlement,  and  a  large  number  of  whites,  prin- 
cipally from  Colorado,  entered  the  new  country  and  located  claims,  but 
few  of  these  first  settlers  held  their  land.  Some  of  those  who  came  prior 
to  1886  and  remained  in  the  valleys  of  the  San  Juan,  the  Animas  or  the 
La  Plata  for  any  length  of  time  were  Joseph  Howe  and  Daniel  Howe, 
William  Locke,  Peter  Knickerbocker,  H.  M.  Sharp,  Joseph  Crouch,  Moses 
Blancett  and  his  son,  "Sel"  Blancett,  lames  Ferguson.  G.  W.  McCov, 
B.  H.  Millison,  J.  R.  Williams,  Alfred  U.  Graves,  Captain  W.  B.  Haines. 
P.  M.  Solomon,  Orange  Phelps,  Joseph  Starriett,  J.  C.  Carson,  the  Car- 
lisle brothers,  George  Spencer,  A.  F.  Miller,  Frank  M.  Pierce,  Isaac  Stock- 
ton, "Port"  Stockton  and  men  named  Kiffen,  Slane,  Roff,  Clayton  and 
Eskridge.  Most  of  the  above  brought  horses  or  cattle,  or  both,'  into  the 
country,  which  at  that  time  was  regarded  as  practically  worthless  for  ag- 
riculture. 

"Ike"  and  "Port"  Stockton,  brothers,  and  Eskridge  were  three  leaders 
of  a  notorious  band  of  cattle  thieves  who  caused  the  early  ranchers  end- 
less trouble.     Their  operations  were  primarily  responsible  for  the  so-called 


864  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

war  between  the  white  settlers  and  the  Indians.  Not  only  were  the  depre- 
dations of  the  "rustlers*-  a  serious  drawback  to  peaceful  conditions,  but 
the  cowboys  themselves,  while  honest,  ran  wild  at  times  and  were  the  cause 
of  serious  misunderstanding.  "'Shooting  up  the  town" — such  town  as 
there  was  at  Farmington  at  the  time — was  a  not  uncommon  form  of  diver- 
sion. Some  of  these  rather  too  free-and-easy  cowboys  afterward  settled 
down  and  were  numbered  among  the  best  citizens  of  the  county.  The  In- 
dians, who  suffered  most  from  the  depredations  of  the  rougher  element 
among  the  cowboys,  regarded  all  white  men  alike,  and  the  responsibility 
for  the  troubles  between  the  two  races,  and  especially  for  one  or  two  un- 
provoked murders  of  Indians,  so  wrought  up  the  Apaches  that  for  a  time  it 
looked  as  if  the  white  settlement  would  be  annihilated. 

The  first  permanent  white  settlement  on  the  land  now  forming  a  por- 
tion of  the  site  of  Farmington  was  made  in  the  late  summer  of  1876.  In 
the  spring  of  1877  a  general  store  was  opened  there  by  A.  F.  Miller,  who 
was  succeeded  as  proprietor  by  Frank  M.  Pierce.  George  Spencer  opened 
trade  with  the  Indians  in  1880,  his  "establishment"  being  a  tent.  The 
first  physician  there  was  Dr.  Steughton  Mingus,  who  came  about  1883. 
George  Spence  was  the  first  lawyer  in  town,  and  Rev.  Hugh  Griffin,  a 
missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  held  the  first  preaching  serv- 
ices in  the  school  house. 

The  land  now  occupied  by  Aztec,  the  countv  seat,  was  first  owned  by 
J.  A.  Koontz,  who  homesteaded  it,  and  in  i8qo  sold  forty  acres  to  the  Aztec 
Townsite  Company,  composed  of  Colonel  W.  H.  Williams,  G.  W.  McCoy 
and  others,  to  the  number  of  twenty-five.  The  town  made  little  progress 
at  any  particular  period  until  1905.  when  its  growth  became  marked. 
Koontz,  the  original  settler,  came  from  Pennsylvania  in  1871,  developed  a 
farm  on  land  which  included  within  its  limits  two  large  Aztec  ruins,  opened 
a  general  store  and  became  wealthy.  He  was  utterly  lacking  in  public 
spirit,  being  entirely  governed  by  considerations  of  personal  gain.  In 
1890  he  sold  his  store  to  Colonel  W.  H.  Williams,  a  public-spirited  gentle- 
man, who  has  done  much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  community.  Ex- 
Judge  Granville  Pendleton,  who  located  in  Aztec  in  1898,  became  the 
best  "boomer"  the  town  ever  had,  though  his  methods  were  generally 
criticized. 

For  several  years  the  government  maintained  an  agricultural  experi- 
ment station  about  a  mile  northwest  of  Aztec.  This  property  was  turned 
over  to  the  county  when  the  station  was  abandoned,  and  from  the  pro- 
ceeds of  its  sale  the  present  court  house  was  erected  in  1901-02.  after 
a  bitter  fight  between  the  supporters  of  Aztec  and  the  champions  of  Farm- 
ington. 

Mormon  Settlements. — That  portion  of  the  San  Juan  valley  between 
the  mouth  of  the  La  Plata  and  the  Navajo  Indian  reservation  is  occupied 
chiefly  by  the  Mormon  pioneers  and  their  descendants.  Its  irrigation  was 
first  made  possible  by  the  construction  of  a  community  ditch  by  Judge 
S.  T.  Webster.  L.  C.  Burnham,  Walter  Stevens,  Henry  Slade,  Jefferson 
Slade  and  J.  E.  McCarty.  Upon  the  construction  of  the  "Coolidge  ditch" 
farming  land  lying  under  the  canal  was  at  once  developed  by  W.  L.  Ken- 
nedy, A.  D.  Coolidge.  A.  C.  Huniker.  A.  C.  English,  Mr.  Carman,  William 
White  and  Albert  White. 

This  section  of  the  country,  including  Fruitland,  Jewett  and  Kirkland, 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  b6&. 

contains  the  largest  Mormon  settlement  in  New  .Mexico.  The  pioneer  set; 
tiers  were  Luther  Burnham,  John  R.  Young-  and  -Walter  Stevens.  Among 
those  who  followed  them  at  an  early  day  were  J.  B.  Ashcroft,  Ira  Hatch, 
Asa  Pipkin,  J.  K.  P.  Pipkin,  Thomas  Evans,  all  "members  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  Among  the  pioneers  who  were  not 
members  of  the  Mormon  church  were  T.  C.  Bryan,  the  first  merchant  of. 
Fruitland;  ].  E.  McCartv,  Schuyler  Smith,' W.  L.  Kennedy,  Frank 
Coolidge,  A."  D.  English,  W.  S.  Weightman,  A.  D.  Coolidge,  Judge  Web- 
ster, Cyril  J.  Collyer,  John  Moss  and  Mr.  Woolery.  The  Mormon  set- 
tlement in  the  San  Juan  valley  was  entirely  voluntary,  and  not  under  the 
direction  of  the  church  authprities.  The  total  Mormon  population  is  now 
estimated  at  about  650,  and  it  certainly  is  not  in  excels  of  700.  The 
total  Mormon  vote  is  estimated  at  about  sixty — thirty-five  in  the  Fruitland 
district  and  twenty-five  at  Jewett.  All  are  included  in"  one  ward,  called  the 
Burnham  ward,  which  is  embraced  within  the  San  Juan  stake  under  the 
presidency  of  Walter  C.  Lyman ;  its  first  bishop  was  L.  C.  Burnham,  who 
was  successively  succeeded  by  James  B.  Ashcroft,  Clayborn  Brimhall  and 
J.  T.  Nielson  (the  present  incumbent).  The  Fruitland  Tribune  was  estab- 
lished by  William  Evans  and  Frank  Staplin  on  January  15,  1906,  and  is 
published  semi-monthly.  It  is  the  pioneer  paper  of  the  valley  west  of 
Farmington. 

A  reliable  member  of  the  Mormon  church  at  Fruitland  states  that  in 
all  the  history  of  the  valley  settlements  but  three  men  have  had  a  plurality 
of  wives.  Of  these,  one  is  dead  and  one  has  removed  from  the  com- 
munity. The  Mormons  have  been  in  a  slight  majority  at  Fruitland  for 
about  fifteen  years,  but  during  that  time  no  intoxicating  liquors  have  been 
sold  there  until  June,  1906,  when  a  saloon  was  opened.  The  children  are 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  no  school  having  been  established  under  the 
direction  of  the  church.  There  are  two  meeting  houses,  one  at  Fruitland  and 
one  at  Jewett. 

The  settlement  in  and  near  Bloomfield.  northeast  of  Farmington,  while 
made  originally  by  stockmen,  has  since  become  largely  composed  of  Mor- 
mons, who.  as  in  the  west  end  of  the  valley,  have  done  the  pioneer  agricultu- 
ral work. 

Among  the  earliest  residents  on  the  present  site  of  Farmington  were 
William  and  Marion  B.  Hendrickson.  who  arrived  in  1876.  The  former 
died  in  Colorado  in  1904.  Orville  Pyle  ( now  of  Colorado)  was  here  in 
1876-77  and  Os  Pewett  (now  awav)  in  1877.  A.  E.  Miller  came  in  1878 
and  Seth  Welfoot  (now  deceased)  and  Ben  McGalliard  in  1877.  The 
Virden  brothers.  Charles  and  Milton,  now  in  Colorado,  also  arrived  in 
1877  and  William  Locke  on  the  10th  of  October,  1878.  The  last  named 
was  the  most  prominent  among  the  pioneers,  contributing  most  largely  to 
the  substantial  improvement  and  development  of  this  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory. The  strip  of  land  upon  which  these  men  settled  originally  belonged 
to  the  Apaches  and  was  open  to  settlement  in  1876,  although  no  lands  were 
surveyed  until  1880.  The  usual  experiences,  hardships  and  privations  of 
pioneer  life  were  endured.  Mrs.  Mills,  now  deceased,  the  mother  of  the 
Virden  brothers,  arrived  in  1877.  The  Virdens,  however,  were  afterward 
run  off  by  Indians,  who  burned  their  house  down.  They  then  settled  on 
other  lands  further  down  the  river.  Wright  Leggett,  now  of  California, 
was  another  early  settler,  who  arrived  in  1877,  and  all  these  took  up  squat- 


866  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ter's  claims.  Later,  however,  Wright  Leggett  sold  his  claim  to  William 
Locke  for  three  ponies,  hut  there  was  no  written  transfer  of  title.  Oliver 
McGordon.  now  deceased,  a  newspaper  man.  visited  this  district  in  the 
spring  of  1878,  and  early  in  the  fall  of  that  year  returned  and  located  where 
a  part  of  the  town  now  lies.  He  afterward  sold  his  property  there  to 
McGalliard  and  located  another  claim.  He  was  hanged  in  the  state  of 
Washington  in  November,  iqoq,  for  the  killing  of  his  wife. 

The  first  settlers  turned  their  attention  to  common  farming,  and  the 
Virden  brothers  built  the  first  ditch  in  connection  with  McGalliard  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river.  This  ditch  carried  water  for  a  distance  of  two 
and  a  half  miles,  and  the  Virden  brothers  had  about  three  or  four  acres 
thus  irrigated.  They  had  no  money,  but  each  owned  teams.  When  William 
Locke  arrived  the  above  mentioned  were  the  only  people  in  the  district 
and  they  had  done  almost  nothing  for  its  reclamation.  The  first  families 
were  those  of  Mrs.  Mills,  Mrs.  Simeon  Hendrickson,  Mrs.  Hendrickson's 
daughter,  the  wife  of  Orville  Pyle,  and  the  family  of  A.  F.  Miller,  arriving 
rn  1878.  These  located  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  site  of  Farmington. 
near  the  forks  of  the  San  Juan  and  Animas  rivers.  Farminerton  started 
with  only  a  name,  the  town  having  no  real  existence,  but  after  the  arrival 
of  William  Locke  in  1870  the  school  house  was  built.  The  first  merchant, 
F.  M.  Pierce,  also  arrived  in  that  vear.  The  first  church  services  were 
held  in  the  old  school  house,  which  was  eighteen  by  twenty-four  feet,  and 
when  this  became  too  small  a  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  erected 
about  1886  or  1887  and  used  for  both  church  and  school  house. 

A.  F.  Stump  and  familv  arrived  here  in  July,  1870,  and  settled  be- 
tween the  Animas  and  San  Juan  rivers,  where  in  1880  he  burned  the  first 
brick  kiln.  C.  H.  McHenry  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1879.  and  he  and  his 
father-in-law,  a  Mr.  Williams,  built  a  flour  mill.  Thev  also  built  a  large, 
substantial  brick  residence.     These  buildings  were  put  up  in  1880. 

This  section  of  country  was  claimed  bv  the  Apaches,  although  the 
Navajo  Indians  had  occupied  it  for  a  number  of  years.  The  latter  had 
been  at  war  with  the  Mexicans  for  a  number  of  years,  until  Uncle  Sam 
took  them  in  hand  and  ouieted  them.  When  the  whites  settled  here  thev 
had  no  serious  trouble  with  the  Indians.  The  cowboys  proved  worse  ene- 
mies to  the  farmers  than  the  Navaios,  and  trouble  frequently  occurred  be- 
tween various  factions  of  the  herders.  The  first  trouble  was  occasioned 
wben  a  drunken  cowbov  shot  an  Indian  on  the  streets  of  Farmington  in 
the  spring  of  188^.  Although  the  man  was  not  killed,  the  Indians  threat- 
ened to  go  on  the  warpath,  and  two  davs  later  several  hundred  Navajos  sur- 
rounded the  town,  but  Greeorio,  a  friendly  Indian,  came  and  warned  the 
settlers  and  said  if  the  plowmen  and  the  ranchers  staved  in  their  homes 
thev  would  not  be  hurt,  for  the  Indians  were  after  the  "teianas."  or  cow- 
boys. After  considerable  parleying?  the  Indians  agreed  not  to  begin  hos- 
tilities until  the  war  chief  came  for  conference,  and  then  it  was  decided 
not  to  make  the  attack.  Another  time,  in  t88<;,  Larsro  Pete,  a  sub-chief, 
turned  his  horses  loose  in  W.  P.  Hendrickson's  grain  field.  The  whites 
held  a  meeting,  securing  an  Indian.  Costiano.  for  interpreter,  and  Mr. 
Hendrickson  and  Mr.  Locke  sent  to  Fort  Lewis  for  troops,  who  came 
and  finally  brought  the  Indians  under  subjection,  the  red  men  promising 
to  behave. 

In  the  meantime  the  Virden  brothers  had  established  a  trading  post. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  S67 

which  they  enclosed  with  a  wire  fence.  Largo  Pete,  in  1886,  rode  into 
this  fence  and  cut  his  leg  badly,  his  death  resulting  from  the  injuries.  The 
Indians  then  became  hostile  again.  A  military  company  then  came  from 
near  Fruitland.  Gregorio  had  warned  Locke,  who  attended  the.  conference 
with  the  troops,  and  the  Indians  were  bought  off  with  a  small  amount  of 
provisions.  The  first  physician  in  the  valley  traveled  about  from  place 
to  place.  The  first  resident  physician  was  Dr.  Brown,  who  was  not  a 
graduate,  but  was  a  ranchman,  and  practiced  to  some  extent,  his  title  being 
one  of  courtesy.  The  first  graduate  physician  was  Dr.  Stoughton  Mangus. 
The  first  preacher  (holding  services  in  the  school  house)  was  Rev.  Cut- 
shingle,  a  Baptist  minister,  who  came  occasionally,  and  the  first  regular 
preacher  was  Rev.  Griffin,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  South.  He 
came  about  1885  and  preached  at  Farmmgton  for  a  long  period,  but  had  a 
hard  time  on  account  of  the  cowboy  troubles.  When  he  first  arrived  he 
preached  one  Sunday  at  what  is  now  Bloomfield.  On  the  preceding  Sat- 
urday three  or  four  hard  characters,  cowboys,  asked  Rev.  Griffin  to  drink 
with  them,  and  when  lie  refused  they  finally  began  shooting  the  floor  near 
his  feet;  but  he  was  from  Texas,  accustomed  to  the  wild  scenes  of  the 
frontier,  and,  being  a  man  of  courage,  he  did  not  show  any  feeling  of 
cowardice  and  still  refused  to  drink.  His  persecuters  were  Tom  Nance, 
afterward  killed  at  Halbrook ;  George  Lockhart,  later  killed  at  Gallup ; 
Sherman  Hilton  and  others,  but  they  finally  respected  Hilton,  who  com- 
manded them  to  cease  their  persecutions.  The  first  "show"  was  held  in 
the  school  house  with  a  stereopticon  about  1885  and  displayed  pictures  of 
Bible  characters.  A  number  of  cowboys  were  standing  in  the  rear  of  the 
room.  When  the  picture  of  Christ  was  displayed,  Tom  Nance,  Lockhart 
and  others  began  shooting  and  shot  the  canvas  to  pieces,  and  the  showman 
jumped  from  the  window.  Such  were  some  of  the  wild  scenes  which  pre- 
vailed in  early  days,  when  lawlessness  and  disorder  reigned. 

The  first  county  seat  was  established  temporarily  at  Aztec,  but  by  law, 
through  the  votes  of  the  people,  was  removed  to  Junction  City,  near  Farm- 
ington.  The  election  was  contested  and  the  Aztec  crowd  came  down  and 
carried  off  all  the  records  one  night  to  that  town,  while  some  time  later  the 
court  house  at  Junction  City  was  burned  down. 

Farmington  is  an  incorporated  city  and  owes  much  to  the  efforts  and 
influence  of  William  Locke,  who  came  in  October,  1878,  from  Florence, 
Colorado,  bringing  with  him  peach,  walnut  and  other  seeds.  He  found 
no  fruit  trees.  After  locating  a  farm  he  returned  to  Florence.  In  April, 
1879,  ne  again  came,  bringing  with  him  the  first  fruit  trees  ever  brought 
to  the  San  Juan  valley.  These  included  plum  and  peach  trees,  also  black- 
berry and  raspberry  bushes.  He  was  likewise  the  first  to  introduce  apples 
and  pears,  and  brought  the  first  nectarine  tree  to  this  localitv.  For  years 
he  devoted  his  time  to  fruit-growing,  and  he  had  at  one  time  eighty-four 
acres  of  fruit,  constituting  the  largest  and  best  orchard  in  the  valley.  This 
he  afterward  sold  to  W.  N.  Right.  He  regards  apples  and  peaches  as 
the  most  profitable  crop,  but  all  deciduous  fruits  thrive  here,  and  seeding 
olives  grow  well.  Almonds  can  also  be  raised  profitably.  The  first  peaches 
were  grown  by  him  in  1883  and  as  the  years  passed  he  demonstrated  the 
possibilities  for  this  valley  as  a  fruit  producing  region  and  thus  inaugu- 
rated an  industry  which  has  been  of  the  utmost  value  and  importance.  In 
1904  he  planted  corn  which  had  been  found  among  ruins  in   1903.     It   is 


SOS  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

a  red  corn  on  a  blood  red  cob,  totally  different  from  any  other  corn  known. 
This  was  found  near  the  Arizona  boundary  line.  Mr.  Locke  obtained  nine 
grains  from  Colonel  D.  K.  B.  Sellers.  It  had  been  found  under  about 
thirty-three  feet  of  gravel  in  making  an  excavation.  Mr.  Locke  planted 
his  nine  grains  and  raised  a  crop  and  in  1906  raised  a  considerable  crop. 
The  ears  are  six  or  seven  inches  long  and  it  is  dent  corn,  unlike  anything 
ever  known. 

Mr.  Locke  was  born  in  Michigan,  October  20,  1839,  and  was  reared 
in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  He  went  to  Canyon  City,  Colorado,  in  i860,  one 
year  before  the  organization  of  the  territory,  and  there  he  engaged  in 
ranching  and  the  live  stock  business.  He  was  elected  to  the  territorial  leg- 
islature of  Colorado  in  1867  and  served  as  probate  judge  of  Fremont  county 
for  four  years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  local  government  in 
i860  before  the  organization  of  the  Territory,  and  by  popular  election 
was  chosen  recorder  and  also  clerk  of  the  "land  claim  court,"  which  was 
formed  and  conducted  without  the  authority  of  law.  He  has  also  served 
as  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  New  Mexico  for  one  term  and  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat,  while  in  his  fraternal  relations  he  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low. 

A.  F.  Stump  is  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower  living  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
west  of  Farmington.  He  first  came  to  this  locality  in  1878  and  made 
permanent  settlement  in  1879,  homesteading  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1843  and  when  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
five  years  became  a  resident  of  Kansas  in  1868.  Soon  afterward,  however, 
he  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  remained  until  1877,  when  he  removed  to 
Colorado,  where  he  resided  until  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  He  had  served 
as  a  soldier  of  the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  war,  enlisting  in  1861  in  the 
Twenty-fifth  Ohio  Infantry,  with  which  he  was  connected  until  1866, 
when  he  was  honorably  discharged  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  served 
in  Virginia,  and  when  active  hostilities  had  ceased  was  assigned  to  duty 
in  South  Carolina.  He  joined  the  army  as  a  private  and  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  first  sergeant.  He  became  a  charter  member  of  the  local 
Grand  Army  post.  He  did  further  military  duty  by  serving  as  second 
lieutenant  of  a  company  in  the  war  in  San  Juan  county  in  1881. 

Following  his  arrival  in  New  Mexico  Mr.  Stump  homesteaded  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  now  has  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  It  was  all  raw  land  when  it  came  into  his  possession  and  there 
was  no  water  and  no  ditch.  He  assisted  in  buildine  the  first  ditch,  which 
supplied  many  settlers.  His  attention  was  first  given  to  stock  raising  and 
farming,  but  in  later  years  he  has  made  a  specialty  of  horticultural  pur- 
suits. He  raised  his  first  peach  trees  from  the  seed.  The  first  practical 
fruit-raising  was  done  in  1882  and  he  soon  demonstrated  the  possibilities 
of  the  district  for  fruit  culture.  His  first  location  was  the  present  place 
of  A.  E.  Dustin  and  seven  years  ago  he  removed  to  his  present  farm,  then 
practically  unimproved.  He  now  has  forty  acres  principally  devoted  to 
horticultural  pursuits.  In  1882  he  established  the  first  brickyard  of  this 
part  of  the  Territory  and  made  the  first  brick  in  San  Juan  county.  For 
several  years  he  has  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  brick  in  the  summer 
months.  He  has  some  of  the  best  land  in  the  entire  southwest  and  he  is 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  apples  for  the  market,  making  a  specialty  of 
the  Jonathan,  Winesap,  Grimes'  Golden,  Roman  Beauty  and  White  Winter 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  S69 

Parmain,  which  he  regards  as  the  best  varieties  for  shipment.  In  his  po- 
litical views  Mr.  Stump  is  a  Republican. 

George  Ji.  Allen,  living  in  Farmington,  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
southwest  since  1880.  He  was  born  in  Wyoming,  Ohio,  near  Cincinnati, 
in  i860,  and  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  located  perma- 
nently in  Xew  Mexico.  Here  he  has  devoted  his  time  and  energies  to  hor- 
ticultural pursuits.  He  regards  this  as  a  fruit  country,  and  peaches  as 
the  best  paying  crop.  He  has  seven  acres  planted  to  twenty  standard 
varieties  of  peaches  and  has  experimented  with  many  varieties.  Peaches 
he  believes  to  be  a  more  profitable  crop  than  alfalfa,  and  he  thinks  that 
money  can  best  be  made  by  cutting  up  the  land  into  small  tracts,  which 
should  then  be  thoroughly  worked.  The  soil  is  also  adapted  for  the  pro- 
duction of  grapes,  pears,  cherries,  plums  and  berries,  and  in  fact  for  all 
deciduous  fruits,  and  through  experiment  Mr.  Allen  has  learned  that 
garden  farming  also  pays  well.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  try  garden 
farming,  and  has  proved  its  success.  He  now  has  seventy-five  acres  of 
land  under  cultivation,  of  which  seven  acres  is  in  fruit.  The  land  is 
formed  of  the  deposits  of  silt  from  the  river  and  never  can  be  exhausted. 
It  is  particularly  rich  in  those  properties  which  are  demanded  by  fruit 
trees  and  all  small  fruits  do  as  well  here  as  anywhere  in  the  southwest. 
He  has  shipped  in  small  quantities  as  far  as  New  York  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  his  name  on  a  box  of  fruit  is  guarantee  of  its  quality  and  per- 
fection. Many  thousands  of  acres  in  the  Territory  are  still  available  for 
irrigation  and  no  land  has  been  cultivated  to  the  limit.  Peaches  may,  if 
properly  handled,  average  a  profit  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  acre  annually 
and  apples  four  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  Mr.  Allen  carries  on  his  fruit 
raising  along  the  most  scientific  lines  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  fore- 
most representatives  of  horticultural  interests  in  his  section  of  the  Terri- 
tory. 

David  J.  Craig,  a  farmer  and  fruit  grower  of  Farmington,  came  to 
the  Territory  from  Colorado  in  1881.  He  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in 
1847,  ar>d  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  became  a  member  of  the  Third  Ala- 
bama Infantry  of  Confederate  troops.  He  served  in  the  battles  of  Chan- 
cellorsville.  Gettysburg,  and  other  important  and  hotly  contested  engage- 
ments. He  joined  the  army  in  1862,  and  after  the  battle  of  Gettysburg 
became  ill,  and  was  honorably  discharged  August  18.  1863.  In  the  mean- 
time he  was  commended  for  gallantry  by  his  colonel,  C.  A.  Battle,  of 
Rodes'  brigade.  He  was  also  a  member  of  Captain  C.  M.  Hall's  Company 
A.  of  the  Second  North  Carolina  Battalion  Junior  Reserves,  was  at  the 
fall  of  Fort  Fisher,  North  Carolina,  and  with  Johnston  up  to  his  sur- 
render. In  1867  he  went  to  Canvon  City,  Colorado,  and  from  that  point 
to  the  mountains  near  Lake  City  in  1872,  being  there  engaged  in  mining 
until  1880,  when  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  He  located  on  a  squatter's  claim 
in  1880,  and  has  since  made  it  his  home.  He  has  here  two  hundred  acres 
of  land,  with  alfalfa  as  his  main  crop,  valued  at  $125  per  acre.  He  also 
has  an  orchard  covering  ten  acres  and  he  assisted  in  building  and  still 
operates  the  community  ditch.  His  political  support  is  given  to  the  Democ- 
racv,  but  without  desire  for  office.  He  was  made  a  Mason  at  Farmington 
about  1895,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  societv  at  "this 
place,  but  joined  the  latter  order  at  Aztec.  He  still  holds  the  old  home- 
stead farm  of  640  acres  in  North   Carolina,  which  at  one  time  belonged 


870  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

to  his  great  grandfather.  His  ancestors  were  from  Kentucky  and  were 
Scotch  and  served  in  the  Revolutionary,  Mexican  and  Indian  wars.  All 
the  relatives  were  in  the  Southern  army  during  the  rebellion. 

Joseph  Prewitt,  of  Farmington,  came  to  San  Juan  county  in  the 
spring  of  1882,  and  m  the  previous  year  had  visited  Durango.  He  has 
been  prominent  and  influential  in  community  affairs  and  succeeded  C.  V. 
Stafford  as  probate  clerk,  when  the  latter  was  appointed  clerk  of  the 
auditor  and  treasurer  in  April,  1901.  Mr.  Prewitt  had  been  deputy  clerk 
under  Mr.  Safford.  In  July.  1902,  he  was  appointed  treasurer  to  fill  out 
an  unexpired  term,  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  elected  county  clerk 
and  served  a  full  term.  He  entered  upon  business  relations  in  San  Juan 
county  upon  his  arrival  in  1882  as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  W.  G.  Markley, 
with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership,  later  in  the  same  year,  under  the 
firm  style  of  Markley  &  Prewitt.  This  relation  was  continued  until  the 
spring  of  1886,  after  which  Mr.  Prewitt  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business  until  the  fall  of  1898.  He  then  returned  to  Farming- 
ton,  where  he  was  again  engaged  in  merchandising,  and  he  is  now  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  business,  and  also  deals  in  hides  and  wool.  In  connec- 
tion with  others  he  owns  a  very  extensive  tract  of  land  in  the  county, 
which  they  intend  to  put  upon  the  market,  and  they  have  a  ditch  bring- 
ing water  from  La  Plata.  Seven  thousand  acres  of  trie  land  is  patented  and 
plans  are  made  for  the  erection  of  reservoirs  to  furnish  water  to  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  thousand  acres.  Mr.  Prewitt  is  a  native  of  Lincoln  county. 
Missouri,  born  in  1859.  and  has  always  lived  in  the  west.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat.  He  is  closely  associated  with  the  business  and  public  in- 
terests of  his  county,  and  his  efforts  are  proving  of  direct  and  far-reach- 
ing benefit  in  the  development  of  this  part  of  the  Territory. 

Almon  E.  Dustin,  a  fruit  grower  of  Farmington.  was  born  in  Iowa 
in  1861,  and  came  to  Xew  Mexico  in  1880.  In  the  fall  of  that  vear  he 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  in  which  he  continued  for  several  years. 
He  ran  cattle  until  the  fall  of  1892,  when  he  was  elected  sheriff,  holding 
the  office  until  March,  1895.  when  he  retired.  He  was  then  again  en- 
gaged in  the  cattle  business  for  two  years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1896  he 
turned  his  attention  to  merchandising  in  Farmington,  carrying  on  busi- 
ness for  three  years  in  partnership  with  G.  L.  Cooper.  In  1899  he  sold 
out  to  the  Hyde  exploring  expedition,  and  in  1902  he  joined  others  in 
organizing  the  Pierce  Mercantile  Company,  with  which  he  was  connected 
for  three  years,  when,  in  the  spring  of  1905,  he  sold  out.  He  owns  one 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  ranch  land  in  the  Las  Animas  valley,  which 
he  purchased  in  the  summer  of  1905.  It  was  principally  wild  and  unim- 
proved at  that  time,  but  he  has  since  made  many  changes  and  improve- 
ments, and  is  now  carrying  on  horticultural  pursuits  and  general  farming. 
In  public  affairs  he  has  been  somewhat  active,  and  for  some  years  was 
a  member  of  the  town  board.  He  was  made  coal  oil  inspector  in  June. 
1906,  and  he  s-ives  his  political  support  to  the  Republican  party. 

T.  A.  Duff.  D.  D.  S..  postmaster  and  dental  practitioner  at  Farming- 
ton,  was  born  in  Toronto,  Canada,  in  1870,  and  continued  his  literary  edu- 
cation, gained  in  the  public  schools,  in  the  University  of  Toronto,  while 
his  dental  course  was  pursued  in  the  Royal  College  of  Dental  Surgerv  of 
that  city.  He  came  to  Farmington  in  1896,  making  Durango  his  head- 
quarters,  from   which   place   he   made  periodic  visits   to   Farmington.  thus 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  871 

controlling-  his  practice  for  three  or  four  years.  In  11)03  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  this  place,  and  is  still  holding  the  office.  'He  joined  Monte- 
zuma Lodge  No.  22,  K.  I'..  at  Durango.  and  is  now  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  work  of  organizing  a  lodge  in  Farmington.  He  is  likewise 
connected  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

C.  M.  Hubbard,  of  Farmington,  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  New 
York,  in  1842,  and  in  1878  came  to  San  Juan  county.  New  Mexico,  from 
Ilion  county.  New  York.  He  settled  five  miles  east  of  Farmington  upon 
a  ranch  which  he  still  owns,  and  there  he  resided  until  about  1904,  when 
he  removed  to  the  town  of  Farmington  and  purchased  his  present  resi- 
dence. Till  the  railroad  reached  Durango  he  engaged  in  freighting  from 
Alamoosa,  and  for  two  years  conducted  a  meat  market  in  connection  with 
his  son.  During  the  period  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  employed  in  the 
Remington  Sons  gun  factory  in  Ilion  county,  New  York,  but  during  the 
greater  part  of  his  residence  in  the  Territory  he  has  been  connected  with 
freighting  and  ranching,  lie  was  made  a  Mason  in  Mohawk  Yalley  Lodge 
No.  276,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  in  New  York,  about  forty  years  ago. 

Foster  Blacklock,  of  Farmington,  was  born  in  Cumberland,  England, 
in  185 1.  and  has  been  a  resident  of  the  United  States  since  1865.  He 
spent  some  time  as  a  coal  miner  and  brickmaker  in  Geneseo,  Illinois,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  Colorado,  where  he  resided  until  1879,  when  he 
came  to  Farmington,  New  Mexico.  Since  1880  he  has  resided  upon  the 
ranch  which  he  still  owns,  and  which,  carefully  conducted  by  him,  has 
become  a  valuable  and  profitable  property. 

W.  N.  Right,  proprietor  of  the  Sunnyside  Orchards,  has  resided  at 
Farmington  since  1896,  at  which  time  he  purchased  the  horticultural  in- 
terests of  William  Locke,  owner  of  the  largest  and  best  orchards  of  the 
county,  covering  eighty  acres.  The  property  altogether  comprised  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  ten  thousand  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  since  that  time  he  has  figured  as  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent fruit  growers  of  the  Territory.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1848,  and 
left  that  state  for  Iowa  in  1866.  He  removed  to  Colorado  in  1887  and  was 
a  resident  of  Durango  and  that  vicinity  until  1896,  when  he  came  to  New 
Mexico  and  purchased  the  fruit-raising  interests  which  he  has  since  owned 
and  conducted.  He  has  won  prizes  on  his  fruit  wherever  he  has  made 
exhibitions.  The  apples  which  he  largely  raises  for  market  are  of  the 
Jonathan,  Grimes  Golden,  Winesap,  Beauty  and  White  Winter  Parmain 
varieties.  He  believes  that  apples  and  peaches  are  the  fruits  that  may  be 
produced  most  profitably  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the  apples  raised 
are  of  particularly  fine  quality  and  size,  owing  to  the  iron  in  the  soil. 
In  the  fall  of  1904  he  gathered  thirty-six  apples,  the  combined  weight  of 
which  was  fifty  pounds.  Mr.  Kight  has  himself  set  out  about  thirty  acres 
to  fruit.  During  his  second  year  on  the  ranch — 1898 — he  handled  one  mil- 
lion pounds  of  fruit  and  sold  all  he  could  ship  out  of  the  county,  and  in 
all  of  his  shipments  there  was  not  a  single  box  that  contained  wormy  fruit. 
Tn  1905  he  gathered  six  hundred  pounds  of  fruit  from  one  peach  tree 
twenty-five  years  old,  which  was  set  out  by  William  Locke,  and  he  has 
taken  one  thousand  pounds  of  fruit  from  the  same  tree.  His  orchards 
are  among  the  finest  in  the  entire  Territorv.  and  he  is  accorded  a  fore- 
most place  among  the  fruit  raisers  of  New  Mexico. 

Mr.  Kight  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  he  was  made  a  Mason  and 


372  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

also  an  Odd  Fellow  at  Burlington  Junction,  Missouri.  He  is  now  con- 
nected with  the  Durango  lodge  of  Masons  and  with  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge  at  Farmington. 

Frank  M.  Fierce,  a  merchant  at  Farmington,  opened  the  second  gen- 
eral store  in  that  place  in  December,  1879.  Soon  afterward  he  sold  the 
store  to  E.  A.  Clayton  &  Son,  who  failed,  and  Mr.  Pierce  again  came  into 
possession  of  the  store.  Subsequently  he  sold  out  to  J.  B.  Hocker,  who, 
a  year  later,  disposed  of  the  stock  to  Mr.  Pierce,  who  has  conducted  the 
business  continuously  since.  Mr.  Pierce  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1851. 
After  living  about  five  years  in  Arkansas  he  went  to  Colorado  for  his  health 
in  1875  and  engaged  in  clerking  at  Florence.  In  October,  1879,  he  arrived 
at  Farmington  and  has  been  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  the  development 
of  San  Juan  county.  He  has  owned  fruit  ranches  and  herds  of  sheep, 
thus  carrying  on  horticultural  and  stock-raising  interests  in  addition  to 
the  conduct  of  his  mercantile  establishment.  For  four  years  he  served  as 
county  treasurer  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, and  his  influence  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  matters  relating  to 
general  progress.  He  has  two  sons,  Harry  and  James,  who  are  his  part- 
ners in  business.  In  politics  Mr.  Pierce  is  a  strong  Democrat,  and,  fra- 
ternally, is  connected  with  the  Masons  of  Farmington. 

R.  H.  Mcjunkin,  a  lumber  dealer  of  Farmington,  came  to  the  Terri- 
tory from  Colorado  in  1892,  having  been  a  resident  of  that  state  from 
1888.  He  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1842  and  was  a  member  of  the  Eighth 
Illinois  Infantry  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war,  serving  with  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  and  participating  in  the  march  to  the  sea  under  General 
Sherman  and  in  the  grand  review  in  "Washington,  D.  C.  He  was  with 
the  army  for  a  year  after  the  close  of  hostilities,  being  sent  to  Texas  to 
gather  up  government  property,  and  in  May.  1866,  was  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana.  He  then  returned  to  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1876.  when  he  went  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  carried  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  until  his  removal 
to  Colorado.  After  four  years'  residence  in  that  state  he  came  to  New 
Mexico  and  took  up  government  land  on  the  San  Juan  river.  He  lived 
there  for  two  years,  and  later  farmed  in  the  valley.  Since  1902  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Farmington.  He  holds  member- 
ship in  Lincoln  Post  No.  13,  G.  A.  R.,  and  in  politics  is  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican. 

J.  C.  Carson,  who  came  to  San  Juan  county  in  1877,  has  been  one  of 
the  most  prominent  men  of  this  locality  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Asso- 
ciated with  others  he  built  an  irrigating  ditch  at  Bloomfield.  the  first  suc- 
cessful undertaking  of  this  kind  in  the  San  Juan  district.  Mr.  Carson  was 
born  in  Ottawa,  Canada,  in  1853,  and  in  1872  went  to  Colorado,  spending 
his  time  largely  in  the  vicinity  of  Denver.  He  aided  in  the  building  of 
the  Colorado  Central  Railroad  and  discovered  Carson  camp  in  Colorado 
about  1880.  The  summer  months  were  spent  in  mining  in  that  state  and 
the  winters  were  passed  in  New  Mexico  from  1877.  In  1884  he  began  the 
general  development  of  land,  and  now  has  a  good  ranch  of  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  of  which  about  sixty  acres  is  planted  in  hay.  In  1906 
he  put  in  four  acres  in  peaches,  and  he  has  a  bearing  orchard  of  five  acres, 
lie  had  previously  experimented  with  peaches  and  had  pulled  out  several 
acres  of  trees,  but  he  feels  now  that  he  has  an  understanding  of  the  busi- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  873 

ness  that  will  enable  him  to  reach  success  in  this  direction,  labor  and  ex- 
periment having  brought  to  him  the  knowledge  necessary  for  successful 
fruit  culture  in  this  part  of  the  country.  His  connection  with  public  in- 
terests covers  four  years'  service — from  1892  until  1896 — in  the  office  of 
sheriff.  In  politics  he  is  a  Roosevelt  Democrat.  He  served  as  captain 
of  the  militia  company  which  was  organized  in  1883  to  suppress  Indian 
uprisings,  and  he  is  a  Master  Mason,  having  served  for  two  or  three 
terms  as  master  of  the  blue  lodge. 

Robert  H.  Woods,  who  carries  on  general  agricultural  pursuits  at 
Farmington,  has  been  a  resident  of  New  Mexico  since  1889,  when  he 
purchased  his  present  place.  He  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1844, 
and  there  resided  untd  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when,  in  1866,  he  re- 
moved to  Michigan.  He  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of  the 
Due  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  New  York  Regiment  of  Infantry,  which  com- 
mand was  assigned  to  the  department  of  the  gulf  under  General  Banks. 
After  two  years'  service  in  that  department  Mr.  Woods  was  for  one  year 
under  command  of  General  Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  valley  and  wit- 
nessed General  Sheridan's  arrival  at  Gedar  Creek,  following  his  famous 
ride  from  Winchester,  when  he  rallied  his  scattered  forces  and  turned  the 
tide  of  battle  to  the  Union  side.  Mr.  Woods  joined  the  army  in  1862  and 
served  until  the  close  of  hostilities,  becoming  a  corporal.  He  remained 
a  resident  of  Michigan  from  1866  until  1878,  when  he  removed  to  Rooks 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  resided  until  1889.  He  then  came  to  New 
Mexico  and  purchased  his  present  place  of  forty  acres,  three  miles  up  the 
Animas  valley  from  Farmington.  Of  this,  seven  acres  had  already  been 
improved.  He  is  engaged  in  the  raising  of  fruit  on  an  extensive  scale. 
In  1905  one  acre  of  peaches  netted  $400,  each  tree  yielding  five  or  six 
boxes  of  fruit.  Apples  are  also  productive,  and  the  orchards  are  bothered 
little  by  worms.  He  believes  that  fruit  can  be  more  profitably  raised  than 
cereals,  for  it  averages  a  net  profit  of  about  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre, 
and  he  now  has  about  twenty  acres  planted  to  fruit. 

R.  E.  Cooper,  residing  in  Farmington,  was  born  in  Michigan  in  1850 
and  came  from  Colorado  to  the  Territory  in  1901.  He  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  sheep  industry  throughout  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  and 
now,  in  partnership  with  his  sons,  is  engaged  in  the  breeding  and  raising 
of  sheep  on  an  extensive  scale,  keeping  only  blooded  stock,  his  specialty 
being  French  Rambouillet  Merino  sheep.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  repre- 
sentatives of  this  line  of  business  in  the  San  Juan  valley  and  is  meeting 
with  success  in  his  undertakings.  Mr.  Cooper  was  made  a  Mason  in  Mil- 
brook  Lodge  No.  281,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  Graham  county,  Kansas. 

Abraham  Howe,  of  Farmington,  became  a  resident  of  Colfax  county, 
New  Mexico,  in  1873.  He  was  born  in  Iowa  in  185 1,  became  a  resident 
of  Kansas  in  1865,  and  remained  in  the  Sunflower  state  until  his  removal 
to  New  Mexico.  He  spent  nearly  fifteen  years  in  Colfax  county,  riding 
the  range,  and  afterward  went  to  Santa  Fe  in  charge  of  the  day  guards 
in  the  penitentiary,  at  the  time  T.  P.  Gable  was  warden.  In  1890  he  left 
Colfax  county  and  spent  two  years  in  traveling  in  Utah,  Nevada  and  other 
western  sections  of  the  country.  Fie  afterward  settled  near  Pagosa  Springs, 
Colorado,  and  in  1902  came  to  Farmington,  where  he  has  since  engaged 
in  trading  in  lands. 

Wayne  Walling,  a  resident  agriculturist  of  Farmington,  came  to  this 


874  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

place  in  the  fall  of  1904,  settling  about  a  mile  and  three-quarters  east  of 
the  town,  where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  He 
was  born  in  Tuolumne  county,  California,  in  1858,  and  when  fifteen  years 
of  age  became  a  resident  of  Texas,  where  he  was  largely  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  number  of  years.  He  lived  in  Indian  Territory  from  1889  until 
1S96,  and  then  again  went  to  Texas.  He  spent  the  year  1900  in  the  San 
Juan  valley  of  Xew  Mexico,  and  for  three  years,  from  1901  until  1903, 
inclusive,  was  engaged  in  railroading  in  Texas.  In  1904  he  arrived  in 
Farmington  and  made  purchase  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land, 
a  mile  and  three-quarters  east  of  the  town.  Of  this,  twenty  acres  is  de- 
voted  to  fruit  raising,  while  the  remainder  is  principally  given  to  the 
cultivation  of  alfalfa.  He  expects  to  largely  engage  in  the  raising  of 
Jonathan  apples,  of  which  he  planted  eight  acres  in  1905.  and  it  is  his 
purpose  to  have  twenty  acres  devoted  to  the  raising  of  that  fruit. 

Orville  S.  Evans,  who  has  been  a  resident  of  Farmington  since  1809, 
was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  in  1868.  In  young  manhood  he  re- 
moved to  Nebraska,  where  he  was  engaged  in  business  until  coming  to 
Xew  Mexico.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the  jewelry  trade,  and  maintains 
the  largest  business  of  the  kind  in  San  Juan  county.  He  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  in  1901  and  1902  served  on  the  Farm- 
ington school  board. 

William  T.  Shelton,  superintendent  of  the  San  Tuan  Training  School, 
and  acting  Indian  agent  for  the  Navajo  Indians  at  Shiprock,  Xew  Mexico, 
was  born  at  Waynesville.  Xorth  Carolina,  in  1869,  and  became  connected 
with  the  Indian  Department  in  1894,  as  industrial  teacher  among  the 
Cherokee  Indians  in  Xorth  Carolina.  In  1897  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Santa  Fe  Indian  School,  New  Mexico,  as  industrial  teacher  and  agricul- 
tural instructor,  and  was  there  for  nearlv  four  years. 

He  was  afterwards  transferred  to  the  Hava  Supai  Indian  reservation, 
Arizona,  in  charge  of  the  school  and  reservation,  remaining  there  for 
three  years,  when  he  was  promoted  and  transfered  to  the  San  Juan  Navajo 
reservation,  as  superintendent  and  acting  agent  in  August.  1903.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  he  bes;an  the  construction  of  the  San  Juan  agency  and 
the  San  Juan  Training  School,  which  is  now  nearing  completion.  The 
total  cost  of  the  complete  outfit  will  be  about  $100,000.  Under  his  charge 
are  more  than  8.000  Navajo  Indians,  and  the  reservation  covers  6,000 
square  miles,  extending  into  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and  Utah. 

John  T.  Nielson,  bishop  of  Burnham  Ward.  San  Juan  Stake,  with  post- 
office  at  Kirtland.  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1898  from  Ramah.  He  was 
born  in  Utah,  May  S.  1867.  and  went  to  Arizona  about  1881,  spending 
several  years  thereafter  near  Winslow.  He  then  went  to  Ramah.  and  for 
two  years  was  engaged  in  missionarv  work  in  Kansas.  In  Arizona  be  was 
made  an  elder,  and  in  November.  IQ05.  was  ordained  bishop,  which  is  his 
present  ecclesiastic  connection,  and  in  which  relation  he  is  doing:  splendid 
service  for  the  moral  education  and  development  of  the  territory.  He 
also  has  fruit  raising  and  farming  interests  in  this  locality. 

C.  H.  Abort,  who,  as  a  merchant  of  Fruitland.  is  numbered  among 
the  leading  business  men  there,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  18".  He 
removed  to  Albunuerque,  New  Mexico,  from  Pennsylvania  in  1880.  and 
acted  as  first  night  telegraph  operator  there  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
In   1885  Mr.  Algert  went  to  Arizona  as  an  Indian  trader  on  the  Navajo 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  S.5 

reservation,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the  development  of  that 
country  until  1904,  when  he  retired  to  New  Mexico  and  engaged  in  the 
general  merchandise  and  Indian  supply  trade  at  Fruitland,  in  the  capacity 
of  president  of  the  C.  H.  Algert  Company,  Incorporated. 

J.  E.  Stevens,  a  merchant  at  Fruitland,  was  born  in  Millard  county, 
Utah,  in  1876,  and  came  to  this  place  in  1880,  with  his  father,  who  con- 
ducted an  Indian  trading  store  some  eight  years.  The  parents  are  still 
living  at  Fruitland,  and  his  father  is  one  of  the  "seventy"  in  the  church. 
His  brothers,  David  A.  and  Walter  J.  Stevens,  are  now  in  old  Mexico. 
They  raised  the  first  bushel  of  wheat  and  the  first  watermelons  in  San 
Juan  count)'.  The  son,  J.  E.  Stevens,  has  been  in  the  stock  business  and 
in  general  farming  and  still  owns  a  ranch.  He  entered  merchandising  on 
the  1st  of  February,  1906.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  Mormon  church  and. 
spent  two  years  as  a  missionary  traveling,  in  accordance  with  the  customs 
of  the  sect,  without  purse  or  scrip,  through  Colorado  and  Nebraska. 

Cyril  J.  Collyer,  of  Fruitland.  owning  and  controlling  a  ranch  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  was  born  at  Ware,  Herefordshire,  England,  in 
187 1,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  i8g2,  settling  at  Albuquerque, 
Xew  Mexico.  The  following  year  he  made  his  way  to  San  Juan  county 
and  purchased  his  present  ranch  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres,  whereon 
he  has  since  lived,  his  attention  being  given  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  alfalfa 
and  stock.  He  has  one  of  the  well  improved  ranch  properties  of  this  dis- 
trict.    He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Animas  Lodge  No.  15,  of  Farmington. 

J.  K.  P.  Pipkin,  living  at  Fruitland,  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1840 
and  became  a  resident  of  Arkansas  when  a  youth  of  eleven  years.  He  re- 
sided in  that  state  for  twenty-six  years,  beginning  in  1851,  and  in  1877 
came  to  Savoya  (now  Ramah),  New  Mexico.  Since  1892  he  has  resided 
at  Fruitland,  and  at  the  time  of  his  arrival  the  only  residents  of  the  valley 
were  Luther  Burnham,  Walter  Stevens  and  Judge  Webster.  Mr.  Pipkin 
has  since  been  identified  with  ranching  interests  and  has  contributed  in 
substantia!  measure  to  the  reclamation  of  the  wild  lands  of  this  district 
for  the  purposes  of  civilization.     He  is  a  member  of  the  Mormon  church. 

Benjamin  D.  Black,  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  fruit  and  hay  at 
Fruitland,  was  born  in  Utah  in  1859,  a  son  of  William  Morley  Black, 
who.  in  1849.  went  to  Utah,  arriving  at  Salt  Lake  City  on  the  24th  of 
Jul}-.  In  1889  he  removed  to  Mexico  and  has  since  resided  in  the  state  of 
Chihuahua.  He  has  four  sons  living  in  New  Mexico,  namely :  John  M., 
of  Fruitland;  W.  G. :  Benjamin  D. ;  and  George  H.  There  are  also  two 
daughters  in  the  Territory :  Mrs.  Martha  Gale  and  Mrs.  Tamar  Young. 
In  the  year  1897  William  G.  Black,  of  this  family,  established  a  mill  at 
Fruitland,  and  the  following  year  Benjamin  D.  Black  came  to  the  San 
Juan  valley,  where  he  has  since  resided,  being  now  engaged  in  the  raising 
"of  hay  and  fruit,  having  a  well  developed  ranch. 

William  G.  Black,  who  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  the  San  Juan  val- 
ley in  1897,  and  in  connection  with  its  operation  is  engaged  in  horticul- 
tural pursuits  and  general  farming  at  Fruitland,  was  born  in  Utah  in 
1857.  In  1879  he  removed  to  St.  Johns.  Arizona,  and  in  1896  arrived  in 
Fruitland,  where  the  following  year  he  built  the  first  grist  mill  in  this 
section  of  the  Territory.  He  has  since  developed  a  ranch  which  is  devoted 
to  genera!  farming  purposes  and  to  the  raising  of  fruit.  In  community 
affairs  he  has  been  somewhat  active  and  influential  and  served  as  county 

Vol.   II.     53 


876  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

treasurer  in  1893-4.  He  belongs  to  the  Mormon  church  and  is  first  coun- 
sellor to  Bishop  Nielson,  of  the  Fruitland  ward.  His  father  has  always 
been  an  elder  in  the  church,  and  about  six  years  ago  was  ordained  a  patri- 
arch. 

Boone  C.  Vaughan,  of  Aztec,  serving  as  county  sheriff,  came  to  New 
Mexico  September  11,  1878.  His  father  ,  James  L.  Yaughan,  arrived  in 
December,  1877,  and  died  on  the  nth  of  August,  1879,  his  being  the  first 
interment  in  Farmington  cemetery.  He  had  taken  up  a  claim  of  govern- 
ment land  between  the  Animas  and  San  Juan  rivers,  at  the  junction  of  the 
two  rivers,  and  he  brought  teams  and  wagons  with  him  to  the  new  ranch. 
In  September,  1878,  he  was  joined  by  his  family.  His  family,  bringing 
stock,  cattle  and  horses,  numbered  a  wife  and  eight  children.  Mr.  Boone 
C.  Vaughan  has  two  brothers  and  two  sisters,  older  than  himself:  Nettie 
C.  Lock,  Boyd  L.  Yaughan,  Newton  L.  Vaughan  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Pierce, 
all  of  whom  came  to  Farmington  subsequent  to  1878,  and  still  reside  there, 
except  Boyd  L.,  who  lives  in  Routt  county,  Colorado.  The  younger  chil- 
dren are  James  K.,  Alman  W.  and  Gracie  E.  The  daughter  is  now  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Morgan,  of  Steamboat  Springs,  Colorado.  Routt  county. 

Boone  C.  Vaughan  was  born  in  Fosterburg,  Illinois,  February  8,  1861, 
and  in  1868  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Cedar  county, 
Missouri.  The  family  home  was  established  in  Colorado  in  1873,  and  in 
New  Mexico  in  1878.  After  his  father's  death  Boone  C.  Vaughan  be- 
came manager  of  the  farm,  which  he  operated  until  1885,  when  he  went 
to  northern  Colorado,  Routt  county.  Since  returning  to  New  Mexico  in 
1892,  he  has  lived  upon  his  present  ranch  at  Farmington  and  has  largely 
engaged  in  the  raising  of  horses.  In  1902  he  was  elected  assessor  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  and  in  1904  was  elected  sheriff,  being  the  present  in- 
cumbent in  the  latter  office.  Since  being  elected  sheriff  he  has  lived  in 
Aztec.     He  belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Price  Walters,  a  farmer  of  Aztec,  was  born  in  Poweshiek  county, 
Iowa,  in  1863,  and  in  1881  became  a  resident  of  southeastern  Dakota.  He 
had  been  reared  in  Cherokee,  Iowa,  and  in  1885  he  removed  from  Dakota 
to  Colorado.  In  early  life  he  followed  the  profession  of  teaching  in  both 
Iowa  and  Dakota,  was  for  a  time  a  teacher  at  the  Willows  in  Custer  county, 
Colorado ;  principal  of  the  Rosita  school,  and  county  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Custer  county  for  two  years.  In  1887  he  went  to  Montana 
and  for  a  few  months  was  in  the  commissary  department  of  the  Great 
Northern  Railroad  Company.  He  spent  several  years  in  Colorado,  en- 
gaged in  teaching  in  the  La  Jara  schools  and  in  other  business  interests, 
and  in  March,  1894,  he  came  to  Aztec,  since  which  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  He  was  also  principal  of  the  Aztec  school 
from  1896  until  1898,  and  largely  built  up  the  school,  grading  the  work 
and  doing  much  for  the  improvement  of  the  system  of  public  instruction 
here.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  populist  partv.  but  is  now  a 
stalwart  Republican  and  he  has  served  for  two  terms,  in  1898-9  and  again 
in  1905-6,  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  was  made  a  Mason  in  Silver  Cliff 
Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  in  Colorado,  in  1890,  became  affiliated  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  in  South  Dakota  in  1884,  and  is  a  charter  member  of  the 
lodge  of  that  order  in  Aztec. 

"  Jacob  T.   Hobbs,   living  three  miles   north   of  Aztec,  first   located   on 
La  Plata,  where  he  bought  a  squatter's  right.     He  afterward  homesteaded 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  877 

one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  in  1901  he  removed  to  another 
farm,  purchasing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  which  he  sold  in  1906.  He 
then  bought  a  place  across  the  Animas  river  from  Farmington,  and  is 
now  identified  with  ranching  interests. 

Air.  Hobbs  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  in  1839,  and  in 
1852  went  west  to  California  with  bull  teams,  taking  one  thousand  head 
of  cattle  from  Bates  county,  Missouri,  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  spent  four- 
teen years  in  California  engaged  in  mining  and  farming  in  Sonoma  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  Ukiah,  and  in  1866  he  returned  to 
Missouri.  He  afterward  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business,  in  freighting  and  mining,  but  his  attention  was  principally 
given  to  the  raising  of  stock.  Later  he  conducted  a  hotel  in  Montana  for 
five  years,  and  in  Xew  Mexico  lie  has  devoted  his  energies  to  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

George  William  McCoy,  a  rancher  and  fruit  grower  of  Aztec,  was 
born  in  \  irginia  in  1844.  In  his  youth  he  became  a  resident  of  the  west, 
and  at  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  joined  the  Second  Nebraska  Cavalry  as 
a  private,  serving  for  fourteen  months,  from  September,  1862.  He  then 
re-enlisted  in  the  Third  Colorado  Cavalry  and  served  for  six  months.  He 
participated  in  the  Chivington  massacre  under  Colonel  Chivington,  and 
did  other  frontier  service.  Both  before  and  after  the  war  he  crossed  the 
plains  with  bull  teams,  making  nine  trips  from  Missouri  river  points  to 
Montana,  Salt  Lake  and  Nevada.  He  abandoned  that  work  in  1870,  and 
in  1878  began  cattle  raising  in  the  Animas  valley.  He  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming  in  1884,  having  entered  his  present  place  from  the  gov- 
ernment in  1880.  He  helped  build  the  first  general  ditch — a  community 
ditch  constructed  in  1889.  He  helped  put  in  the  first  fruit  in  this  part  of 
the  valley,  being  associated  with  Peter  Knickerbocker,  the  work  being 
done  in  the  spring  of  1889.  He  was  thus  a  pioneer  in  the  inauguration 
and  development  of  the  horticultural  interests  of  this  part  of  the  Territory, 
and  has  since  been  well  known  as  a  rancher  and  fruit  raiser.  Fraternally 
a  Mason,  he  was  initiated  into  the  lodge  in  New  Albany,  Kansas,  in  1870, 
and  has  since  assisted  in  oganizing  a  number  of  lodges  in  New  Mexico. 

Lemuel  G.  Eblen,  probate  clerk  of  Aztec,  came  to  New  Mexico  in 
March,  1902.  from  Texas.  He  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1859,  and  when 
nine  years  of  age  became  a  resident  of  Missouri,  living  for  thirty  years  in 
Howell  county,  this  state.  For  sixteen  years  he  was  an  office  holder  there 
and  acted  as  postmaster  at  West  Plains  during  President  Cleveland's  first 
administration.  In  1900  he  went  to  California,  but  seven  months  later  re- 
moved to  Texas,  and  in  1902  came  to  Aztec.  During  his  first  year  here 
he  taught  school.  He  was  then  appointed  deputy  probate  clerk  under 
Joseph  Prewitt  in  February,  1903,  and  thus  served  until  elected  probate 
clerk  in  the  fall  of  1904  as  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 

Cyrus  S.  Cameron,  a  rancher  of  Aztec,  first  came  to  the  Territory  in 
1888.  He  located  permanently  at  Flora  Vista  and  secured  a  homestead 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  at  once  began  to  improve.  He 
continued  its  cultivation  until  1902,  but  in  the  meantime  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  near  Aztec,  for  which  he  gave  nine  hundred  dollars.  In  the 
spring  of  1906  he  bought  his  present  place  of  eighty  acres  that  cost  him 
sixty-five  hundred  dollars.     He  was  the  first  to  boom  land  values  in  Ani- 


87S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

mas  valley,  and  the  Flora  Vista  place,  or  at  least  forty  acres  of  it,  is  now 
worth  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre.  He  has  devoted 
all  of  his  time  to  the  development  of  "the  country  and  the  exploitation  of 
its  resources  and  his  efforts  have  been  an  important  factor  in  the  settle- 
ment and  improvement  of  this  portion  of  the  Territory.  He  was  born  in 
Canton,  Ohio,  in  1845,  but  has  spent  most  of  his  life  since  1864  in  the 
mountain  country.  He  mined  in  Colorado  and  elsewhere  prior  to  coming 
to  the  Territory:  He  has  not  only  been  a  promoter  of  the  interests  of 
New  Mexico,  but  also  of  the  populist  party  in  this  section  of  the  country. 

William  \Y.  O'Neal  is  a  rancher  of  La  Plata,  who  came  from  Long 
Beach,  California,  to  San  Juan  county.  New  Mexico,  in  1903.  He  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  1850  and  removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  engaged  in 
business  as  a  contractor  and  as  a  real  estate  dealer.  He  was  also  con- 
nected with  the  grain  trade.  He  left  Missouri  in  1878  and  Kansas  in 
1890,  and  after  a  sojourn  on  the  Pacific  coast  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1903. 
He  is  now  largely  engaged  in  the  raising  of  grain,  having  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  devoted  to  that  purpose. 

John  Schwarten,  a  rancher  at  La  Plata,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1834 
and  in  1857  became  a  resident  of  Halifax.  Nova  Scotia.  The  same  year 
he  removed  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  but  he  followed  the  sea  as  a  sailor 
until  his  removal  to  the  west.  In  1876  he  became  a  resident  of  New  Mex- 
ico, settling  in  the  town  of  La  Plata.  He  has  been  on  his  present  ranch 
of  one  hundred  acres  for  twenty-three  years,  his  attention  being  given  to 
general  farming.  While  still  a  resident  of  the  east  he  served  for  nine 
months  as  a  soldier  of  the  Civil  war  in  the  Forty-fifth  Massachusetts  In- 
fantry and  was  then  honorably  discharged.  He  has  watched  with  interest 
the  reclamation  of  the  arid  lands  of  this  section  of  the  country  and  their 
transformation  into  richly  productive  fields.  ,  When  he  came  here  there 
were  only  two  ditches,  the  MacDermott  and  an  Indian  ditch.  He  pur- 
chased his  place  from  the  government  and  is  now  the  oldest  settler  in  the 
valley. 

Newton  A.  Conger,  a  rancher  of  La  Plata,  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1862,  and  in  1870  became  a  resident  of  the  southwest,  settling  in  Texas, 
where  he  later  engaged  in  ranching.  He  removed  from  the  Lone  Star 
state  to  the  Territory  in  1903  and  purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land.  He  also  leases  a  similar  amount  of  school  land  and  is  suc- 
cessfully conducting  his  ranching  interests.  He  has  forty  acres  planted 
to  fruit,  while  the  remainder  of  his  place  is  about  equally  divided  between 
hay  and  small  grain.  He  believes  that  small  grain  is  the  most  profitable 
crop  and  that  oats  pays  best  of  all.  and  his  ranch  is  well  improved  and 
brings  to  him  a  good  return.  Mr.  Conger  was  made  a  Mason  in  Texas, 
and  he  also  belongs  to  Carlton  Lodge  No.  356,  I.  O.  O.  F..  of  Texas,  of 
which  he  is  a  past  noble  grand.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  grand  lodge 
in  Texas  and  state  instructor  for  two  years. 

Daniel  J.  Kennedy,  of  La  Plata,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1856,  and  came 
to  the  Territory  in  1901,  since  which  time  he  has  lived  in  San  Juan  county. 
He  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  in  La  Plata,  where 
he  has  a  good  clientage  and  in  addition  to  the  conduct  of  interests  along 
that  line  he  gives  supervision  to  a  ranch  which  he  owns  in  the  La  Plata 
valley.  As  a  real  estate  dealer  he  is  contributing  in  substantial  measure 
to  the  improvement  of  his  town  and  district  and  at  the  same  time  promotes 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  879 

individual  success.  He  belongs  to  Lead  City  Lodge  No.  17,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
in  South  Dakota. 

Martin  F.  Curnutte.  of  La  Plata,  was  born  in  Carter  county,  Kentucky, 
in  1849,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1902,  settling  in  San  Juan  county. 
He  was  engaged  in  mining  in  Colorado  from  1879  until  1904,  spending 
the  winters,  however,  in  New  Mexico,  and  in  the  latter  year  he  rented 
the  Cunningham  place,  since  which  time  he  has  been  connected  with  ranch 
life. 

H.  H.  De  Luche,  of  Jewett,  has  resided  in  the  Territory  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He  was  born  in  Lewis  county,  New  York, 
in  1857,  and  in  1863  was  taken  by  his  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  S.  De 
Luche,  to  Utah.  The  father  purchased  the  Benning  place  in  San  Juan 
county,  becoming  one  of  the  early  residents  of  this  part  of  the  Territory. 

H.  H.  De  Luche  came  to  the  Territory  in  November,  1880,  and  has  here 
since  resided.  He  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  and  he  assisted  in  build- 
ing the  first  irrigation  ditch  in  this  locality  in  1881.  He  also  helped  widen 
a  ditch  which  was  built  in  1879.  anc^  m  tms  work  was  associated  with 
Adam  Wiley,  John  C.  Bowen,  Pat  McLaughlin,  L.  S.  Welch,  A.  F.  Koeh- 
ler  and  Henry  Benning.  His  attention  is  now  given  to  general  farming 
and  horticultural  pursuits,  and  also  to  stock  raising. 

John  A.  Hippler,  of  Bloomfield,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in 
1861,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Boston  School  of  Technology  as  a  civil 
and  mechanical  engineer  in  1882.  He  came  into  the  Territory  with  the 
South  Kansas  surveying  corps  about  1886,  and  was  located  at  Chama  for 
about  eighteen  years,  conducting  a  small  Indian  trading  store.  He  also 
spent  considerable  time  hunting  relics.  About  four  years  ago  he  removed 
to  San  Juan  county,  taking  up  his  abode  at  Bloomfield,  and  in  1903  he 
purchased  a  ranch  of  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  conducted.  It  is 
devoted  to  the  raising  of  fruit  and  alfalfa  and  last  year  he  cleared  nine 
hundred  dollars  from  twenty-two  acres  of  land  devoted  to  alfalfa,  apples 
and  wheat.  He  is  practical  in  all  of  his  methods  and  has  made  good  use 
of  his  opportunities.  At  present  he  is  justice  of  the  peace  for  precinct 
No.  6. 

John  R.  Young,  of  Fruitland,  was  born  at  Kirtland.  Ohio,  in  1837, 
a  son  of  Lorenzo  D.  Young,  who  was  the  voungest  brother  of  Brigham 
Young  and  who  put  up  the  first  house  on  a  surveyed  lot  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
In  his  early  youth  John  R.  Young  accompanied  his  parents  to  Nauvoo,  Illi- 
nois, and  in  1847  went  with  the  Mormon  colonists  to  Salt  Lake  City,  from 
which  region  he  made  his  way  southward  as  a  pioneer.  He  spent  ten 
years  in  upbuilding  the  Dixie  country,  and  in  1891  came  to  Fruitland.  He 
traveled  as  an  elder  of  the  Mormon  church  and  twice  visited  the  Southern 
Pacific  islands  and  England,  making  one  trip  as  a  missionary.  He  has 
also  done  much  missionary  work  in  the  southwest,  principally  among  the 
Utes.  He  made  two  trips  to  New  Mexico  in  the  '70s.  visiting  the  Molds 
and  Navajos  in  1874  and  1876,  when  they  threatened  war  against  the  Mor- 
mons. Since  locating  in  Fruitland  he  has  carried  on  business  as  a  horticul- 
turist, having  a  fruit  ranch  of  forty  acres.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Utah 
Indian  War  Veteran  Association,  and  he  presides  over  the  high  priest's 
quorum.     For  two  years  he  served  as  county  assessor. 

Ira  Hatch,  who  is  living,  retired,  at  Fruitland,  San  Juan  county,  is  one 
of  the  well-known  Mormons  of  the  older  generation.     He  was  born  Au- 


880  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

gust  5,  1835,  in  Farmersville,  Cattaraugus  county,  New  York,  and  came 
to  the  west  in  1840.  In  1849  he  became  a  resident  of  Utah,  and  in  1862 
removed  to  Arizona,  coming  to  New  Mexico  twenty  years  later,  or  in  1882. 
He  was  one  of  the  earlier  pioneers  of  the  Mormons  in  all  these  territories, 
and  has  lived  continuously  upon  the  frontier,  bearing  his  part  in  promoting 
the  work  of  development  and  progress  in  these  different  localities. 

Charles  Blanchard,  interested  in  the  development  of  the  coal  fields  near 
Fruitland.  came  to  the  Territory  in  1864,  when  he  made  his  way  to  Las 
Vegas.  He  was  born  near  Montreal,  Canada,  of  French  parentage,  in  1842, 
and  studied  law  for  four  years  in  that  country.  He  afterward  made  his 
way  to  Westport,  Missouri,  and  thence  overland  by  ox  teams  to  Las 
Vegas,  where  he  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  store,  remaining  there, 
however,  for  less  than  a  year.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  went 
to  Lincoln,  then  Rio  Bonito,  with  a  cargo  of  goods  and  spent  three  years 
as  a  merchant  there  in  partnership  with  Eugene  Leitendorfer.  In  the  fall 
of  1S67  he  returned  to  Las  Vegas,  where  for  two  and  a  half  years  he  en- 
gaged in  merchandising.  He  built  the  first  adobe  mill  on  the  Hondo 
known  as  Casey's  mill,  and  while  thus  engaged  had  many  of  the  trying 
and  thrilling  experiences  incident  to  life  on  the  frontier.  On  one  occasion 
he  was  attacked  by  the_  Apaches  and  narrowly  escaped  death  by  their 
arrows  by  jumping  across  a  very  deep  ravine  of  the  Hondo,  estimated  to 
be  nearly  twenty-five  feet  across.  In  1868  he  hired  as  a  wagon-master 
with  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  Company  for  the  overland  trade,  and  that 
year  his  train  was  captured  by  the  Cheyennes  west  of  Fort  Dodge  at  a 
time  when  the  Indians  were  supposed  to  be  at  peace.  He  had  a  train 
of  eleven  wagon  loads  and  because  of  the  Indian  outbreak  he  rode  to  Fort 
Dodge,  where  he  obtained  militarv  assistance.  This,  however,  delayed  him 
for  three  months.  The  following  year — 1869 — he  engaged  in  business  on 
his  own  account  at  Las  Vegas,  and  thus  continued  until  1904.  becoming 
one  of  the  prominent  and  influential  representatives  of  commercial  and 
financial  interests  of  that  city.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Las  Vegas,  and  was  one  of  its  directors  for  nine  years.  He 
established  a  meat  market  and  general  mercantile  store  in  Socorro  in 
1887,  and  conducted  an  extensive  business  there  for  five  years,  after  which 
he  removed  his  business  from  Socorro  to  Albuquerque  about  1892,  continu- 
ing in  trade  at  that  point  until  a  recent  date,  when  he  sold  out.  In  1904 
he  became  connected  with  the  coal  business  six  miles  from  Fruitland.  and 
has  three  thousand  acres  of  coal  lands,  which  he  is  operating  in  connection 
with  others.  There  are  three  veins,  one  of  which  is  twenty-six  feet  wide 
and  in  fact  this  is  the  largest  known  coal  vein  in  the  southwest.  The  lands 
yield  both  anthracite  and  bituminous  coal  as  well  as  coking  coal.  Mr. 
Blanchard  was  three  times  elected  between  the  years  1869  and  1884  to  the 
office  of  county  treasurer,  and  has  been  probate  iudge  and  county  com- 
missioner. He  has  been  very  active  in  political  circles  and  is  a  recognized 
leader  of  public  thought  ajid  action. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  881 


QUAY  COUNTY. 

This  is  one  of  the  recently  organized  counties,  being  erected  in  April, 
1903,  chiefly  from  Guadalupe  county,  with  small  portions  of  San  Miguel 
and  Union.  It  is  in  the  extreme  eastern  tier  of  counties,  and  until  very 
recently  was  only  known  as  a  rough  country  of  sheep  herders  and  cow- 
boys, but,  with  the  building  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  line 
through  the  county,  in  1902,  and  the  grading  of  Chocktaw,  Oklahoma 
&  Gulf  road  through  Tucumcari,  the  county  seat,  the  entire  section  took 
on  new  life.  The  El  Paso  &  Northeastern,  from  the  latter  point,  also 
crosses  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  at  French,  reaching  into  a  fine 
body  of  coal  at  Dawson,  and  it  is  believed  that  that  company  will  soon 
erect  shops,  round-houses  and  sidings  at  Tucumcari. 

County  Organization. — Judge  Theodore  W.  Heman,  of  Tucumcari, 
took  the  initial  steps  in  the  organization  of  the  county,  during  December, 

1902,  and  received  the  hearty  co-operation  of  all  American  citizens.  A 
committee  was  finally  appointed,  consisting  of  A.  D.  Goldenberg,  W.  F. 
Buchanan  and  J.  A.  Street,  to  present  the  matter  to  the  Territorial  legis- 
lature, with  the  result  that  on  April  1st,  of  the  following  year,  Quay  county 
was  formally  organized.  It  is  worthy  of  note,  in  this  connection,  that  the 
entire  cost  of  organization  to  the  tax-payers  of  Quay  county  was  only 
$675.  Tucumcari  was  fixed  as  the  county  seat,  and  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners at  once  let  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  court  house  to 
local  contractors.     The  structure  was  completed  and  accepted  in  January, 

1903,  the  total  cost  of  its  erection  being  $9.400 ;  and  for  the  price  it  is 
believed  to  be  one  of  the  best  court  houses  in  New  Mexico. 

County  Officials. — Since  its  organization,  the  officials  of  Quay  county 
have  been  as  follows : 

Countv  Commissioners  : — 1903-4.  I.  C.  Barnes,  Alexander  Goldenberg,  Jose  Pablo 
Martinez  ;  1905-6,  S.  R.  Hendren,  Pablo  Medina,  T.  A.  Wayne. 

Probate  Judges: — 1903-4.  Theodore  W.  Heman;  1905-6,  J.  V.  Gallegos. 

Sheriff:— 1903-6,  J.  A.  Street. 

Treasurer: — 1903-6,  Donald   Stewart. 

Assessors : — 1903-4,  Harry  R.  Neal ;  1905-6,  Pedro  Romero. 

General  Physical  Features. — The  surface  of  the  county  is  generally 
an  undulating  prairie,  dotted  by  low  mountains,  tire  drainage  being  effected 
through  the  Canadian  and  Pecos  rivers,  with  their  tributaries.  Springs 
and  pools  of  water  occur  along  these  valleys,  and  the  soil — a  sandy  loam — 
is  such  as  to  retain  moisture  to  a  remarkable  degree.  This  is  quite  fortu- 
nate, as  the  rainfall  seldom  begins  earlier  than  June.  There  may  not  occur 
during  the  summer  more  than  one  or  two  general  rains,  although  local 
showers  may  frequent  the  valleys.  In  only  a  few  instances  have  dams 
been  constructed  to   impound  the   run-off    from  the  water-sheds.      There 


882  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

is  only  a  limited  amount  of  timber  in  the  county,  and  it  is  confined  to 
small  areas  of  rough  land  which  have  a  growth  of  pine  and  cedar. 

Tucumcari. — Established  by  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company  in 
1902,  Tucumcari  has  had  a  rapid  growth,  its  estimated  population  being 
1,300.  Especially  within  the  past  few  months  its  development  has  been 
somewhat  remarkable,  more  than  1,000  of  that  number  having  arrived 
within  this  period;  homestead  filings  before  the  United  States  Court  Com- 
missioner have  been  made  at  the  rate  of  twenty  a  day.  The  platted  site 
of  the  town  now  covers  500  acres. 

The  owners  of  the  original  site  were  Alex.  O.  Goldenberg,  Zee  Smith, 
J.  A.  Street  and  Jacob  Wertheim,  who  organized  a  town  company  in  1901, 
and  in  the  spring  of  the  following  year  appointed  Judge  Heman  town  site 
agent.  Naturally  the  center  of  a  fine  cattle  and  sheep  country,  with  the 
coming  of  the  railroads  and  its  establishment  as  the  county  seat,  the  town 
was  destined  to  develop.  A  project  is  on  foot,  backed  by  its  enterpris- 
ing Commercial  Club,  to  develop  artesian  wells,  as  it  is  thought  by  ex- 
perts that  the  flow  can  be  reached  at  about  1,000  feet.  If  this  should 
prove  the  case,  agricultural  and  fruit  products  would  soon  be  added  to  the 
resources  of  live-stock,  besides  furnishing  the  town  with  an  invaluable  sup- 
ply of  water  for  all  domestic  purposes. 

Judge  Heman  appointed  A.  D.  Goldenberg,  W.  F.  Buchanan  and 
Theodore  D.  Martinez  as  the  first  Board  of  School  Directors,  and  chiefly 
through  his  efforts,  five  months  after  the  county  was  organized,  a  mag- 
nificent school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $8,000.  This,  with  the 
$10,000  court  house,  are  the  town's  most  pretentious  structures.  It  has 
also  a  telephone  system,  a  First  National  Bank,  three  hotels,  two  weekly 
newspapers  and  substantial  business  houses. 

One  of  the  strongest  forces  behind  this  unusual  exhibition  of  town 
development  is  the  Commercial  Club  of  Tucumcari,  organized  in  Septem- 
ber, 1904.  and  reorganized  in  September  of  the  following  year.  The 
present  officers  are  as  follows :  President,  W.  F.  Buchanan :  vice-presi- 
dent, Donald  Stewart;  secretary,  Col.  T.  W.  Heman;  board  of  directors, 
W.  F.  Buchanan,  J.  A.  Street,  Donald  Stewart,  C.  C.  Davidson  and  A.  D. 
Goldenberg. 

J.  A.  Street,  serving  as  sheriff  of  Quay  county,  residing  at  Tucum- 
cari. came  to  this  place  October  28,  1901,  and  stretched  the  first  tent  in 
the  town.  In  fact,  he  was  one  of  the  locaters  and  owners  of  the  town  site. 
He  had  been  a  resident  of  the  Territory  in  1897,  at  which  time  he  began 
working  as  a  cow  puncher  on  the  Bell  ranch.  He  was  instrumental  in 
having  the  county  of  Quay  established,  being  one  of  the  committee  that 
went  to  the  legislature  for  this  purpose.  He  was  appointed  the  first  sheriff 
of  the  county  by  the  governor,  and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  office,  in 
which  he  is  now  serving. 

Mr.  Street  also  has  profitable  business  interests.  On  the  1st  of  Octo- 
ber, 1905,  he  established  a  livery  business,  which  he  is  still  conducting. 
He  is  also  engaged  in  cattle  raising  and  ranching.  He  had  considerable 
trouble  with  the  rustler  element  when  the  county  was  first  organized,  but 
he  has  been  prompt  and  fearless  in  the  performance  of  his  official  duties, 
standing  as  a  strong  conservator  of  law  and  order,  and  he  has  thus  be- 
come a  menace  to  the  evil-doer,  while  the  law-abiding  citizens  look  upon 
him  with  a  feeling  of  security  and  protection.     In  his  social  relations  he  is 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  883 

connected  with  Tucumcari  Lodge  No.  29,  K.  P.,  and  Benevolent  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  Lodge  No.  408,  of  Las  Vegas. 

The  rapid  growth  of  New  Mexico  finds  illustration  in  the  history  of 
Tucumcari,  which  has  had  an  existence  of  only  five  years,  and  yet  is  a 
thriving  and  enterprising  town  supplied  with  many  of  the  modern  im- 
provements known  to  the  east.  The  rapid  advancement  of  this  section 
of  the  country  has  offered  an  excellent  field  to  the  real  estate  dealer  and 
operator,  and  Col.  Theodore  W.  Heman  is  now  successfully  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  and  insurance  business  at  Tucumcari.  He  located  here  in  1901 
and  engaged  in  railroad  construction  work,  and  later  was  appointed  agent 
for  the  town  site  company.  He  had  previously  resided  in  White  Oaks, 
New  Mexico,  where  he  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  1881.  He  is  a  native 
of  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  and,  removing  to  the  Territory,  spent  twenty  years 
in  mining  interests  at  White  Oaks.  He  has  done  much  for  the  substan- 
tial improvement  of  Tucumcari,  and  is  now  serving  as  secretary  of  the 
Commercial  Club.  He  is  active  in  all  branches  of  development,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  having  the  county  cut  off  from  Guadalupe  county 
in  1903.  Pie  was  appointed  the  first  judge  of  the  Probate  Court  of  Quay 
county.  He  is  especially  interested  in  educational  matters,  and  the  public 
school  system  has  found  in  him  a  warm  and  stalwart -friend.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  war  and  was  lieutenant-colonel  of  a  Missouri  regiment, 
and  is  now  serving  as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of  the  department  of  New  Mex- 
ico, and  is  the  department  commander  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  New  Mexico. 
Having  the  prescience  to  discern  what  the  future  has  in  store  for  this 
great  and  growing  section  of  the  country,  rich  in  its  natural  resources 
and  possibilities,  he  has  allied  his  interests  with  a  new,  but  rapidly  devel- 
oping district,  and  is  garnering  in  the  fullness  of  time  the  harvest  of  his 
labors,  while  the  community  is  benefiting  thereby,  his  efforts  in  behalf  of 
public  progress  being  an  elemental  and  beneficial  force  in  the  rapid 
growth  of  this  section. 

James  A.  Tomlinson,  M.  D.,  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Tucumcari.  is  a  native  of  Indiana.  He  came  to  the  Territory  in  1877, 
making  his  way  to  Las  Vegas,  and  in  January,  1878,  removed  to  Lincoln, 
where  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  medicine,  being  the  first  practitioner 
of  that  place.  He  continued  there  until  1880.  when  he  removed  to  White 
Oaks  and  built  the  first  house  in  the  town.  He  was  the  probate  judge 
that  authorized  the  town  site  of  White  Oaks,  being  elected  to  the  office  in 
1880  and  serving  for  one  term.  On  the  expiration  of  that  term  he  returned 
to  Lincoln  in  1884  and  continued  in  the  practice  of  medicine  there  until 
1890,  at  the  same  time  conducting  a  drug  store.  He  likewise  spent  four 
years  in  Eddy  in  the  drug  business  and  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  and 
for  two  terms  served  as  probate  judge  of  Eddy  county.  He  afterward 
practiced  in  Hagerman,  La  Luz  and  other  places,  and  in  1902  came  to 
Tucumcari,  where  he  opened  a  drug  store  in  connection  with  his  office 
and  has  continued  in  merchandising  as  well  as  in  the  practice  of  medicine 
to  the  present  time.  His  professional  education  was  acquired  in  Fort 
Wayne  (Indiana)  University,  and  by  subsequent  reading,  investigation 
and  research  he  has  kept  in  touch  with  the  onward  march  of  the  profes- 
sion, and  is  an  able  and  well  read  member  of  the  medical  fraternity. 

Donald   Stewart,   a  resident  of  Tucumcari,  who  is  serving  as  county 


884  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

treasurer  of  Quay  county,  came  to  this  place  in  charge  of  the  Gross-Kelly 
Mercantile  Company,  which  established  business  here  at  the  planting  of  the 
town  in  1901.  The  company  sends  its  supplies  over  a  radius  of  fifty  miles. 
The  store  is  well  equipped  with  a  large  line  of  general  goods,  and  the 
trade  is  constantly  growing  as  the  country  becomes  settled. 

Mr.  Stewart  was  first  called  to  the  office  of  county  treasurer  by  ap- 
pointment, and  in  1904  was  elected  to  that  position,  which  he  is  now 
filling.  He  is  also  the  vice-president  of  the  Commercial  Club  and  one  of 
its  directors.  He  is  active  in  public  development  and  is  a  promoter .  of 
many  progressive  measures.  Bringing  to  the  southwest  the  enterprise 
and  activity  which  dominate  other  sections  of  the  country,  there  are  found 
here  men  of  marked  business  activity  and  with  progressive  ideas  concern- 
ing citizenship,  and  to  this  class  Mr.  Stewart  belongs.  His  efforts  are  of 
a  practical  character,  and  those  who  know  him  recognize  his  worth  as  a 
citizen  and  individual. 

A.  B.  Simpson,  a  merchant  of  Tucumcari,  came  to  this  city  .in  1901 
and  established  a  store  on  the  organization  of  the  town.  Although  he 
carried  a  general  line  of  goods  his  stock  was  more  largely  hardware.  He 
has  continued  in  the  trade  to  the  present  time  and  supplies  the  country 
for  a  large  radius.  His  business  has  constantly  grown  with  the  settle- 
ment of  this  part  of  the  Territory  and  his  trade  is  now  extensive  and 
profitable.  In  addition  to  his  mercantile  interests  he  is  vice-president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Tucumcari.  He  is  a  native  of  Missouri  and 
was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming.  He  resided  on  a  ranch  in  Texas 
for  some  time,  and  came  to  the  Territory  where  he  established  his  home 
in  the  newly  organized  town  and  opened  the  store  which  he  has  since 
conducted.     He  now  resides  on  his  ranch,  ten  miles  south  of  Tucumcari. 

The  business  interests  of  Tucumcari  find  a  worthy  representative  in 
M.  B.  Goldenberg,  who  dates  his  residence  in  the  Territory  from  1876, 
in  which  year  he  went  to  Santa  Fe.  In  1880  he  turned  his  attention  to  the 
sheep  industry  as  manager  for  Giarles  Ilfelds,  extensively  engaged  in 
sheep  raising,  and  was  thus  engaged  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1900,  with 
the  capital  he  had  acquired  through  his  own  labors,  he  invested  in  a  stock 
of  merchandise  and  established  a  store  at  Tucumcari  under  the  firm  name 
of  M.  B.  Goldenberg  &  Company,  his  partner  being  his  brother,  A.  D.  Gold- 
enberg. This  relation  has  continued  to  the  present  time,  and  their  trade 
has  increased  with  the  growth  of  the  county,  the  business  being  now  large 
and  profitable.  Mr.  Goldenberg  was  also  one  of  the  incorporators  and  is 
agent  of  the  Tucumcari  Town  Site  Company.  He  is  one  of  the  best  authori- 
ties on  sheep  in  the  Territory.  His  mercantile  enterprise  is  a  distributing 
point  for  a  section  of  country  covering  a  wide  area.  Public  spirited,  Mr. 
Goldenberg  is  interested  in  educational  matters  and  public  improvements 
and  co-operates  in  manv  progressive  measures  that  have  been  of  direct 
benefit  to  this  section  of  the  Territory.  Fraternally  he  is  connected  with 
Tucumcari  Lodge  No.  29,  K.  P.,  and  is  esteemed  in  social  as  well  as  busi- ' 
ness  circles. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


ROOSEVELT  COUNTY. 

Roosevelt  county  was  organized  March  31,  1903,  being  cut  off  from 
Cliaves  and  Guadalupe.  It  lies  in  the  easternmost  tier  of  counties  south 
of  Quay,  which  was  erected  at  the  same  time.  Its  western  portions  are 
included  in  the  valley  of  the  Pecos  and  its  numerous  tributaries,  the  cele- 
brated Llano  Estacado,  or  staked  plain,  extending  from  Texas  into  its 
eastern  section.  The  western  part  of  Roosevelt  county  is  also  the  scene  of 
the  important  irrigation  project,  now  being  prosecuted  by  the  Reclamation 
Service  of  the  Interior  Department,  and  which  centers  in  the  Urton  Lake 
reservoir.  The  land  in  that  locality  has  therefore  been  withdrawn  from 
the  market  by  the  general  government  until  the  irrigable  area  has  been 
defined  and  the  preliminary  surveys  been  completed.  The  plan  contem- 
plates the  taking  out  from  the  Pecos  river,  north  of  Roswell,  a  canal  run- 
ning to  a  large  natural  reservoir  north  of  that  place ;  from  this  reservoir 
the  water  will  be  conducted  south  and  distributed  over  the  rich  lands  be- 
tween the  reservoir  and  Roswell,  and  will  bring  under  cultivation  75,000 
acres  of  land  tributary  to  Roswell.  This  Urton  Lake  proposition  has  been 
thoroughly  investigated  by  the  government  engineers,  all  preliminary  work 
done,  and  the  reservoir  passed  upon  most  favorably.  It  now  only  awaits 
action,  pending  the  completion  of  the  Hondo  reservoir. 

The  Portales  Forest  Reserve  was  established  by  proclamation  of  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt,  October  3,  1905.  and  consists  of  about  181,000  acres  in 
the  central  part  of  the  county.  At  present  there  is  no  timber  on  this  great 
tract  of  land,  but  the  government  foresters  intend  soon  to  commence  the 
planting  of  such  trees  as  black  locust,  pine,  cottonwood  and  poplar.  A.  Z. 
Chester  is  the  ranger  in  charge  of  the  reservation. 

The  filings  for  homesteads  have  been  gradually  increasing  since  the 
organization  of  the  county,  about  one-half  the  entire  area  being  now  taken 
up;  the  filings  for  the  month  of  January,  1906,  numbered  234.  An  espe- 
cially large  migration  of  homeseekers  has  been  noted  from  Kansas,  Mis- 
souri, Texas.   Oklahoma  and   Indian  Territory. 

Resources  of  the  County. — The  eastern  part  of  the  county  is  primarily 
adapted  to  the  raising  of  stock.  The  pasturage  is  the  native  gama  grass, 
which,  although  of  short  growth,  is  alwavs  nutritious,  and  seems  to  thrive 
as  well  in  dry  weather  as  in  seasons  of  average  rainfall.  The  result  is 
that,  unlike  most  range  cattle,  who  do  not  have  the  benefit  of  this  forage, 
those  who  feed  on  gama  grass  come  from  the  pastures  in  the  spring  as 
fat  as  in  the  fall.  The  climate  is  also  mild.  In  the  Pecos  valley  both 
cattle  and  sheep  are  generally  of  the  better  breeds.  Dairying  is  also  mak- 
ing much  progress  in  that  section  of  the  county. 

It  is  in  tlie  western  sections  of  the  county,  watered  by  the  Pecos  and 
its   affluents,   that  the   great   development  in   all   products   of  the   soil  and 


836  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  more  advanced  processes  of  stock-raising  are  progressing.  It  is  also  a 
district  of  living  springs,  and  late  experiments  and  borings  give  reason  to 
believe  that  it  is  within  the  artesian  field  which  has  done  so  much  to  ad- 
vance the  country  further  to  the  south.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that  the 
Pecos  valley,  within  Roosevelt  county,  is  a  fine  country  for  melons,  and 
that,  on  irrigated  soil,  such  vegetables  as  sweet  potatoes,  beans  and  onions 
grow  almost  to  perfection.  Broomcorn,  kaffir  corn  and  maize  have  also 
been  abundantly  and  profitably  raised  in  the  country  surrounding  Portales 
and  in  other  sections.  Indian  corn  ranges  in  yield  from  23  to  53  bushels 
per  acre. 

County  Officers. — Since  the  organization  of  Roosevelt  county,  in  1903, 
its  officers  have  been  as  below : 


County  Commissioners :— 1903-4,   W.   O.   Oldham,  Robert   Hicks,    B.   Blankenship ; 
1005-6,  J.   D.   Crawford.   W.   H.   Montgomery,   E.   C.   Price. 

Probate  Judges: — 1903-4,  Charles  L.  Carter:   1005-6.   H.   F.  Jones. 
Probate  Clerks: — 1903-4.   W.   E.   Lindsey  :    1905-6,   B.   F.   Birdwell. 
Sheriffs: — 1903-4,  W.   W.   Odem:   1905-6.  Joseph  Lang. 
Treasurers  : — 1003-4,  C-  O.  Leach ;  1905-6,  J.  M.  Faggard. 
Assessors: — 1903-4,  W.  K.  Breeding;  1905-6,  J.  E.  Morrison. 

Towns. — Portales,  the  county  seat,  was  established  by  J.  J.  Hager- 
man,  the  promoter  and  builder  of  the  Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern  Rail- 
road. The  first  house  occupied  on  the  town  site  was  not  erected  there, 
but  was  brought  on  wheels  and  placed  on  the  ground  in  November,  1898. 
The  site  of  Portales  was  originally  owned  by  the  railroad,  but  has  passed 
into  the  possession  of  a  corporation  known  as  the  Portales  Townsite  and 
Land  Company,  with  the  following  officers:  President,  W.  K.  Breeding; 
treasurer.  W.  O.  Oldham,  and  secretary,  W.  E.  Lindsey.  The  first  mer- 
cantile house  established  in  Portales  was  by  Charles  Woodcock  and  W.  P. 
Seymour.  The  latter  retired,  and  Mr.  Woodcock  continued  alone  until 
1901,  when  he  formed  his  present  partnership  with  Mr.  Blankenship. 

The  extension  of  the  railroad  from  Roswell  into  Texas,  via  Portales, 
called  attention  of  frontiersmen  to  the  advantages  of  the  locality,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1900  quite  a  number  came  from  the  Lone  Star  state.  At  this 
time  there  were  three  business  houses  within  the  town  limits.  The  first 
rapid  growth  began  with  the  formation  of  the  county  and  the  fixing  of 
the  county  seat.  Since  then  its  development  has  been  steady,  a  very  good 
class  of  citizens  having  settled  in  Portales  and  the  surrounding  country 
from  the  country  to  the  east  and  northeast.  It  is  becoming  quite  an  im- 
portant shipping  center  for  live-stock,  feed,  and  agricultural  and  dairy 
products. 

The  contract  for  the  court  house  at  Portales  was  let  to  local  con- 
tractors by  the  first  Board  of  Commissioners.  It  was  completed  in  1905, 
at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  and  is  splendidly  finished  and  furnished.  The  struc- 
ture is  composed  of  concrete  manufactured  in  Portales.  and  the  jail,  now 
in  process  of  erection,  is  of  the  same  material.  Another  building  which 
will  greatly  add  to  the  substantial  appearance  of  the  town  is  the  school 
house,  whose  cost  will  be  $11,000.  Briefly,  Portales  is  a  town  of  good 
prospects,  in  the  extreme  northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  on  the  Pecos 
Yallev  &  Northeastern  road.  It  has  three  churches,  two  banks,  good 
schools,  the  usual  mercantile  establishments,  a  fine  court  house,  and.  al- 
though it  is  outside  the  artesian  district,  its  supply  of  well  water  and  con- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  887 

stancy  of  rainfall  give  assurances  of  substantial  agricultural  development 
of  the  surrounding  country. 

The  town  of  Elida,  a  station  on  the  Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern  line, 
southwest  of  Portales,  was  founded  by  W.  E.  Lindsay  and  John  H.  Gee, 
in  1902.  The  first  business  house  in  the  place  was  erected  in  January  of 
that  year,  and  practically  all  the  land  within  five  or  six  miles  from  town 
has  been  homesteaded  since  1902. 

A.  L.  Chesher,  a  rancher  and  ranger  in  charge  of  the  Portales  Forest 
Reserve,  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1900,  and  entered  ranching  and  stock- 
raising.  He  has  since  been  engaged  in  these  lines  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cssful  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  new  county.  He  was  appointed 
chief  ranger  in  charge  of  the  Portales  Forest  Reserve,  and  is  now  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  the  position  in  connection  with  the  management  of 
his  private  business  interests.  With  firm  faith  in  the  Territory  and  its 
future,  he  is  working  along  progressive  lines  for  its  advancement  and  de- 
velopment and  his  labors  are  proving  of  direct  and  immediate  service- 
ableness. 

Judge  W.  R.  McGill,  who  came  to  the  Territory  in  October,  1900, 
from  Seymour,  Texas,  where  he  had  served  as  judge  of  the  district  court, 
has.  during  the  past  six  years,  been  identified  with  territorial  interests  and 
his  business  activity  has  been  of  a  character  which- has  contributed  to 
general  improvement  as  well  as  individual  success.  He  came  with  cattle 
and  located  eight  miles  north  of  La  Lande  in  Guadalupe  county.  New 
Mexico.  In  February,  1905.  he  sold  his  cattle  interests  and  removed  to 
La  Lande,  where  he  became  interested  in  the  townsite  of  La  Lande  with 
the  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company.  He  is  now  engaged  in  making  improve- 
ments, building  the  town  and  developing  the  surrounding  country,  and  is 
thus  a  pioneer  of  the  locality  whose  efforts  are  directed  toward  the  utiliza- 
tion of  the  natural  resources  of  the  Territory  along  lines  that  are  proving 
fruitful  with  success  for  both  the  general  territory  and  for  himself  as 
well.  He  is  the  United  States  Court  Commissioner  at  La  Lande.  and  is 
taking  great  interest  in  settling  the  country  with  emigrants  from  the 
states. 

Manuel  Abreu  is  one  of  the  New  Mexico's  native  sons  and  a  represent- 
ative of  one  of  the  old,  distinguished  and  prominent  families  of  the  Terri- 
tory. His  maternal  grandfather,  Santiago  Abreu,  was  governor  of  New 
Mexico  under  Spanish  rule,  coming  here  from  old  Mexico  to  enter  upon 
the  duties  of  that  position.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  brothers,  Mar- 
cilino  and  Ramona  Abreu.  His  father,  Henry  Maken.  was  a  Frenchman, 
who  came  from  Canada  and  married  a  daughter  of  Governor  Abreu.  He 
died,  however,  when  his  son  Manuel  was  but  six  months  old,  and  the  latter 
afterward  took  his  mother's  maiden  name. 

Manuel  Abreu  was  born  in  Santa  Fe.  New  Mexico,  in  June,  1857. 
and  in  1873  went  to  Fort  Sumner,  where  he  engaged  in  the  sheep  business 
in  connection  with  his  brother-in-law,  Pablo  Beaubien,  a  son  of  Charles 
I'.eaubien.  who  was  the  original  owner  of  the  Maxwell  land  grant.  Carlos 
Beaubien  and  Miranda  were  the  original  grantees  from  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernment. Lucien  Maxwell,  a  French-Scotchman,  born  June  24.  1820,  mar- 
ried Luz  Beaubien,  a  daughter  of  Carlos  Beaubien,  and  Mr.  Maxwell 
later  bought  the  largest  part  of  the  grant  from  Mr.  Beaubien,  and  after 
his  death  purchased  the  remainder  from  the  heirs.     About  1870  Mr.  Max- 


888  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

well  sold  the  grant  to  a  company  for  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  at 
which  time  he  removed  to  old  Fort  Sumner  on  the  Pecos  river,  then  located 
in  San  Miguel  county.  He  purchased  the  improvements  at  the  fort  from 
the  government  and  turned  his  attention  to  cattle  and  sheep  raising  and 
farming.  He  began  to  further  improve  the  property,  taking  ditches  from 
the  Pecos  river,  and  soon  developed  a  beautiful  place.  He  died  in  1875 
and  Pete  Maxwell,  his  son,  took  charge  of  the  property,  but  did  not  keep 
it  up  very  well,  and  about  1885  sold  out  to  the  Fort  Sumner  Land  &  Cattle 
Company,  while  he  and  others  moved  down  the  river,  one  mile,  and  started 
the  town  of  Fort  Sumner,  which  is  in  existence  today.  There  Pete  Max- 
well, who  was  born  April  27,  1848,  lived  until  his  death  on  the  21st  of 
June,  1898. 

Manuel  Abreu  began  sheep  raising  in  1873,  and  has  continued  therein 
to  the  present  time.  He  also  conducts  a  store  in  Fort  Sumner  in  connec- 
tion with  his  sheep  and  stock  business.  He  is  a  representaitve  of  one  of 
the  prominent  old  Spanish  families  of  the  Territory  and  is  displaying 
modern  business  enterprise  in  the  conduct  of  his  interests  here. 

A.  B.  Harris,  a  native  of  Tennessee,  became  a  resident  of  Texas, 
going  to  Colorado,  that  state,  where  he  arrived  on  the  12th  of  July,  1879. 
In  November  of  the  same  year  he  removed  to  New  Mexico,  locating  in 
Colfax  county,  about  forty-five  m;les  south  of  Raton,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  until  1882.  He  then  removed  to  Fort  Sumner  and 
became  manager  of  the  McBroom  ranch,  located  forty  miles  north  of  the 
town  and  known  as  the  Coniva  ranch.  He  continued  as  manager  of  that 
place  until  1891,  when  he  engaged  in  the  stock  business  on  his  own  account 
on  the  Coniva  ranch,  being  thus  engaged  until  1895.  In  that  year  he 
removed  to  Fort  Sumner,  where  he  continued  in  the  stock  business  until 
1904,  when  he  sold  out  and  devoted  his  energies  to  the  conduct  of  a  mer- 
cantile enterprise.  He  also  had  a  branch  store  at  Sunnyside,  but  has  now 
combined  the  two  interests,  and  is  successfully  carrying  on  the  business  at 
the  latter  place,  having  a  well  equipped  store  and  drawing  his  patronage 
from  a  large  area  of  the  surrounding  territory. 

Charles  H.  Sims,  who  is  engaged  in  merchandising  in  Elida,  New 
Mexico,  where  he  has  resided  since  January,  1904,  erected  the  first  mer- 
cantile store  in  this  place  and  has  since  continued  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Jiusiness.  He  is  a  native  of  South  Carolina  and  lived  in  Texas  before 
coming  to  New  Mexico.  On  his  removal  to  this  county  he  took  up  a 
homestead  and  is  carrying  on  ranching.  He  has  also  engaged  in  the  bank- 
ing business.  The  Elida  Savings  Bank  commenced  business  May  28.  1906, 
officered  by  J.  P.  Stone,  president ;  L.  T.  Lester,  vice-president,  and  Mr. 
Sims,  cashier.  Many  new  towns  have  been  established  in  New  Mexico 
with  the  advent  of  the  railroads,  and  are  attracting  to  the  various  centers 
men  of  enterprise,  ability  and  executive  force,  who,  recognizing  their  op- 
portunity, are  developing  towns  along  modern  lines  of  progress  and  ad- 
vancement. Of  this  class  Mr.  Sims  is  a  representative  and  his  enterprise 
is  one  of  the  strong  and  forceful  elements  in  the  growth  of  Elida. 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SANDOVAL  COUNTY. 

By  the  creation  of  McKinley  county,  in  1901,  and  of  Sandoval,  in 
1903,  the  original  county  of  Bernalillo  was  reduced  from  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  Territory  to  one  of  very  moderate  extent.  Sandoval  county  located 
its  county  seat  at  the  old  established  town  of  Bernalillo,  a  place  of  about 
1,000  people,  situated  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  road,  in  one 
of  the  fertile  gardens  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley. 

Sandoval  is  the  second  county  in  the  Territory,  both  from  the  north 
and  the  west.  Rio  Arriba  and  McKinley  adjoining  it  in  those  directions, 
and  Santa  Fe  and  Bernalillo  counties  on  the  east  and  south.  Its  eastern 
portions  are  chiefly  watered  by  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Rio  Jemez,  one  of 
its  western  branches,  while  its  central  and  western  sections  lie  principally 
within  the  water-shed  of  the  Rio  Puerco,  a  still  larger  branch  of  that 
parent  stream.  Both  of  these  branches  have  numerous  smaller  tributaries, 
and  the  country  is  also  well  supplied  with  living  springs.  The  county  is 
not  only  broken  and  diversified  by  innumerable  river  valleys,  but  by  short 
ranges  of  mountains,  such  as  the  Jemez,  in  the  north,  the  Valles  in  the 
northeast,  the  Chaca  Mesa  in  the  northwest,  and  the  Sierro  Chiboto  and 
Navajo  in  the  soutiiwest. 

The  population  is  principally  settled  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande, 
which  in  this  county  is  particularly  adapted  to  agriculture,  horticulture 
and  viniculture.  Here,  without  exception,  the  fruits  of  the  temperate  zone 
find  a  kindly  home.  Apples,  however,  thrive  better  on  the  uplands  than 
in  the  low  bottom  lands.  In  the  mountain  valleys  this  fruit  can  be  raised 
without  irrigation  on  account  of  the  abundant  rain,  and  the  heavy  snows 
of  winter  seem  to  improve  its  quality  and  flavor,  especially  the  late  varie- 
ties. Peaches,  plums,  cherries  and  apricots  thrive  better  in  the  lower  river 
valleys.  The  rich  soil  of  these  localities  is  also  well  adapted  to  corn, 
eighty  bushels  to  the  acre  being  no  uncommon  crop.  Wheat  flourishes 
both  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  mesas.  Outside  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley 
that  of  the  Jemez  produces  profitable  crops  of  the  cereals,  melons  and  all 
kinds  of  vegetables. 

The  areas  outlying  from  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries  are  gen- 
erally well,  grassed,  rolling  or  broken  by  hills  and  canyons,  and  clothed 
with  considerable  timber.  It  is  largelv  a  country  of  sheep  and  cattle 
ranges,  the  hills,  canyons  and  timber  affording  excellent  winter  protection 
for  the  stock. 

As  to  minerals,  the  districts  covering  the  Jemez  and  Valles  mountains 
are  rich  in  silver  and  copper.  The  former  region  also  contains  a  num- 
ber of  medicinal  springs  of  great  value,  and  when  it  becomes  easier  of 
access  will  undoubtedly  become  a  favorite  health  resort.  The  Valle's  dis- 
trict developed,  in  1893-4,  into  one  of  the  most  famous  mining  camps  in 
the   Southwest.      Hundreds   of   locations    were    made   and   several   villages 


890  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

established,  of  which  the  most  pretentious  was  Bland.  The  region  was 
named  the  Cochiti  district,  from  an  Indian  pueblo  of  the  locality. 

Beds  of  excellent  bituminous  coal  are  found  in  the  Puerco  valley.  It 
is  so  easily  mined  and  handled  that  it  pays  to  team  it  with  oxen  to  Albu- 
querque and  sell  it  as  low  as  $4  per  ton.  The  coal  fields  extend  throughout 
the  entire  area  of  the  valley,  and  in  the  northern  part  near  Copper  City 
(just  over  the  county  line),  the  veins  are  of  unusual  thickness,  one  of  them 
showing  twenty-five  feet  of  clear  coal,  with  no  admixture  of  slate. 

County  Officers. — Since  the  organization  of  Sandoval  county  the  fol- 
lowing officials  have  served,  those  for  1903  being  appointed  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  those  for   1904  being  elected : 

1903: — Commissioners,  E.  A.  Miera,  Ignacio  Gutierres.  Esquipula  Baca;  .superin- 
tendent of  schools,  J.  B.  Archuleta :  sheriff.  Fred  J.  Otero — Alfredo  Sandoval,  the 
first  appointee,  not  being  allowed  to  serve,  as  he  was  not  a  holder  of  real  estate ;  treas- 
urer and  collector,  Manuel  Baca;  probate  clerk.  O.  P.  Hovey ;  assessor.  V.  S.  Miera. 

10x14: — Commissioners,  Pantaleon  Mora.  Juan  Dominguez,  Pedro  Castillo:  sup- 
erintendent of  schools,  J.  F.  Silva;  sheriff,  Emiliano  Sandoval;  treasurer,  E.  A.  Miera; 
probate  clerk.  Marcos  C.  de  Baca ;  assessor,  Abel  E.  Pecea. 

Towns. — Bernalillo,  on  the  Santa  Fe  road,  eighteen  miles  above  Albu- 
querque, is  the  principal  town  in  the  county,  as  already  mentioned.  Pictur- 
esquely and  favorably  located,  in  the  midst  of  a  wide  area  of  fruitful  fields 
and  orchards,  it  has  been  the  residence  of  some  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  the  Territory  for  many  vears.  The  town,  with  the  rich  country 
immediately  adjacent  to  it.  probably  contains  3,000  people.  It  is  located 
in  the  midst  of  a  broad  valley  of  rich  alluvial  land,  largely  devoted  to  the 
production  of  grapes  and  fruits,  as  well  as  agricultural  products.  Wine- 
making,  fruit  culture  and  wheat  raising  are  the  representative  industries ; 
but  outside  the  cultivable  valley  there  is  a  wide  stretch  of  admirable  stock 
country,  and  the  wool  marketed  at  this  point  makes  it  one  of  the  largest 
shipping  points  in  the  Territory.  The  Jemez  river  empties  into  the  Rio 
Grande  near  Bernalillo,  and  the  substantial  bridge  at  this  point  leads  to 
the  road  which  follows  the  former  stream  to  the  Jemez  Springs  and  Sani- 
tarium. 

Wallace  was  at  one  time  the  end  of  a  railroad  division,  but  is  now 
best  known  as  the  station  for  the  Cochiti  mining  district,  and  also  for  Santo 
Domingo  Pueblo. 

Peria  Blanca  is  a  flourishing  community,  largely  Mexican,  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  at  the  head  of  the  valley  in  this  county,  and  a 
few  miles  from  the  railroad  line.  Above  this  point  the  river  flows  through 
a  narrow  canyon  for  about  twenty  miles  called  the  Caja  del  Rio — the  "box 
of  the  river" ;  it  is  also  known  as  the  White  Rock  canyon.  At  this  point 
the  valley  land  is  exceedingly  wide  and  fertile.  Pefia  Blanca  has  been  set- 
tled for  many  years,  and  until  the  abolishment  of  Santa  Aha  county,  in 
1876,  was  its  county  seat. 

J.  B.  Block,  proprietor  of  the  famous  Block's  Hotel  at  Jemez  Hot 
Springs.  Xew  Mexico,  where  he  has  resided  for  the  past  twenty-one  years, 
came  to  New  Mexico  from  Colorado  in  1880.  A  native  of  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  his  grandparents  being  among  the  first  white  settlers  of  that 
place  when  it  was  only  an  Indian  trading  post,  he  left  St.  Louis  in  1874 
and  spent  all  the  time   from    1874  to  1885  in  train  service  of  the  railroads 


LOCAL  HISTORIES 


SHI 


of  the  west,  and  running  railroad  eating  houses.  He  opened  up  the  first 
railroad  eating  house  on  the  old  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad  in  1881,  at 
Coolidge,  New  Mexico.  He  went  to  Jemez  Hot  Springs  in  1885  and 
opened  up  a  general  merchandise  store  and  hotel,  and  started  a  stage  line  to 
Albuquerque.  He  conducted  the  stage  line  during  the  summer  season, 
until  the  last  seven  years,  when  he  got  the  mail  contract  between  here 
and  Albuquerque.  Since  then,  in  connection  with  carrying  the  mail,  the 
stage  has  been  run  all  the  year  around.  The  mail  contract  expired  July  1, 
1900.  so  he  is  no  longer  running  the  stage.  Mr.  Block's  hotel  is  known 
most  favorably  all  through  Xew  .Mexico  and  Arizona.  Mrs.  Block  being  the 
mainstay  of  the  hotel.  He  owns  the  larger  part  of  the  townsite,  which 
was  laid  out  by  Jose  Francisco  Archuleta  in  1884.  Mr.  Block  got  the 
postoffice  established  here  under  Cleveland's  first  administration,  and  the 
office  was  called  Archuleta,  in  honor  of  the  founder  of  the  townsite.  Mr. 
Block    was   postmaster    until    some   time   during   Harrison's   administration. 

Jose  Felipe  Silva.  deputy  treasurer  and  collector  and  superintendent 
of  schools  of  Sandoval  county,  and  postmaster  of  the  city  of  Sandoval 
since  May,  1905,  was  born  at  Las  Conales,  now  Sandoval,  in  Bernalillo 
county,  August  23,  185c;.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  Juan  Jose  Silva, 
whose  wife  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  ten  years  of  age.  Their  son, 
lesus  Maria  Silva,  father  of  our  subject,  served  in  the  militia  in  the  Civil 
war  and  had  vouchers  for  land.  He  fought  the  Navajos  during  the  period 
of  hostilities  and  was  actively  connected  with  many  events  of  importance 
during  the  early  history  of  this  portion  of  the  country.  He  married  Felicia 
Gutierrez,  a  daughter  of  Juan  Jose  Gutierrez.  The  father  of  our  subject 
died  in  1877  and  the  mother  passed  away  in  1889. 

Jose  Felipe  Silva  was  reared  in  his  native  city  and  has  lived  all  his 
life  here  or  in  Albuquerque,  having  been  a  resident  of  the  latter  place 
from  May  2.  1903.  until  January  6,  1905.  He  was  employed  there  by  the 
Gross-Kellv  Company.  He  is  the  owner  of  thirty  acres  of  land  under 
cultivation,  which  is  a  part  of  the  Alamada  grant.  This  land  was  granted 
in  1710  and  was  approved  by  Congress.  Part  of  the  grant  was  sold  by 
Francisco  Montes  y  Vigil's  heirs  and  the  original  tract  was  granted  to 
Juan  Gonzales,  the  greatgrandfather  of  Mrs.  Silva.  It  contained  about 
seventeen  hundred  acres.  Mr.  Silva  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his 
iife  to  farming  ami  in  addition  has  filled  various  positions  of  public  trust. 
He  was  justice  of  the  peace  at  Los  Corrales  for  eight  years  and  ditch  com- 
missioner for  eight  vears.  He  has  been  school  superintendent  since  Janu- 
ary, 1905.  and  at  the  same  time  was  appointed  deputy  treasurer  and  col- 
lector. He  served  as  deputy  sheriff  in  Bernalillo  county  under  Santiago 
Baca  for  four  years,  and  in  May,  1905,  was  appointed  postmaster  at  San- 
doval, which  position  he  has  since  filled.  Fie  received  the  appointment  of 
notary  public  by  Governor  Hagerman  May  15,   1906. 

Mr.  Silva  married  Adela  Gutierrez,  a  daughter  of  Francisco  Gutierrez 
and  Sista  (Gonzales),  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  fifteen  chil- 
dren, eleven  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Carina,  Emilia,  Leandro.  Qo- 
tario.  Candelaria,  Felicita,  Edwina,  Ambrosina,  Celia.  Lezandro  and  Tames. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


TORRAXCE  COUNTY. 


Torrance  county  was  organized  in  1904,  from  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  original  county  of  Valencia.  It  lies  almost  in  the  geographical  center 
of  the  Territory,  and  comprises  some  of  the  finest  sheep  lands  in  the  West. 
Flowing  springs  are  found  in  places,  and  water  in  wells  is  found  from 
four  to  two  hundred  feet  below  the  surface.  As  the  water  supply  is  evi- 
dently so  near  the  surface  irrigation  by  means  of  windmills  has  been  in- 
augurated with  most  gratifying  results  as  to  the  raising  of  vegetable  and 
all  garden  truck.  The  average  total  precipitation  is  about  fifteen  inches 
per  year,  of  which  probably  one-fourth  is  snow.  Spring  rains  are  com- 
mon, but  not  certain,  the  rainy  season  beginning  usually  about  the  1st  of 
July.  Altogether,  the  climatic  and  physical  conditions  are  about  the  same 
as  in  other  sections  of  Central  New  Mexico,  which  are  developing  into 
productive  areas  of  fruits,  cereals  and  garden  crops. 

The  Estancia  Valley. — The  most  prominent  physical  feature  of  Tor- 
rance county,  and  the  chief  source  of  its  material  development,  is  known 
as  the  Estancia  valley.  It  is  an  "L"  shaped  basin,  about  fifty  miles  long, 
north  and  south,  thirty  miles  wide  on  the  north  and  sixty  miles  wide  on 
the  south,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  miles  on  the  north  the  entire 
valley  lies  within  this  count)',  on  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Manzano  moun- 
tains. For  the  most  part  the  land  is  a  gently  sloping  or  rolling  prairie, 
the  steepest  incline  being  toward  the  mountains  on  the  west,  the  water 
flowing  from  all  directions  toward  the  salt  lakes  in  the  south  central  part 
of  the  valley.  East  of  a  depression,  which  is  almost  paralleled  by  the 
Santa  F'e  Central  Railroad  and  which  has  every  appearance  of  once  having 
been  the  bed  of  a  flowing  stream,  is  a  line  of  varying  low  hills,  beyond 
which  to  the  rim  of  the  basin,  alternate  valleys  and  hills.  To  the  west  of 
this  depression  the  ground  gradually  inclines  toward  the  mountains,  the 
surface  being  generally,  comparatively  smooth  until  near  the  mountains, 
where  it  is  corrugated  with  arroyas,  which  gradually  widen  and  spread 
as  they  approach  the  nearer  level  land  of  the  prairie.  On  the  south,  it 
is  bounded  by  a  low  range  of  hills  or  mesas  connecting  the  Manzano  with 
the  Gallina  mountains.  The  soil  is  generally  a  sandy  loam,  easily  culti- 
vated, and  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  it  is  quite  light  in  color,  resem- 
bling in  appearance  and  composition  the  soil  in  the  artesian  belt  on  the 
Pecos  river.  This  part  of  the  county  contains  a  growth  of  chamisa,  a 
small  evergreen  bush  almost  impervious  to  drouth,  which  affords  rich 
pasturage  throughout  the  year.  Elsewhere  the  valley  produces  the  famous 
forage  plant,  known  as  gramma  grass. 

On  the  northwest  boundary  of  the  valley  are  located  the  famous  Hagan 
coal  fields,  into  which  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Railway  Company  is  now 
constructing  a  branch.  Near  the  Manzano  mountains,  averaging  in  width 
about  eight  miles,  is  a  fine  body  of  timber,  consisting  of  spruce,  pine, 
juniper,  cedar,  pinyon,  oak,  cottonwood,  quaking  asp,  willow,  and  hard  or 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  893 

sugar  maple.     The  saw  timber  is  confined  to  the  spruce  and  pine. 

In  the  lowest  place  the  valley  is  within  a  few  feet  of  6,000  feet  above 
sea  level.  The  highest  peak  of  the  Manzano  mountains  is  about  10,500 
feet  above  sea  level,  and  the  mountains  make  an  abrupt  rise  of  about  2,500 
feet  from  the  surrounding  country,  which,  with  the  gradual  decline,  gives 
the  valley  an  altitude  varying  from  about  6,000  to  8,000  feet  above  sea 
level. 

Compared  with  other  sections  of  the  arid  west,  some  of  which  are 
now  supporting  thickly  populated  communities,  nature  has  been  kind  to 
the  Estancia  valley.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  miles  on  the  southeast 
it  is  surrounded  by  timber.  In  the  timber  belt,  near  the  mountains,  are 
located  seven  sawmills,  which  supply  building  material  in  abundance  at 
a  reasonable  price.  Twelve  miles  east  of  Estancia  are  located  the  cele- 
brated Estancia  salt  lakes,  which,  from  earliest  history,  have  supplied  the 
surrounding  country,  within  a  radius  of  one  hundred  miles,  with  salt  of 
a  very  fine  grade.  These  lakes  are  now  owned  by  the  New  Mexico  Fuel 
&  Iron  Company,  composed  of  the  same  capitalists  who  built  the  Santa 
Fe  Central  Railroad,  whose  purpose  it  is  to  build  a  branch  line  to  the  lakes 
and  establish  refineries  there.  But  the  chief  industry  has  been,  is  now, 
and  will  be  until  succeeded  by  agriculture  and  horticulture,  that  of  live 
stock. 

Railroads. — The  Estancia  valley  is  traversed  its  entire  length  by  the 
Santa  Fe  Central  Railway,  whose  termini  are  Santa  Fe  and  Torrance,  the 
latter,  a  station  on  the  El  Paso  Northeastern  Railroad.  This  road  was  com- 
pleted in  August,  1903.  The  same  company  is  now  building  a  line  from 
Moriarty,  a  station  seventeen  miles  north  of  Estancia,  to  Albuquerque, 
known  as  the  Albuquerque  Eastern,  and  a  branch  from  this  line  into  the 
Hagan  coal  fields.  The  same  capitalists  who  built  this  road  have  organized 
companies  to  extend  it  from  Torrance  to  Roswell  and  to  build  a  line  from 
Willard  to  El  Paso.  The  line  from  Torrance  to  Roswell  has  been  located 
and  the  plats  filed  with  the  secretary  of  the  Territory.  The  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe  Company  commenced  the  construction  of  the  Eastern 
Railwav  of  New  Mexico,  known  as  the  ■'Cut-oft',"  in  1903,  and  completed 
it  in  the  winter  of  1906-7.  This  line  connects  with  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific, 
a  part  of  the  Santa  Fe  system,  at  Rio  Puerco,  twenty  miles  west  of  Belen, 
on  the  Rio  Grande,  and  with  the  Panhandle  division  of  the  same  system, 
on  the  Pecos  Valley  line  at  Texico.  It  crosses  the  Santa  Fe  Central  at 
Willard  and  the  El  Paso  Northeastern  at  Llano. 

County  Officials. — The  first  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Torrance 
count)-  was  appointed  by  the  governor,  their  service  extending  over  1904-5. 
They  were:  William  Mcintosh  (chairman),  Juan  C.  Jaramillo,  and  Bias 
Duran. 

The  following  were  elected  for  1905-6:  County  Commissioners,  Valen- 
tin Candelaria  (chairman),  Santiago  Madrid.  Pablo  Maldonado ;  probate 
clerk,  John  W.  Corbett :  sheriff.  Manuel  Sanchez  y  Sanchez :  treasurer, 
William  Mcintosh ;  assessor,  Parfecto  Jaramillo 

Towns  of  the  County. — Estancia,  the  county  seat,  is  a  growing  little 
town,  located  at  the  famous  Estancia  Springs,  from  which  it  takes  its 
name,  sixtv-eight  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe.  on  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Rail- 
road. The  New  Mexico  Fuel  &  Iron  Company  are  owners  of  the  town- 
site.     The    roundhouse   and   machine    shops    of  the    railway   company   are 


894  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

located  here,  and  the  town  lias  become  the  shipping  point  for  thousands  of 
lambs,  who  are  annually  transported  to  alfalfa  districts  for  fattening,  or 
to  other  feeding  grounds  in  Colorado,  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  with  the 
advent  of  cold  weather.  Estancia  has  a  money-order  postoffice.  a  modern 
hotel  and  a  number  of  business  houses.  James  Walker's  store,  built  of 
cement  blocks  in  IQ05,  was  the  first  structure  of  the  kind  erected  in  the 
valley.  Although  not  yet  incorporated,  the  town  contains  a  good  school 
house,  and  the  Baptists  and  Methodists  are  about  to  build  churches.  A 
block  of  ground  300  feet  square  has  been  donated  for  a  court  house  and 
county  offices,  and  the  New  Mexico  Fuel  &•  Iron  Company  have  enclosed 
sixty  acres  around  die  Estancia  Springs,  with  the  intention  of  donating  the 
tract  for  park  and  municipal  purposes,  when  the  place  shall  have  been 
incorporated.  New  settlers  are  rapidly  coming  into  the  valley,  to  Estancia 
over  the  Santa  Fe  Central,  and  also  overland,  in  the  good,,  old-fashioned 
prairie  schooner.  Colonel  George  \\ .  Harbin,  of  Waterloo.  Iowa,  has 
lately  located  a  colony  of  old  soldiers  at  Mcintosh,  in  the  valley  north  of 
Estancia. 

That  Estancia  is  abreast  of  the  rapid  growth  of  New  .Mexico  is  not  only 
evident  in  the  fact  that  she  has  an  up-to-date  newspaper  (the  News),  but 
that  in  the  fall  of  1905  she  organized  a  Board  of  Trade,  with  the  following 
officers :  President,  F.  E.  Dunlavy ;  vice-president,  H.  B.  Hawkins ; 
treasurer,  William  Mcintosh  ;  secretary,  J.  L.  Norris.  Besides  the  above, 
there  is  the  Estancia  Valley  Development  Association,  organized,  as  its 
name  indicates,  with  the  purpose  of  exploiting  the  entire  region,  and  of 
which  John  W.  Corbett  is  president  and  A.  H.  Harnett,  secretary.  Be- 
tween the  three,  as  is  well  expressed  by  a  "'special  correspondent."  "if  any- 
thing good  gets  around  Torrance  county,  it  will  have  to  hurry." 

The  town  of  Willard.  located  near  the  center  of  Torrance  count},  at 
the  junction  of  the  Santa  Fe  Central  and  the  Eastern  Railway  of  New 
Mexico,  better  known  as  the  Belen  Cut-Off,  while  still  in  its  infancy  gives 
promise  of  becoming  a  prosperous  town.  It  is  about  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  Manzano  mountains,  and  it  lies  at  an  altitude  of  over  6,000  feet. 
Willard  is  the  natural  trading  point  of  a  splendid  grazing  country,  and 
the  entire  tributary  country  is  a  large  producer  of  wool,  sheep,  cattle  and 
horses.  The  Willard  Town  and  Improvement  Company  which  owns  the 
townsite.  was  incorporated  July  25.  jqo;.  with  John  Becker  as  president; 
Wilbur  A.  Dunlavy,  vice-president:  William  M.  Berger,  secretary,  and 
Louis  C.  Becker,  treasurer.  The  town  was  named  in  honor  of  Colonel 
Willard  S.  Hopewell,  builder  of  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Railroad.  The  first 
lot  was  sold  three  days  after  the  incorporation  of  the  company,  and  the 
first  school  was  opened  in  November. 

Mountainair  is  located  at  the  summit  of  Abo  Pass,  fifteen  miles  west 
of  Willard,  on  the  Belen  Cut-Off.  It  is  at  the  base  of  the  Manzano  moun- 
tains, in  the  timber  belt  of  pine  and  cedar,  and  is  attracting  the  attention 
of  tourists.  In  this  vicinity  are  the  famous  ruins  of  the  ancient  towns 
of  \lio  and  Ouarra  which  form  a  group  with  the  Gran  Quivera.  as  all  show 
the  same  characteristics.  The  last  named,  however,  are  over  the  line  in 
Socorro  county.  The  site  of  Mountainair  is  controlled  by  the  Abo  Land 
Company. 

Torrance  is  located  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  county,  on  the 
El  Paso  Northeastern  railroad,  and  is  the  terminus  of  the  Santa  Fe  Cen- 


LOCAL  HISTORIES  8ys> 

tral.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  fine  grazing  country,  with  indications  of  valu- 
abl<  mineral  deposits  in  the  adjacent  territory.  Duran  is  a  station  on  the 
same  line,  east  of  Torrance,  and  Palma  is  a  new  town  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  county. 

The  above  places  are  all  new.  and  have  come  into  existence  with  the 
railroads.  The  older  places,  near  the  mountains,  commencing  on  the  south, 
are  as  follows :  Eastview,  Punta  de  Agna,  Marizano,  Torreon,  Tajique, 
and  Chilili,  all  of  which  have  public  schools,  and  all,  except  Eastview, 
Catholic  churches.  At  Punta  de  Agna  are  located  the  historic  ruins  of  the 
Cuaro  mission,  the  main  walls  of  which  are  standing.  Manzano  is  the 
Spanish  word  for  apple,  and  at  the  town  of  that  name  are  apple  trees 
which  the  Spaniards  found  growing  when  they  settled  there  more  than  a 
century  ago.  It  is  from  these  trees  that  both  the  town  and  the  mountains 
derive  their  names.  Pinos  Wells,  the  oldest  settlement  in  the  valley  out- 
side of  the  mountain  towns,  is  in  the  east  central  part. 

J.  W.  Harling,  a  cattleman  of  Estancia,  was  born  and  reared  in  Giles 
county,  Tennessee.  I  le  spent  three  years  in  Texas  and  came  to  the  Estan- 
cia valley  in  charge  of  cattle  of  the  New  Mexico  Land  &  Cattle  Company 
in  1883.  This  company  had  purchased  the  Antonio  Sandoval  land  grant 
of  four  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand  acres,  the  headquarters  of  the 
ranch  being  at  Antelope  Springs.  The  company  went  out  of  business  in 
1891,  and  Mr.  Harling  then  'located  on  his  present  ranch  in  Buffalo  draw, 
near  Moriarty,  New  Mexico,  where  he  engaged  in  the  sheep-raising  in- 
dustry for  seven  years.  He  then  turned  his  attention  again  to  cattle  raising, 
in  which  he  is  now  engaged. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


RAILROADS   IN   NEW  MEXICO 


The  advent  of  the  railroad  era  in  New  Mexico  in  the  year  1879  meant 
more  for  the  permanent  prosperity  and  rapid  development  of  the  Terri- 
tory than  any  other  event  of  the  century.  Transportation  is  now  "the 
key  to  population;"  upon  efficient  and  convenient  methods  of  transporta- 
tion depend  the  forces  of  industry  and  commerce  and  all  the  numerous 
factors  that  are  the  very  basis  of  modern  civilization. 

The  following  joint  resolution  of  the  Legislature,  approved  February 
13,  1880,  shows  that  the  legislature  did  not  underestimate  the  importance 
of  the  event : 

"Resolved,  That  the  legislature  of  New  Mexico  observes  with  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  the  completion  of  a  line  of  railroad  to  the  City  of  Santa  Fe,  the  capital 
of  the  territory,  and  the  rapid  extension  of  the  same  southward  through  the  great 
valley  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

"That  this  event  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  most  important  in  the  history  of 
the  Territory,  and  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  era,  in  which,  through  development  of 
its  resources  and  the  improvements  which  are  certain  to  follow  the  establishment 
of  means  of  rapid  communication  with  other  parts  of  the  country.  New  Mexico  may 
be  expected  soon  to  take  the  position  in  the  American  Union  to  which  she  is  by 
nature  justly   entitled. 

"That  in  the  celebration  of  the  advent  of  the  road  to  the  capital,  which  took 
place  on  the  9th  of  February,  1880,  participated  in  by  the  representatives  not  only 
of  the  city  of  Santa  Fe,  but  of  the  whole  Territory,  this  assembly  recognizes  an  evi- 
dence of  the  good  will  and  progressive  tendency  of  the  whole  people  with  regard 
to  the  important  improvements  and  changes  which  are  now  at  hand." 

The  importance  of  the  railroad  is  well  stated  in  Governor  Otero's 
report  for   1903.  from  which  the  following  paragraphs  are  quoted: 

"Early  in  the  spring  of  1879  it  was  the  fortune  of  the  writer  to  pass 
through  the  Territorial  empire  of  New  Mexico  from  Trindad,  Colo.,  to 
Las  Cruces  and  Silver  City,  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  the  Territory, 
tediouslv  traveling  the  entire  distance  of  upward  of  700  miles  in  old- 
fashioned  stage  coaches  at  the  rate  of  about  five  miles  an  hour.  Less  than 
two  years  later  he  passed  over  part  of  the  same  route,  but  the  slow  going 
and  toiling  stage  coach  had  disappeared,  and  he  rode  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  historic  and  resourceful  region  in  a  palace  car.  which  left  the  Missouri 
river  less  than  two  days  before  and  conveyed  its  passengers  with  as  much 
comfort  and  far  less  'fatigue  than  is  experienced  in  making  the  journey 
from  New  York  to  Chicago.  The  wonderful  rapidity  with  which  steel 
rails  had  been  extended  into  this  sparsely  settled  country  of  magnificent 
distances  was  not  more  marvelous  than  the  many  striking  manifestations 
on  every  hand  of  an  astonishing  awakening  from  the  slumber  of  two 
centuries,  attributable  to  the  inspiring  and  stimulating  influence  of  railway 
lines,  bringing  the  long-neglected  Territory  into  close  touch  with  the  en- 
lightened progress  and  fruitful  modern  methods  of  the  Eastern  states. 

"In  the  early  history  of  the  utilization  of  steam  for  transportation  pur- 


RAILROADS  397 

poses  it  was  supposed  that  a  country  must  be  settled  and  developed  before 
it  could  support  a  railway,  and  those  who  projected  new  lines  followed 
the  great  routes  which  internal  commerce  had  already  established  for  itself 
and  whose  facilities  it  had  outgrown.  The  pioneer  railway  builders  sought 
to  connect  the  large  towns,  and  to  secure  a  traffic  already  important  and 
likely  to  grow.  Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Civil  war  this  theory  was 
abandoned,  and  the  railway  has  since  been  the  advance  agent  of  civiliza- 
tion in  the  country.  It  has  pushed  out  into  countries  that  were  almost 
destitute  of  population  and  which  had  not  felt  the  stimulating  influence  of 
outside  capital,  following  close  upon  the  trails  of  government  exploring 
expeditions,  whose  reports  of  developed  natural  resources  and  descriptions 
of  scenic  and  climatic  attractions  have  been  among  its  most  important 
guides. 

"The  men  who  have  invested  in  the  construction  of  most  of  the  rail- 
ways of  the  West  have  not  done  so  because  they  believed  the  traffic  of 
the  regions  through  which  they  were  projected  was  sufficient  at  the  time 
to  support  the  enterprises,  but  because  they  were  persuaded  that  the  roads 
would  rapidly  create  a  profitable  volume  of  business  for  themselves.  These 
remarks  may  be  applied  with  peculiar  propriety  to  the  several  lines  of 
New  Mexico.  They  have  not  only  quickened  the  entire  Territory  into 
new  life,  attracting  desirable  immigration  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
and  giving  a  fresh  and  healthful  impulse  to  all  the  useful  activities  of  the 
people,  but  have  actually  created  a  large  part  of  the  traffic  that  is  already 
making  them  more  than  self-supporting,  and  insures  them  large  and 
steadily  increasing  profits  in  the  future,  thus  satisfactorily  demonstrating 
the  wisdom  of  their  projectors  and  affording  substantial  encouragement 
fur  the  early  construction  of  the  important  new  lines  projected  in  the 
Territory.  Xot  one  of  the  ten  railway  lines  in  New  Mexico  is  in  the 
hands  of  a  receiver,  and  after  passing  through  the  various  trying  vicissi- 
tudes inevitably  incident  to  the  development  of  natural  resources,  all  of 
them  have  reached  a  point  where  they  annually  show  net  earnings." 

On  the  authority  of  W.  G.  Ritch,  the  first  passenger  train  into  New 
Mexico  brought  the  Colorado  legislature  to  Otero,  February  13,  1879. 
This  train  ran  over  the  New  Mexico  &  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  now 
part  of  the  Santa  Fe  System.  By  1885  its  main  line  had  been  constructed 
a  distance  of  481  miles,  as  far  as  Deming.  Its  Santa  Fe  and  El  Paso 
branches  were  95  miles  at  the  same  date  and  other  branches,  to  Las  Vegas, 
Raton,  Carthage,  Silver  City,  Lake  Valley,  Magdalena,  comprised  104 
miles,  giving,  in  all,  this  road  a  mileage  of  680,  more  than  half  that  of  the 
entire  Territory  at  the  time. 

The  mileage  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  in  1891  is  shown  by 
the  following  table,  with  names  of  main  and  branch  lines,  date  of  con- 
struction, and  length  : 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe : 

Main  line,  north  and  south    (1879-81) 503.1 

Lamy  to   Santa   Fe    (1880) 18. 

Rincon    to   Deming    ( 1881 ) 53. 

Dillon    to    Blossburg    ( 1881 ) v 5.9 

Nutt  to  Lake  Valley    ( 1884) 13.3 

Socorro   to    Magdalena    ( 1884) 27.1 


8a8  HISTORY  OF  NEW  .MEXICO 

Magdalena   to   Kelley    (  1885  ) 3-9 

San  Antonio   to   Carthage    ( 1882) '. 9.6 

Las  Vegas  to  Hot   Springs    ( 1882) 6.4 

Hot    Springs    westward    (1887) 1.9 

Silver    City    I! ranch 48. 

690.20 

In  1903  the  Santa  Fe  System  proper  had  1,066  miles  of  railroad  actu- 
ally constructed  in  the  Territory. 

A  part  of  the  Santa  Fe  System  is  the  line  of  the  old  Atlantic  &  Pacific, 
which  was  completed  between  the  Rio  Grande  valley  and  the  Arizona 
boundary,  via  Laguna  Indian  pueblo  and  Fort  Wingate,  in  July.  1881,  this 
being  an  addition  of  167  miles  to  the  railroads  of  the  Territory. 

I'he  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway,  the  pioneer  railway  sys- 
tem of  the  Territory,  and  owning  almost  one-half  of  the  railway  mileage 
of  this  commonwealth,  in  its  main  line  and  branches  taps  the  most  fertile 
and  populous  districts,  and  has  done  much  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  future 
Sunshine  State.  The  railway  enters  the  Territory  a  short  distance  north 
of  the  station  Lynn,  in  Colfax  county,  at  an  elevation  of  7,557  feet,  and 
passes  southward  through  Colfax,  Mora,  San  Miguel.  Santa  Fe  and  Berna- 
lillo counties,  a  rich  stock,  mining  and  agricultural  country,  to  Isleta,  the 
junction  point  with  the  Santa  Fe-1'aeinc.  at  an  elevation  of  4.877  feet. 
The  important  towns  of  Raton.  Springer.  Wagon  Mound.  Las  Vegas. 
Cerrillos  and  Albuquerque  are  on  this  division,  besides  a  number  of  lesser 
settlements.  The  capital  city  of  Santa  Fe  is  connected  with  this  line  by 
an  eighteen-mile  branch  line  from  Lamy.  A  short  branch  from  Waldo 
taps  '.he  important  Madrid  coal  fields,  and  a  branch  twelve  miles  long  from 
Hebron  Station,  in  Colfax  county,  taps  the  Willow  Creek  coal  fields. 
From  Dillon,  in  Colfax  county,  a  branch  five  miles  lung  enters  the  Bloss- 
burg  and  Gardner  coal  fields.  From  Las  Vegas  a  branch  a  little  over  six 
miles  long  makes  connection  with  Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs  and  the  fan  - 
Montezuma  Hotel.  The  line  has  been  leased  and  is  now  being  operated 
as  an  electric  railway.  At  Las  Vegas  and  at  Albuquerque  the  railroad  com- 
pany has  built  magnificent  new  depots  and  a  new  depot  at  the  cost  of 
$30,000  at  Raton.  At  French,  near  Springer,  this  division  is  crossed  by 
the  Dawson  Railway,  and  at  Kennedy,  a  few  miles  south  of  Lamy,  by  the 
Santa   Fe  Central  Railway. 

From  Isleta  south  the  Santa  Fe  Railway  winds  through  the  fertile 
Rio  Grande  Valley,  an  almost  continuous  garden,  passing  the  important 
towns  of  Los  Lunas,  Belen,  Socorro.  San  Antonio,  San  Marcial,  Rincon 
and  Las  Cruces.  entering  Texas  at  the  station  of  La  Tuna,  at  an  elevation 
of  3.770  feet.  The  distance  from  Lynn  to  La  Tuna  is  485  miles.  The  first 
branch  line  south  of  Isleta  connects  Socorro  with  the  mining  town  of 
Magdalena.  a  distance  of  twenty-seven  miles. 

From  Rincon  a  branch  line  touches  the  railroad  center  of  Deming, 
where  connection,  is  made  with  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  El  Paso  & 
Southwestern  Railway.  The  terminus  of  this  branch  is  at  Silver  City,  the 
prosperous  count}'  seat  of  Grant  county.  The  length  of  this  branch  line 
is  101  miles.  From  the  Rincon  branch  at  Xutt  a  spur  has  been  built  to 
the  mining  camp  of  Lake  Valley,  thirteen  miles.  From  Whitewater  station 
a  spur  has  been  built  to  the  mining  camp  of  Santa  Rita,  in  Grant  county. 


RAILROADS  °™ 

a  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  while  from  Hanover  Junction,  on  this  branch, 
there  is  a  spur  to  Fierro,  a  distance  of  six  and  one-half  miles.  This  part 
of  the  system  from  Isleta  to  I'd  Paso,  with  its  branches,  enters  the  counties 
of  Bernalillo,  Valencia,  Socorro,  Doha  Ana.  Luna,  Grant  and  Sierra. 

From  Isleta  the  Santa  Fe-Pacific  Railroad  strikes  across  the  Conti- 
nental Divide  into  Arizona,  having  its  termini  at  San  Diego,  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Francisco.  Cal.  Gallup,  a  coal-mining  town,  is  the  principal  city 
on  this  mad  in  Xew  .Mexico.  This  line  leaves  the  Territory  near  the  sta- 
tion of  Manuelito.  The  distance  from  Isleta  to  the  Territorial  boundary 
is  i-j  miles.  The  large  railway  shops  of  the  Santa  Fe-Pacific  are  located 
at  Albuquerque,  and  shops  and  offices  are  maintained  at  Raton,  Las  \  egas 
and  San  Marcial  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railway. 

The  Santa  Fe  Railwax  Company  some  years  ago  acquired  the  Pecos 
Valley  &  Northeastern  Railway,  which  traverses  the  counties  of  Eddy, 
Chaves  ami  Roosevelt,  entering  the  Territory  from  the  south  on  the  Texas 
line,  from  there  following  the  Pecos  river  to  near  Roswell.  and  from 
thence  running  northeast  to  Roosevelt  county  out  of  the  Territory  into 
Texas  again,  in  which  state  a  junction  is  formed  with  the  Colorado  & 
Southern  Railway,  as  well  as  with  the  Southern  Kansas  &  Panhandle 
division  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  he  Railway  at  Amarillo.  The 
Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern  Railway  commands  an  immense  stock  busi- 
ness, and  in  Xew  .Mexico  passes  through  a  rich,  stock  as  well  as  agricul- 
tural region.  The  beautiful  and  prosperous  towns  of  Carlsbad,  Hagerman, 
Roswell  and  Portales  are  on  this  line,  which  is  192  miles  long  in  the 
Territi  >ry. 

In  connection  with  the  Pecos  Valley  &  Northeastern  Railway,  the 
Santa  Fe  Railway  system  has  about  completed  an  important  railway  project 
which  will  give  it  the  shortest  line  of  any  transcontinental  road  to  the 
Pacific  coast  from  Chicago  and  Kansas  City.  This  is  the  building  of  250 
miles  of  standard-gauge  railroad  from  Texico,  Roosevelt  county,  to  Belen, 
on  the  Rio  Grande,  there  to  cross  the  river,  and  a  few  miles  farther  on  to 
connect  with  the  Santa  Fe-Pacific  at  or  near  Rio  Puerco,  in  Valencia 
county.  This  line  connects  with,  die  New  Mexico  Eastern  near  Willard. 
The  New  Mexico  Eastern  is  a  subsidiary  line  of  the  Atchison.  Topeka  & 
Santa    Fe. 

Passing  or  tapping  as  it  does  seventeen  out  of  the  twenty-four  counties 
of  the  Territory,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  enjoys  a  com- 
manding position  in  the  railroad  situation  of  the  Territory,  from  which 
it  draws  a  gratifying  amount  of  passenger  and  freight  traffic.  The  rail- 
wax'  company  in  turn  is  fostering  industries  and  encouraging  immigration 
along  its  lines.  The  coal  fields,  mining  districts,  agricultural  sections, 
stock  ranges,  scenic  beauties,  historic  and  prehistoric  attractions  reached 
via  this  line  in  New  Mexico  mean  an  ever-increasing  traffic  and  revenue 
to  the  system  which  has  done  so  much  for  the  great  "Sunshine'"  Territorv. 

It  was  an  event  of  national  importance  when,  on  March  10.  1881,  all- 
rail  connection  across  the  continent,  via  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  was 
established  by  the  junction  at  Deming  of  the  two  divisions  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad.  Deming  was  also  the  point  of  junction  of  this  road 
with  the  Santa  Fe  from  the  north,  and  the  completion  of  these  two  roads 
placed  New  Mexico  in  communication  bv  the  shortest  routes  with  the 
Pacific  coast,  the  Gulf  and  the  northern  cities. 


900  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

The  Southern  Pacific  traverses  about  170  miles  in  southern  New 
Mexico,  entering  the  Territory  three  miles  west  of  El  Paso,  and  running 
through  Dona  Ana,  Luna  and  Grant  counties,  crossing  the  Arizona 
boundary  near  Stein's  Pass.  The  principal  towns  on  this  road  in  New 
Mexico  are  Deming,  where  connection  is  made  with  the  Santa  Fe  and  the 
El  Paso  &  Southwestern,  and  Lordsburg,  where  connection  is.  made  with 
the  Lordsburg  &  Hachita  and  the  Arizona-New  Mexico  railroads.  The 
road  passes  through  an  extensive  stock  country  and  touches  several  im- 
portant mining  districts. 

Almost  simultaneously  with  the  Santa  Fe  system  the  Denver  &  Rio 
Grande  railroad  entered  the  Territory  from  the  north,  near  Conejos.  A 
narrow-gauge  road,  it  enters  the  Territory  five  miles  south  of  Antonito, 
Colorado,  traversing  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba  counties,  and  near  Embudo 
enters  the  fertile  Rio  Grande  valley,  leaving  it  again  south  of  San  Ilde- 
fonso  and  making  its  terminus  at  Santa  Fe.  Santa  Fe  and  Espanola  are 
the  most  important  towns  on  this  line,  although  it  also  carries  freight  and 
passenger  traffic  for  the  town  of  Taos,  which  is  reached  by  stage,  and 
other  settlements  in  Taos  and  Rio  Arriba  counties.  The  main  line  of  the 
Denver  &  Rio  Grande,  from  Antonito  to  Durango,  goes  for  sixty-nine 
miles  through  Rio  Arriba  county,  the  principal  towns  on  this  route  being 
the  coal  camps  of  Monero  and  the  railroad  town  of  Chama.  Near  Chama 
a  branch  seventeen  miles  long  traverses  the  timber  lands  on  the  Tierra 
Amarilla  grant.  The  entire  mileage  of  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  in  New 
Mexico  was  225  miles  in  1903. 

The  Colorado  &  Southern  Railroad,  which  connects  Denver.  Colorado, 
with  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  crosses  the  northeastern  corner  of  New  Mexico, 
its  mileage  being  entirely  in  Union  county.  The  line  enters  the  Territory 
near  Emery  Gap  at  an  elevation  of  6,462  feet  and  leaves  the  Territory, 
after  traversing  it  for  eighty-three  miles,  at  Texline,  Texas,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  4,694  feet.  The  principal  towns  in  New  Mexico  on  the  Colorado  & 
Southern  are  Clayton,  the  county  seat  of  Union  county,  and  Folsom.  The 
section  traversed  is  mainly  a  stock  country. 

Next  to  the  Santa  Fe  system,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway,  with  its  allied  railroads,  has  the  greatest  amount  of  mileage  in 
the  Territory.  This  is  of  recent  construction,  the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern 
Railway  having  been  built  about  T89S  and  the  other  parts  of  the  system 
during  the  following  vears.  The  Dawson  branch  was  completed  in  1902. 
The  coming  of  this  system  is  doing  great  work  for  the  development  of  the 
hitherto  somewhat  neglected  eastern  and  east-central  portions.  New 
towns  have  sprung  up  along  the  line,  and  population  in  the  sections 
traversed  has  been  doubled. 

These  lines  cross  or  enter  Union,  Ouav,  Guadalupe,  Valencia.  Lincoln, 
Socorro,  Otero,  San  Miguel,  Mora  and  Colfax  counties,  passing-  in  a 
greater  part  through  a  wealthy  stock  country,  but  also  tapping  the  Dawson 
and  Capitan  coal  fields,  rich  mining  districts  and  fertile  agricultural  sec- 
tions. After  entering  New  Mexico  from  Texas  the  first  town  of  impor- 
tance on  the  Rock  Island  &  El  Paso  Railway  is  Tucumcari  in  Quay  county. 
near  the  Union  county  line.  Here  the  Dawson  Railwav  starts,  crossing 
the  Santa  Fe  Railway  at  French,  in  Colfax  county.  The  line  from  French 
to  Dawson  is  nineteen  miles  long,  while  the  line  from  French  to  Tucumcari 
is    in    miles.      After   Tucumcari    the   only   other   important   town    on    the 


RAILROADS  901 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  El  Paso  part  of  the  system  is  its  terminus,  Santa 
Rosa,  where  a  high  bridge  crosses  the  Pecos  river.  At  Santa  Rosa  con- 
nection is  made  with  the  El  Paso  &  Rock  Island  Railway,  which  terminates 
at  Carizozo,  in  Lincoln  county,  where  connection  is  made  with  the  El 
Paso  &  Northeastern  Railway  for  El'  Paso.  It  passes  through  a  stock  and 
mining  region.  At  the  town  of  Torrance  connection  is  made  with  the 
Santa  F'e  Central  Railway.  From  Carizozo  the  Capitan  branch  of  the 
El  Paso  &  Northeastern  runs  to  Capitan,  a  distance  of  twenty-one  miles. 
This  line  taps  the  Capitan  coal  fields'  and  the  Xogal,  Whiteoaks  and  other 
gold-mining  districts.  A  short  spur  has  been  built  to  Nogal  from  Nogal 
Springs  on  the  Capitan  branch.  From  Carizozo  the  El  Paso  &  North- 
eastern runs  to  El  Paso,  crossing  the  New  Mexico-Texas  line  south  of 
Hereford.  The  mileage  of  this  road  in  New  Mexico  is  126  miles.  The 
principal  town  on  this  line  is  the  prosperous  and  progressive  city  of  Alamo- 
gordo,  founded  only  a  few  years  ago.  At  this  point  the  wonderful  Alamo- 
gordo  &  Sacramento  Mountain  Railroad,  which  is  an  engineering  marvel, 
starts,  touching  the  settlement  of  La  Luz.  the  summer  resort  of  Cloudcroft. 
at  an  elevation  of  8.650  feet,  and  having  its  present  terminus  at  Cox 
Canyon.  This  road  was  built  to  haul  the  timber  from  the  Sacramento 
mountains  to  the  large  sawmills  at  Alamogordo.  In  its  course  of  twenty- 
eight  miles  it  climbs  from  an  elevation  of  4,320  feet  to  an  elevation  of 
8,800  feet.  At  Jarilla  Junction  a  three-mile  spur  taps  the  Jarilla  mining 
camp. 

The  Rock  Island  &  El  Paso,  the  El  Paso  &  Rock  Island  and  the  El 
Paso  &  Northeastern  railways  give  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
system  the  shortest  line  from  Chicago  and  Kansas  City  to  El  Paso  and 
Mexico,  and  by  way  of  the  Southern  Pacific  to  Los  Angeles. 

The  El  Paso  &  Southwestern  Railway  is  another  new  railroad  in  New 
Mexico,  having  been  completed  in  1003.  Its  western  terminus  is  Douglas. 
Arizona,  where  connections  are  made  with  lines  of  the  same  system  for 
Bisbee  and  Nacosari,  the  former  in  Arizona  and  the  latter  in  Mexico. 

The  length  of  the  El  Paso  &  Southwestern  line  is  250'^  miles  in 
New  Mexico.  The  road  is  finely  constructed,  having  all  the  appliances  of 
modern  railroads,  and  nowhere  has  the  work  or  material  been  skimped  or 
slighted.  The  steel  weighs  eighty  pounds  to  the  vard.  The  motive  power 
and  equipment  are  first  class  in  every  respect.  The  twenty  miles  from  El 
Paso  west  has  been  the  hardest  and  most  expensive  to  construct,  as  it 
involved  a  grade  crossing  with  the  Southern  Pacific,  the  building  of  an 
expensive  bridge  across  the  Rio  Grande,  and  the  overcoming  of  a  heavy 
grade.  The  engineering  of  this  portion  of  the  road  has  been  so  skillfully 
done,  and  the  grades  and  curves  so  distributed,  that  an  engine  can  take  an 
ordinarily  loaded  train  over  this  line  without  the  aid  of  a  helper. 

This  magnificent  piece  of  railroad  building  has  been  clone  by  the  firm 
of  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.,  in  order  to  put  its  copper  mines  at  Bisbee.  Ari- 
zona, and  Nacosari,  Mexico,  in  connection  with  competing  railroad  lines 
at  El  Paso.  Texas.  The  same  company  has  also  built  a  railroad  from 
Douglas,  which  is  in  Arizona,  near  the  Arizona-New  Mexico  line,  south 
to  Nacosari. 

The  Lordsburg  &  Hachita  road,  38*2  miles  lone,  runs  from  Lords- 
burg  to  Hachita.  entirely  in  Grant  county.  It  is  a  standard-gauge  road, 
laid  with  eighty-pound  steel.     This  road  was  built  by  the  Arizona  Copper 


902  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Company,  of  Clifton,  Arizona,  as  a  continuation  of  its  road  from  Clifton 
to  Lordsburg,  to  connect  with  the  El  Paso  &  Southwestern,  which  it  does 
at  Hachita.  This  gives  the  Arizona  Copper  Company  a  competing  freight 
outlet. 

While  the  copper  mines  that  demanded  the  building  of  these  roads 
are  in  Arizona  and  Mexico,  the  greater  part  of  the  roads  themselves  are 
in  Xew  Mexico.  These  lines  always  command  large  stock  shipments  and 
a  heavy  tonnage  in  addition  to  ore  and  fuel.  At  Deming  the  El  Paso  & 
Southwestern  connects  with  the  Santa  Fe  and  the  Southern  Pacific  lines, 
and  at  Lordsburg  the  Lordsburg  &  Hachita  line  connects  with  the  Southern 
Pacific  and  the  Arizona  &   Xew   Mexico  railways. 

The  Arizona  &  Xew  Mexico  Railway,  from  Lordsburg  to  Clifton, 
Arizona,  is  part  of  the  El  Paso  &  Southwestern  system  and  has  thirty 
miles  of  railroad  in  Xew  Mexico.  This  line  was  within  the  past  two  years 
changed  from  a  narrow  to  a  standard  gauge. 

(  hie  of  the  most  important  railway  projects  for  Xew  Mexico  in  recent 
years  is  that  of  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Railway  Company,  which  connects 
the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  and  the  Santa  Fe  systems  with  the  Rock  Island 
system.  The  last  spike  on  the  main  line  was  driven  at  Kennedy  on 
August  13,  1903.  and  the  road  is  now  in  operation  between  Santa  Fe  and 
Torrance.  Its  junction  point  with  the  Rock  Island  is  at  the  town  of  Tor- 
rance, in  Lincoln  county,  and  its  terminus  is  Santa  Fe.  At  Kennedy  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  is  crossed.  The  Santa  Fe  Central 
main  line  is  116  miles  long,  running  on  easy  grades,  varying  in  elevation 
from  ''.050  to  7,000  feet.  It  is  developing  one  of  the  richest  sections  in 
New  Mexico.  Xew  towns  have  been  laid  out,  the  principal  being  Mori- 
arty.  Estancia  and  Willard. 

The  year  1900  witnessed  the  beginning  of  an  era  of  remarkable  rail- 
road development  in  central  Xew  Mexico.  In  that  year  Colonel  Willard 
S.  Hopewell,  who  for  many  years  had  been  engaged  in  mining  and  in  the 
stock  business  in  Sierra  county,  removed  to  Albuquerque  and  brought  to 
a  successful  conclusion  his  efforts  to  organize  a  company  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  line  of  railroad  from  Santa  Fe  to  connect  with  the  El  Paso  South- 
western road.  The  company,  as  originally  organized,  was  known  as  the 
Santa  Fe,  Albuquerque  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  It  was  incorporated 
December  7,  1900.  under  the  laws  of  Xew  .Mexico  as  the  Santa  Fe  Central 
Railway  Company,  its  charter  giving  it  a  life  of  fifty  years.  The  capital 
stock-  was  $2,500,000.  Colonel  Hopewell  was  assisted  in  the  work  of  pro- 
mo; ing  this  enterprise  by  Joseph  E.  Saint,  T.  J.  McLaughlin  and  Thomas 
Helm  Upon  the  organization  of  the  company  William  H.  Andrews  was 
elected  president.  Colonel  Hopewell  first  vice-president  and  general  man- 
ager, and  W.  C.  Hagan  secretary.  In  the  spring  of  1901  the  construction 
of  the  road  was  begun  at  Kennedy,  where  the  right  of  way  crosses  the 
tracks  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  system,  work  being  carried  on 
from  that  point  north  and  south.  The  work  was  completed  and  the  road 
opened  for  traffic  in  August,  1003.  It  extends  from  Santa  Fe  to  Tor- 
rance, a  station  on  the  Fl  Paso  Southwestern  Railroad — a  distance  of  117 
miles. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  work  upon  this  line  a  new  venture  was 
promoted — the  Albuquerque  Eastern  Railwav  Company — for  the  purpose 
of  connecting  Albuquerque  with   the   Santa  Fe  Central.     Those  associated 


RAILROADS  90s 

with  Colonel  Hopewell  in  this  enterprise  and  who,  with  him,  became  the 
incorporators  were  General  Francis  J.  Torrance,  T.  Lee  Clarke,  Arthur 
Kennedy  and  W.  H.  Andrews.  The  company  was  chartered  by  the  Terri- 
tory, July  22,  1901,  for  a  period  of  fifty  years,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $2,000,- 
000.  General  Torrance  was  elected  president  and  W.  C.  Hagan  secretary. 
Soon  after  the  organization  Colonel  Hopewell  was  chosen  first  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  manager.  The  work  of  construction  was  begun  at  a 
point  near  the  southern  border  of  Santa  Fe  county  at  a  station  named 
Moriarty,  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  Santa  Fe  Central,  and  con- 
tinued westward  toward  Albuquerque.  By  the  1st  of  June,  1906,  the 
grading  had  been  completed  over  two-thirds  of  the  route  and  most  of  the 
construction  material  was  cm  hand. 

Colonel  Hopewell  and  his  associates  were  also  responsible  for  the 
organization  of  the  Torrance,  Roswell  &  Gulf  Railroad  Company,  winch 
was  incorporated  under  territorial  laws  December  30,  1904,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $2,500,000.  This  road  has  been  platted,  the  right  of  way  im- 
proved, surveys  made  and  a  portion  of  the  construction  material  pur- 
chased. The  line  will  extend,  when  completed,  from  Torrance  southeast- 
ward to  Roswell,  a  distance  of  over  one  hundred  miles,  and  from  the  latter 
point  is  planned  to  be  continued  ultimately  into  Texas. 

On  the  19th  of  December,  [904,  the  Durango,  Albuquerque  &  Gulf 
Railway  Company,  capitalized  at  $6,000,000,  was  chartered  by  the  Terri- 
tory for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  line  of  railway  from  Durango, 
Colorado,  southward  to  Albuquerque,  where  in  due  time  the  idea  of  its 
promoters  is  to  make  connections  with  the  other  roads,  both  those  built 
and  those  projected,  combining  all  into  a  system  that  will  furnish  better 
transportation  facilities  to  the  people  of  central  and  northern  New  Mexico 
and  enable  the  New  Mexico  Fuel  &  Iron  Company,  a  concern  promoted 
and  controlled  by  the  individuals  identified  with  these  various  railroad 
corporations,  to  handle  the  output  of  its  great  mines  to  better  advantage. 
The  latter  company  was  incorporated  at  Santa  Fe  April  _>i>,  1902,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $600,000.  The  officers  are:  General  Francis  J.  Torrance, 
president;  W.  11.  Andrews,  vice-president;  Colonel  W.  S.  Hopewell,  second 
vice-president  and  general  manager,  and  W.  C.   Hagan,  secretary. 

The  Pennsylvania  Development  Company,  a  New  Jersey  corporation, 
is  the  construction  company  of  all  the  railroads  mentioned,  ami  was  or- 
ganized for  that  purpose  with  Arthur  Kennedy  as  president.  Francis  J. 
Torrance  as  vice-president,  and  T.  Lee  Clarke  as  treasurer.  Some  time 
after  its  organization  Colonel  Hopewell  entered  the  company  as  its  gen- 
eral manager. 

Willard  S.  Hopewell  was  bom  in  England  in  1S48.  and  in  1863  was 
brought  to  America,  residing  for  one  vear  in  Halifax,  Xova  Scotia.  In 
young  manhood  he  engaged  in  mining  in  Central  and  South  America  and 
in  Colorado,  and  subsequently,  in  1881,  organized  the  Las  Animas  Cattle 
Company,  which  invested  a  million  dollars  in  land  and  cattle  in  Sierra 
county,  New  Mexico.  This  concern  at  one  time  owned  as  many  as  sixty 
thousand  head  of  cattle.  In  1882  Mr.  Hopewell  and  others  purchased  the 
Fresno  and  Homcstake  mines  in  Sierra,  and  afterward  developed  the 
Caledonia,  the  Hibernian  and  other  mines.  In  1891  he  organized  the 
Albuquerque  &  Eastern  Railroad  Company,  and  the  construction  of  this 
line  will  do  much  toward  the  development  of  the  natural  resources  of  the 


904  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

central  portion  of  New  Mexico  and  directly  benefit  the  entire  Territory. 
He  has  enlisted  the  support  of  a  large  amount  of  foreign  capital  in  New 
Mexico  enterprises  and  has  proved  himself  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  public-spirited  citizens  of  the  Territory. 

In  1905  Colonel  Hopewell  removed  to  Albuquerque,  and  while  re- 
taining his  extensive  stock  and  mining  interests,  most  of  his  endeavor 
since  that  time  has  been  directed  toward  the  organization  and  erection  of 
a  number  of  public  utilities  of  great  benefit  to  the  Territory,  in  which  con- 
nection he  is  associated  with  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Railway  Company, 
organized  in  1900.  the  Albuquerque  Eastern  Railroad  Company,  the  Albu- 
querque, Durango  &  Gulf  Railroad  Company,  the  Torrance,  Roswell  & 
Gulf  Railroad  Company,  the  New  Mexico  Fuel  &  Iron  Company,  which 
owns  and  operates  the  Hagan  coal  mines,  and  the  Pennsylvania  Develop- 
ment Company,  a  New  Jersey  corporation,  organized  for  the  construction 
of  these  various  railroad  lines.  These  companies  were  all  promoted  by 
Colonel  Hopewell,  and  he  acts  as  their  general  manager.  He  is  also  one 
of  the  stockholders  in  the  Commercial  Club  of  Albuquerque,  of  which  he 
serves  as  president. 

Mr.  Hopewell  is  in  his  political  views  and  adherence  a  Democrat. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  first  board  of  county  commissioners  in  Sierra 
county,  assisted  in  the  organization  of  that  county,  and  has  been  its 
representative  in  the  territorial  legislature. 

A  large  number  of  railroad  companies  have  been  incorporated  in  New 
Mexico,  the  majority  of  which  have  transacted  little  business  beyond  the 
filing  of  their  papers  with,  the  secretary  of  the  Territory.  Some  of  these 
companies  were  little  better  than  blackmailing  schemes.  Others  were 
promoted  by  men  who  may  have  had  serious  hopes  of  building  roads 
some  time  or  other. 

Two  railroad  enterprises  that  proved  nothing  better  than  "bluffs" 
were  the  following: 

January  16,  1882.  were  filed  with  the  secretary  of  the  Territory  papers 
of  incorporation  of  the  New  Mexican  Railroad.  The  capital  stock  was 
§37,000,000,  of  which  $1,455,800  was  then  reported  to  have  been  sub- 
scribed. The  incorporators  were  Henry  L.  Waldo  and  W.  W.  Griffin,  of 
Santa  Fe;  F.  A.  Manzanares,  of  Las  Vegas:  C.  C.  Wheeler,  Albert  A. 
Robinson,  George  R.  Peck,  Edward  Wilder,  A.  S.  Johnson,  Topeka,  Kan. ; 
W.  B.  Strong.  I.  T.  Burr  and  Alden  Speare,  of  Boston.  The  principal 
office  was  located  at  Santa  Fe.  Fifteen  different  routes  were  covered, 
embracing  nearly  all  the  settled  portion  of  New  Mexico. 

February  6,  1882,  the  El  Paso  &  White  Oaks  Railroad  Company  was 
incorporated,  with  these  incorporators :  I.  F.  Herlow,  J.  A.  Miller,  S.  H. 
Newman.  B.  H.  Davis.  Charles  Davis,  J.  F.  Harrison,  N.  B.  Laughlin 
and  D.  M.  Easton.  Capital  stock,  $2,000,000;  $144,000  was  then  reported 
as  subscribed.  Road  to  run  from  White  Oaks,  Lincoln  county,  passing 
north  of  Carizo  Peak  to  Carizozo  Springs;  thence  southerly,  passing 
Sierra  Blanca,  to  Tularosa :  thence  east  of  the  White  Sands  to  a  point 
about  twenty  miles  northeast  of  El  Paso,  a  distance  of  144  miles. 

A  complete  list  of  the  various  railroad  companies,  including  those 
now  in  operation,  follows  : 

Created  by  special  act  of  legislature:  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  chartered  January  24.   1857:  amount  of  capital  stock  or  life  of 


RAILROADS  905 

charter  not  given.  Kansas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona  &  California  Railroad 
and  Telegraph  Company,  chartered  December  30.  1863,  with  $50,000 
capital  stuck.  New  Mexican  Railway  Company,  chartered  February  2, 
i860:  capital  stock,  $500,000. 

These  roads  chartered  under  the  general  incorporation  laws,  with  the 
place  of  business,  dates  of  the  filing  of  their  certificates  and  capital  stock, 
were  : 

Alamogordo  and  Sacramento  Mountain  Railway  Company,  Hueco,  March  24, 
1898,  $75,000. 

Alamogordo  Street  Railway  and  Land  Company,  Alamogordo,  April  11,  1903, 
$50,000. 

Albuquerque,  Copper  City  and  Colorado  Railroad  Company,  Albuquerque,  Sep- 
tember 5.  1883,  $1,000,000. 

Albuquerque  Eastern  Railway  Company,   Albuquerque,  July  22,   1901,  $2,000,000. 

Albuquerque    Electric    Street    Railroad    Company,    Albuquerque,     April     25,     1891, 

,pOX>,00O. 

Albuquerque  Railway  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  May  14,  1880., 
$5,000. 

Albuquerque    Street    Railway    Company,    Albuquerque,   June    13,    1896,   $50,000. 
Albuquerque  Traction   Company.   Albuquerque,  August  25,    1903,   $250,000. 
Arizona   and    Colorado   Railroad    Company   of   New    Mexico,    Gallup,    October   6, 

1904,  $5,000,000. 

Arizona  Eastern  Railway  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Lordsburg,  October  6,  1904, 
$1,000,000. 

Arizona  and  New  Mexico  Railway  Company.  Lordsburg,  August  I,  1883, 
$1,500,000. 

Arkansas  Valley  and  Cimarron  Railway  Company.  Cimarron.  November  12,  1872, 
$2,500,000. 

Atchison  and  Topeka  Railroad  Company  (Kansas)  Santa  Fe.  February  11,  1859. 
$1,500,000. 

Atchison.  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company  (Kansas)  Las  Vegas,  De- 
cember 12.  1895,  $233,486,000. 

Atlantic  and  Pacific  Extension  of  the  Albuquerque  Street  Railroad  Company, 
Albuquerque.  January  11,  1881,  $5,000. 

Brazos  Valley  Land  and  Railway  Construction  Company,  Las  Vegas,  November 
22,    1880.  $500,000. 

California  Short  Line  Railway  of  New  Mexico.  Las  Cruces.  December  16,  1902, 
$1,250,000. 

Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  of  California  (California),  Deming,  August 
8,   1881,  $8,500,000. 

Cerillos  Coal  Railroad  Company.  Santa   Fe,  January  9,  1892,  $2,500,000. 

Cerrillos  and   Southern  Railway   Company,   Santa   Fe,  January  7,   1882.  $60,000. 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Choctaw  Railway  Company.  Alamogordo,  January  26, 
1903.  $1,500,000. 

Chicago.  Rock  Island  and  El  Paso  Railway  Company,  Alamogordo.  December 
18.   1900,  $7,500,000. 

Chihuahua  Eastern  Railway  Company,  Albuquerque.   February  2.   1892,  $1,500,000. 

Chihuahua  and  Sierra  Madra  Railway  Company,  Deming.  February  22,  1889, 
$8,000,000. 

Clifton  and  Lordsburg  Railway  Company.  Lordsburg,  February  17,  1900,  $500,000. 

Cimarron  River  and  Taos  Valley  Railway  Company,  Raton,  November  5,  1904. 
$1,000,000. 

Cororodo.    Columbus    and    Mexican    Railroad    Company,    Deming,    February    15, 

1905,  $5,000,000. 

Cochiti  and  Northwestern  Railway  Company,  Thornton.  March  24,  1900,  $1,500.- 
000. 

Colorado  and  Southern  Railway  Company  (Colorado),  Clayton,  December  19, 
1898,  $48,000,000. 

Columbus.  New  Mexico  and  Cliicago  Railway  Company,  Columbus,  February  23, 
1893.  $5,000,000. 

Columbus  and  Northern  Railway  Company,  Columbus,  March  14,  1899,  $525,000. 


906  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Dawson  Railway  Company,  Alamogcrdo.  July  13.  1901.  $3,000,000. 

Deming  and  Clifton  Railroad  Company,  Silver  City,  January  23.   1883.  $2,500,000. 

Deming,  Sierra  Madra  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Deming,  October  21,.  1887, 
$1,000,000. 

Deming  and  Utah  Railway  Company,  Deming,  January  5,  1892,  $3,000,000. 

Denver  and  New  Orleans  Railroad  Company  (Colorado),  Las  Vegas.  January 
25,  1881,  $15,000,000. 

Denver  and  New  Orleans  Railway  Company,  Springer.  December  22.  1881. 
$1,200,000. 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railway  Company.  Santa  Fe,  November  28,  1870 
$2,500,000. 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railway  Company  (Colorado),  Santa  Fe,  April  13,  1X71. 
$2,500,000. 

Denver  and  Rio  Grande  Railway  Company  (Colorado),  Santa  Fe.  February  8. 
1878.  $2,500,000. 

Same   Company    (New   Mexico).   February   8.   1878,  $1,000,000. 

Same  Company    (Colorado).   Chama,  July    14.   1886.  $73,500,000. 

Denver,  Texas  and  Fort  Worth  Railroad  Company  (Colorado),  Las  Vegas; 
April   12,   1887,  $30,000,000. 

Denver.  Texas  and  Gulf  Railroad  Company  (Colorado),  Las  Vegas,  May  29, 
1885.  $15,000,000. 

Durango,  Albuquerque  and  Gulf  Railway  Company,  Albuquerque,  December  12. 
1904,  $6,000,000. 

Durango  Southern  Railroad  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Santa  Fe,  June  2,  1883, 
$1,500,000. 

Eastern  Railway  Company  of  New  Mexico.  Las  Vegas,  October  30.  1902 
$9,625,000. 

El  Paso  and  Durango  Railroad  Company.   Santa  Fe.  December  13,  1904.  $8oo.oo< 

El  Paso  and  New  Mexico  Railroad  Company.  Mesilla.  October  14.  1882.  $18,000. 

El  Paso  and  Northeastern  Railway  Company,  Santa  Fe,  October  21,  1897, 
$2,700,000. 

El  Paso,  Pecos  Valley  and  Eastern  Railway  Company,  Roswell.  October  24,  1900, 
$7,811,500. 

El  Paso  and  Rio  Grande  Railroad  and  Telegraph  Company,  Santa  Fe.  November 
18,   1 87 1.  $50,000,000. 

El  Paso  and  Rock  Island  Railway  Company,  Alamogordo,  December  11,  1000. 
$2,500,000. 

El  Paso  and  Southwestern  Railroad  Company  (Arizona),  (formerly  South- 
western Railroad  Company  of  Arizona).  Deming,  October  19.   1900,  $7,000,000. 

El  Paso.  St  Louis  and  Chicago  Railway  and  Telegraph  Companv  of  New 
Mexico.  Las  Cruces.  October  6.  1SS5.  $1,800,000. 

El  Paso  and  White  Oaks  Railroad  Company  of  New  Mexico.  Las  Cruces.  Feb- 
ruary 2.   1882,  $2,000,000. 

El  Paso  and  White  Oaks  Railway  Company,  White  Oaks,  September  16,  1897, 
$2,600,000. 

Gulf.  Albuquerque  and  Northwestern  Railroad  Company,  Albuquerque,  Novem- 
ber 5.  18S6.  Si 5.000.000. 

Gulf.  Brazos  Valley  and  Pacific  Railway.  Las  Vegas,  January  31,  1890.  $10,000,000. 

Gulf.  Rio  Grande  and  Pacific  Railway  and  Construction  Company,  Deming,  July 
13,   1806.  $6,500,000. 

Hanover  Railroad  Company.  Santa  Fe.  May  1.  1890.  $70,000. 

Jemez  Valley  Hot  Springs  Railroad  Company.  Santa  Fe,  January  6,  iS8r, 
$300,000. 

Kansas  Citv.  El  Paso  and  Mexican  Railroad  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Las  Cruces, 
June  19,  1888.  $2,800,000. 

Kansas.  Texas  and  Mexican  Railway  Company  (Kansas),  Lawrence,  Kas.,  Jan- 
uarv  27,   18S8,  $50,000,000. 

Lake  Valley  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  September  25,  1S82,  $600,000. 

Las  Cruces  and  Organs  Railroad  Company.  Las  Cruces,  April  5,   1890,  $300,000. 

Las  Vegas  Belt  Line  Street  Railway  Company.  Las  Vegas.  April  13,  1882,  $100,000. 

Las  Vegas  and  Gulf  Railroad  Company.  Las  Vegas.  October  19,  1882,  $4,000,000. 

Las  Vegas  and  Hot  Springs  Electric  Railway,  Light  and  Power  Company,  Las 
Vegas.  May  2,  1901,  $350,000. 


RAILROADS  907 

Las  Vegas  and  Hot  Springs  Street  Railroad  Company,  Las  Vegas,  August  II, 
1880,  $50,000. 

Las   Vegas   Street   Railway   Company,  Las  Vegas,  December  20,   18S0,  $100,000. 

Lordsburg  and  Clifton   Railroad  Company,   Santa   Fe,  July  24,   1882,  $1,400,000. 

Lordsburg  and  Hachita   Railroad  Company,  Lordsburg,  August  8,   1901,  $500,000. 

Las  Vegas  Railway  and  Power  Company,  Las  Vegas,  September  13,  1905, 
$200,000. 

Las  Vegas,  Mora  and  Taos  Railway  Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  5,  1898, 
$1,700,000. 

Lordsburg  and   Pyramid   Railroad   Company,   Lordsburg,  May  28,   1906.   $60,000. 

Maxwell  Land  Grant  and  Railway  Company,  Cimarron,  May  12,  1870.  $5,000,000. 

Mesilla  Valley,  White  Oaks  and  Eastern  Railway  Company,  Las  Cruces,  Feb- 
ruary  11,   1888,  $5,000,000. 

Mexican  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  Limited,  Deming,  July  5,  1892, 
$1,000,000. 

Mexican    Pacific   Railway    Company,    Deming.    February   24,    1891,   $1,000,000. 

Mexican  Southern  Railway  Company  (formerly  Mexican  and  Guatemala  Coloni- 
zation and  Railway  Company),  Santa   Fe.  $10,000,000. 

Mississippi,  Albuquerque  and  Inter-Ocean  Railway  Company,  Albuquerque,  De- 
cember 28,  1881,  $35,000,000. 

Mississippi  Valley  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  November  1,  1869, 
$40,000,000. 

New  Mexican  Railroad  Company,   Santa  Fe,  January   16,   1882,  $37,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Central  Railroad   Company,  Santa  Fe,  January  15,   1872,  $10,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Central  and  Southern  Railway  Company,  Socorro,  May  9,  1881, 
$7,500,000. 

New  Mexico,  Chihuahua  and  Southern  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  February 
26,  1880,  $1,800,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Colorado  Grand  Trunk  Railway,  Santa  Fe,  February  21,  1872, 
$12,000,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Gulf  Railway  Company,  Santa  Fe,  February  21,  1872,  $20,000,000. 

New    Mexico   Midland    Railway   Company,    Santa    Fe,   June    II,    1904,   $500,000. 

New  Mexico  Northern  Railway  Company,  Albuquerque,  December  1,  1902, 
$1,000,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  Raton,  September  29,  1902,  $1,750,000. 

New  Mexico  Railroad  Development  and  Land  Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  7, 
1897,  $5,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Railway  and  Coal  Company  (New  Jersey),  White  Oaks,  May  5, 
1897,  $4,000,000. 

New   Mexico  Railway   Company,    Santa   Fe,   December   24.    1877,   $10,000,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Southern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  February  6, 
187S,  $9,500,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Western  Railroad  Company,  Las  Vegas,  April  5,  1897,  $2,500,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Western  Railway  Company,  Maxwell  City,  December  9,  1895, 
$2,500,000. 

Northern  New  Mexico  and  Gulf  Railway  Company,  El  Rito.  September  21, 
1905,  $300,000. 

Organ   Mountain   Railroad   Company,  Las   Cruces,   January  30,   1882,  $400,000. 

Pecos  Railway  Construction  and  Land  Company  (Colorado),  Carlsbad,  April 
2,  1897,  $100,000. 

Pecos  Valley  and  Northeastern  Railroad  Company,  Carlsbad,  June  14,  1897, 
$6,324,000. 

Pecos  Valley  and  Northeastern  Railroad  Company,  Carlsbad,  June  14,  1897, 
$6,324,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Railway  Company  (Consolidation  of  Pecos  Valley  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  Pecos  Northern  Railroad  Company),  Albuquerque,  August  27,  1890, 
$8,000,000. 

Ralston  City  and  Gila  River  Railroad  Company,  Las  Cruces,  July  5,  1870,  $1,500,- 
000. 

Rio  del  Norte  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  Fernando  de  Taos,  March  13, 
1872,  $2,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  and  Cochiti  Railway  Company  (formerly  Santa  Fe  and  Cochiti  Rail- 
way Company),  Santa  Fe,  May  2,  1895,  $250,000. 


%8  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Raton  Gas   and   Railway  Company,   Raton,    November   n,   1894,  $100,000. 
Rio    Grande   Valley  "Electric    Railway    Company,     Las     Cruces,     March    4,     1905, 
$1,000,000. 

Rio   Grande  and   Hot   Springs   Street   Rail    Road    Company,    Socorro,    September 

17,  1883,  $25,000. 

Rio  Grande,  Mexico  and   Pacific   Railroad   Extension   Company,   Santa   Fe,   April 

18,  1881,  $1,000,000. 

Rio   Grande,   Mexico  and   Pacific   Railroad   Company,    Santa   Fe,   June   19,    1880, 
$20,000,000. 

Same  Company,   Santa  Fe,  April   18,  1881,   $20,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  and  Pagosa  Springs  Railroad  Company  in  New  Mexico,  Rio  Arriba 
County,  February  4,  1895,  $25,000. 

Rio    Grande    Railroad    and    Telegraph    Company,    Santa    Fe,    February     1,     1870, 
$20,000,000. 

Rio  Grande,  Silver  City  and  Western  Railroad   Company,   Silver  City,  June   13, 
1881,  $500,000. 

Rio  Grande  and  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,    July    I,    1895,    $375,000. 

Rio    Grande    and    Southwestern    Railroad    Company,    Lumberton,    February    23, 
1903,  $150,000. 

Rio  Grande  and  Utah  Railway  Company.   Santa   Fe.  January  25,   1888,  $4,500,000. 

St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Raton,   

1905. 

San  Antonio  and  Carthage  Railway   Company,   Socorro,  June  1,   1904,  $140,000. 

San  Antonio  and  Eastern  Railway  Company,  San  Antonio,  June  8,  1904,  $240,000. 

Santa    Fe    Central    Railway    Company    (formerly    Santa    Fe,    Albuquerque    and 
Pacific  Railroad   Company),   Santa   Fe,   December   7,   1900,   $2,500,000. 

Santa   Fe  and   Denver   Railroad   Company,   Santa   Fe,   May  4,   1880,  $250,000. 

Santa   Fe  and  Mexican  Pacific   Railway  Company    (formerly   International   Grant 
Trunk  Railway  Company),  Santa  Fe,   March  3,   1883,  $25,000,000. 

Santa  Fe  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe.  July  8.  1881,  $30,000. 

Santa  Fe  Railway  Company,  Santa  Fe,  October  6,  1000,  $250,000. 

Santa  Fe  and  San  Juan  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  August  14,  1876,  $500,000. 

Santa  Fe  Southern   Railway  Company,   Santa   Fe,  January  24,    1889,  $1,200,000. 

Santa   Fe   Street   Railroad   Company,    Santa   Fe,    August   6,    1881,   $25,000. 

Santa   Fe  Street  Railway  Company  Santa   Fe,  July  23,   1886  $40,000. 

Silver  City,  Deming  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Silver  City,  March  23, 
$10,000,000. 

Silver  City  and  Northern  Railroad  Company,  Silver  City,  March  13,  1891,  $100,000. 

Silver  City,   Pinos   Altos  and  Mogollon   Railroad   Company,   Silver   City,   August 
24,  1889,  $300,000. 

Silver  City  and  Pinos  Altos  Railroad  Company,  Silver  City,  April  3,  1888,  $100,000. 

Silver    City    Railroad    and    Telegraph    Company,    Santa    Fe,    November    7,    1872, 
$2,000,000. 

Santa  Rita  Railroad  Company,   Santa   Fe,  December  24,  1897.  $50,000. 

St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  Raton,  February  25, 
1905.  $2,250,000. 

St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  and  Pacific  Railway  Company,  Raton,  June  26,   1905, 
$3,500,000. 

Santa  Fe,  Raton  and  Eastern  Railroad  Company,  Raton,  February  9,  1905,  $300, 
000. 

Sloan,    San    Felipe    and    Western    Railway    Company,    Santa    Fe.    December    19, 
1903.   $250,000. 

Socorro  Railro?d   Company.   Socorro,   December  6,   1881,  $75,000. 

Socorro   Street  Railway   Company,  Socorro,  June   11,   1881,  $50,000. 

Sonora,  Sinaloa  and  Chihuahua  Railway  and  Development  Company  (California) 
Graham,  November  16,  1899,  $1,250,000. 

Southern    Pacific    Railroad    Company    (California),     Deming,     March     10.     1902 
$l59.4SS.ooo. 

Southern   Pacific   Railroad   Company  of  New   Mexico,   Santa   Fe,   April   14,   1879, 
$10,000,000. 

Southwestern  Lumber  and   Railway  Company   (formerly  United  States  Land  and 
Colonization  Company),  Fort  Bascom.  August  28,  1875.  $7,300,000. 

Southwestern  Railroad  of  New  Mexico,   Deming,  May  21,   1001,  $2,000,000. 


RAILROADS  909 

Torrance,  Roswell  and  Gulf  Railway  Company,  Albuquerque,  December  30,  1904, 
$2,500,000. 

Texas,  Santa  Fe  and  Northern  Railroad  Company,  Santa  Fe,  December  10,  1880, 
$12,000,000. 

Trinidad  and  Rocky  Mountain  Railroad  Company  (Colorado),  Raton,  Decem- 
ber II,  1888,  $3,000,000. 

Union  Pacific,  Denver  and  Gulf  Railway  Company  (Colorado),  Folsom,  April 
I,   1890,  $36,000,000. 

United   States   Central  Railway  Company,   Cimarron,  July   14,    1871,  $10,000,000. 

United  States  Railroad  Development  and  Land  Company,  Mora,  December  2, 
1895,  $1,000,000. 

White  Oaks  and  Kansas  City  Railway  Company,  Santa  Fe,  January  19,  1898, 
$4,000,000. 

Western  Pacific  Railroad  Company  (California),  San  Francisco,  August  8,  1881, 
$5,400,000. 

Zuni   Mountain   Railway    Company.,    Albuquerque,   August   29,    1891,   $1,000,000. 

The  total  number  of  railroads  chartered  to  transact  business  in  New 
Mexico,  including  those  which  had  previously  been  incorporated  in  an- 
other state  or  territory,  has  been  one  hundred  and  fifty-four,  and  the  sum 
total  of  the  authorized  capital  stock  of  all  these  corporations  was  $1,218,- 
234,000. 

A  corporation  styled  "The  New  Mexico  Telegraph  Company  was 
authorized  by  act  of  the  legislature  in  1867.  The  incorporators  named  in 
the  charter  were  Theodore  Adams,  Thomas  Wilson,  Lucien  Scott,  John  D. 
Perry,  Miguel  E.  Pino,  Francisco  Perea.  Charles  B.  Morehead,  Jr.,  Miguel 
A.  Otero,  Thomas  Carney,  Ambrosio  Armijo  and  their  associates.  The 
company  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of  "buying,  building:,  owning  and 
operating  a  telegraph  line  from  some  point  within  a  state  or  territory 
lying  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains  to  Santa  Fe  and  such  other  points  as  the 
said  company  may  desire."  This  was  the  first  telegraph  company  chartered 
in  New  Mexico.  It  was  permitted  to  have  a  capital  stock  of  $2,000,000. 
The  act  was  repealed  January  18,  1868. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


A  BRIEF  GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

BY    \V.    G.    TIGHT,    PH.   D.,   UNIVERSITY   OF   NEW   MEXICO,    ALBUQUERQUE. 

In  presenting  a  brief  geological  history  of  New  Mexico  in  such 
terms  that  those  who  have  not  had  special  technical  geological  training 
may  understand  this  history,  through  which  the  Territory  has  passed, 
it  seems  necessary  to  give  a  few  fundamental  facts  of  general  geology  as 
a  basis  for  a  more  particular  application  to  New  Mexico. 

Our  historic  records,  dating  back  to  the  early  Spanish  occupancy, 
two  or  three  hundred  years  ago,  indicate  that  this  region  was  inhabited 
by  man,  probably  for  centuries  before  that  time,  and  there  is  still  evi- 
dence of  a  people  that  inhabited  this  region  in  remote  times,  in  the  ex- 
tensive and  magnificent  ruins  that  are  scattered  throughout  this  region. 
Perhaps  this  interval  of  time  might  amount  to  a  thousand  or  two,  or 
possibly  ten  thousand  years,  and  yet  long  as  this  may  seem,  it  takes  us 
back  into  geological  history  but  a  day. 

The  features  of  the  earth,  the  hills  and  valleys,  the  arid  climate, 
the  animals  and  the  plants  all  were  similar  to  those  of  the  present  time. 
It  is  necessary  to  properly  understand  geological  history  to  almost  lose 
sight  of  the  question  of  time,  as  measured  in  thousands  of  years,  and  go 
back  into  hundreds  of  thousands,  millions  and  perhaps  billions  of  years 
ago.  All  geological  processes  are  slow  in  their  operation  and  while  great 
changes  have  been  produced  in  the  structure  and  face  of  the  earth's  surface, 
it  has  taken  great  intervals  of  time  to  produce  these  changes.  Again, 
the  poet  speaks  of  the  eternal  and  everlasting  hills,  but  the  geologist 
speaks  of  the  hills  and  the  mountains  as  the  most  unstable  and  most 
rapidly  destroyed  of  all  of  the  land  forms.  Every  rain  storm  passing  over 
the  great  mountain  lands,  carries  down  more  or  less  of  the  earth  and  sand 
and  rock  to  the  lower  level.  The  higher  the  mountain,  as  a  rule,  the 
greater  the  precipitation  on  its  sides  and  therefore,  the  more  rapidly  is  the 
mountain  torn  down.  This  process,  called  erosion,  continuing  for  count- 
less centuries,  will  eventually  wear  away  the  mountain  mass  and  reduce 
what  was  a  great  mountain  system  with  its  base,  perhaps,  resting  upon 
a  mighty  plateau,  hundreds  or  even  thousands  of  feet  above  sea-level,  to 
a  more  or  less  level  plain,  rising  scarcely  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
This  process  of  erosion  of  mountain  masses  and  mighty  plateaus  to 
nearly  level  plains  has  taken  place  not  only  once  but  many  times  in  the 
history  of  the  world.  Erosion,  then,  is  the  great  force  which  is  constantly 
tending  to  reduce  the  elevations  of  the  land,  which  are  above  the 
sea,  to  the  level  of  the  ocean.  If  there  were  no  other  forces  operating 
in  the  earth,  tending  to  elevate  the  great  masses  of  its  crust  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean,  its  surface  would  be  covered  with  a  universal 
sea.     Besides   the   erosion  which  is  produced  by  the   falling  rain  and  the 


GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY    •  Oil 

running  off  of  the  waters  in  brooklets,  streams  and  rivers,  the  ocean 
itself  is  ever  beating  its  waves  against  the  margins  of  the  continent  and 
wearing  back  the  coast  lines,  carrying  the  sands  and  gravels  out  into 
the  deeper  waters  and  cutting  off,  like  a  great  saw,  all  that  part  of  the  land, 
which  is  above  the  ocean. 

In  the  course  of  long  geological  time,  the  ocean  itself,  through  its 
wave  action,  would  plane  down  the  continent  and  so  reduce  the  land  area 
that  all  would  be  universal  ocean.  If  a  well  is  drilled  into  the  earth 
at  anv  point  on  its  surface,  to  a  considerable  depth  and  then  a 
thermometer  is  introduced  into  the  well,  it  is  found  that  the  temperature 
of  the  earth  increases  toward  the  center.  This  increase  in  tem- 
perature amounts  on  the  average  to  about  one  degree  for  every  fifty 
feet  of  depth.  It  is  therefore  a  well  established  fact  that  at  no  great 
depth  below  the  surface  of  the  earth,  the  temperature  must  be  equal 
to  that  of  molten  rock,  and  that  the  very  interior  portions  of  the  earth 
must  have  almost  inconceivably  high  temperatures.  If  it  were  not  for 
the  fact  that  the  pressure  also  increases  with  depth  into  the  interior 
of  the  earth,  it  would  be  true  that  the  interior  of  the  earth  would  be 
in  a  molten  condition.  With  the  high  increase  of  pressure  it  is  prob- 
ably true  that  the  earth  may  be  considered  for  all  practical  purposes 
as  solid.  However,  if  from  any  cause,  such  as  the  production  of  a  great 
crack  or  fissure,  running  out  into  the  earth,  that  pressure  should  be  re- 
lieved, the  interior  portion  would  become  immediately  fluid  and  would  be 
forced  out  upon  the  surface.  That  molten  material  from  the  interior  of 
the  earth  has  been  in  past  geological  ages  and  is  at  the  present  time 
being  spread  out  upon  its  surface,  is  manifest  from  the  great  lava  flows 
that  cover  certain  portions  of  our  own  territory  and  are  pour- 
ing out  from  great  volcanoes  of  the  earth  today.  The  earth,  itself,  is  a 
highly  heated  sphere,  only  cooled  down  upon  its  outer  surface,  and 
it  is  constantly  radiating  its  heat  into  the  space  which  surrounds  it.  It 
is  the  law  of  cooling  bodies  that  as  they  lose  their  heat  they  contract 
in  volume.  The  earth,  then,  must  be  also  contracting  in  volume  in  obedi- 
ence to  this  law.  but  it  is  such  a  large  body  that  the  loss  of  heat  from 
its  surface  is  not  uniform  over  all  areas.  The  heat  would  be 
given  up  to  the  water  on  the  oceans'  floors  more  rapidly  than  it  would 
be  given  up  to  the  air  over  the  land  areas,  and  from  many  other  causes 
there  might  be  a  difference  in  radiation  over  large  areas  of  the  earth. 
This  would  mean  that  the  areas  which  lose  their  heat  most  rapidly  would 
be  subject  to  greater  contraction  and  therefore  there  must  be  developed 
through  the  mass  of  the  earth  great  strains  and  stresses,  as  these  great 
masses  tend  to  approach  the  state  of  equilibrium  the  ocean  areas  con- 
tracting more  rapidly  than  the  land  areas  would  tend  to  sink  deeper  into 
the  bodv  of  the  earth  and  the  land  areas  to  rise  higher  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  The  outer  portion  of  the  earth  being  so  much  cooler  and  more 
rigid  than  the  inner  portion  it  is  evidently  true  that  as  the  whole  earth 
contracts  in  losing  its  heat  into  space,  the  inner  portion  will  contract 
more  rapidly  than  the  outer  portion  and  therefore  the  outer  portion  must 
be  wrinkled  and  crumpled  in  order  to  fit  closely  onto  the  interior  por- 
tion. This  wrinkling  and  crumbling  on  the  outer  portion  of  the  sphere  has 
resulted  time  and  time  again  in  the  world's  history  in  elevating  great 
areas    of   its    crust   thousands   and   thousands   of    feet   above   the    level   of 


912  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  sea,  or  in  other  words  has  produced  through  geological  time  great 
systems  of  mountains  over  all  parts  of  its  surface. 

It  is  known  that  the  levels  of  the  continent  above  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  are  not  constant,  that  sometimes  the  great  continental  land  areas 
move  upward  and  their  elevation  above  the  sea  is  increased,  and  again 
for  long  periods  of  time  they  gradually  move  downward  and  the  sea  gradu- 
ally encroaches  upon  the  continents,  and  that  many  times  in  geological 
history  the  ocean  has  covered  that  portion  of  the  earth's  surface  which 
is  now  known  as  the  great  continents,  so  that  it  may  be  understood  that 
there  is  only  a  limited  portion  of  the  continent  which  has  not  been 
many  times,  in  geological  history,  below  the  surface  of  the  ocean  and 
again  and  again  far  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  We  have  said  that 
the  ocean  is  constantly  sawing  away  at  the  coastlines  and  car- 
rying the  sands  and  the  sediments  far  out  over  its  floors.  The 
ocean  is  also  the  great  mother  of  life.  It  is  teeming  with  animal  forms 
that  secrete  lime  skeletons  or  shells.  Countless  generations  of 
these  forms  live  and  die.  and  their  skeletons  and  shells  accumulate  on 
the  ocean  floor  to  be  later  solidified  into  what  is  known  as  the  limestone 
rocks  of  the  mountains  and  continents.  The  ocean  floor  is  therefore  a 
great  field  of  the  earth  where  the  sediments  of  the  land  and  the  remains 
of  ocean  life  accummulate.  Then  in  the  history  of  geological  time  what 
is  at  one  time  ocean  floor  becomes  land  area.  These  sediments  and  de- 
posits make  what  are  known  as  the  stratified  rocks  of  the  earth.  On  every 
continent  if  the  thickness  of  these  rocks  is  measured  it  is  found  that  it 
amounts  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  feet.  It  must  be  true,  that  in  the 
building  of  the  earth,  when  a  good  portion  of  its  surface  is  below  the 
ocean  then  the  stratified  rocks  are  being  formed,  and  when  that  portion  is 
elevated  above  the  ocean  these  stratified  rocks  are  again  being  worn  down 
by  erosion  and  carried  back  into  the  sea  to  form  parts  of  other  sedimentary 
beds.  Such  an  area,  passing  the  second  time  under  the  ocean,  would 
again  become  a  field  of  sedimentation,  but  there  would  be  a  line  of  de- 
markation  between  the  first  sedimentary  beds  and  the  second  which  would 
represent  a  long  land  period  of  erosion.  Such  a  line  of  demarkation  is 
called  by  geologists  an  unconformity.  A  plain  of  unconformity  always 
represents  the  period  when  the  region  was  above  the  sea  as  a  land  area. 

From  the  foregoing  it  must  appear  that  the  first  sediments  or  rocks 
to  be  formed  must  be  at  the  bottom  of  the  pile  and  those  last  formed 
at  the  top.  so  that  the  order  of  geological  history  of  deposition  can  be 
determined  by  the  relative  position  of  the  different  stratified  rocks. 
Geologists  have  studied  most  of  the  stratified  rocks  of  the  earth 
and  have  determined  the  order  of  super-position  and  it  has  been  found 
that  these  rocks  formed  a  more  or  less  uniform  series  from  bottom  to 
top,  interrupted  at  certain  points  by  great  plains  of  unconformity.  The 
age  when  any  particular  rock  was  formed  can  be  determined  if  its  posi- 
tion in  this  series  is  known.  There  must  have  been  a  time  in  the 
world's  history,  away  back  in  the  beginning  of  things,  when  this  present 
process  had  its  start.  This  great  series  of  stratified  rocks,  wherever 
studied  on  the  earth,  is  found  to  rest  upon  older  rocks  which  are  called 
igneous,  because  they  are  not  stratified  and  show  evidence  of  having  crys- 
tallized from  the  molten  condition.  Such  rocks  are  known  as  granites, 
syeanites  and  are  called   also  crystalline   rocks   as   distinguished   from  the 


GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY 


913 


sandstones,  slates,  shales,  limestones  and  marks  of  the  sedimentary  series. 
For  convenience  of  reference,  this  great  series  of  sedimentary  rocks, 
resting  upon  the  crystalline  rocks  below,  has  been  divided  into  what  is 
known  as  systems,  and  the  division  of  time  in  which  each  system  of  rocks 
was  made  known  as  an  era.  This  classification  of  the  rocks  is  shown 
in  the  accompanying  table.  It  will  be  understood  that  whenever  any  system 
of  rocks  was  being  formed,  that  particular  region  must  have  been  under  the 
sea.  It  is  true  that  some  deposits  are  made  on  the  land  surface,  in 
lakes  and  by  rivers  and  even  by  the  action  of  the  wind  in  dust  storms, 
but  these  are  small  compared  to  the  great  formations  that  are  built  under 
the    ocean. 

We  may  recognize,  then,  three  large  classes  of  the  rocks  which  com- 
pose the  surface  of  our  territory,  e.  g.,  the  crystalline  rocks,  including 
granites,  syenites,  porphyry  and  sometimes  basalt,  diorite  and  the  so-called 
green-stones ;  the  volcanic  lavas,  known  as  pumice  obsidian  and  trachyte ; 
and  the  sedimentary  rocks,  sandstones,  limestones,  shales,  clays  and 
gravels. 

GENERAL    TABLE   OF    THE    GEOLOGIC    TIME    DIVISIONS. 

Group  and  Era.   Systems  and  Period.         Series  and  Epochs. 


(  Quater 


S  Recent. 

(  Pleistocene. 

/  Pliocene. 
)  Miocene. 
i  Oligocene. 
\  Eocene. 


Cretaceous. 


Jurassic. 
Triassic. 


(  Upper. 
'  Middle. 
'  Lower. 


Paleozoic. 


/  Carboniferous. 

/  Devonian. 
j  Silurian. 
/  Ordovian. 
v  Cambrian. 


j  Carboniferous,  or  Pennsylvanian. 
Subcarboniferous,  or  Mississippian. 


Archaenzoic.       J  Granites  and  Shists. 


A  glance  at  the  above  table  will  show  that  our  geological  time  is  divided 
into  the  archaeozoic,  paleozoic,  mesozoic  and  cenozoic  eras.  In  point  of  time 
the  archaeozoic  era  was  probably  longer  than  all  of  the  subsequent  eras,  the 
paleozoic  many  times  longer  than  all  the  mesozoic  and  cenozoic,  and  the 
mesozoic,  than  the  senenozoic.     The  paleozoic  era  is  divided  into  the  cam- 


914  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

brian,  silurian,  devonian  and  carboniferous  ages.  The  cambrian  and  silurian 
ages  are  known  as  the  ages  of  invertebrates  or  mollusks,  when  only  shell 
fishes  lived  in  the  oceans.  The  devonian  is  known  as  the  age  of  fishes. 
The  rocks  of  the  devonian  contain  the  first  fish  fossils  of  any  in  the  sedi- 
mentary series  and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  were  larger  than  in  any  other 
time  in  geological  history.  The  carboniferous  is  known  as  the  great  coal 
age  or  the  age  of  amphibians.  The  mesozoic  is  known  as  the  age  of  rep- 
tiles and  the  cenozoic  as  the  age  of  mammals ;  the  recent  period,  the  period 
of  man.  Each  of  these  ages  is  divided  into  certain  periods  of  geological 
history  and  each  period  is  divided  into  epochs.  These  epochs  are  again 
divided  into  certain  groups  of  rocks,  known  as  formations.  All  of  the 
various  rock  series  are  not  present  in  every  particular  area  of  the  earth's 
surface,  for  in  the  building  of  the  earth  in  the  past  ages  as  at  the  present 
time,  while  certain  parts  of  the  earth  were  land  areas  and  subject  to  erosion, 
other  parts  of  the  earth  were  sea  areas  and  fields  of  sedimentation. 

Looking  back  as  far  as  possible  in  geological  times  in  the  history  of 
the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  it  is  found  that  the  lowest  rocks  of  the 
territory  are  represented  by  the  archaeozoic.  These  rocks  form  the  very 
foundations  of  the  geology  of  our  territory.  They  are  present  in  the 
base  of  almost  every  mountain  group.  They  are  represented  by  a  great 
system  of  granite  formations,  syenite  and  other  crystalline  rocks.  Mingling 
with  these  crystalline  rocks  there  are  found  in  some  localities 
great  masses  of  metamorphic  rocks,  such  as  quartzite  and  shistose  rock. 
This  crystalline  series  of  rock  is  often  cut  by  other  ancient  lava 
intrusions  in  the  form  of  dikes  and  flows.  It  is  impossible  even  for  the 
geologist  to  tell  much  of  that  remote  time  in  geological  history  when 
these  rocks  were  formed,  but  it  is  known  that  they  were  elevated  above  the 
sea  level  and  subject  to  erosion  for  a  long  interval  of  time  until  the  Ter- 
ritory of  New  Mexico  was  reduced  to  almost  a  level  plain  by  this  process 
of  erosion.  At  the  close  of  this  great  period  of  land  area,  this 
portion  of  the  continent  of  North  America  began  to  sink  below  the  level 
of  the  sea.  The  southwestern  corner  of  the  Territory  went  down  faster 
than  any  other  portion  and  the  sea  encroached  upon  the  land  from  that 
direction.  This  period  of  subsidence,  while  very  long  in  point  of  time, 
did  not  result  in  submerging  but  a  very  limited  area  of  the  Territory,  along 
the  southern  and  southwestern  border,  covering  perhaps  only  parts  of  Otero, 
Dona  Ana,  Luna  and  Grant  counties.  This  condition  continued  all  through 
cambrian,  silurian  and  devonian  times,  most  of  the  Territory  being  great 
areas  of  crystalline  rocks,  not  much  elevated  above  the  sea  level,  and  con- 
tributing through  their  rivers  their  burden  of  sediments  to  the  southern 
sea.  During  this  long  period  of  time,  the  elevation  of  the  Territory  was 
not  constant.  Sometimes  these  southern  counties  were  below  the  sea,  re- 
ceiving their  burden  of  sediments,  and  again  the  land  was  slightly  elevated 
and  the  shore  line  receded  to  the  southward  and  these  silurian  and  devonian 
sediments  were  subjected  to  erosion.  Along  the  beginning  of  carboniferous 
time  there  was  inaugurated  a  downward  movement  of  the  land  and  the  sea 
began  to  encroach  again  from  the  south,  until  in  about  mid-carboniferous 
time,  it  had  covered  the  lower  portions  of  the  land  in  most  of  the  southern 
half  of  the  Territory,  so  that  this  region  has  distributed  over  it  certain 
areas  among  which  the  sub-carboniferous  rocks  were  formed.  Parts  of 
southern    Lincoln,    northern   Otero,   northern    Grant   and    western    Socorro 


GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY  915 

counties  and  perhaps  some  other  extensive  areas  were,  however,  not  as  yet 
submerged  beneath  the  encroaching  ocean. 

There  followed  then  a  long  period  of  quiescence,  in  which  there  was 
almost  no  change  of  level  of  our  Territory,  or  possibly  a  slight  elevation. 
This  period  continued  up  through  most  of  the  so-called  carboniferous,  but 
toward  the  close  of  the  carboniferous,  there  occurred  a  general  subsidence 
of  the  Territory,  which  carried  probably  its  entire  surface  below  the 
level  of  the  ocean  and  there  it  remained  through  the  countless  centuries 
of  later  carboniferous  and  permian  times,  until  the  sediments  of  sand- 
stones and  limestones  accumulated  on  that  floor  of  the  ocean  to  a  depth 
of  thousands  of  feet.  These  sediments,  as  stated,  were  laid  down  upon 
the  old  land  surface  of  crystalline  rocks  and  therefore  everywhere 
between  them  and  the  crystalline  rocks  there  is  a  great  plain  of  uncon- 
formitv.  During  this  period,  then,  were  formed  most  of  the  sandstones 
and  limestones,  which  are  found  in  the  present  mountain  ranges  of  New 
Mexico,  resting  directly  upon  the  crystalline  rocks  and  forming  the  great 
core  of  the  mountains.  Near  the  close  of  the  permian  times  the  Territory 
was  again  elevated  so  that  scattered  here  and  there  over  various  parts  of  the 
Territory,  especially  in  San  Juan,  Rio  Arriba,  Sandoval,  McKinley,  the 
southern  part  of  Santa  Fe,  eastern  Bernalillo,  parts  of  Socorro,  Leonard 
Wood,  San  Miguel,  Taos  and  Colfax  counties,  where  are  at  present  located 
some  of  the  great  coal  fields  of  New  Mexico,  there  were  great  areas 
brought  up  just  a  little  above  sea  level  and  over  these  areas  where  ex- 
isted swamps,  there  under  the  moist  tropical  climate  grew  up  a  luxuriant 
vegetation,  carpeting  the  earth  with  great  forests  where  for  cen- 
turies of  time,  the  forest  growth  accumulated  and  formed  the  great  coal 
beds  of  New  Mexico.  These  are  known  to  appear  principally,  in  what 
are  called  cretaceous  formations,  but  possibly  some  of  them  are  triassic 
or  Jurassic.  It  is  fairly  certain  that  during  the  long  period  of  the  meso- 
zoic.  the  general  figuration  of  New  Mexico  was  a  gentle,  rolling  plain, 
fluctuating  between  just  below  sea  level  and  just  above  sea  level.  So  with 
slight  warpings  of  the  surface,  certain  areas  received  the  sediments  of 
triassic.  certain  other  areas  of  Jurassic  and  certain  other  of  cretaceous 
times. 

While  the  great  coal  fields  of  eastern  United  States  were  of  carbonif- 
erous age.  most  of  the  great  coal  fields  of  New  Mexico  were  formed,  but 
yesterday  as  it  were,  in  cretaceous  times.  During  the  permian  and  Jurassic 
were  formed  many  of  the  so-called  red-beds  or  red  sandstones  of  New 
Mexico.  In  some  of  the  shallow  lagoons  and  tide-covered  interior  basins 
of  these  times  were  laid  down  the  great  gypsum  beds  with  many  salt  de- 
posits which  are  found  in  so  many  parts  of  our  Territory. 

The  close  of  the  cretaceous  period  in  New  Nexico  was  marked  by  a 
verv  extensive  elevation  of  the  land  above  sea-level.  At  this  time  the 
great  axis  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  formed,  the  southern  end  of  which 
extends  from  Colorado'  southward  nearly  through  New  Mexico,  and  a  long 
period  of  erosion  was  inaugurated.  The  deposits  of  the  tertiary  period 
which  are  found  along  the  eastern  side  of  New  Mexico,  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  axis  and  in  certain  more  or  less  separated  basins  west  of  that 
axis,  indicate  that  they  were  derived  largely  from  the  materials  eroded 
from  the  great  mountain  uplifts  made  at  the  close  of  the  cretaceous  times. 
It  is  with  difficultv  that  the  various  members  of  the  tertiarv  beds,  which 


910  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

are  often  easily  distinguished  in  other  parts,  can  be  separated  from  each 
other  in  New  Mexico,  but  it  seems  quite  evident  that  most  of  the  moun- 
tains of  our  Territory  which  now  rise  several  thousand  feet  above  the 
general  level  of  the  plateau  had  their  origin  along  about  the  middle  of 
the  tertiary  times,  possiblv  at  the  close  of  the  miocene  period. 
At  this  time  it  seems  that  the  whole  plateau  of  New  Mexico  was  per- 
haps several  thousand  feet  higher  than  it  is  today  and  was  a 
field  of  very  extensive  erosion.  All  the  present  inter-montane  valleys  of 
New  Mexico  were  then  eroded  to  much  greater  depths  than  they  are  at 
present.  Wells  which  have  been  drilled  in  these  valleys  on  the  present  val- 
ley floors  pass  through  hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  feet  of  clays,  sands 
and  gravel  of  river  origin.  The  old  inter-montane  valley  between  the 
Sacramento  and  the  Franklin  Mountains  has  been  penetrated  to  a  depth 
of  over  two  thousand  feet  in  these  river  deposits,  and  a  well  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Rio  Grande  at  Albuquerque  has  penetrated  over  eight 
hundred  feet  through  these  deposits.  The  physical  geography  of  New 
Mexico  at  the  close  of  this  great  period  of  erosion  was  characterized  by 
extreme  ruggedness.  The  mountain  elevations  were  much  higher  and  the 
valleys  hundreds  and  thousands  of  feet  deeper  than  at  present.  Following 
this  period  of  erosion  there  occurred  another  change  in  the  general  level 
of  the  Territory  but  this  time  the  movement  was  downward,  and  it  was  suf- 
ficient to  materially  reduce  the  gradients  of  all  great  rivers  of  the  Ter- 
ritory so  that  they  were  not  able  to  carry  away  the  vast  quantities  of 
material  washed  down  from  the  sides  of  the  valleys  and  the  neighboring 
mountains.  The  result  was  that  all  of  the  large  valleys  of  the  Terri- 
tory began  to  be  filled  up  with  these  materials  and  this  process  was  con- 
tinued until  the  valleys  were  filled  quite  a  little  above  that  of  many  of 
the  existing  rivers  of  the  present  time.  This  falling  from  the  valley  sides 
and  mountain  slopes  was  so  extensive  over  large  areas  of  our  Terri- 
tory that  the  streams  which  flowed  through  the  valleys  were  wholly  unable 
to  keep  their  channels  open  and  were  entirely  buried  under  this  great 
valley  filling.  During  this  period  was  formed  most  of  the  great  mesa 
areas  of  our  Territory.  At  the  close  of  this  period  of  great  valley  fill- 
ing there  was  another  considerable  elevation  of  the  Territory  so  that  all 
of  the  streams  that  were  able  to  maintain  their  course  over  the  tops  of 
the  deposits  which  had  filled  their  former  valleys  began  again  to  carry 
their  loads  of  sediments  to  the  sea  and  to  intrench  into  the  old  valley 
fillings,  so  that  today  most  of  the  streams  of  New  Mexico  which  cross  the 
inter-montane  valleys  are  found  running  in  channel  ways  cut  out  of  these 
deposits,  but  in  those  valleys  where  the  streams  were  not  able  to  main- 
tain a  continuous  flow  over  the  surface  of  the  deposits  no  such  erosion 
has  taken  place,  but  almost  everywhere  over  our  Territory  it  has  been 
clearly  shown  by  well  drillings,  that  these  ancient  rivers  are  still  flow- 
ing in  the  bottom  of  their  valleys  through  these  ancient  deposits,  and 
whenever  they  are  tapped  by  deep  wells  they  always  furnish  an  abundant 
supply   of  excellent   water. 

Throughout  most  of  the  tertiary  times,  New  Mexico,  in  common' 
with  the  rest  of  the  great  basin  region,  was  visited  by  very  extensive 
volcanic  action  and  one  of  the  expressions  of  this  volcanic  activity  is 
shown  in  the  great  lava  flows  and  great  dikes  of  igneous  rock  which  are 
found  distributed  over  almost  all  parts  of  New  Mexico. 


GEOLOGICAL  HISTORY  917 

(  hie  of  these  periods  of  special  •  volcanic  activity  occurred  at  about 
the  time  when  the  filling  of  the  sand  and  gravel  which  was  put  in  the 
ancient  valleys  had  reached  its  highest  point  so  that  some  of  the  exten- 
sive lava  flows  of  the  Territory  occur  on  the  surface  of  the  inter-montane 
valley  floors,  as,  for  example,  the  great  lava  flow  in  western  Valencia 
count)',  in  western  Lincoln,  western  Socorro  and  northern  Otero  coun- 
ties, along  the  Rio  Grande  in  Rio  Arriba  and  Taos  counties,  eastern  San- 
doval county,  on  the  western  side  of  the  river  in  Bernalillo  county,  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  river  in  southern  Soccoro  county,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  in  Dona  Ana  county,  and  in  various  other  smaller  areas  in 
other  parts  of  the  Territory. 

During  quaternary  times  in  the  latter  part  of  the  cenozoic,  when  much 
of  the  northern  portion  of  North  America  was  covered  by  a 
great  polar  ice  cap  which  extended  down  into  Mississippi  valley  between 
the  Allegheny  .Mountains  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio  River,  and  when  the  great  mountain  systems  of  western  United 
States  were  covered  by  great  mountain  glaciers.  New  Mexico  appears  to 
have  had  about  the  same  physical  history  which  it  has  at  present.  There 
seems  to  be  abundant  evidence  for  believing  that  the  conditions  were 
much  more  humid  and  the  annual  rainfall  much  greater,  so  that  the  amount 
of  erosion  which  took  place  over  the  mountain  systems  of  our  Territory  was 
extensive.  Sub-aerial  plains  deposits  were  laid  down  in  the  inter-mon- 
tane areas  during  this  period. 

While  in  central  and  eastern  United  States,  geologists  are  endeavor- 
ing to  determine  as  to  whether  man  existed  in  North  America  during  the 
glacial  period,  in  New  Mexico  the  problem  seems  to  be  as  to  whether  man 
existed  in  Xew  Mexico  at  the  time  of  the  great  lava  flows  and  when  the 
climatic  conditions  were  such  that  the  annual  precipitation  was  greater 
and  all  sorts  of  agriculture  possible  without  irrigation. 

This  briefly  is  the  physical  history  through  which  our  Territory  has 
passed.  But  even  a  brief  summary  of  the  geology  would  not  be  complete 
without  mention  being  made  of  the  life  which  has  existed  in  New  Mexico 
during  geological  times.  In  the  seas  which  occupied  the  smaller  portion 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  Territory  during  the  early  part  of  the  paleozoic 
there  lived  many  forms  of  marine  life  which  are  represented  by  fossils  which 
occur  in  the  rocks  of  these  periods.  Perhaps  the  most  common  of  all 
forms  are  the  brachiopods.  the  trilobites,  crinoids.  In  many  of  the  lime- 
stones there  also  occur  different  varieties  of  corals  and  many  coral  shells 
which  are  often  classed  as  mollusks.  All  of  these  forms  belong  to  the 
great  group  of  invertebrate  animals.  The  devonian  is  known  as  the 
age  of  fishes  but  the  rocks  of  this  system  are  but  slightly  represented  even 
in  the  southern  part  of  our  Territory.  A  few  evidences  of  fish  remains 
have  been  found  in  some  of  the  carboniferous  and  permian  beds,  but  they 
are  of  rare  occurrence.  In  some  small  areas  of  the  Territory  during  the 
carboniferous  times  there  existed  some  swamp  and  land  areas  where  the 
plants  of  the  carboniferous  age  consisted  largely  of  great  tree  ferns  and  tree- 
like mosses.  They  produced  considerable  forest  growth  but,  as  previously  in- 
dicated, these  areas  were  not  of  sufficient  extent  or  duration  to  produce  any 
coal  of  any  value  and  as  yet  very  little  evidence  has  been  collected  concerning 
amphibian  life  of  the  carboniferous,  which  was  so  characteristic  of  the 
great  coal  swamps  of  eastern  United  States. 


918  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

In  some  of  the  beds  of  the  mesozoic  age  have  been  discovered  the  re- 
mains of  the  great  reptiles  that  lived  during  that  time.  Most  of  these 
reptiles  were  land  forms  and  many  of  them  of  huge  size,  perhaps  the 
largest  animals  that  ever  lived  upon  the  earth.  In  the  quaternary  depos- 
its have  also  been  found  the  remains  of  the  mammoth  and  the  elephant.  The 
life  history  of  New  Mexico  has  been  similar  to  that  of  the  other  portions 
of  the  United  States  during  the  corresponding  geological  period. 

Only  a  very  brief  mention  can  be  made  of  the  economic  geology  of 
the  Territory.  Its  mineral  resources  have  been  but  very  slightly  developed. 
There  are  extensive  coal  beds,  vast  deposits  of  salt,  vast  quarries  of  building 
and  ornamental  stones  with  the  lithographic  stone,  and  abundant  material 
for  the  development  of  the  cement  and  coal  industries  that  have  scarcely 
been  touched  up  to  the  present  time.  In  most  of  the  older  and  more  eroded 
mountain  systems  there  are  undoubtedly  extensive  deposits  of  most  of  the 
metallic  ores,  and  yet  the  mining  industries  of  New  Mexico  are  in  their 
infancy. 

While  New  Mexico  is  one  of  the  oldest  parts  of  the  United  States  to 
be  colonized  by  Europeans,  the  capital,  Santa  Fe,  being  the  second  oldest 
city  in  the  Union,  it  has  not  developed  with  the  same  rapidity  as  the  regions 
to  the  east  and  far  west,  and  today  it  remains  perhaps  the  least  known 
of  any  part  of  the  United  States,  as  far  as  the  carefully  detailed  geology 
of  the  region  is  concerned.  Where  other  states  have  had  their  geological 
surveys  for  several  years,  New  Mexico  has  yet  to  organize  its  first  geolog- 
ical survey. 


W.  G.  Tight,  Ph.  D.,  president  of  the  University  of  New  Mexico,  was 
born  in  Granville,  Ohio,  in  1865.  He  was  graduated  from  Denison  Univer- 
sity at  Granville  with  the  B.  S.  degree  in  1886,  received  from  the  same  in- 
stitution the  degree  of  M.  S.  in  1887,  and  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
that  school  until  1901,  occupying  the  chair  of  biology  and  geology.  In  the 
latter  year  he  was  graduated  from  the  University  of  Chicago,  which  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Ph.  D..  and  was  at  once  elected  president 
of  the  University  of  New  Mexico.  During  the  years  in  which  he  was 
identified  with  Denison  University  he  was  permanent  secretary  of  the  Deni- 
son Scientific  Association. 

Professor  Tight  is  best  known  in  the  scientific  world  as  a  geologist  and 
biologist,  and  has  devoted  many  years  to  research  along  these  lines.  Since 
coming  to  Albuquerque  he  has  made  numerous  reports  on  the  geology  of 
this  Territory,  one  of  which,  a  report  on  the  bolson  plains  of  New  Mexico, 
which  was  published  in  the  American  Geologist,  being  regarded  as  authori- 
tative on  that  interesting  subject.  His  principal  contribution  to  geological 
literature  is  special  paper  No.  13  of  the  professional  papers  published  by 
the  United  States  Geological  Survey.  He  is  a  fellow  of  the  Geological 
Society  of  America,  and  in  the  meeting  of  that  body  at  Berkeley,  California, 
in  December,  1905,  he  served  as  chairman  of  the  Cordilleran  section.  He 
is  also  a  fellow  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science, 
a  member  of  the  National  Geological  Society,  and  a  member  of  the  New 
Mexico  Board  of  Education. 

Professor  Tight  is  the  author  of  the  chapter  on  the  geology  of  New 
Mexico,  which  forms  a  part  of  this  work.  This  is  the  first  article  of  this 
kind  in  popular  phraseology  to  be  published. 


MINING 


MINING    IN    NEW    MEXICO. 

Prior  to  the  '60s  the  mining  interests  of  New  Mexico  were  virtually 
confined  to  the  "lost  mines"  of  the  Territory,  to  a  few  claims  of  Mexicans 
in  Santa  Fe  county,  worked  in  a  lax  way  by  1  'ueblo  Indians ;  the  lead-silver 
mines  of  the  Organ  mountains,  Dona  Ana  county ;  and  the  bleaching  bones 
of  the  little  band  who,  in  their  search  for  gold,  wandered  into  the  rugged 
mountains  of  the  continental  divide,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Pinos  Altos 
(now  Grant  county)  were  massacred  by  the  fierce  Apaches.  These  miners 
were  from  California,  Texas  and  Missouri,  with  a  sprinkling  of  Mexicans, 
but  during  the  early  '60s  most  of  the  Americans  abandoned  the  camp. 
About  this  period  there  were  also  a  few  Mexicans  prospecting  among  the 
Sierra  Blanca  mountains,  in  the  region  of  Nogal  Peak,  in  what  is  now 
the  southwestern  part  of  Lincoln  county,  and  the  mines  of  the  Organ  dis- 
trict were  being  worked  in  a  small  way  by  the  army  officers  of  Fort  Fill- 
more, sixteen  miles  distant,  on  the  Rio  Grande.  It  was  not  until  the  late 
'60s  when  American  enterprise  and  capital  commenced  to  organize  com- 
panies and  develop  the  mining  properties  of  both  the  Ortiz  district,  south- 
west of  Santa  Fe,  and  die  abandoned  Pinos  Altos  region ;  it  was  not  until 
this  influx  of  life  that  the  mining  interests  of  New  Mexico  were  really 
established. 

Judges  of  mining  prospects  who  had  faith  in  the  future  of  the  Terri- 
tory had  taken  note  of  the  irregular  production  of  gold  in  the  widely  sep- 
arated camps,  so  that  estimates  are  available  since  i860.  From  that  year 
until  1900  it  is  estimated  that  New  Mexico  has  produced  $17,600,000 
worth  of  the  precious  metal.  From  1828  to  i860  the  gold  mining  of  New 
Mexico,  for  all  practical  purposes,  was  confined  to  the  north  slopes  oi 
the  Ortiz  mountains,  Santa  Fe  county,  that  region  being  the  oldest  of  the 
Territory  in  which  the  industry  has  been  continuous. 

As  scattered  indications  of  the  state  of  mining  and  the  prospects  of 
the  mineral  wealth  of  New  Mexico  at  various  periods  of  the  nineteenth 
century  prior  to  i860  may  be  adduced  the  following:  In  1803  Governor 
Chacon  said :  "Copper  is  abundant  and  apparently  rich,  but  no  mines  are 
worked."  Although  the  Santa  Rita  copper  mines  had  been  discovered  three 
years  previous,  their  development  did  not  commence  until  1804.  In  speak- 
ing of  what  he  had  observed  of  mining  during  his  expedition  to  the  Terri- 
tory in  1807,  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Pike  says :  "There  are  no  mines  known 
in  the  province,  except  one  of  copper,  situated  in  a  mountain  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  in  latitude  340.  It  is  worked  and  produces  20,- 
000  mule  loads  of  copper  annually.  It  contains  gold,  but  not  quite  suffi- 
cient to  pay  for  its  extraction."  This  undoubtedly  refers  to  the  Santa  Rita 
property,  although  its  latitude  is  only  slightly  north  of  33°. 

Brantz  Mayer,  in  his  brief  history  of  New  Mexico  (1850),  refers  to 
the  mining  industries  in  the  following  words :     "Several  rich  silver  mines 


920  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

were,  in  Spanish  times,  worked  at  Avo,  at  Cerillos  and  in  the  Xambre 
mountains,  but  none  are  in  operation  at  present.  Copper  is  found  in 
abundance  throughout  the  country,  but  principally  at  Tijeras,  Jemas,  Abi- 
quia  and  Gudalupita  de  Mora,  but  until  a  recent  period  only  one  copper 
mine  was  wrought  south  of  the  placeres.  Iron,  though  also  existing  in 
very  large  quantities,  has  been  entirely  overlooked.  *  ;:  *  About  one 
hundred  miles  south-southeast  of  Santa  Fe,  on  the  high  tableland  between 
the  Rio  Grande  and  Pecos,  are  some  extensive  salinas,  or  salt  lakes,  from 
which  all  the  salt  used  in  Xew  Mexico  is  procured.  Large  caravans  from 
Santa  Fe  visit  this  place  every  vear  during  the  dry  season,  and  return 
heavily  laden  with  the  precious  deposits.  They  either  sell  it  for  one  and 
some  times  two  dollars  per  bushel,  or  exchange  a  bushel  of  salt  for  a 
bushel  of  Indian  corn." 

Placer  mining  has  been  carried  on  in  Xew  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards 
and  Mexicans  since  the  occupation  of  the  country  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  although  the  amounts  extracted  by  these  old 
miners  cannot  be  estimated,  thev  were  probably  very  large.  From  1877  to 
1900,  inclusive,  the  Territorv  of  Xew  Mexico  produced  $1^,300,000  gold; 
from  i860,  as  stated,  the  amount  was  $17,600,000.  In  1877  tne  value  of  the 
production  was  $300,000,  which  graduallv  increased  to  $1,000,000  in  1889. 
It  gradually  decreased  to  $400,000  in  1897.  but  again  took  an  upward  ten- 
dency, until  the  output  in  1900  amounted  to  $800,000.  In  1902  the  total 
gold  production  of  the  Territory  was  $384,685,  of  which  nearly  a  third 
was  contributed  by  the  placers  of  Colfax  county.  During  the  year  named 
the  value  of  the  other  mineral  mined  was  as  follows:  Silver,  $148,659; 
copper,  $860,737;  lead,  $94,936;  a  total  of  $1,489,016.  These  figures  do 
not  include  the  production  by  individual  placer  miners  or  by  prospectors 
not  mining  in  a  systematic  manner.  As  to  copper,  the  most  valuable  metal 
product  of  Xew  Mexico,  it  should  be  added  that  Grant  county  produced 
the  most  of  it,  being  credited  with  a  valuation  of  $793,000  of  the  total, 
$860,000.  In  addition  to  these  metals  the  Territorial  mines  put  out  a  vast 
quantity  of  coal,  iron,  turquoise,  gypsum  and  building  material,  of  which 
the  figures  are  only  accessible  as  to  the  first-named  mineral. 

From  June  30.  1900,  to  June  30.  1903,  there  were  produced  3,710,004 
tons  of  coal,  valued  at  $5,011,281,  with  94,097  tons  of  coke,  valued  at  $252,- 
642.  There  were  about  thirty  coal  mines  in  operation.  In  1905  this  num- 
ber had  increased  to  forty-four,  with  a  production  during  that  vear  of 
1,472,102  tons,  valued  at '$2,086,042.  (For  details  regarding  this  most 
important  of  mining  industries  of  the  Territory  see  "Coal  Mining.")  It 
will  be  seen  that  coal  and  its  side  product,  coke,  had  an  economic  value 
of  nearly  four  times  that  possessed  by  the  four  chief  metals  of  the  Xew 
Mexico  mines. 

Generally  speaking,  the  chief  metal-producing  districts  of  Xew  Mexico 
are  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  Territorv.  and  it  is  claimed  at  the  pres- 
ent time  that  Grant  and  Socorro  counties  are  yielding  fully  ninety  per 
cent  of  the  gold,  silver,  copper  and  lead  which  are  being  placed  on  the  mar- 
ket. Grant  is  pre-eminently  the  banner  countv  in  the  Territory.  Much 
activity  is  also  noted  in  Sierra  and  Dona  Ana  counties,  which  are  con- 
tiguous to  those  before  mentioned,  as  well  as  in  the  gold  districts  which 
lie  at  and  near  Elizabethtown,  at  Baldy  mountain  and  in  the  Moreno 
valleys,  near  the  western  boundary  of  Colfax  county,  northeastern  Mexico. 


.MIXING  921 

The  greater  proportion  of  the  gold  produced  in  New  Mexico  has  been 
the  result  of  the  mining  from  i860  to  1885,  when  the  miners  could  take, 
with  little  labor,  the  rich  surface  ores.  The  country  was  famous  then, 
but  when  the  prospectors  and  pioneer  miners  of  that  period  had  gathered 
these  easily  accessible  ores  they  rushed  on  to  new  and  virgin  fields.  It 
is  only  in  comparatively  recent  years  that  modern  and  legitimate  mining 
has  been  inaugurated,  and  some  of  the  famous  old  mines,  as  well  as  many 
new  ones,  are  now  attracting  solid  capital,  skilled  engineers  and  workers 
and  experts  in  all  departments  of  the  industry,  whether  the  operations  are 
in  gold,  silver,  copper  or  coal. 

"  Mining  Districts. — Although  the  classification  is  rather  indefinite,  for 
general  descriptive  purposes  New  Mexico  is  divided  into  more  than  a 
hundred  mining  districts,  the  grouping  being  determined  both  by  physical 
features  of  the  country  and  the  time  of  discovery.  These  districts,  in 
turn,  are  generally  grouped  around  mining  towns  or  settlements,  from 
which  they  draw  their  supplies  and  to  whose  prosperity  and  growth  they 
contribute.  The  life  of  mining  towns  and  districts  is  notoriously  uncer- 
tain, but  if  one  proceeds  upon  "the  present  status  of  the  mining  interests  of 
New  Mexico  he  should  commence  the  general  description  of  these  districts 
at  the  southwest,  or  richest  bullion  section  of  the  Territory,  and  advance 
in  a  northerly  direction. 

Pyramid  and  Virginia  (Shakespeare)  districts  are  those  furthest  south 
in  Grant  county  and  the  Territory,  and  embrace  a  mineral-bearing  area  of 
about  fourteen  by  five  miles  in  extent,  lying  in  the  Pyramid  range  of 
mountains,  south  of  Lordsburg.  Shakespeare  was  the  old  camp  of  Ralston, 
the  famous  and  unfortunate  California  promoter.  Gold,  silver,  lead  and 
copper  are  all  mined,  but  the  Leidendorf  silver  mines,  once  the  most  im- 
portant in  the  Pyramid  district,  has  lain  idle  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
Gold  Hill  district  is  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Lordsburg  and  a  few  miles 
northwest  of  Gold  Hill  is  the  Malone  district.  About  six  miles  south- 
west of  the  Hatchita  postoffice,  southeast  of  Lordsburg,  is  the  old  Hatchita 
mining  camp,  near  which  are  ancient  turquois  mines,  which  are  still  pro- 
ductive. Southeast  of  Hatchita,  in  the  Fremont  district,  silver-lead  is  the 
predominating  ore.  The  Apache  district,  No.  2,  southwest,  is  quite  an 
abundant  producer  of  silver-copper. 

Lying  along  the  Arizona  boundary  from  Stein's  Pass,  just  south  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  road,  to  Steeple  Rock,  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
Grant  county,  are  a  number  of  mining  districts  which,  within  late  years, 
have  been  prospected  svstematically,  and  some  have  been  producers.  The 
Southern  Pacific  divides  the  San  Simon  (on  the  south)  from  the 
Kimball  district ;  lead  is  produced  in  the  former  and  silver  in  the  latter 
district.  Some  gold  has  been  produced  near  Stein's  Pass.  Further  west  is 
the  California  district,  the  greater  portion  of  which  is  in  Arizona.  The 
Steeple  Rock  and  Black  Mountain  districts  are  in  the  extreme  northwest- 
ern part  of  Grant  county,  and  the  quartz  ore  which  prevails  carries  values 
in  gold  and  silver.  Midway  between  Steeple  Rock  and  Silver  City,  on 
either  side  of  the  Gila  river,  are  the  Anderson  and  Telegraph  districts,  which 
lie  so  far  away  from  transportation  lines  that  they  have  been  virtually  un- 
productive; the  prospects  of  the  Anderson  district  are  for  copper,  and  of 
the  Telegraph  for  silver,  a  stamp  mill  having  been  in  operation  for  a  short 
time  in  the  latter  district,  some  twenty  years  ago. 


9^2  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

In  the  northeastern  portions  of  Grant  country  are  by  far  the  most  pro- 
ductive silver  and  copper  mines  in  New  Mexico.  Silver  City  is  the  most 
important  center  of  the  entire  field.  The  district  is  known  as  Silver,  or 
Chloride  Flat,  and  the  phenomenal  finds  of  silver  occur  about  one  and  a 
half  miles  from  the  town  ;  hence  the  city  received  its  name.  About  seven 
miles  to  the  northwest  is  Camp  Fleming.  Fifteen  miles  southwest  of  Sil- 
ver City  are  the  Burro  mountains,  and  the  copper-bearing  district  by 
that  name  covers  an  area  of  three  miles  by  two.;  considerable  turquois  is 
also  mined  in  this  locality.  The  Dullard's  Peak,  or  Black  Hawk,  district 
is  the  north  extension  of  the  Burro  Mountain  district  and  has  produced 
much  native  silver  and  argentine.  A  few  miles  southeast  of  the  Burro 
mountain  is  the  White  Signal,  or  Cow  Spring,  district,  and  promises  to 
become  a  producer  of  turquoise  as  well  as  gold,  silver,  lead  and  copper. 

Immediately  southeast  of  Pinos  Altos  and  seven  miles  east  of  Silver 
City  is  the  Central  mining  district,  embracing  the  sub-districts  of  Hanover, 
Fierro,  Santa  Rita  and  outlying  points.  It  is  also  two  miles  south  of  the 
military  reservation  of  Fort  Bayard,  and  is  especially  fixed  on  the  map 
by  the  location  of  the  postoffice  known  as  Central.  Santa  Rita  is  one  of 
the  most  noted  copper  districts  in  the  United  States,  whether  considered 
historically  or  from  a  productive  standpoint.  Since  the  early  '60s  the 
chief  interest  in  this  district  has  centered  in  the  Santa  Rita,  Hanover  and 
Fierro  mines,  which  have  made  it  by  far  the  most  important  mining  sec- 
tion in  New  Mexico.  In  1902  nearly  three-fourths  of  the  metallic  wealth 
of  the  Territory  was  from  Grant  county,  and  the  greater  part  of  it  from 
the  Central  mining  district.  The  Fierro  district  is  the  only  important  .pro- 
ducer of  iron  in  New  Mexico.  Some  five  miles  southwest  of  Central  post- 
office  is  the  Lone  Mountain  district,  a  silver  camp,  and  a  few  miles  to  the 
northeast  of  Santa  Rita  is  the  Mimbres  district,  embracing  the  once  lively 
camp  of  Georgetown.  Near  the  south  end  and  on  the  west  slope  of  the 
Mimbres  range  is  the  Carpenter  district,  which  promises  to  become  one  of 
the  great  zinc  fields  of  New  Mexico. 

The  Pinos  Altos  district,  in  Grant  county,  is  one  of  the  oldest  gold 
fields  in  New  Mexico,  and.  with  the  exception  of  the  interruption  to  min- 
ing caused  by  the  Apache  raids  of  the  '60s,  has  been  continuously  pro- 
ductive. Among  the  anomalies  of  this  district  is  a  high-grade  silver  mine 
(Silver  Bell). 

The  Mimbres  range  forms  a  barrier  between  northeastern  Grant  and 
southwestern  Sierra  county,  and  in  the  latter  section  are  several  remark- 
able producers  of  gold  and  silver.  In  the  Lake  Valley  district,  in  the 
southern  part  of  Sierra  county,  is  the  world-famed  Bridal  Chamber,  which 
gave  to  the  world  a  bodv  of  silver  ore  never  equaled  in  richness.  The  ore 
bodies  throughout  the  district  are  somewhat  similar  to  those  at  Leadville. 
To  the  south,  along  Macho  creek,  prospects  of  lead  and  silver  exist  in  what. 
is  known  as  the  Macho  district;  there  are  also  indications  of  manganese 
deposits.  Little  has  been  done  in  the  way  of  development  in  this  region. 
To  the  northwest  of  Lake  Valley,  about  fifteen  miles,  is  a  group  of  white- 
capped  hills,  in  which  some  high-grade  silver  bromide  was  discovered 
some  twenty  years  ago;  hence  the  name  of  the  district,  Bromide  No.  1.  or 
Tierra  Blanca  (white  earth).  Some  of  the  shipments  from  this  section 
have  been  very  rich  in  gold  and  silver.  North  of  Lake  A^alley  is  the  Las 
Animas,  or  Hillsboro,  district,  which  embraces  rich  gold  fields  around  the 


.MINING  923 

town  by  that  name.  Both  gold  and  copper  mining  is  quite  active,  and  the 
largest  body  of  vanadium  "ore  in  the  world  has  been  discovered  in  this 
locality.  The  mountainous  region  east^of  Hillsboro,  through  which  runs 
the  Sierra  de  los  Caballos,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  known 
as  the  Pittsburg  mining  district.  Apache  canyon  was  the  scene  of  consid- 
erable placer  excitement  in  1903,  but  little  gold  was  actually  taken  from 
the  gulches.  On  the  opposite  or  western  side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Palomas  Hot  Springs,  is  the  lead-silver  district  known  as  Iron 
Reef.  In  the  western  and  northwestern  portions  of  Sierra  county  is  a 
silver  area.  It  lies  along  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  Mimbres  range,  and 
the  lofty  Black  range,  heavily  clad  with  pinyon  and  pine  forests,  stretches 
through  its  northern  sections.  The  latter  mountains  derive  their  name  from 
their  dark  and  forbidding  aspect,  and  the  district  was,  in  early  days,  desig- 
nated as  the  Black  range.  More  specificallv,  the  region  is  now  known  as 
Black  Range  (Nos.  1  and  2)  districts.  Of  its  many  camps,  Kingston  is 
the  most  noted;  in  the  days  of  its  prosperity  it  held  the  record  of  New 
Mexico  in  the  production  of  silver. 

The  Palomas  district,  north  of  Kingston  about  twenty-five  miles,  and 
the  Apache  No.  1,  still  further  north  (which  extends  into  Socorro  county), 
are  chiefly  noticeable  for  their  good  prospects  of  silver,  copper  and  gold, 
and  for  their  records  of  silver  production  in  former  years. 

The  Sierra  Oscura,  San  Andreas  and  Organ  mountains  form  almost 
a  continuous  range,  which  extends  through  the  eastern  sections  of  Socorro 
and  Dona  Ana  counties.  No  metal  seems  to  decidedly  predominate  in  the 
prospects  or  production  of  the  Socorro  county  districts,  while  in  the  Organ 
district  of  Dona  Ana  county  lead-silver  is  perhaps  most  prominent.  The 
latter  mining  section  lies  about  fifteen  miles  northeast  of  Las  Cruces,  and  the 
northern  limit  of  the  district  is  the  granite  spire  called  San  Augustine  Peak, 
which,  with  the  pass  at  its  southern  base,  separates  the  San  Andreas  range 
from  the  Organ  mountains. 

In  the  north  end  of  the  Sierra  Oscura,  southeastern  Socorro  county, 
is  the  Jones  district,  in  which  abundant  deposits  of  iron  form  the  marked 
feature,  and  the  Hansonburg  district,  near  the  center  of  the  range,  has 
some  prospects  as  a  copper-bearer.  On  the  east  side  of  the  range,  op- 
posite Hansonburg,  is  a  district  which  has  produced  small  quantities  of 
copper.  It  is  known  as  Estey  City  district.  Midway  between  Estey  City 
and  Jones  districts  is  the  unimportant  Mound  Spring  district,  and  the 
San  Andreas  includes  a  number  of  sub-districts  covering  particular  localities 
in  the  range  by  that  name,  in  which  lead  and  copper  are  the  prevailing 
mineral  characteristics. 

But  the  great  metal-producing  districts  of  Socorro  county,  and  among 
the  very  richest  in  the  Territory,  are  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Magdalena  and 
Mogollon  mountains,  in  the  central  and  southwestern  sections  of  the 
countv.  The  Mogollon  range  begins  near  the  western  boundary  of  New 
Mexico,  and  for  a  distance  of  about  ninety  miles  extends  in  a  south  by  east 
direction.  The  western  slope  of  the  mountains  is  traversed  by  a  number 
of  deep  canyons,  which  drain  into  the  Rio  San  Francisco.  The  scene  of 
the  active  mineral  development  in  this  region,  which  makes  it  one  of  the 
most  promising  fields  in  the  southwest,  is  along  this  western  slope,  not 
far  from  the  bases  of  the  mountains.  There  are  three  mining  districts  in 
the  Mogollon  mountains— the  Cooney,  the  Wilcox  and  the  Tellurium.    The 


924  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

most  important  and  northerly  of  these  is  the  Cooney,  which  is  situated  about 
fifteen  miles  from  the  Arizona  line,  and,  notwithstanding  that  its  gold, 
silver  and  copper  ores  are  hauled  about  ninety  miles  to  Silver  City,  the 
district  has  shown  a  remarkable  development  for  a  number  of  years.  L'ntil 
recently  the  principal  production  of  the  camp  has  been  from  the  gold  and 
silver  ores — pan  amalgamation  and  cyaniding  being  the  general  methods 
of  treatment.  In  the  Wilcox  district,  fifteen  miles  to  the  southeast  of 
Cooney,  little  development  has  been  done.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  Tellurium  district,  three  miles  north  of  the  Wilcox,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  some  very  rich  pieces  of  tellurium  float  were  found  there  a 
number  of  years  ago. 

The  Magdalena  district  lies  west  of  the  town  of  Socorro.  It  stands 
pre-eminent  in  New  Mexico  as  a  producer  of  lead  and  zinc.  It  is  one 
of  the  oldest  mining  regions  in  the  Territory,  the  uncovering  and  exploita- 
tion of  its  zinc  deposits  being  of  comparatively  recent  date.  In  some  of 
the  old  lead  mines,  which  were  formerly  most  prolific,  the  ore  is  practically 
exhausted,  and  the  discovery  of  large  and  profitable  bodies  of  zinc  has  given 
the  district  a  new  lease  of  life.  The  Magdalena  mines  are  now  the  greatest 
producers  of  zinc  ores  in  the  southwest,  a  trainload  of  the  raw  material 
being  sent  out  every  day. 

Immediately  north  of  the  town  of  Magdalena  is  the  Pueblo  mining  dis- 
trict. It  is  even  older  than  the  Magdalena  district,  but  its  early  promise  of 
rich  silver  findings  has  not  materialized. 

The  Socorro  Mountain  district,  west  of  the  town  by  that  name,  was 
an  active  section  of  the  mining  country  during  the  '80s,  but  its  life  was 
principally  founded  on  the  immense  quantities  of  ore  from  the  Magdalena 
mines,  which  were  fluxed  at  the,  Rio  Grande  smelter.  This  establishment, 
which  was  situated  two  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Socorro,  received  its 
principal  fluxing  ores  from  the  famous  Kelley  and  Graphic  mines  at  Magda- 
lena, and  the  more  flinty  products  from  Socorro  mountain. 

At  the  north  end  of  the  San  Mateo  mountains,  about  fifteen  miles  west 
of  the  Magdalena  range,,  lies  the  productive  Rosedale  gold  district,  whose 
name  is  derived  from  the  principal  mine  therein.  It  is  only  within  the 
past  four  years  that  this  section  has  attracted  much  attention,  but  the 
Rosedale  mine  is  now  one  of  the  leading  gold  lode  producers  of  New 
Mexico,  and  some  experts  pronounce  it  the  best  gold  mining  property  in 
the  Territory. 

Twenty  miles  north  of  Deming  rises  a  solid  granite  shaft  from  the 
midst  of  a  broad,  alluvial_  plain,  this  stately  column  marking  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  rugged  Mimbre  range.  It  is  known  as  Cook's  Peak,  and 
around  it  lies  the  district  by  that  name,  which,  up  to  1904,  was  quite  a 
famous  producer  of  lead  and  silver.  The  ores  from  this  and  outlying  dis- 
tricts are  sent  for  treatment  to  a  smelting  plant  in  Deming.  Twelve  miles 
to  the  southeast  of  that  town  is  the  Florida  district,  in  the  mountains  by 
that  name ;  some  silver  has  been  produced  here,  and  there  are  good  pros- 
pects of  copper.  Fifteen  miles  to  the  southwest  of  the  Floridas  is  a  cluster 
of  three  peaks,  which  embraces  the  Tres  Hermanos  district,  the  prevail- 
ing ore  of  which  is  silver-lead.  In  the  western  part  of  Luna  county  are 
the  Victoria  mountains,  immediately  south  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Rail- 
road at  its  station  of  Gage,  and  in  the  district  to  which  the}-  give  their 
name  are  the  productive  St.  Louis  and  Chance  mines ;  they,  in   fact,  have 


.MIX  IXC  925 

brought  the  Victoria  district  into  notice.  Their  ores  are  principally  a 
silver-lead  product,  and  in  some  cases  good  values  of  gold  have  been 
found. 

Adjoining  Socorro  and  Dona  Ana  counties  on  the  east  are  Otero  and 
Lincoln,  and  although  by  far  the  most  important  mining  district  in  this 
section  of  the  Territory  is  that  lying  adjacent  to  White  (  laics,  Lincoln 
county,  all  the  districts  will  receive  a  general  mention,  passing  from  south 
to  north.  The  low  Jarilla  mountains  rise  from  the  desert  region  of  south- 
west Otero  county,  and  immediately  to  the  north  is  the  mysterious  stretch 
of  the  "white  sands."  This  patch  of  mountains,  twelve  miles  in  length 
by  four  in  breadth,  includes  the  Silver  Hill,  or  Jarilla,  district,  and 
within  the  last  two  years  has  been  the  scene  of  considerable  activity 
and  actual  development.  In  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  district,  near 
the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern  Railroad,  are  placer  deposits  of  considerable 
promise.     A  town  site  has  been  laid  off  at  Jarilla  Junction. 

In  the  midst  of  the  \\  bite  mountain  country  looms  the  celebrated  No- 
gal  Peak  to  a  height  of  nearly  10,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
The  district  named  after  it  is  a  portion  of  an  old  gold  field,  first  rendered 
uninhabitable  by  the  Apaches  and  then  forming  a  portion  of  their  reserva- 
tion. The  land  was  not  thrown  open  to  settlers  until  1882,  and  consid- 
erable gold  has  been  taken  out  of  two  of  the  mines  since. 

The  White  <  )aks  range  gives  its  name  to  the  district  which  earns 
Lincoln  county  its  chief  standing  as  a  noted  mining  region.  None  of  the 
camps  of  New  Mexico  are  better  known  than  this,  and  few  have  been 
more  productive.  The  "Old  Abe"  and  "Homestake"  mines  are  known  to 
every  living  gold  miner  of  the  United  States.  The  former  is  said  to  be 
the  deepest  dry  mine  in  the  world,  and  virgin  gold  in  gvpsum  is  one  of 
its  remarkable  occurrences.  Of  the  White  Oaks  range.  Baxter  mountain 
seems  to  embrace  the  gold-bearing  area:  all  the  principal  mines  of  the 
district  lie  in  a  very  limited  area  on  the  east  slope  of  the  mountain.  Lone 
mountain,  to  the  northeast,  is  nearly  encircled  by  a  good  class  of  iron 
ore.  The  Jicarilla  mountains,  ten  miles  northeast  of  White  Oaks,  in  which 
are  Ancho  and  Monument  Peaks  and  Jack  mountain,  embrace  a  district 
by  that  name. 

The  mining  section  in  Santa  Fe  county,  near  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  road,  embracing  what  are  known  as  the  New  Placer  ( Silver 
Butte)  and  Galisteo  districts,  is  chiefly  interesting  from  its  historical  asso- 
ciations and  not  for  its  value  as  an  actual  producer.  The  former,  which 
embraces  the  famous  land  grant  of  the  Ortiz  mountains,  is  the  oldest  gold 
mining  district  in  New  Mexico.  Four  or  five  miles  south  of  the  Old 
Placers,  in  the  San  Pedro  mountains,  are  the  New  Placers,  from  which 
the  entire  district  takes  its  name.  Much  gold  has  been  taken  from  the 
gulches  in  this  vicinity,  and  some  of  the  mines  are  still  producing.  The 
Cerrillos  (Galisteo)  district,  lving  on  the  north  side  of  the  Atchison.  To- 
peka &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  at  the  little  village  of  Los  Cerrillos,  near  the 
center  of  Santa  Fe  countv,  is  chiefly  noted  for  its  ancient  turquoise  mines. 
The  mining  districts  of  the  Sandia  and  Manzano  mountains,  in  the  south- 
eastern part  of  Sandoval  county,  are  more  or  less  mineralized,  but  their 
value  is  prospective.  The  Sandias,  however,  produce  plenty  of  good  build- 
ing stone. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  Sandoval  county,  on  the  west  side  of  the 


926  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Rio  Grande  and  in  a  line  directly  west  of  Santa  Fe.  is  the  Cochiti  mining 
district,  with  Bland  as  its  postoffice  and  main  settlement.  It  was  an 
early  field  for  prospectors,  and  had  its  "boom"  period  in  the  early  '90s. 
The  general  character  of  the  ore  is  of  rather  low  grade,  the  ratio  of 
values  in  the  precious  metals  being-  two  of  gold  to  one  of  silver. 

Of  the  mining  districts,  including  scattered  localities,  in  western  Col- 
fax, Taos  and  eastern  Rio  Arriba  counties,  those  which  cluster  around 
Elizabethtown  are  by  far  the  most  important.  In  this  region  are  the  great- 
est placer  fields  of  New  Mexico,  which  of  late  vears  have  produced  on  an 
average  one-quarter  of  the  gold  value  accredited  to  the  mines  of  the  Terri- 
tory. This  productive  mineralization  has  its  origin  in  Elizabeth,  or  Baldy 
Peak,  which  rises  from  a  sour  of  the  Taos  range,  and  is  situated  just  south- 
east of  Elizabethtown.  The  principal  operations  in  placer  mining  have 
been  conducted  along  Ute  creek,  on  the  southeastern  slope  of  Baldy ;  at 
Willow  creek  gulch,  on  the  southwest  slope,  and  in  the  Moreno  valley,  on 
the  western  slope  in  the  vicinity  of  Elizabethtown.  The  last-named  locality 
is  now  the  scene  of  the  greatest  activity.  The  mining  districts  which  sur- 
round Baldy  Peak  are  known  as  Moreno,  Willow  Creek.  Ute  Creek  and 
Ponil.  The  coarsest  gold  is  found  at  the  headwaters  of  Ute  creek,  one 
nugget  weighing  nearly  twelve  ounces  having  been  picked  up  a  few  years 
ago  just  below  its  source.  The  South  Ponil  is  also  a  favored  locality  for 
nuggets  and  coarse  placer  gold.  The  West  Moreno  district  lies  in  the  ex- 
treme western  part  of  Colfax  county,  five  miles  northwest  of  Elizabeth- 
town,  toward  Red  river,  and  as  the  ores  found  are  usually  of  low  grade 
its  development  has  not  been  very  extensive.  Ten  miles  southwest  of 
Cimarron  is  the  Urraca  and  Bonito  district,  some  placer  gold  being  found 
in  the  gulches  near  Urraca  creek. 

Twelve  miles  northwest  of  Elizabethtown,  through  the  Red  River  pass 
of  the  Taos  range,  lies  the  Red  River  mining  district  of  Taos  county.  It  is 
an  offshoot  of  the  Colfax  county  camp,  and  has  produced  some  placer 
gold.  Red  River  City,  located  in  the  early  '90s.  is  a  beautiful  mountain 
town  and  is  both  a  camp  and  a  summer  resort.  Further  south,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  the  Cieneguilla  district,  better  known  (from  its 
principal  camp)  as  tb«  Glen-Woodv.  This  famous  camp,  devoted  to  the 
mining  of  an  enormous  body  of  low-grade  gold  quartz,  is  at  the  point 
where  latitude  360  20'  crosses  the  Rio  Grande  in  Taos  county. 

The  mining  interests  of  Rio  Arriba  county  have  been  developed  only 
to  a  moderate  extent.  The  claims  and  few  working  mines  are  all  in  the 
eastern  and  southeastern  sections.  Bromide  District  No.  2  has  attracted 
the  most  attention.  It  is  situated  fourteen  miles  west  of  Tres  Piedras.  a 
small  village  on  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  in  East  Rio  Arriba 
county.  Until  1000  the  cloud  on  the  land  grant  which  covered  this  dis- 
trict held  back  investment  and  work  generally,  but  since  that  year,  when 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court  declared  it  public  domain,  it  has  attracted 
both  mining  men  and  capital.  Generally  speaking,  the  ores  are  sulphides, 
copper,  silver,  lead,  and  pvrites  of  iron  carrying  gold. 

Early  Explorations  and  Lost  Mines. — The  expeditions  of  the  Spaniards, 
which  penetrated  into  the  present  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  during  the 
sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  were  undertaken  mainly  from  motives 
of  rapacity,  prompted  by  stories  of  Indian  cities  and  kingdoms,  somewhere 
in  the  interior,   where  gold   and   precious   stones  were  as  plentiful   as   air 


MINING  927 

and  water.  It  is  now  believed  by  many  historians  that  these  tales  were 
originated  and  kept  alive  by  the  natives  themselves  for  the  purpose  of 
luring  adventurers  and  invaders  far  into  a  strange  land,  where  famine, 
hardships  and  their  own  arrows  might  work  the  ruin  of  their  enemies. 
The  shipwrecked  wanderer  Cabeza  de  Vaca,  with  his  three  companions, 
was  the  first  Spaniard  and  white  man  to  set  foot  in  New  Mexico.  In  1534, 
while  endeavoring  to  escape  from  his  captors,  a  coastal  tribe  of  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  he  ascended  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  and  at  the  furthest 
point  north  found  rich  deposits  of  turquoise.  Five  years  after  his  adven- 
ture. Friar  Marcos  de  Niza  led  a  so-called  religious  expedition  into  a 
country  which,  from  its  description,  was  probably  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Zuni  mountains;  but  it  was  the  turquoise  and  gold  which  also  made  the 
main  impression  on  the  father.  Coronado"s  expedition,  of  1540,  was  one 
purely  of  adventure,  discovery,  conquest  and  plunder,  having  for  its  ob- 
jective point  the  glorious  city  of  Quivira.  When  he  had  reached  a  locality 
supposed  to  be  in  Kansas,  he  found  a  little  Indian  town  which  the  natives 
pronounced  Quivira,  but  he  found  no  precious  metal  in  the  place.  One  of 
the  chiefs  had  a  small  piece  of  copper  around  his  neck,  and  some  turquoise 
and  gold  had  been  seen  on  the  march,  but  nothing  whatever  was  dis- 
covered to  warrant  any  enthusiasm  or  a  longer  continuance  in  the  country. 
The  magnificent  princes  and  princesses  loaded  with  ornaments  of  gold  and 
silver,  eating  and  drinking  from  massive  vessels  fashioned  from  the 
precious  metals,  did  not  materialize ;  but  although  he  and  his  followers  re- 
turned disgusted  to  Mexico,  other  like  expeditions  followed  within  the 
succeeding  half  century.  Finally,  Onate,  in  the  last  few  years  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  established  a  permanent  Spanish  colony  at  and  near  Santa 
Fe,  and  as  the  Spaniards  had  not  been  successful  in  collecting  vast  treasure 
from  the  persons  of  the  natives,  they  set  them  to  work  to  have  them  dig 
it  from  the  mines. 

In  the  gold  and  turquoise  mines  south  of  Santa  Fe  the  Pueblo  Indians 
became  virtual  slaves  to  their  Spanish  taskmasters.  The  Jesuits  were  said 
to  have  been  the  principal  operators,  and  in  1680,  when  the  natives  arose 
in  revolt  against  the  hardships  imposed  upon  them,  it  was  upon  these 
priests  that  they  mainly  wreaked  their  vengeance  in  a  general  massacre. 
The  Spaniards  fled  the  country,  and  during  the  dozen  years  in  which  it 
remained  in  the  hands  of  the  native  rulers  the  hated  mines  were  filled  in 
and  covered  up.  Final  peace  with  the  Pueblos  was  secured  only  upon  the 
stipulation  that  the  natives  should  not  again  be  employed  in  mining,  but 
only  in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Even  at  such  cost,  it  is  evident  now  that  all  the  mining  accomplished 
by  the  Spaniards  and  their  unwilling  allies  was  little  more  than  surface 
scratching  or  prospecting.  They  were  locking  for  vast  wealth  with  little 
labor;  but  it  has  remained  for  the  hard,  systematic,  scientific  workers  of 
the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  centuries  to  wrest  the  metallic  and  mineral 
riches  of  New  Mexico  from  her  soil  and  rocks. 

Professor  Fayette  A.  Jones,  who  has  had  exceptional  opportunities 
to  examine  all  the  purported  native  and  Spanish  mines  in  the  Territory, 
comes  to  these  conclusions :  "Some  mining  in  a  desultory  manner  has  no 
doubt  been  carried  on  in  New  Mexico  under  Spanish  rule,  and  a  little 
perhaps  done  by  the  aborigines.  Yet.  aside  from  the  turquoise  mines  at 
Los  Cerrillos  and  the  Burro  mountains,  the  evidence  is  sufficient  to  satisfy 


928  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  statement  that  no  true  metal  mining  was  ever  carried  on  within  the 
borders  of  New  Mexico  until  about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1800,  with 
the  possible  exception  of  Mina  del  Tierra.  in  the  vicinity  of  the  turquoise 
mines  near  Los  Cerrillos.  (These  were  silver-lead  mines.)  Under  Spanish 
rule  prospecting  for  placer  gold  was  carried  on  to  a  certain  extent ;  yet  no 
rich  finds  were  ever  brought  to  notice,  excepting  the  Old  and  Xew  Placers. 
There  would  be  no  good  reason  to  claim  that  the  Pueblo  Indians,  or  the 
early  Spanish  explorers,  were  better  qualified  to  find  rich  mines  than  the 
modern  prospector.  The  Spaniard  has  been  a  gold  hunter  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  placer  gold  was  the  kind  he  knew  most  about ;  lode  mines  were 
not  so  alluring  to  him.  There  are  a  number  of  old  workings  in  Xew 
Mexico  of  limited  extent,  and  presumably  of  Spanish  origin,  which  have 
been  discovered  by  the  modern  prospector  ;  but  the  richness  of  the  ore  or 
deposits  has  been  almost  invariably  disappointing. 

"It  might  be  added  that  the  traditional  stories  of  lost  mines  are  the 
ignus  fatui  that  have  held  many  a  prospector  spellbound  and  carried  him 
into  unknown  regions,  ultimately  resulting  in  giving  to  the  world  a  Cripple 
Creek  or  a  Klondike.  The  enchanted  Adams  diggings,  the  legendary 
Pegleg  lode,  the  mythical  Log  Cabin  mine,  and  similar  stories  of  lost 
lodes  exist  in  imagination  only  ;  yet  they  serve  as  a  stimulus  to  the  pros- 
pector, who,  with  pick  and  pan.  paves  the  way  for  civilization.  Such 
fantasies,  when  viewed  from  an  unprejudiced  standpoint,  are  to  be  re- 
garded as  real  and  necessary  factors  in  the  successful  hunt  for  gold." 

One  of  the  most  curious  developments  tending  to  locate  some  of  these 
lost  mines  of  the  early  Spaniards  is  of  quite  recent  date.  In  February, 
1902,  there  died  at  Colorado,  Doha  Ana  county,  Don  Luiz  Amayo.  a  Mexi- 
can ninety  years  of  age.  His  parents  were  killed  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua 
during  a  rebellion  of  the  early  nineteenth  century.  Their  grandfather, 
who  was  born  in  Spain,  had  received  from  his  royal  master  the  title  to 
about  thirtv  different  placer  fields  and  sites,  scattered  from  Juarez.  Mexico. 
to  Santa  Fe,  on  both  sides  of  the  Rio  Grande,  as  well  as  from  Juarez  to 
the  City  of  Mexico.  Fortunately,  through  all  the  troublous  times  in  Chi- 
huahua, Don  Luis  retained  possession  of  the  royal  papers,  and  during  his 
later  vears  in  Xew  Mexico  buried  them  in  the  ground  for  safe  keeping. 
Forming  a    friendship   for   John    H.   Allison,*   a  cattle   man   and   miner  of 

:John  H.  Allison,  a  rancher  and  mine  operator  at  Denting,  Luna 
county,  has  been  a  resident  of  Xew  Mexico  since  1880,  coming  to  the 
Territory  from  Denver.  Colorado.  He  was  born  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  June  4, 
1847,  nut  hi  early  life  went  to  Colorado,  and  since  1880  has  been  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  in  Grant  and  Luna  counties,  New  Mexico.  He  de- 
voted his  attention  to  cattle  until  1905,  when  he  sold  his  cattle  and  is  now 
engaged  in  the  breeding  and  raising  of  Angora  goats.  This  is  a  compara- 
tively new  industry  in  Xew  Mexico,  but  one  which  is  proving  very  profit- 
able, the  sale  of  the  tleece  bringing  excellent  prices,  while  the  value  of  the 
animals  in  other  directions  is  well  known.  In  connection  with  his  live 
stock  dealings  Mr.  Allison  has  for  some  time  been  engaged  in  mining 
copper,  lead  and  silver  in  the  Florida  mountains  in  the  southern  part  of 
Luna  county.  He  is  thus  actively  associated  with  the  development  of  the 
natural  resources  of  the  Territory,  and  his  business  interests  are  of  a 
character  which  promote  the  general  improvement  and  prosperity  as  well 


&JMJ* 


^^7 


MINING  929 

Deming,  the  old  man  passed  the  papers  over  to  him  for  the  purpose  of 
investigating'  the  different  locations  mentioned,  and  the  examination  is 
still   progressing. 

The  royal  documents  are  dated  March  10,  1650.  and  bear  the  portrait 
of  the  king  of  Spain.  Mr.  Allison  has  had  them  translated  verbally,  and, 
guided  by  the  descriptions  of  the  old  mining  properties  which  they  present, 
has  made  one  extensive  trip,  having  become  familiar  with  the  whole  trail 
from  Santa  Fe  to  Mexico  City.  He  knows  of  the  locations  of  some  of  the 
properties,  which  have  since  been  covered  lay  erosions  of  the  soil;  is  satis- 
fied that  he  has  discovered  at  least  one  rich  mine,  and  is  quite  positive  that 
some  of  the  mines  opened  in  recent  years  are  described  in  the  documents 
in  his  possession. 

Old  and  New  Placers  of  Santa  Fe  County. — As  stated,  the  placer  gold 
fields  were  the  first  to  come  into  notice  in  New  Mexico.  Even  before  the 
ci  lining  of  the  Spaniards  it  is  probable  that  small  quantities  of  gold  were 
taken  from  the  gravel  beds  near  the  Ortiz  mountains,  or  from  the  beds 
of  some  of  the  streams  in  that  locality.  But  nothing  of  any  moment  in 
the  way  of  gold  mining  was  accomplished  until  the  discovery  of  the  New 
Placers  in  the  same  old  region  of  the  Ortiz  mountains.  It  is  said  that 
some  time  in  1828  a  herder  from  Sonora  strayed  into  the  mountains  in 
search  of  his  lost  sheep,  and  seeing  a  stone  which  resembled  the  gold- 
hearing  rocks  at  home  preserved  his  specimen,  which  proved  to  be  rich  in 
the  precious  metal.  The  following,  from  Professor  Jones'  "New  Mexico 
Mines  and  Minerals,"  is  a  condensed  and  interesting  picture  of  the  early 
workings  of  this,  the  oldest  gold-mining  district  in  New  Mexico,  and.  with 
the  exception  of  the  copper  mines  of  Santa  Rita  ( (irant  county),  the  first 
really  productive  mining  property  in  the  Territory:  "News  of  the  dis- 
covery soon  spread  and  the  excitement  was  intense.  The  most  crude  ap- 
pliances imaginable  were  used:  notwithstanding,  considerable  gold  was 
taken  out.  Winter  seemed  to  be  the  most  favored  time  for  mining;  by 
melting  the  snow  with  hot  rocks  they  were  able  to  work  until  the  dry  season 
of  the  year.  The  gold  was  washed  or  panned  out  in  a  batea — a  sort  of 
round  wooden  bowl,  about  the  diameter  of  the  modern  gold  pan.  The 
mode  of  operation  was  first  to  fill  the  batea  with  the  auriferous  sands  and 
gravels,  and.  then,  by  immersing  the  whole  in  water  and  by  constant  stir- 
ring and  agitation,  the  mass  of  sands  and  gravels  was  reduced  until 
nothing  but  black  sands  and  particles  of  gold  remained  in  the  wooden 
vessel.  This  mass  of  black  sands  and  gold  was  then  reduced  in  a  clay 
retort  to  obtain  existing  values,  after  the  largest  nuggets  and  particles  of 
gold  were  first  removed. 

as  his  individual  success.  In  1903  he  built  the  (  kid  Fellows'  hall  in  Dem- 
ing, thus  contributing  to  the  improvement  of  the  city.  Above  will  be 
found  an  account  of  the  historic  mining  claims  in  New  Mexico  and  old 
Mexico,  in  which  Mr.  Allison  is  deeply  interested,  having  in  his  possession 
papers  descriptive  of  lost  mines  of  great  value  left  to  him  by  Don  Luiz 
Amayo,  who  died  in  Doha  Ana  county,  Xew  Mexico,  in  1902,  when  more 
than  ninety  years  of  age. 

(  )n  July  2J,  188".  Mr.  Allison  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Charlotte 
Eby.     Giildren :    Laura  M.,  Ida  J.,  Andrew  H.  and  William  J. 


930  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

"According  to  Prince's  'History  of  New  Mexico,'  between  $60,000 
and  $80,000  in  gold  was  taken  out  annually  between  the  years  1832  and 
1835.  The  poorest  years  about  this  period  were  from  $30,000  to  $40,000. 
About  this  time  an  order  was  given  prohibiting  any  person  from  working 
the  mines  excepting  the  natives.  Foreign  capital  and  energy  were  thus 
excluded,  which  greatly  handicapped  development.  Under  this  new  regime 
each  Mexican  miner  held  one  claim,  the  size  of  which  was  ten  paces  in  all 
directions  from  the  main  discovery  pit.  Any  claim  not  kept  alive  by  labor 
after  a  certain  length  of  time  was  subject  to  relocation. 

"The  gold  was  mainly  in  nuggets  and  dust.  One  nugget  claimed  to 
have  been  found  was  worth  $3,400,  which  netted  the  finder  only  $1,400. 
If  true,  this  was  the  largest  nugget  ever  discovered  in  New  Mexico.  The 
fineness  of  this  gold  is  918.  It  would  be  hard  to  estimate  the  exact  amount 
of  gold  taken  from  the  Old  Placers,  but  it  must  have  been  considerable." 

In  1833  a  vein  of  gold-bearing  quartz  was  discovered  in  the  Old 
Placer  field,  and  in  December  of  that  year  was  recorded  the  Santa  Rosalia 
land  grant  in  favor  of  Jose  Francisco  Ortiz.  This  discovery  by  one  Don 
Cano,  a  Spaniard  who  came  to  Mexico  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  resulted  in  the  development  of  the  famous  Sierra  del  Oro,  now 
known  as  the  Ortiz  mine.  This  mine,  which  has  been  worked  at  intervals 
ever  since  its  discovery,  is  still  the  center  of  the  Ortiz  land  grant,  which 
embraces  an  area  of  ten  square  miles  and  covers  the  mountains  by  that 
name,  as  well  as  the  choicest  of  the  placer  fields. 

Jose  Ortiz,  the  original  owner  of  the  property,  took  into  partnership 
a  Spaniard  by  the  name  of  Lopez,  who,  in  his  day,  was  a  skilled  miner, 
and  obtained  so  much  gold  from  Sierra  del  Oro  that  Ortiz  became  ambi- 
tious to  get  a  monopoly  of  its  treasures.  Lopez  was  not  only  forced  out  of 
the  management,  but  out  of  the  country ;  but  the  new  management  was 
entirely  incompetent  and  failed  to  realize  another  grain  of  gold.  The  New 
Mexico  Mining  Company,  which  acquired  the  Ortiz  grant  in  1864.  was 
organized  in  1853  and  incorporated  in  1858.  In  1865  this  company  com- 
pleted the  erection  of  a  stamp  mill  at  the  Ortiz  mine,  which  was  the  first 
mill  in  New  Mexico.  Additions  were  made  in  1869,  but  later  the  mine 
closed  down,  and  has  since  been  operated  by  other  companies.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  gold  to  the  value  of  $5,000,000  was  taken  out  of  the 
old  workings  of  the  Ortiz  mine. 

The  last  organization  to  systematically  work  this  historic  piece  of 
mining  property  was  the  Ortiz  Gold  Mining  Company,  of  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri. It  was  capitalized  at  $2,000,000.  The  output  was  treated  at  a  plant 
on  the  ground.  A  shaft  was  sunk  some  425  feet,  from  which  five  levels 
were  run,  the  lowest  being  400  feet  from  the  surface.  The  third  level  con- 
nected with  an  old  incline  425  feet  long.  There  were  the  usual  wings, 
crosscuts  and  air  shafts,  the  total  plant  costing  about  $75,000. 

In  the  Old  Placer  district  are  also  the  Cunningham  mine,  which  is 
among  the  early  locations  and  belongs  to  the  Sandia  Gold  Mining  and 
Milling  Company ;  the  Candelaria  lode,  once  owned  by  the  well-known 
Colonel  J.  S.  Hutchason,  who  was  in  the  district  as  early  as  1848;  the 
Brehm  lode,  originally  operated  by  the  New  Mexico  Company,  which  also 
owned  the  Ortiz  mine;  the  Hutchason,  the  Brown,  and  the  Humboldt 
100th.     All  of  these  lodes  lie  near  Dolores.     Indeed,  the  range  of  moun- 


MINING  931 

tains  extending  south  from  that  point  for  eight  miles  is  one  vast  upheaval 
of  mineralized  matter,  and  only  awaits  the  proper  facilities  for  development. 

Much  of  the  placer  gold  found  is  quite  coarse.  Years  ago  a  nugget 
found  near  Dolores  yielded  about  $400,  and  after  heavy  rains  nuggets 
worth  several  dollars  are  often  picked  up.  Except  for  the  absence  of 
water  the  production  of  gold  from  the  placers  would  be  very  abundant 
and  continuous.  Modern  skill  and  enterprise  have  partly  solved  the  prob- 
lem, through  the  agency  of  deep  wells  and  powerful  steam  pumps.  Artesian 
well  experiments  have  so  far  failed. 

Five  miles  south  of  the  Old  Placers,  in  the  San  Pedro  mountains,  is 
the  New  Placers  district,  first  opened  in  1839.  Of  late  years  the  most  mining 
activity  has  been  manifested  at  Golden,  southwest  of  the  deserted  village 
of  Dolores ;  this  is  the  newest  part  of  the  placer  district. 

The  Turquoise  Mines. — All  the  historic  and  archaeological  evidences 
point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  aboriginal  workings  of  the  turquoise  mines 
at  Los  Cerrillos  and  in  the  Burro  mountains  long  antedate  the  primitive 
mining  for  the  precious  metals.  Immense  hammers  of  the  stone  age,  coiled 
pottery  (the  oldest  known  type),  and  other  relics  of  antiquity  excavated 
from  the  working  pits,  as  well  as  lichen-covered  rocks  and  century-old  trees 
surmounting  the  heaps  of  refuse  at  the  mouths  of  the  mines,  all  tend  to 
this  conclusion.  Mount  Chalchihuitl,  which  lies  to  the  north  of  the  railway 
station  at  that  point  some  three  miles,  is  the  site  of  what  have  been  pro- 
nounced the  most  ancient  workings.  It  is  said  that  in  1680  some  twenty 
Indians  were  killed  at  this  point  by  the  caving  in  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
works,  and  that  this  casualty  was  the  final  spur  which  precipitated  the 
native  revolution  of  that  year.  It  is  believed  that  the  aborigines  and  the 
Spaniards  exhausted  this  particular  locality  of  marketable  turquoise,  as 
any  attempt   to  develop  the  mines  in  recent  years  has  been  unsuccessful. 

Three  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Mount  Chalchihuitl  is  the  old  Cas- 
tilian  turquoise  mine,  formerly  worked  by  the  Spaniards.  About  1885 
the  property  was  partially  developed,  and  a  Mexican  named  F.  Muniz 
made  a  claim  in  that  locality  in  1889.  Three  other  claims  were  made  by 
C.  D.  Storey  in  1881,  and  in  the  following  year  the  entire  five  properties 
were  bought  by  the  American  Turquoise  Company,  whose  headquarters 
are  at  Turquesa,  a  few  miles  north  of  Cerrillos.  Many  thousands  of  dollars 
worth  of  magnificent  gems  have  been  sent  to  New  York  and  other  sections 
of  the  country,  the  Tiffanys  having  had  a  representative  upon  the  ground 
for  several  years. 

There  are  only  a  few  other  localities  in  New  Mexico  where  turquoise 
deposits  have  been  discovered,  and  perhaps  only  one  other  place  where 
they  have  been  worked  to  commercial  advantage ;  the  other  favored  locality 
is  in  the  Burro  mountains,  fourteen  miles  southwest  of  Silver  City.  There 
are  abundant  evidences  to  prove  that  before  their  discovery  in  this  district, 
as  in  that  of  Santa  Fe  county,  the  deposits  were  quite  extensively  worked 
by  the  Indians.  Beads  and  pendants  are  frequently  found  in  the  aboriginal 
graves,  as  well  as  in  the  ruins  of  the  Indian  pueblos,  and  it  is  claimed  by 
some  that  turquoise  was  used  by  some  of  the  early  tribes  as  a  medium  of 
exchange.  The  extensive  excavations  made  by  these  aboriginal  gem 
diggers  pointed  to  many  of  the  deposits  unearthed  by  modern  discoverers, 
and  in  opening  the  old  workings  in  Grant  county  some  hammers  and 
ancient  pottery  have  been  taken  out. 


932  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

One  of  the  earliest  white  men  in  the  Burro  mountain  turquoise  district 
was  John  Coleman,  who  located  several  claims  in  the  late  seventies  and 
the  early  eighties.  Nicholas  C.  Rascom  was  also  among  the  pioneers.  These 
men  were  followed  by  many  other  miners,  most  of  whom  were  local  pros- 
pectors, who  did  not  possess  the  means  to  develop  their  claims.  For  some 
years  little  work  was  accomplished  beyond  meeting  the  annual  assessments, 
and  most  of  the  stones  were  sold  for  small  sums  at  Silver  City  and  other 
local   markets. 

In  1882  Mr.  Coleman  disposed  of  most  of  his  ground  to  Messrs.  Por- 
terfield  and  Parker,  who  afterward  formed  the  Occidental  and  ( Iriental 
Turquoise  Mining  Company,  absorbed  in  iqoi  by  the  Gem  Turquoise  and 
Copper  Company.  In  i8gi  \".  C.  Rascom  sold  his  holdings  to  the  Azure 
Alining  Company,  which  is  also  still  in  the  field.  These  companies,  with 
M.  W.  Porterfield,  are  now  the  principal  operators  in  the  Burros. 

Mr.  Porterfield  may  be  considered  the  father  of  turquoise  mining  on 
a  commercial  scale  in  Xew  Mexico,  if  not  in  the  United  States.  Until  1SS8 
practically  the  turquoise  of  the  world  came  from  the  empire  of  Persia. 
In  that  year  M.  YV.  Porterfield.  who  a  short  time  before  had  arrived  in 
Silver  City,  while  making  excavations  in  ancient  Indian  ruins  near  that 
town  found  several  turquoise  leads  and  unfinished  specimens  of  the  stone. 
He  gave  the  latter  to  an  experienced  prospector,  with  the  request  that  he 
look  out  for  that  substance  in  his  researches.  The  latter  soon  discovered 
some  abandoned  ancient  workings  in  which  the  blue  stone  was  found,  and 
notified  Mr.  Porterfield.  whereupon  the  two  men  returned  to  the  spot  and 
reopened  the  shallow  shafts,  in  which  they  found  immense  quantities  of 
ancient  "ringer  nail"  pottery,  some  charcoal,  and  a  number  of  stone 
hammers  which  had  been  worn  round  by  constant  use.  Carrying  their 
investigations  further,  they  found  imbedded  in  the  stone  turquoise  in 
quantities  sufficiently  large  to  induce  them  to  develop  the  property.  Thus 
was  inaugurated  the  first  turquoise  mining  in  the  United  States  under 
modern  conditions,  and  Mr.  Porterfield  became  the  pioneer  in  that  in- 
dustry. The  first  exhibit  of  this  stone  was  made  by  him  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  in  1803,  ancl  so  rapidly  has  the  business  developed 
that  Grant  county  now  supplies  perhaps  three-fourths  of  the  turquoise 
annually  sold  throughout  the  world. 

Judge  M.  W.  Porterfield.  a  druggist  at  Silver  City,  <  irant  county,  and 
turquoise  mine  owner  and  operator,  has  in  recent  years  become  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  residents  of  the  Territory  because  of  his  activity  toward 
the  development  of  the  great  natural  resources  of  this  part  of  the  country, 
especially  in  the  line  of  its  mineral  deposits.  He  has  resided  in  Silver 
City  since  1888,  at  which  time  he  and  his  brother.  W.  C.  Porterfield,  estab- 
lished the  drug  business  which  they  still  control. 

M .  W.  Porterfield  was  born  and  reared  at  Fairfield.  Illinois,  his  birth 
occurring  September  6.  1855,  a  son  of  William  H.  and  Elizabeth  Porter- 
field. (  Obtaining  his  preliminary  education  in  Fairfield,  for  two  years  he 
was  a  student  in  the  scientific  department  of  the  Illinois  University,  and 
was  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Science  from  the  National 
Normal  University  at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  in  the  class  of  1877.  He  became 
the  pioneer  turquoise  miner  of  New  Mexico,  so  far  as  commercial  mining 
is  concerned,  and  this  means  that  he  was  the  pioneer  in  that  industry  in 
tht    United  States.     He  was  in  charge  of  the  mineral  exhibit  at  the  World's 


MINING  933 

Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago  in  1893 — a  fact  which  indicates  his 
standing  among  mineralogists  and  experts.  For  a  portion  of  the  time  he 
held  a  similar  position  at  the  Omaha  Exposition  and  at  the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase Exposition,  held  in  St.  Louis  in  1904,  he  served  as  executive  com- 
missioner or  manager  of  the  New  Mexico  exhibits,  preparing  all  the  ex- 
hibits from  this  Territory.  One  of  the  most  interesting  exhibits  at  the 
exposition  was  that  of  a  turquoise  mine  in  the  mining  gulch,  for  the 
erection  of  which  he  sent  several  tons  of  ore  from  his  mines  in  New 
Mexico.  Mr.  Porterfield  has  become  known  in  recent  years  as  "the  tur- 
quoise king."     He  was  probate  judge  of  Grant  county  from  1890  to  1892. 

Mr.  Porterfield  was  married  in  Silver  City,  August  21,  1898,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Steely,  a  native  of  Keokuk,  Iowa.  They  have  one  child,  a  daugh- 
ter, Ann  Elizabeth. 

Oldest  Lode  Mine  in  America. — Not  far  from  the  ancient  turquoise 
mines  of  Mount  Chalchihuitl,  southwest  of  the  center  of  Santa  Fe  county, 
north  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  is  Mina  del  Tierra, 
pronounced  by  investigators  and  scholars  to  be  the  oldest  lode  mine  in 
America.  In  fact,  it  presents  the  only  real  evidence  of  ancient  lode  mining 
in  the  entire  southwest,  and  is  supposed  to  antedate  the  first  workings  of 
the  Ortiz  gold  mines  and  the  Santa  Rita  copper  mines  by  at  least  a  century. 

"The  old  working,"  says  Professor  Fayette  A.  Jones,  "consists  of  an 
incline  shaft  of  150  feet,  and  connects  with  a  somewhat  vertical  shaft  of 
about  100  feet  in  depth.  Extensive  drifts  of  300  feet  connect  with  various 
chambers  or  stopes ;  these  chambers  were  forced  by  stoping  or  mining  out 
the  richer  ore  bodies.  The  full  extent  of  this  old  working  has  never  been 
definitely  determined,  since  the  lower  depths  are  covered  with  water,  which 
would  have  to  be  pumped  out  to  fully  explore  the  mine.  As  late  as  1870 
the  remains  of  an  old  canoe  were  still  in  evidence,  which  was  used  for 
crossing  water  in  the  mine,  or  as  a  carrier  for  conveying  the  waste  and 
ore  to  the  main  shaft:  from  this  latter  point  it  was  carried  to  the  surface 
on  the  hacks  of   Indians  111  rawhide  buckets  or  tanates. 

"The  shaft  had  step-platforms  or  landings,  every  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet,  which  were  gained  by  climbing  a  notched  pole  (chicken  ladder), 
similar  to  what  some  of  the  Pueblo  Indians  use  at  the  present  day.  Many 
crude  and  curious  relics,  such  as  stone  hammers  and  sledges,  fragments 
of  pottery,  etc.,  have  In  en  taken  from  both  the  mine  and  the  dump.  The 
labor  involved,  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  crude  manner  of 
doing  the  work,  must  have  been  something  tremendous.  It  is  thought 
that  the  Jesuits  had  this  work  performed  by  Indian  slaves  prior  to  1680. 
The  ore  from  this  mine  is  a  sulphide  of  lead  and  zinc,  carrying  rather 
high  values  in  silver.  Silver,  no  doubt,  was  the  principal  metal  sought 
and   utilized." 

It  was  in  this  district  surrounding  Mount  Chalchihuitl  that  the  mining 
excitement  of  1879  so  raged — an  echo  from  the  Leadville  boom.  The 
little  boom  was  started  by  the  re-discovery  of  the  very  metals  which  had 
been  mined  centuries  before  in  Mina  del  Tierra.  Two  town  sites.  Bonanza 
City  and  Carbonateville,  were  staked  out  in  the  early  eighties,  and  during 
the  first  wave  of  excitement  fully  one  thousand  locations  were  made. 

Grant  County  Mining. — After  the  districts  south  of  Santa  Fe,  the 
copper  mine  of  Santa  Rita,  and  the  gold  and  silver  fields  near  Pinos  Altos 
and  Silver  City  are  the  oldest  mining  sections  of  New  Mexico.     The  Santa 


934  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Rita  mine  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  really  productive  piece  of 
mining  property  in  the  Territor.y,  judged  by  modern  standards.  Unlike 
the  status  of  the  industry  in  the  old  districts  of  Santa  Fe  county,  the  copper 
silver,  gold  and  iron  mines  of  northeastern  Grant  county,  after  a  century 
of  productiveness  and  exploitation,  still  maintain  their  early  bright 
promises  and  constitute  the  most  valuable  mining  territory  (as  a  whole) 
in  New  Mexico. 

E.  G.  Maroney,  of  Silver  City,  interested  in  mining  for  turquoise,  is 
a  native  of  Mississippi,  having  been  born  and  reared  about  forty  miles 
above  Jackson.  His  youth  was  passed  upon  a  farm  and  he  early  became 
familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  that  fall  to  the  lot  of  the  agriculturist. 
He  arrived  in  Silver  City  in  September,  1898,  and  began  prospecting.  On 
the  14th  of  December,  1905,  he  sold  out  all  of  the  copper  interests  which 
he  had  previously  held,  and  is  now  directing  his  attention  almost  ex- 
clusively to  turquoise.  In  conjunction  with  M.  D.  McKees  and  P.  J. 
Farley  he  owns  and  is  developing  the  Louis  turquoise  mine.  He  is  also 
interested  in  the  Azure  Mining  Company,  connected  with  the  operation 
of  turquoise  mines  for  about  twenty-seven  years.  Mr.  Maroney's  mine 
lies  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  Azure  mines,  and  produces  many 
perfect  gems.  He  shipped  seventeen  stones  to  George  Bell,  a  lapidary  of 
Denver,  Colorado,  and  from  that  number  obtained  five  perfect  stones, 
which  is  an  unusually  large  proportion.  The  mine  is  located  in  the  Burro 
mountain  district  in  Nigger  Gulch.  Mr.  Maroney  is  now  operating  a 
stage  line  between  Silver  City  and  Leopold.  He  has  followed  mining  since 
his  arrival  in  the  Territory  and  has  been  quite  successful  in  this  venture, 
his  turquoise  mine  proving  a  valuable  property. 

Some  idea  of  the  comparative  position  held  by  Grant  among  the  coun- 
ties of  the  Territory  as  a  producer  of  the  metals  may  be  gained  from  the 
figures  for  1902,  gathered  under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States  Geo- 
logical Survey.  From  them  it  is  learned  that  of  the  133,353  tons  0I  ore 
mined  during  the  year  throughout  New  Mexico,  Grant  county  produced 
55,110,  the  great  bulk  of  the  balance  being  credited  to  Socorro  and  Lin- 
coln counties.  As  to  the  stock  of  ore  on  hand  at  the  last  of  that  year. 
Grant  had  120,753  of  the  total,  222,746  tons.  In  the  matter  of  deep  gold 
mining  it  produced  380.789  ounces,  valued  at  $78,710,  as  against  244,828 
ounces  (value,  $50,607)  for  Lincoln  and  202,947  ounces  (value.  $42,056) 
for  Socorro,  its  nearest  competitors.  In  placer  gold  mining  no  county  in  New 
Mexico  approaches  Colfax.  The  whole  of  New  Mexico  produced  285,205 
ounces  of  silver,  valued  at  $148,659.  and  of  the  three  counties  which  yielded 
the  great  bulk  of  it,  Grant  stood  second  with  48.513  ounces,  and  Socorro 
first  with  146,503  ounces  to  its  credit.  In  copper  Grant  county  has  no  com- 
petitor, and  as  the  value  of  its  production  is  over  sixty  per  cent  of  that 
realized  from  all  the  metals  mined  in  the  Territory,  the  significance  of  the 
statement  is  evident.  In  the  year  under  consideration  Grant  county  mined 
7,251,757  pounds  of  copper,  which  was  valued  at  $793,028,  while  all  of 
New  Mexico  mined  only  7.979.167  pounds.  The  county  is  third  in  the  pro- 
duction of  lead,  being  exceeded  by  both  Socorro  and  Luna.  As  a  whole 
(including  placer  gold  minine).  Grant  county  produced,  in  value,  over 
sixty-one  per  cent  of  the  gold,  silver,  copper  and  lead  mined  in  the  Terri- 
tory. 

The   Copper  and  Iron   Mines. — Seven  miles   east   of   Silver  City,   ad- 


MINING  9i*5 

joining-  Fort  Bayard  and  immediately  south  of  the  once  famous  and  now- 
deserted  silver  camp  of  Georgetown,  are  the  richest  copper  mines  in  New 
Mexico,  and  among  the  most  productive  in  the  country.  The  historical 
interest  centers  in  the  Santa  Rita  mine,  which  was  discovered  by  an  Indian 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  in  1800  turned  over  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Manuel  Carrasco,  a  Spanish  commandant  in  charge  of 
certain  military  posts  in  this  section  of  New  Mexico.  About  this  time  the 
Spaniards  settled  Santa  Rita  as  a  penal  colony,  and  it  is  probable  that  con- 
vict labor  was  first  employed  in  the  development  of  the  property  under 
the  ownership  of  Don  Francisco  Manuel  Elguea,  a  wealthy  merchant  of 
Chihuahua,  who  in  1804  had  purchased  the  mine,  or  the  right  to  work  it, 
of  Carrasco.  It  is  said  that  the  copper  had  been  found  to  be  of  such  fine 
quality  that  the  entire  production  had  already  been  contracted  for  coinage 
by  the  royal  mint.  Under  the  management  of  Elguea  considerable  metal 
was  mined  and  transported  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  its  means  of  transporta- 
tion being  pack  mules.  Three  hundred  pounds  were  loaded  onto  each  ani- 
mal, and  it  is  reported  that  one  hundred  mules  were  thus  constantly  em- 
ployed for  some  time.  In  1807  Zebulon  Pike,  the  American  explorer,  re- 
ports a  copper  mine  in  that  part  of  the  Territory  which  was  producing 
20,000  mule  loads  of  copper  annually,  and  James  O.  Pattie,  a  trapper  of  the 
country,  describes  the  property  as  follows:  "Within  the  circumference  of 
three  miles  there  is  a  mine  of  copper,  gold  and  silver,  besides  a  cliff  of  lode- 
stone  (iron).  The  silver  mine  is  not  worked,  not  being  so  popular  as 
either  copper  or  gold  mines.  The  Indians  were  very  troublesome,  and 
the  trappers  did  good  service  in  keeping  them  in  order  by  force  and 
treaties." 

Don   Francisco   died   in    1809,   and   until    1822   the  mine   was    worked 
under  various  leases  made  with  the  widow  of  the  deceased.     Robert  Mc- 


Jo  E.  Sheridan,  United  States  coal  mine  inspector  for  New  Mexico 
and  a  resident  of  Silver  City,  has  been  identified  with  mining  in  the  west 
and  southwest  since  1867.  In  that  year  he  accompanied  the  rush  to  Eliza- 
bethtown,  New  Mexico,  attracted  thither  by  the  discovery  of  gold.  In 
the  winter  of  1880  and  1881  he  was  engaged  largely  in  mining  operations 
in  the  Magdalena  district  with  the  Toledo  Mining  Company,  being  active 
there  in  the  first  important  development  work  of  that  district.  In  the  sum- 
mers of  1880  and  1 881  he  operated  in  the  Mogollon  country,  and  there  on 
Mineral  creek  he  erected  the  Sheridan  mill,  one  of  the  first  mills  in  New 
Mexico  for  handling  silver  ores  by  amalgamation.  He  was  also  for  some 
time  engaged  successfully  in  mining  gold  in  California  and  Nevada,  but 
since  1885"  has  made  his  home  continuously  in  Silver  City  and  has  owned 
numerous  mines  in  Grant  county.  Since  1900  he  has  been  coal  mine  in- 
spector for  New  Mexico  for  the  federal  government.  He  is  one  of  the 
noted  experts  in  the  west  and  a  recognized  authority  throughout  the  coun- 
try. His  reports  to  the  secretary  of  the  interior  form  the  only  real  authori- 
ty on  coal  mining  in  New  Mexico.  He  likewise  has  intimate  knowledge  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  the  Territory  and  their  development  to  the  "pres- 
ent time,  and  his  efforts  have  made  him  one  of  the  prominent  and  success- 
ful men  of  this  district. 

Thomas   S.  Parker,  who  has  developed  and  is  sole  owner  of  mining 


936  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Knight  held  it  from  1826  to  1834,  and  under  his  ownership  the  property 
was  profitable.  Then  for  a  few  years  the  mine  was  abandoned  on  account 
of  Apache  raids,  and  from  1840  to  i860  it  was  worked  by  Siqueiros.  Sweet 
&  LaCosta  were  proprietors  from  the  latter  year  until  the  Confederate  in- 
vasion of  1862,  when  all  the  mines  of  the  Territory  closed  down.  At 
various  periods  from  1862  to  1870  the  property  was  worked  by  Messrs. 
Sweet.  LaCosta,  Brand  and  Fresh,  their  labor  being  performed  by  Mexi- 
cans from  Chihuahua,  and  their  smelter,  a  small  Mexican  blast  furnace. 
with  a  capacity  of  about  2.000  pounds  of  copper  per  month. 

The  development  of  the  Santa  Rita  copper  camp  dates  really  from  1873. 
since  which  it  has  been  under  American  management.  'Work  was  con- 
tinued steadily  until  the  early  '80s,  when,  on  account  of  the  drop  of  copper 
to  eight  cents,  the  mines  were  closed  down  and  lay  dormant  until  the  ad- 
vance in  the  price  of  the  metal  in  the  late  'gos.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
the  Hearst  estate  secured  an  option  (in  the  mines  from  J.  Parker  Whitney, 
of  Boston,  and  a  few  months  later,  in  May,  i8c;q.  the  option  was  sold  to 
the  Amalgamated  Copper  Company  for  $1,400,000  cash.  The  new  owners. 
operating  under  the  name  of  the  Santa  Rita  Mining  Company,  at  once  in- 
augurated extensive  development  works. 

The  territory  owned  by  the  Santa  Rita  Mining  Company  comprises 
an  area  of  about  one  square  mile,  the  central  portion  of  which  is  reserved 
for  development,  while  the  remainder  is  thrown  open  to  leasing  shippers. 
The  ore  occurs  in  veins  of  native  copper,  varying  in  width  from  a  knife- 
blade  to  bodies  of  low-grade  of  from  six  to  eight  feet.  A  leaching  process 
has  been  adopted  by  which  ore  carrying  as  low  as  one  and  a  half  per  cent 
copper  can  be  concentrated  into  a  product  eighty-six  per  cent  fine.     There 


properties  for  the  Burro  Chief  Copper  Company,  maintaining  his  residence 
at  Silver  City,  was  born  in  Ohio,  where  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
were  passed.  He  became  familiar  with  mining  properties  through  practi- 
cal experience  since  coming  to  the  Territory.  He  arrived  in  Silver  City 
in  1883  and  became  connected  with  silver  mining  at  Deming,  New  Mexico. 
Later  he  was  at  Bear  mountain,  afterward  at  Bald  mountain,  and  is  now 
operating  in  Burro  mountain,  having  developed  the  mine  of  the  Burro 
Chief  Copper  Company,  of  which  he  is  sole  owner  and  manager.  The 
business  was  incorporated  in  May,  1005.  with  a  group  of  claims  adjoining 
the  holdings  of  the  Burro  Mountain  Copper  Company.  Mr.  Parker  is  now 
developing  property  for  sale,  and  is  well  known  as  a  prospector  and  miner. 
He  is  interested  in  the  Gem  Turquoise  and  Copper  Company,  which  was 
incorporated,  its  stock  being  placed  upon  the  market  by  Mr.  Parker. 

The  creat  majority  of  the  pioneer  residents  of  Xew  Mexico  have 
seen  military  service,  and  Mr.  Parker  is  among  this  number.  He  became 
captain  of  Company  B  of  the  Seventieth  Iowa  Volunteer  Cavalry  and  served 
in  the  first  Sioux  war  and  also  on  the  frontier  against  the  Indians  during 
the  Civil  war.  He  belongs  to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  413.  B.  P.  O.  E..  and 
to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  412.  K.  P. 

Thomas  A.  Lister,  of  Lordsburg.  interested  in  mining  operations  as 
the  president  and  manager  of  the  North  American  Mining  Company,  was  a 
resident  of  the  Territory  for  seven  or  eight  years  before  his  removal  to 
this  locality.     The  company  has  done  about  eleven  hundred  feet  of  under- 


MINING  931 

are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  low-grade  ore  King  on  the  various 
old  dumps.  Moreover,  the  camp  is  equipped  with  a  complete  system  of 
waterworks,  an  abundant  supply  having  been  obtained  in  sinking  one  of 
the  shafts.  The  Santa  Rita  Alining  Company  has  established  the  rule  of 
throwing  open  good  ground  to  leasers,  and  the  output  from  this  source  is 
quite  large;  the  entire  production  of  the  mines  will  average  between 
6,000,000  and  7,000,000  pounds  of  refined  copper  annually.  Approximately 
the  output  of  the  propertv  from  the  time  of  its  discovery  to  1906  is  90,000,- 
000  pounds. 

Another  important  property  in  the  Santa  Rita  camp  is  the  Wildcat 
group,  consisting  of  eight  claims.  The  company  controlling  it  has  devel- 
oped large  bodies  of  sulphide  ores,  which  are  treated  at  its  100-ton  concen- 
trating plant.  The  oldest  mines  m  the  district,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Santa  Rita  Mining  Company's  lodes,  are  the  San  Jose  and  Ivanhoe,  both 
of  which  have  been  worked  continuously  since  the  early  '80s  in  the  produc- 
tion  1  if  copper,  lead  and  silver  ores.  The  entire  Santa  Rita  camp  employs 
an  average  of  over  1,000  men. 

Natural  Features  and  Rums. — The  Santa  Rita  mines  occupv  a  depres- 
sion, or  basin,  resembling  a  vast  crater.  On  its  eastern  rim  is  an  isolated 
and  prominent  column  of  stone,  known,  from  its  form,  as  the  Kneeling 
Nun.  Such  a  marked  work  of  nature  could  not  exist  in  a  Spanish  countr) 
without  possessing  its  legend,  which  is  this:  "In  the  early  days  of  the 
Spanish  conquest  of  New  Mexico,  upon  the  mountain  there  stood  a  mission 
or  cloister,  wherein  dwelt  monks  and  nuns,  and  one  of  the  latter,  a  Sister 
Rita,  a  mm  professed,  who  had  broken  her  vows,  was  turned  to  the  stone, 
or  monolith,  now  standing  on  its  brow." 


ground  work,  taking  out  gold,  silver  and  copper,  some  running  as  high  as 
five  hundred  and  thirty-three  dollars,  but  most  of  it  is  low-grade  ore.  The 
company  is  now  putting  in  a  big  pump  preparatory  to  sinking  a  deeper 
shaft,  and  the  operations  are  carried  on  along  modern  lines  and  processes 
for  the  development  of  New  Mexico's  rich  mineral  resources. 

The  North  American  Mining  Company  has  recently  sold  all  its  hold- 
ings to  the  North  American  Copper  Company,  and  is  now  operating  the 
Nellie  Bly  mine  and  shipping  copper-silver  ore  to  the  Douglas  smelter, 
Douglas,  Arizona,  as  the  following  quotation  from  the  Lordsburg  Western 
Liberal,  July,  1906,  shows:  "The  North  American  Copper  Company  has 
shipped  six  carloads  of  thirty  tons  each  to  the  smelter  at  Douglas  this 
month,  and  is  shipping  nothing  less  than  ten  per  cent  copper.  The  ore  all 
comes  from  the  Nellie  Bly,  which  is  now  showing  more  ore  than  ever." 

John  Deegan,  iocal  manager  for  the  Santa  Rita  Mining  Company  and 
the  Santa  Rita  Store  Company,  has  been  actively  connected  with  min- 
ing operations  in  Grant  county  since  1900,  when  the  companv  with  which 
he  is  still  identified  began  the  development  of  mining  properties  in  this 
section  of  the  Territory.  Benjamin  B.  Thayer  was  general  manager  ami 
superintendent  of  all  of  the  properties  of  the  companv  at  this  point  at 
that  time,  and  Michael  Riney  was  general  foreman,  and  together  they  in- 
troduced and  inaugurated  the  only  systematic  development  work  which 
had  ever  been  done  here.  Mr.  Thayer  continued  his  connection  with  the 
company  until  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1903.  and   Mr.  Rinev  severed  his 


938  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

In  the  Santa  Rita  district  are  remains  of  the  old  Spanish  prison,  in 
which  were  confined  regular  convicts  or  slaves  who  had  proved  refractory 
workers  in  the  mines.  At  each  corner  of  the  prison  originally  stood  a 
circular  adobe  fort,  or  tower,  with  portholes  near  the  top.  Two  of  these, 
known  as  the  Martello  towers,  are  still  standing  in  a  fair  state  of  preserva- 
tion. The  inside  diameter  is  twelve  feet,  with  an  equal  height,  and  the 
walls  are  three  feet  in  thickness.  When  the  mines  were  being  worked  in 
the  early  days  the  fierce  Apaches  vainly  assaulted  this  stronghold  of  the 
hated  settlers. 

Hanover  Gulch. — To  the  east  of  Santa  Rita  is  what  is  popularly 
known  as  Hanover  Gulch,  in  which  and  around  which  is  a  copper- 
bearing  field  exceeded  in  productiveness  and  historic  renown  only  by  the 
older  camp.  It  received  its  name  from  its  first  thorough  explorer  and  ex- 
ploiter, Sofi  Hinkle,  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  the 
City  of  Mexico  in  the  late  thirties,  where  he  obtained  employment  in  the 
national  mint.  Although  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  Mr.  Hinkle  was  a  skilled 
mechanic  in  other  lines,  and  while  in  the  employ  of  the  Mexican  govern- 
ment cut  and  engraved  several  dies  for  copper  coins.  While  thus  engaged 
he  learned  of  the  productive  copper  mines  to  the  far  north,  and  of  the 
ease  and  cheapness  with  which  the  ores  could  be  extracted  and  smelted. 
In  the  summer  of  1841  he  therefore  set  out  with  his  own  train,  but  joined 
a  government  pack-train  before  he  reached  his  destination  (Santa  Rita) 
in  August  of  that  year.  For  several  days  after  his  arrival  he  made  careful 
examinations  of  the  mines  then  being  operated  by  the  Spaniards,  and  early 
in  September  visited  the  Arroya  de  Alamo,  about  four  miles  distant  from 
the  old  fort  at  Santa  Rita.     The  wealth  of  both  native  and  red  oxide  of 


connection  with  the  company  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1905.  After  the 
resignation  of  Mr.  Thayer,  Mr.  Deegan  was  appointed  local  manager  of 
the  Santa  Rita  Mining  Company  and  the  Santa  Rita  Store  Company,  and 
has  since  continued  in  that  capacity. 

The  Santa  Rita  Mining  Company  took  over  the  J.  Parker  Whitney 
properties  here  and  also  some  properties  which  had  been  controlled  by  the 
Hearst  estate.  The  Romero  mine  was  the  main  district  of  the  Whitney 
properties,  and  the  principal  mine  of  the  Hearst  estate  was  the  Carrasco. 
Both  of  these  were  old  Spanish  workings.  In  addition  to  these  the  Santa 
Rita  Company  bought  up  adjoining  claims  and  all  are  patented  now  in  a 
solid  block.  All  property  is  being  worked  and  the  portions  that  are  not 
being  worked  by  the  company  are  being  prospected  by  lessees,  there  being 
about  forty-five  lessees  on  the  ground  now.  Twelve  shafts  have  been  sunk 
by  the  Santa  Rita  Company,  one  of  these  being  a  large  three-compartment 
shaft.  All  of  the  plants  are  supplied  with  modern  equipments,  including 
steam  pumps,  air  connections,  cages,  etc.  There  are  about  thirty  thou- 
sand feet  of  underground  workings,  including  shafts,  tunnels,  cross-cuts, 
up-raisers,  winzes,  etc.  The  company  owns  a  concentrator  of  a  capacity 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  tons  per  day.  Mr.  Deegan  is  local  manager  of 
all  properties  of  the  company.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  in  1898  went  to 
California,  whence  he  came  to  the  Territory  in  1900.  He  has  since  been 
located  at  Santa  Rita. 

Frank  C.   Bell,  connected  with   the  mining  interests  of  Grant  countv 


MINING  939 

copper  exposed  there  was  so  far  beyond  his  expectations  that  he  imme- 
diately began  the  erection  of  a  stone  cabin  and  the  furnaces  or  smelter 
which  have  since  been  so  conspicuously  connected  with  the  history  of 
mining  in  the  southwest,  and  whose  picturesque  remains  still  exist. 

The  further  connection  of  this  hardy  mining'  pioneer  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  Hanover  Gulch  as  a  great  copper  producing  region  is  thus 
given  by  the  Silver  Citv  Independent,  in  a  valuable  article  published  about 
a   year  ago : 

Mining  and  smelting  operations  were  in  full  blast  by  the  end  of  the  month  and 
large  quantities  of  copper  shipped  to  Old  Mexico,  thence  to  Vera  Cruz  and  finally  to 
Spain.  Raymond's  statistics  of  mines  and  mining,  published  in  1870,  credits  the  Han- 
over mine  with  having  a  greater  production  than  the  Santa  Rita.  Hinkle's  books  of  ac- 
counts show  several  shipments  ranging  in  value  from  $25,000  to  $35,000  of  ingot  cop- 
per each.  From  the  first  blow-in  of  the  furnaces  in  September,  '41,  until  the  fall  of 
October.  '43,  the  output  was  continuous  and  uninterrupted,  and  shipments  were  made 
regularly   and   as    rapidly   as   the   ingots   accumulated    into   pack-train   lots. 

The  fall  of  this  year  was  an  eventful  one,  not  only  in  the  history  of  Hanover  gulch, 
but  the  Territory  as  well.  On  a  bright  October  afternoon  an  Apache  squaw  whom  he 
had  befriended  confided  to  Mr.  Hinkle  that  a  plot  had  been  formed  by  the  Indians  to 
kill  every  person  in  the  gulch,  without  regard  to  color,  age.  sex  or  condition,  and 
advised  him  not  to  leave  his  house  for  the  next  ensuing  three  days,  and  place  three 
white  marks  on  the  door  post.  The  instructions  were  followed  literally,  and  near  the 
close  of  the  third  day  the  Indians,  numbering  hundreds,  swept  down  upon  the  lit- 
tle hamlet,  murdering  everyone  in  sight.  A  defense  was  made,  but  to  no  purpose,  and, 
seeing  no  possibility  of  winning,  stopping  or  checking  the  fight,  Hinkle  and  his  store- 
keeper sought  safety  in  flight.  The  storekeeper  was  killed  as  he  was  mounting  his 
horse;  Hinkle  barely  escaped,  and  en  route  to  old  Mexico,  between  Apache  Tejo  and 
Carazillo  Springs,  counted  over  one  hundred  dead  bodies  of  whites  and  Mexicans  who 
had  fallen  victims  of  the  Apache  raid.  Remaining  in  New  Mexico  until  after  the  con- 
clusion of  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  and   believing  that   the   change   in  gov- 


and  living  at  Pinos  Altos,  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  and  came 
to  New  Mexico,  February  12,  1878.  He  had  previously  engaged  in  min- 
ing in  Colorado,  having  gone  to  that  state  in  1869.  Coming  to  the  Terri- 
tory from  Denver,  he  journeyed  over  the  narrow-gauge  to  southern  Colo- 
rado and  thence  staged  to  Santa  Fe,  after  which  he  journeyed  on  by  pri- 
vate conveyance  to  Fort  Bayard,  traveling  as  one  of  a  party  of  four,  his 
companions  being  Ernest  Brigham  and  George  Shepherd,  while  "Happy 
Jack,"  of  Santa  Fe,  was  driver.  He  reached  Pinos  Altos,  where  mining- 
was  being  carried  on  in  the  old  way.  Mr.  Bell  commenced  operating  the 
Pacific  mine  on  a  lease  and  also  the  Aztec  mine,  and  has  been  connected 
with  the  development  in  this  camp  continuously  since.  In  1880  he  went 
on  a  prospecting  trip  to  the  Florida  mountains,  below  where  Deming  is 
now  located,  and  camped  on  the  Mimbres  river  on  the  night  of  December 
30,  1879.  The  next  night  he  camped  on  the  west  side  of  the  Floritas, 
where  he  saw  signs  of  the  Indians.  The  following  night,  January  1,  1880, 
he  again  camped  on  the  east  side  of  the  mountain,  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  2nd  of  January  the  party  was  attacked  by  Indians.  There  were  ten 
in  the  partv  to  which  Mr.  Bell  belonged,  and  in  the  encounter  Ed  Fulton 
was  killed, 'while  Jesse  Baxter  had  a  leg  broken.  Mr.  Bell  was  hit  three 
times,  two  bullets  passing  through  his  clothing,  while  two  balls  hit  his 
rifle.  This  was  a  band  of  Apache  Indians  under  command  of  their  chief, 
Victorio. 

Following  this  skirmish  with  the  redmen,  Mr.   Bell  returned  to   Pinos 


9-40  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO  . 

ernments  would  have  a  beneficial  effect  and  the  stationing  of  United  States  troops  at 
Santa  Rita  would  minimize  the  Indian  troubles,  he  again  directed  his  course  to  the 
scene  of  his  early  success,  and  resumed  operations  about  in  the  middle  fifties,  and  con- 
tinued the  business  of  mining  and  smelting  until  1861,  when  the  Civil  war  and  the 
invasion  of  New  Mexico  by  the  Confederates  put  an  end  to  mining  operations  at 
Hanover  and  Santa  Rita. 

The  Confederate  invasion  and  the  discovery  of  rich  placer  diggings  at  Pinos 
Altos  caused  a  cessation  of  mining  and  smelting  in  the  then  only  known  copper  region 
west  of  Michigan,  and  the  stampede  which  followed  left  the  northeastern  and  south- 
ern portions  of  the  county  practically  uninhabited.  Foreseeing  the  probable  extent  of 
the  war,  and  fully  aware  that  if  he  continued  his  business  he  would  be  situated  as 
between  the  upper  and  nether  millstones — the  Apaches  the  one,  and  the  Confederates 
the  other,  both  a  menace  to  life  and  property.  Mr.  Hinkle  removed  to  the  Rio  Grande 
valley  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Marcial,  where  not  only  himself,  but  wife  also,  died  of 
what  was  then  commonly  denominated  as  the  Rio  Grande  fever,  which  nearly  de- 
populated the  valley  during  the  year  1877. 

In  May,  i860,  Robert  Kirk,  now  a  resident  of  Pinos  Altos  and  well  known 
throughout  the  county  as  a  thoroughly  reliable  man,  was  an  employe  of  Mr.  Hinkle 
and  worked  in  the  Hanover  mine,  and  was  among  the  very  first  to  go  to  the  new 
gold  fields  at  Pinos  Altos  after  the  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  gold  by  Snively, 
Birch  and  Hicks  in  that  locality,  and  was  fortunate  in  securing  a  good  claim.  Another 
employe  by  the  name  of  Leonardo  Zapata,  a  resident  of  Santa  Rita,  now  in  his  76th 
year,  was  employed  as  a  refiner  of  copper  by  Mr.  Hinkle :  and  also  Manuel  Barela, 
who  erected  the  furnaces  at  the  junction  of  the  west  fork  of  Hanover  gulch  with  the 
main  gulch. 

This  enterprise  of  Barela's  was  conceived  of  and  carried  out  at  a  much  later 
date  than  that  of  his  predecessor,  Mr.  Hinkle.  The  late  fifties  is  the  commonly  ac- 
cepted date  of  the  inception  and  completion  of  the  furnace  and  the  second  settlement 
of  Hanover  gulch.  The  ore  supply  for  this  furnace  came  in  the  main  from  the  old 
Hanover  mine,  and  a  portion  from  the  Rattler  mine  in  the  near  vicinity  of  the  Han- 
over claim.  The  product  of  the  mine  was  very  similar  in  character  to  the  first  men- 
tioned property,  which  bears  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  patented  mine  in  the 
Territory  of  New  Mexico,  besides  producing  upward  of  one  million  dollars  in  copper 
from  discovery  to  date. 

Before  the  Civil  war  the  copper  from  the  Hanover  mine  was  run  into 
pigs  of  from  100  to  120  pounds  and  hauled  by  mule  teams  to  the  Texas 
coast,  at  a  cost  of  six  cents  per  pound ;  thence  by  sail  to  New  York,  at  five 


Altos,  where  he  has  been  mining  continuously  since,  and  at  the  present 
time  is  contracting  from  the  Comanche  Mining  and  Smelting  Company. 
He  has  some  good  properties  here,  including  the  Maggie  Bell,  St.  Louis 
and  Comstock,  and  also  has  the  Philadelphia,  Chicago  and  Maggie  Bell 
at  Hanover,  now  leased  and  bonded  to  the  Comanche  company  for  the 
sum  of  $65,000. 

Mr.  Bell  belongs  to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  I,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

Major  B.  W.  Randall,  who  is  connected  with  the  rich  mineral  re- 
sources of  New  Mexico,  making  his  home  at  Lordsburg,  where  he  has 
charge  of  the  interests  of  the  Orin  Mining  Company  and  the  Consolidated 
Copper  Company,  is  a  native  of  Morris  county,  New  Jersey,  where  he  was 
also  reared.  His  education  was  completed  by  graduation  from  the  Penn- 
sylvania Polytechnic  School  at  Philadelphia,  and  he  served  for  four  years 
in  the  United  States  navy  as  an  engineer  during  the  period  of  the  Civil 
war,  from  1861  to  1865.  He  was  connected  with  the  East  Gulf  squad- 
ron and  the  South  Atlantic  squadron,  and  was  present  .at  Dalgren's  attack- 
on  Fort  Sumter.     Drifting  into  mining,  he  followed  that  pursuit  in  Mexico, 


MINING  9-11 

dollars  per  ton.  At  the  time  of  the  Confederate  invasion  and  consequent 
suspension  of  work,  all  the  machinery  and  equipments  of  the  mine  were 
confiscated  and  taken  to  San  Antonio;  the  transported  property  also  in- 
cluded  187,000  pounds  of  copper. 

For  a  number  of  years  afterward  nothing  was  accomplished  in  the 
way  of  development.  T.  B.  Catron,  of  Santa  Fe,  and  C.  F.  Grayson  &  Co. 
then  became  proprietors,  and  in  1897  N.  S.  Berry,  agent  for  F.  E.  Simp- 
son, of  Boston,  obtained  a  working  lease  of  the  mine  for  one  year.  Eight 
months  of  the  period  was  occupied  in  installing  boiler,  pumps,  hoists  and 
other  working  machinery,  and  during  the  remaining  four  months  the  lessee 
took  out  and  smelted  6,000  tons  of  ore,  running  from  12  to  28  per  cent. 
The  owners  refused  to  extend  the  lease,  and  in  1902  the  property  was 
sold  to  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.,  the  New  York  capitalists.  This  company 
now  owns  not  only  the  old  Hanover,  but  a  group  of  half  a  dozen  other 
copper  mines. 

Mines  of  the  Hermosa  Company,  etc. — The  completion  of  the  Silver 
City  &  Northern  branch  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  to  Hanover  and  the  develop- 
ment of  the  iron  mining  territory  were  the  agencies  which  called  special 
attention  to  various  copper  properties,  some  of  which  had  been  previously 
worked,  but  unsystematically  and  separately.  With  the  advent  of  the 
railroad  and  the  establishment  of  a  new  industry  in  the  district,  J.  W. 
Bible  became  an  active  figure  in  all  lines  of  mining  development.  His 
connection  with  the  railroad  company  familiarized  him  with  every  location 
producing  iron,  copper-iron,  copper  or  zinc,  and  secured  him  that  prac- 
tical knowledge,  which  was  the  foundation  of  his  ability,  after  years  of 
toil  and  large  expenditure  of  capital,  to  organize  the  Hermosa  Copper 
Company,  one  of  the  wealthiest  mining  corporations  in  the  United  States. 

In  this  connection  an  instance  may  be  given  illustrating  Mr.  Bible's 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  territory  in  which  the  Hermosa  operates.  On 
the  occasion  of  a  sudden  rise  in  the  price  of  lead  he  was  confined  to  his  bed 
with  an  attack  of  rheumatism ;  but  he  summoned  E.  H.  Simmons  and  told 


Tennesseeand  Texas,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  in  1897,  making  his  way 
to  Gold  Hill,  where  he  engaged  in  mining  for  two  years.  In  1899  he  re- 
moved to  Lordsbirrg,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  he  now  has 
charge  of  the  business  of  the  Orin  Mining  Company  and  the  Consolidated 
Copper  Company.  His  long  experience  with  mining  interests  has  made 
him  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  business  in  every  department  and  an 
expert  in  his  estimation  of  the  value  of  ore,  and  he  now  occupies  a 
responsible  position  in  connection  with  the  two  mining  companies  men- 
tioned. 

Major  Randall  has  a  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two  children, 
and  they  have  maintained  their  residence  in  Lordsburg  since  1899.  He 
was  made  a  Mason  in  New  York,  and  he  belongs  to  Utopia  Lodge  No.  23, 
K.  P.  He  has  intimate  knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  southwest  be- 
cause of  his  long  connection  with  mining  interests  in  various  localities 
in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  has  firm  faith  in  the  future  of  New 
Mexico,  knowing  that  the  value  of  its  material  resources  must  event- 
ually be  recognized  by  the  world  and  utilized  in  matters  of  trade  and 
commerce. 


942  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

him  that  he  knew  where  shipping  ore  could  be  found,  and  if  he  could  be 
driven  to  the  place  he  would  indicate  the  spot.  A  horse  and  buggy  were 
procured  and  the  two  men  drove  to  the  Surprise  mine.  Upon  arriving 
there,  without  a  moment's  hesitation  Mr.  Bible  indicated  the  place  to  look 
for  ore,  and,  as  he  predicted,  high  grade  mineral  was  uncovered  in  car 
lots.  Following  this,  success  with  other  mining  ventures  still  further 
familiarized  him  with  the  conditions  of  the  district,  and  he  was  among  the 
first  to  observe  that  as  depth  is  gained  in  the  iron  deposits  and  iron  con- 
tacts, there  was  an  increase  in  the  copper  values  of  the  ore. 

The  group  of  mines  which  first  attracted  Mr.  Bible's  attention  is  situ- 
ated on  the  west  side  of  Hanover  Gulch,  and  consists  of  the  Surprise,  Cinco 
Senora,  YYest-Humboldt,  Missouri,  Duplex  and  the  Ivanhoe,  and  the  San 
Jose  mill  site.  The  litigation  over  the  last  named  property  was  a  serious 
stumbling  block  in  the  way  of  the  organization  of  the  Hermosa  Company. 
But  the  difficulty  was  finally  settled  in  court,  and  Mr.  Bible  effected  the 
organization  of  which  he  is  still  general  superintendent.  The  holdings  of 
the  Hermosa  Copper  Company  are  now  said  to  constitute  the  largest 
mining  estate  in  the  west,  comprising  125  mining  locations,  which  embrace 
2,500  acres  of  land,  highly  mineralized  with  copper,  zinc  and  iron. 

The  Humboldt  mine  is  located  near  the  northern  limit  of  the  estate, 
and  since  the  transfer  of  this  old  property  the  Hermosa  Company  surface 
exploitation  was  dropped,  a  working  shaft  was  driven  to  a  depth  of 
1,000  feet,  and  the  most  modern  machinery  and  appliances  installed.  Both 
the  iron  and  copper  deposits  will  thus  be  worked  to  the  best  advantage. 
The  Copper  Queen  and  Copper  Kettle  are  southern  extensions  of  the 
Humboldt  contact,  and  are  being  actively  developed.  The  mines  known  as 
"90"  and  Ivanhoe  are  situated  in  the  lower  basin,  the  Humboldt  and 
<  >tbcr  properties  of  the  company  occupying  the  upper  basin  of  the  mineral 
bearing  zone  of  Hanover  Gulch.  The  latter  is  the  oldest  and  most  ad- 
vanced in  development. 

The  celebrated  Ivanhoe  mine  was  one  of  the  earliest  to  produce  in  the 
district.  It  was  profitably  worked  over  thirty  years  ago  for  silver  and  lead. 
At  the  water  level  these  ores  gave  way  and  were  replaced  by  copper- 
bearing  minerals.  Besides  this  very  important  change,  there  was  an  in- 
crease in  the  width  of  vein  material  and  ore  values.  The  main  shaft  is  now 
about  350  feet  deep,  and  the  drifts  at  the  bottom  expose  large  and  valuable 
bodies  of  smelting  ore,  carrying  a  copper  value  of  about  seven  per  cent. 
The  Copper  Queen,  a  southern  extension  of  the  Humboldt ;  the  Wild  Cat 
group  of  eight  mines,  and  the  Treasure  Vault,  the  latter  properties  ad- 
joining the  Santa  Rita  estate,  are  all  in  active  operation,  with  working 
shafts  which  have  been  sunk  from  300  to  400  feet. 

The  San  Jose  mill,  which  is  planned  to  concentrate  and  smelt  1,000 
tons  daily  from  these  and  other  mines  of  the  Hermosa  Company,  is  situ- 
ated near  the  Santa  Fe  road,  switches  for  the  handling  of  ores  and  ma- 
chinery running  to  the  plant.  The  present  capacity  of  the  mill,  which  has 
lately  been  overhauled  and  repaired,  is  some  sixty  tons  daily  capacity. 

Other  Properties  in  Hanover  Gulch. — The  Red  Hills  lie  north  and 
west  of  Hanover  mountain,  and  form  a  crescent-shaped  ridge.  The  basin 
between  the  ridge  and  Hanover  mountain  has  long  been  a  favorite  hunting 
resort,  and  the  belief  generally  obtained  among  prospectors  that  it  was 
not  especially  adapted  to  mining.     But  in  this  locality  are  now  four  dis- 


MIXING  ,J43 

tinct  groups  of  claims — the  Waverly,  owned  by  the  McGregor  brothers,  of 
Georgetown;  the  Williamsport,  the  property  of  Wes.  Welty;  the  North 
Star,  owned  by  R.  Bennett,  and  the  Rattler,  the  owner  of  which  is  George 
Kresge,  of  Hanover.  The  leading  ores  are  carbonates  of  copper,  and  most 
of  the  claims  have  been  superficially  worked.  The  Rattler  group  is  old 
Spanish  property,  abandoned  because  of  the  inflow  of  water,  and  reopened 
during  the  nineties,  with  a  fair  production  of  copper. 

The  Gladstone  is  within  the  ore  zone  of  the  Humboldt  contact,  and 
this  group  of  five  claims  lying  parallel  with  the  Humboldt  at  a  distance  of 
1,200  feet  belongs  to  McCarty  &  Co.  It  has  been  developed  to  some  ex- 
tent. East  of  it  is  Dewey  No.  2,  and  south  of  it  the  Marblehead  group. 
The  Bryan  and  McKinley  claims  are  neighbors,  and  have  been  tunneled 
to  a  small  depth.  The  Max  group  of  five  claims  belongs  to  Max  Gaudina, 
an  experienced  miner,  and  adjoins  the  Gladstone  on  the  east.  The  chief 
development  is  a  125-foot  tunnel,  which  has  exposed  considerable  values 
in  copper,  lead  and  zinc.  Near  the  southern  end  of  the  upper  Hanover 
basin  is  the  Philadelphia,  consisting  of  four  claims  and  representing  one 
of  the  oldest  copper  producers  in  the  district. 

Zinc  Mining. — About  half  a  mile  east  of  the  postoffice  of  Hanover  is 
a  zinc  belt  which  is  becoming  quite  famous.  The  direct  cause  of  its  de- 
velopment was  the  discovery  of  the  rich  silver  ore  at  Georgetown.  In  1878 
the  McGregor  brothers  located  the  Lone  Star  mine,  now  the  property  of 
the  Empire  Zinc  Company,  of  Mineral  Point,  Wisconsin.  The  mine  was 
opened  as  a  lead-silver  proposition,  but  notwithstanding  the  ores  yielded 
from  80  to  160  ounces  per  ton  in  silver,  it  was  abandoned  both  as  a  silver 
and  lead  property  on  account  of  the  refractory  nature  of  the  raw  material. 
Following  an  unsuccessful  experiment  in  silver  mining,  the  owners  shipped 
ten  carloads  of  the  ore  to  the  Mineral  Point  smelters,  with  a  handsome 
after-result  in  zinc.  Ores  of  zinc  carrying  less  than  40  per  cent  of  that 
metal  are  not  available  for  shipping  purposes,  the  material  of  less  than 
shipping  value  being  now  laid  aside. 

The  opening  of  the  Lone  Star  mine  was  the  nucleus  of  the  zinc  in- 
dustry of  the  Central  district,  winch  is  assuming  large  proportions.  The 
zinc-bearing  zone  is  now  described  as  stretching  from  the  Anson  S.  mine 
westerly  to  a  point  nearly  opposite  Gold  Gulch,  or  Central  postoffice.  Since 
the  completion  of  the  road  to  Hanover  it  has  been  conservatively  estimated 
that  15,000  tons  of  ore  have  been  shipped  abroad  for  treatment,  of  which 
amount  less  than  500  tons  have  failed  to  reach  the  40  per  cent  of  metallic 
zinc. 

Near  the  south  end  and  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Mimbres  range, 
twenty  miles  northwest  of  Lake  Valley,  in  Sierra  county,  is  an  isolated 
mining  district  about  which  quite  enthusiastic  expectations  are  held  as  a 
zinc  producer.  It  is  known  as  the  Carpenter  district,  and  in  area  is  about 
seven  miles  long  by  two  miles  wide.  The  deposits  are  immense  quartites 
carrying  sulphides  and  carbonates  of  zinc  and  lead,  the  contacts  being  be- 
tween limestone  and  porphyry,  and  the  veins  from  three  to  twenty-five  feet 
in  thickness.     Some  copper  is  found  in  the  south  end  of  the  district. 

Iron  Developments. — The  abundant  outcroppings  of  iron  ore  were 
early  noted  in  the  Hanover  Gulch,  but  prior  to  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road to  Hanover  the  iron  product  of  the  region  was  only  utilized  as  fluxes 
for  the  smelting  of  the  other  metals,  quite  large  quantities  for  that  purpose 


944  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

being  shipped  to  Arizona,  Texas  and  Socorro,  New  Mexico.  With  the 
completion  of  the  S.  C.  &  N.  Railroad  in  1891,  the  Southwestern  Coal  & 
Iron  Company  began  operations  on  an  extensive  scale,  and  the  flourishing 
Fierro  camp,  two  miles  north  of  Hanover,  is  the  result.  This  utilization 
of  these  immense  deposits  of  iron  heralded  a  new  chapter  in  the  history 
of  mining  in  New  Mexico.  During  the  seven  years  preceding  the  transfer 
of  their  properties  to  the  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company,  the  Southwestern 
Coal  &  Iron  Company  shipped  out  750,000  tons  of  iron  ore,  and  since  1898, 
when  the  Colorado  Company  came  into  possession,  some  650,000  tons  have 
been  sent  to  Pueblo  for  treatment.  The  Colorado  Fuel  &  Iron  Company 
owns  about  twenty-five  claims  at  Union  Hill,  and  has  a  monopoly  of  the 
output,  its  present  monthly  shipments  amounting  to  about  10,600  tons. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  first  mining  of  iron  for  shipping  pur- 
poses was  done  in  1882,  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Welch,  a  pioneer  of  Hanover  Gulch. 
The  conract  price  for  mining  was  $2.50  per  ton,  and  the  cost  of  wagon 
transportation  to  Silver  City  was  $7.50.  The  contract  called  for  1,000 
tons,  and  the  doctor  took  the  ore  from  Iron  Head.  Upon  the  completion 
of  this  contract  he  filled  several  contracts  for  iron  on  the  Jim  Fair  and 
'86  mines,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  been  closely  indenti- 
fied  with  the  growth  and  prosperitv  of  the  iron  camp.  As  he  recently  dis- 
posed of  the  Bull  Hill  group  of  claims  for  $6,500,  it  is  evident  that  he  is 
commencing  to  get  his  share  of  the  general  prosperity. 

Deserted  Georgetown. — In  the  seventies  the  district  north  of  Hanover 
Gulch  and  the  scene  of  the  present  important  developments  in  copper  and 
iron  properties  witnessed  a  veritable  boom  in  silver.  The  discovery  dates 
back  to  1866,  and  the  storm  center  of  the  boom  of  the  late  seventies  was 
Georgetown,  then  one  of  the  greatest  silver  camps  in  the  west.  The  Naiad 
Queen,  the  Quien  Sabe,  the  Commercial  and  the  Silver  Bell,  now  idle, 
were  prominent  mines,  or  groups  of  mines,  in  those  clays. 

A  visitor  thus  describes  the  Georgetown  of  the  present :  "On  entering 
Georgetown  late  in  the  afternoon  of  April  23,  1903,  the  writer  and  his 
companion  were  much  depressed  by  the  awful  stillness  that  pervaded  the 
premises.  In  fact,  absolutely  nothing  was  found  doing.  The  streets  were 
depopulated  and  grown  up  in  weeds.  Long  rows  of  buildings  casting  their 
ghostly  shadows  by  the  lingering  sun,  impressed  us  with  a  feeling  of  in- 
describable awe  and  horror.  The  once  bustling,  moving  throng  of  sturdy 
prospectors  and  miners  who  had  'struck  it  rich,'  the  incessant  clattering 
of  the  stamps  in  the  silver  mills,  and  the  sharp  crack  of  the  mule  driver's 
whip — all  have  been  forever  silenced  in  the  brief  space  of  a  decade  by 
the  magic  touch  of  time.  Oh,  what  utter  desolation!  The  flitting  picture 
before  us  is  a  realistic  view  through  the  kinematoscope  of  the  past — it  is 
the  passing  of  a  western  mining  camp.  At  the  end  of  these  series  of  de- 
pressing views  we  behold,  towering  above  the  wreckage  and  piles  of 
waste,  a  beautiful  monument  of  solid  silver,  glinting  in  the  setting  sun, 
representing  a  production  of  $3,500,000  to  the  credit  of  the  camp." 

The  Pinos  Altos  Gold  Fields. — It  is  claimed,  from  the  evidence  of 
Mexican  state  papers,  that  gold  was  discovered  in  the  Pinos  Altos 
mountains  (northeastern  part  of  the  present  Grant  county)  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  reported  discoverer  was  General 
Pedro  Aimendares,  one  of  the  commandants  of  the  Mexican  outpost  at 
Santa  Rita,  but,  like  the  discovery  of  America  by  the  Norsemen,  "noth- 


MINING  945 

ing  came  of  it,"  and  the  honor  must,  therefore,  be  given  to  later  pioneers, 
from  whose  labors  came  the  actual  development  of  the  country  as  a  gold 
mining  center. 

In  May,  i860,  Colonel  Snively,  with  his  companions,  Birch  and  Hicks, 
all  old  -49ers  of  California,  drifted  into  the  region  of  the  Pinos  mount- 
ains. While  taking  a  drink  out  of  Bear  gulch,  just  above  its  junction  with 
Little  Cherry,  Birch  detected  evidences  of  gold,  which  led  to  some  placers 
being  located  in  the  vicinity  of  what  became  known  as  Birchville.  By 
June  quite  a  number  of  prospectors  had  gathered,  and  by  December  fully 
1,500  persons  were  at  the  diggings.  This  motley  population  of  Birch- 
ville was  drawn  from  Missouri,  Texas,  California  and  the  northern  prov- 
inces of  Mexico,  and  for  some  time  each  man  realized  from  $10  to  $15 
per  day. 

In  December  following  the  original,  discovery  Thomas  Mastin  located 
the  first  quartz  lode  in  the  Pinos  Altos  district.  His  claim  was  on  the 
Continental  Divide,  was  bought  by  a  brother  (Virgil  Mastin)  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  and  afterward  developed  into  the  well-known  Pacific  mine. 
It  is  now  owned  by  the  Hearst  estate,  with  other  large  holdings  in  the 
camp.  Of  the  chief  lodes  located  in  1861  was  the  vein  now  being  worked 
by  the  Mountain  Key  mine,  under  the  ownership  of  Weld  C.  Chandler. 
The  ore  is  a  sulphide,  carrying"  gold,  silver  and  copper,  and  running  espe- 
cially high  in  the  first-named  metal.  High-grade  ore  was  first  discovered 
in  1887  by  Lunger  &  Company,  and  the  property  was  shortly  afterward 
purchased  by  General  Boyle.  The  latter  organized  a  company,  erected  a 
mill,  and  in  a  comparatively  short  time  took  out  $500,000.  After  laying 
idle  for  about  a  decade,  in  April,  1903,  operations  were  resumed  by  the 
present  owner. 

The  troublous  times  from  1861  to  1866,  from  which  year  the  con- 
tinuous development  of  the  district  dates,  is  thus  described  in  "New  Mexico 
Mines  and  Minerals"  by  Fayette  A.  Jones :  "During  the  winter  and 
spring  of  1861  the  Apache  Indians  constantly  menaced  the  life  and  prop- 
erty of  the  miners.  In  the  fall  (September  27)  a  severe  engagement  took 
place  between  the  miners  and  a  band  of  500  Indians  under  the  famous 
Apache  leaders,  Mangas,  Coloradas  and  Cochise.  The  miners  were  ulti- 
mately victorious,  but  Captain  Thomas  Mastin,  who  commanded  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers,  lost  his  life,  and  several  others  were  killed  during  the 
bloody  conflict.  After  this  engagement  most  of  the  people,  through  fear, 
quit  the  country.  Only  a  few  of  the  most  reckless  remained,  Virgil  Mastin 
being  one  of  the  number  who  refused  to  leave  in  order  to  avenge  the 
death  of  his  brother,  should  an  opportunity  be  presented.  Several  years 
later  Virgil  Mastin  was  ambushed  and  killed  near  the  Silver  Cell  mine. 

"But  little  work  was  done  during  1861-64.  as  most  of  the  Americans 
had  abandoned  the  camp.  (The  governor  in  his  report  of  1861-62  alludes 
to  the  fact  that  thirty  c;old  lodes  at  Pinos  Altos  were  working,  employing 
300  men,  and  that  the  ore  was  worth  from  $40  to  $250  per  ton.)  During 
this  interval  of  abandonment  the  Mexicans  changed  the  name  from  Birch- 
ville to  Pinos  Altos.  Owing  to  the  forest  of  'tall  pines'  which  existed  there 
at  that  time  the  name  was  very  suggestive  and  has  clung  to  the  place 
ever  since. 

"About  the  close  of  1864  the  camp  was  attaining  its  former  prestige 
by  an   influx  of  American  miners,  and  mining  was   again  on   the  eve  of 


946  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

prosperity,  when  another  raid  was  made  by  the  Apaches,  who  succeeded 
in  terrifying  all  the  inhabitants  and  driving  off  all  their  cattle  and  horses. 
Nothing  further  was  attempted  in  mining  until  1866,  when  the  Pinos  Altos 
Mining  Company  was  organized  and  chartered  under  the  laws  of  New 
Mexico.  The  members  of  the  organization  were  Virgil  Mastin.  J.  Edgar 
Griggs,  S.  J.  Jones,  Joseph  Reynolds  and  J.  Amberg." 

The  formation  of  the  Pinos  Altos  Mining  Company  was  the  com- 
mencement of  systematic  and  practical  activity  in  the  district.  In  1867 
it  completed  a  fifteen-stamp  quartz  mill,  the  second  in  the  Territory,  and 
only  preceded,  by  a  few  months,  by  the  mill  at  the  Ortiz  mine,  in  Santa 
Fe  county.  Other  mills  followed,  and  by  the  fall  of  1869  more  than 
200  quartz  mines  had  been  located  in  the  district,  to  say  nothing  of  placer 
claims. 

In  1883  Peter  Wagner  built  a  five-stamp  mill,  with  concentrator  at- 
tached, the  first  in  the  Territory.  Through  his  pioneer  concentrator  he 
was  the  first  miner  in  New  Mexico  who  was  able  to  successfullv  handle  re- 
fractory ores,  and  thus  has  a  double  claim  to  a  leading  place  in  the  history 
of  southwestern  mining. 

The  property  covered  by  the  noted  Silver  Cell  group  of  mines  lies 
two  miles  southeast  of  Pinos  Altos,  and  the  remarkable  discovery  of  high- 
grade  silver  here,  in  the  midst  of  a  pronounced  gold  field,  wa,s  made  by  the 
three  Dimmick  brothers  in  June,  1891.  They  were  Pennsylvanians  who 
had  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land  in  this  locality,  and,  in  a  modest  way,  were 
engaged  in  the  dairy  business.  The  story  goes  that  while  herding  one 
of  the  brothers  threw  a  stone  at  a  cow,  and  after  the  rock  had  left  his 
hand  he  became  aware  of  the  fact  of  its  unusual  weight.  The  search  which 
followed  resulted  in  his  discovery  that  the  supposed  rock  was  a  piece  of 
solid  silver.  He  at  once  exhibited  the  remarkable  specimen  to  his  two 
brothers,  and  the  trio  soon  discovered  the  lode,  abandoning  their  dairy 
business  for  that  of  mining.  Systematic  development  was  prosecuted,  and 
during  the  following  twelve  years  the  output  of  native  silver  from  their 
various  lodes  amounted  to  $100,000.  Very  little  gold  or  copper  was 
ever  developed.  Although  thus  productive,  this  veritable  bonanza  was 
never  worked  by  the  Dimmick  brothers  on  a  large  scale.  As  necessity 
or  desire  prompted,  they  would  take  out  a  shipment,  which  never  failed 
to  net  handsomely,  some  of  the  ores  giving  returns  of  5,000  ounces  to 
the  ton. 

In  March,  1903,  the  Silver  Cell  mines  passed  from  the  Dimmicks  into 
the  hands  of  the  Shamrock  Gold  and  Silver  Company,  which  is  develop- 
ing the  property  on  an  extensive  scale.  Free  silver  ore  is  being  mined 
at  a  depth  of  400  feet,  and  a  sixty-ton  smelting  plant  not  only  treats 
the  product  from  the  Silver  Cell,  but  from  surrounding  camps.  The 
same  company  is  also  operating  the  Pacific  mine,  one  of  the  old  prop-, 
erties  already  mentioned,  which  it  leases  from  the  Hearst  estate. 

Among  the  other  important  holdings  of  the  Hearst  estate  in  the  Pinos 
Altos  district  are  the  former  Bell  &  Stephens  mines,  which  are  being  largely 
developed.  Besides  the  mines  mentioned  and  other  smaller  enterprises, 
impossible  to  enumerate,  placer  mining  is  carried  on  in  the  gulches  of 
the  Pinos  Altos  mountains,  and  the  quantity  of  gold  nuggets  found  every 
year  is  a  considerable  item.  The  fineness  of  the  placer  gold  is  775.  Most 
of  this  mining  is  now  done  by  Mexicans,  whose  methods  embrace  dry  wash- 


MIXING  947 

ing,  panning  and  the  use  of  the  arrastra.     Of  the  placer  claims,  the  Log 
Cabin  and  Adobe  are  the  most  important. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  production  of  the  Pinos  Altos  dis- 
trict from  the  time  of  its  discovery  to  the  present  time  will  approximate 
$4,800,000. 

The  Silver  City  District. — Although  some  of  the  precious  white  metal 
was  mined  west  of  the  present  site  of  Silver  City  in  very  early  days — ■ 
enough  to  fix  that  locality  as  the  scene  of  the  first  modern  silver  mining — 
the  discoveries  in  Silver,  or  Cloride  Flat,  about  two  miles  from  town,  were 
so  overwhelming  in  their  magnitude  as  to  constitute  the  commencement 
of  the  real  mining  history  of  the  district.  This  prodigious  find  of  silver 
was  unearthed  in  1871  by  Jim  and  John  Bullard,  J.  R.  Swishelm,  J.  R. 
Johnson  and  several  others,  and  within  a  few  years  about  $3,000,000  worth 
was  taken  from  this  circumscribed  area. 

John  Bullard,  one  of  the  principal  discoverers,  and  a  popular  character 
of  the  region,  from  whom  Dullard's  Peak  (west  of  Silver  City)  is  named, 
was  shot  through  the  heart  by  an  Apache  Indian  in  the  winter  following 
the  exciting  event.  Immediately  after  killing  Bullard  the  Indian,  who  had 
been  wounded  in  the  back,  expired  himself. 

The  first  successful  development  work,  on  a  commercial  scale,  done  in 
the  Silver  City  district  was  by  M.  W.  Fleming  in  1876.  Besides  Mr. 
Bremen,  in  the  early  active  days  such  companies  as  the  Wisconsin,  the 
Tennessee  Mining  and  Milling  and  the  Cibola  Milling  were  in  operation, 
as  well  as  the  well-known  Carrasco  smelter.  Compared  to  the  '70s  the 
mines  of  Chloride  Flat  are  now  unproductive,  and  the  old  Fleming  camp, 
about  seven  miles  northwest  of  Silver  City,  is  deserted. 

On  April  20,  1883,  while  prospecting  in  the  locality  just  named,  J.  H. 
Penrose  (who  had  a  partner,  Frank  Baxter)  made  what  was  then  the 
largest  surface  silver  strike  in  the  world,  finding  two  four-foot  veins  of 
native,  horn  and  malleable  silver.  John  W.  Fleming,  of  Silver  City,  had 
staked  various  prospectors,  such  as  "Dutch  Henry"  and  "French  Pete,"  and 
about  this  time,  or  shortly  before,  they  made  similar  strikes  and  laid  the 
foundation  of  Camp  Fleming,  which  in  the  '80s  was  a  considerable  silver 
producer. 

J.  H.  Penrose,  mentioned  above  as  one  of  the  old-timers  of  this  region, 
was  born  in  Tipperary,  Ireland,  in  1845.  He  spent  several  years  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  British  government  on  geographical  surveys  and  as  a  mining 
engineer  in  the  East  Indies.  Afterward  a  pioneer  miner  in  Australia  and 
Africa,  he  reached  the  United  States  in  February.  1881,  and  traveled 
through  Colorado  and  New  Mexico  as  a  mining  inspector  prior  to  his  rich 
find  near  Silver  City. 

In  May,  1883.  the  Silver  City,  Deming  &  Pacific  Railroad  was  com- 
pleted to  the  former  place,  which  event  marked  the  height  of  prosperity  of 
the  silver-producing  district  around  it. 

Alhambra  (formerly  Blue  Bell)  is  situated  in  the  north  end  of  the 
Burro  mountains,  southwest  of  Silver  City,  and  is  a  silver  camp  with 
working  mines.  A  depth  of  400  feet  has  been  obtained  here,  and  the 
native  silver  ore  frequentlv  runs  as  high  as  15,000  ounces  to  the  ton. 
The  Solid  Silver  Alining  Company  has  a  group  of  claims  in  this  dis- 
trict, and  has  a  record  of  $600,000  in  production,  with  a  development  of 
750  feet. 


948  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Since  1900  a  region  in  the  Burro  mountains,  about  fifteen  miles  south- 
west of  Silver  City,  has  come  into  considerable  notice  as  a  good  producer 
of  copper.  It  covers  an  area  of  some  two  by  three  miles,  and  is  also  the 
site  of  one  of  the  most  productive  turquoise  mines  in  America.  John  E. 
•Coleman,  who  made  the  first  turquoise  discoveries,  and  well  known  in  the 
early  days  as  "Turquoise  John,"  is  credited  with  being  the  pioneer  of  this 
copper  country,  as  he  made  a  number  of  locations  of  both  the  gems  and 
metal  as  early  as  1879.  There  was  a  spasmodic  activity  in  copper  during 
the  early  '80s,  but  neither  mines  nor  smelting  plants  were  profitable,  and 
the  real  development  has  been  reserved  for  the  past  few  years.  Sev- 
eral of  the  largest  mines  have  smelters  in  operation  at  Silver  City,  while 
one  (the  St.  Louis)  has  a  one  hundred  ton  concentrating  plant  on  the 
ground. 

As  late  as  1903  the  Southwestern  Copper  Company,  of  Boston,  the 
Comanche  Mining  and  Smelting  Company,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  and 
the  Alessandro  Copper  Mining  Company,  a  Connecticut  concern,  were 
among  the  heaviest  holders  and  most  extensive  developers  in  the  camp. 
Since  then  there  has  been  considerable  consolidation  of  the  mining  proper- 
ties, especially  under  the  management  of  the  Burro  Mountain  Copper 
Companv.  The  most  extensively  developed  mines  were  owned  by  the 
Southwestern  Copper  Company,  the  property  consisting  of  twelve  claims, 
the  majority  of  which  were  patented.  The  deepest  working  in  this  group 
is  the  St.  Louis  mine,  which  has  yielded  several  fortunes  since  its  discovery ; 
still  the  working  shaft  is  only  about  50x3  feet  in  depth.  As  a  rule  the  ore  is  a 
high-grade  copper,  but  there  are  large  quantities  of  low-grade  concentrat- 
ing ore.  Of  the  forty-eight  claims  held  by  the  Comanche  Company,  the 
Klondike,  the  Comanche,  Sulphide  Boone,  Oquiwka,  Milton  No.  2  and 
Canton  are  the  best  developed.  It  has  a  large  smelter  at  Silver  City,  which 
not  only  handles  the  product  of  its  own  mines,  but  considerable  custom  ore. 
The  Alessandro  Copper  Mining  Company  has  a  plant  for  the  treatment  of 
its  ores  by  the  leaching  process,  and  the  smelter  of  the  St.  Louis  mine  is, 
as  stated,  also  on  the  site  of  the  workings.  The  Sampson  group,  rep- 
resenting Canton  and  Pittsburg  capital ;  the  fifty  claims  controlled  by 
C.  Amory  Stevens,  and  a  large  number  of  other  private  properties  are 
features  of  this  very  busy  and  productive  camp.  It  is  said  that  the  dis- 
trict embraces  more  individual  holdings  than  any  other  in  Grant  county. 

In  the  western  portions  of  Grant  county,  both  north  and  south  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  with  Lordsburg  as  their  center,  are  a  number 
of  mineral  districts  which  have  seen  better  days  than  the  present,  but  in 
which  there  are  still  some  producing  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper  and 
turquoise.  The  chief  interest,  perhaps,  centers  in  the  camp  of  Virginia, 
or  Ralston,  the  almost  deserted  Shakespeare,  just  southwest  of  Lordsburg, 
being  a  pathetic  memorial  of  high  hopes  laid  low,  and  a  mining  boom,  of 
international  proportions,  founded  on  fraud  and  ending  in  ruin  and  sui- 
cide. Ralston,  the  San  Francisco  banker,  threatened  with  financial  disaster 
at  home,  sent  his  prospectors  and  agents  into  the  region  to  gather  speci- 
mens, make  maps  and  lay  the  foundation  of  the  excitement  which  was  to 
uphold  his  falling  fortune.  Bonds  were  readily  sold  in  London,  Paris  and 
other  European  centers,  as  well  as  in  the  United  States,  and  an  imposing 
company  organized  :  but  with  the  coming  of  actual  miners  the  glorious 
paper  prospects  did  not  materialize  into  actual  nuggets  and  metallic  ores;! 


MINING  949 

some  of  those  interested  in  the  camp  failed  financially;  Ralston  himself 
committed  suicide  by  drowning  in  San  Francisco  bay,  and,  to  add  to  the 
bad  name  which  the  locality  obtained  in  the  early  '70s,  many  investors  were 
swindled  by  a  purported  discovery  of  diamonds.  One  valuable  gem  is 
yet  said  to  remain  in  the  sands  near  Lee's  Peak,  where  it  was  buried  and 
its  location  forgotten  by  the  tricksters  who  perpetrated  the  fraud.  The 
founding  and  disruption  of  Ralston  camp  is  such  a  remarkable  chapter  in 
the  early  settlement  of  Grant  county  that  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
sketch  of  that  county  for  the  details. 

But  before  leaving  the  historical  phase  of  the  subject  an  illustration 
should  be  given  of  the  methods  by  which  the  country  was  exploited  by 
Ralston's  agents — a  leaf,  or  dodger,  from  the  profuse  literature  which 
flooded  the  west  depicting  the  glories  of  his  camp  of  Shakespeare.  The 
original  print  is  upon  a  large  sheet  of  blue  paper,  now  in  possession  of 
Dr.  M.  M.  Crocker,  of  Lordsburg,  and  is  to  this  effect: 

"HO  FOR  THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  MINES  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

"Fortune  hunters,  capitalists,  poor  man,  sickly  folks,  all  whose  hearts  are  bowed 
down  and  would  live  long,  be  rich,  healthy  and  happy,  come  to  our  sunny  clime  and 
see  for  yourselves ! 

"The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  has  struck  the  Rio  Grande  and  it, 
pushing  down  the  rich  valley,  flanked  by  mountains  full  of  gold  and  silver  ores, 
sulphurets,  carbonates,  chlorides  and  rich  placers  not  yet  prospected.  Daily  main 
coaches  and  telegraph  lines  to  all  points.  The  whistle  of  the  conquering  locomotivt 
will  soon  be  heard  in  the  newly  discovered  mining  camps  of  New  Placers,  Silver 
Buttes.  Galisteo  district  and  the  famous  Cerrillos,  the  mountains  around  Albuquerque, 
the  rich  leads  in  the  mountains  back  of  Socorro,  the  mines  near  Belen  and  the  mines 
near  Fort  Craig:  then  comes  the  world  renowned  Mesilla  valley  with  its  vines  and 
fruits,  encircled  by  the  Organ  and  other  mountains  from  which  fortunes  have  been 
extracted. 

"Westward  lies  Silver  City,  with  its  mills  and  mines ;  then  comes  Shakespeare, 
the  crowning  camp  of  New  Mexico,  with  San  Simon  and  its  Carbonat  mountains 
hard  by — the  latter  named  camp  4.000  feet  above  the  sea  on  the  Divide  of  the  continent. 
Here  the  Rocky  mountains  end,  and  the  Sierra  Madre  begin.  Here  the  bold  out- 
croppings  towering  fifty  feet  in  the  air.  bearing  gold,  silver,  copper  and  lead,  greet 
the  traveler  twenty  miles  distant  upon  his  approach— the  eighth  wonder  of  the  world 
Here  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  and  the  Southern  Pacific  railways  have  fixed 
their  point  of  crossing. 

"In  full. view  of  Shakespeare  tower  the  Florida.  Burro,  Steins  peak,  Dos  Cabezas 
and  Castillita  peaks  of  Old  Mexico,  all  full  of  mineral  and  not  yet  prospected. 

"N.  B.  Information  willingly  furnished  by  all  government,  territorial  and  county 
officials,  and  citizens  generally." 

With  the  fall  of  Ralston  and  some  of  his  associates,  careless_  methods 
adopted  in  partially  developed  properties,  troublesome  Indians,  inaccessi- 
bilitv  of  the  camp  and  the  decline  in  silver,  the  Shakespeare  district  came 
almost  to  a  standstill.  One  of  the  latest  producing  properties  was  the 
Aberdeen  mine,  its  production  being  mainly  a  high  grade  of  lead.  The 
Aberdeen  Copper  Company,  which  owns  about  sixty  claims,  also  operates 
the  Manhattan  mine  and  has  a  forty-ton  concentrator  located  on  its  prop- 
erty. Until  1899,  for  a  number  of  years  the  Shakespeare  district  showed 
no  signs  of  a  revival,  but  in  that  year  came  the  rise  in  copper,  and  future 
development  promises  to  be  in  connection  with  that  metal,  which,  al- 
though not  classed  as  "precious,"  is  proving  the  salvation  of  more  than 
one  old  camp  which  formerly  relied  upon  the  mining  of  gold  or  silver. 

Among  the  Pyramid  mountains  and  adjoining  the  Shakespeare  district 
on  the  south  is  what  is  known  as  the  Pyramid  district,  these  mining  sec- 


950  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tions  covering  an  area  of  about  fourteen  by  five  miles.  The  most  im- 
portant property  in  the  latter  district,  lately  developed,  is  the  Viola  group 
of  silver  mines,  which  embraces  the  Leidendorf  property  and  is  owned  by 
the  Pyramid  Mining  Company.  At  one  time  the  Leidendorf  mine  was 
quite  a  large  producer.  Of  late  years  the  principal  operator  in  the  entire 
region  south  of  Lordsburg  has  been  the  American  Consolidated  Copper 
Company,  owning  the  Atwood  and  Miser's  Chest  groups.  Their  operations, 
however,  have  not  proved  very  successful  up  to  the  present,  and  develop- 
ment rather  than  important  production  seems  to  be  the  order  of  the  day, 
with  a  tendency  toward  deep  mining  for  copper. 

The  country  along  the  boundary  between  Grant  county  and  Arizona 
has  been  more  or  less  prospected  and  mined,  the  principal  production 
coming  from  the  region  around  Stein's  Pass,  just  south  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  Railroad.  Stein's  Pass  was  one  of  the  three  mountain  gaps  which 
formed  portions  of  the  route  of  the  old  Butterfield  stage  line  and  of  the 
early  emigrant  trains  to  southern  California.  It  was  while  defending 
Doubtful  Canyon,  ten  miles  northwest  of  the  pass,  against  a  terrific  on- 
slaught of  the  Apaches  that  Captain  Stein  met  his  death ;  but  although  the 
savages  were  repelled  and  the  passes  remained  in  possession  of  the  whites, 
the  Apaches  virtually  cleared  this  part  of  the  county  of  prospectors  a  few 
years  thereafter.  The  first  real  prospecting  in  the  region  of  Stein's  Pass 
was  not  accomplished  until  1883-9. 

Alining  in  Dona  Ana  County. — After  the  great  copper  fields  of  Santa 
Rita  and  Hanover  Gulch,  Grant  county,  the  next  mining  section  of  New 
Mexico  exposed  to  the  world,  was  fifteen  miles  northeast  of  Las  Cruces, 
having  the  Organ  range  of  mountains  as  its  backbone.  It  has  been  for 
years  an  important  producer  of  lead-silver  and  copper-silver,  especially  the 
properties  which  lie  in  the  vicinity  of  Organ  postoffice.  which  is  near  the 
center  of  the  range.  The  district  was  first  exploited  and  developed  for  its 
lead-silver  deposits,  the  celebrated  Stephenson-Bennett  mines  being  the 
pioneers  of  that  class.  The  Stephenson  lode  was  discovered  by  a  Mexican 
in  1849,  who  formed  a  partnership  with  Hugh  Stephenson,  residing  on 
the  Rio  Grande,  not  far  away.  The  American,  within  a  few  years,  became 
sole  owner  of  the  mine,  and  although  its  development  and  working  were 
sorely  hampered  by  the  Mexicans,  who  were  bitter  toward  all  of  his  na- 
tionality as  a  result  of  the  war,  it  netted  its  owner  handsomely  for  those 
times.  Not  only  the  Mexicans,  but  hostile  Apaches,  made  the  early  years 
of  the  Stephenson  mines  most  trying  and  hazardous.  The  fierce  savages 
made  not  a  few  determined  raids  upon  the  works,  and  strong  fortifications 
are  still  standing  on  the  heights  overlooking  them,  behind  which  the 
hardy  miners  defended  the  property. 

In  these  early  davs  the  ore  was  extracted  by  the  old  Spanish-American 
methods,  with  the  pick  and  shovel  and  without  the  use  of  powder.  Up  to 
1882  no  hoist  or  windlass  was  in  operation,  the  ore  being  brought  to  the 
surface  on  men's  backs,  and  the  means  of  ascent  and  descent  were  notched 
sticks  instead  of  ladders.  After  being  crushed  between  large  stones,  the 
ore  was  transported  sixteen  miles  on  burros  to  an  adobe  furnace  near  Fort 
Fillmore,  on  the  Rio  Grande,  where  it  was  smelted  with  a  loss  of  about 
50  per  cent  of  its  silver  contents  and  all  of  its  lead. 

During  1854-7  work  was  carried  on  somewhat  systematically,  and 
notwithstanding  many  drawbacks,  the  production  was  about  $80,000,  and 


MINING  951 

in  1858  Air.  Stephenson  sold  the  mine  to  army  officers  stationed  at  Fort 
Fillmore  for  $12,500.  The  ore  first  mined  came  from  a  parallel  ledge 
above  the  present  main  workings.  Approximately,  the  Stephenson-Bennett 
mines  have  yielded  $1,000,000,  of  which  $200,000  was  produced  in  the 
decade  1890- 1900.  The  principal  minerals  mined  have  been  galena,  argen- 
tite  and  wulfenite,  some  of  the  finest  crystals  of  the  last  named  ever  found 
in  New  Mexico  coming  from  the  Bennett  lode.  The  property,  which  is 
one  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Organ,  is  owned  and  operated  by  the  Stephen- 
son-Bennett Consolidated  Mining  Company,  which  has  a  recent  record  of 
shipping  fourteen  cars  of  concentrates  averaging  $1,000  per  car.  Its  equip- 
ment consists  of  a  sixty-ton  concentrator,  a  hoist  and  compressor,  and  a 
double  compartment  shaft,  which  is  being  sunk  to  a  depth  of  1,000  feet. 

The  Torpedo  mine,  about  200  yards  east  of  the  Organ  postoffice  is  the 
best  developed  property  in  the  district,  and  holds  the  record  for  production 
in  a  given  time.  Its  total  output  is  placed  at  $1,000,000.  In  1900  the  prop- 
erty was  only  considered  a  "'good  prospect";  now  it  is  valued  at  a  quarter 
of  a  million  dollars  and  has  between  3.000  and  4,000  feet  of  shafts  and 
drifts.  The  ore  is  chiefly  copper-silver,  the  silver  being  argentite.  In  June, 
1902,  the  mine  was  temporarily  abandoned  on  account  of  a  sudden  rush 
of  water  from  the  old  workings,  but  the  levels  were  soon  unwatered  and 
operations  resumed  under  the  ownership  of  the  Federal  Copper  Company. 
Most  of  the  copper  ore  was  shipped  to  the  company's  smelter  at  El  Paso. 
The  property  is  now  being  worked  under  lease. 

About  eight  miles  south  of  Organ  is  the  Modoc  mine,  which  was  lo- 
cated in  the  late  seventies  and  has  been  producing  at  intervals  since.  Its 
record  of  lead-silver  production  is  about  $250,000.  The  concentrates  carry 
60  per  cent  lead  and  some  silver-copper  and  copper.  The  property  is 
equipped  with  a  wire  rope  tram  for  conveying  the  ore  into  a  concentrating 
mill  and  shipping  the  high  grade  ore  to  the  Deming  smelter.  It  is  also 
supplied  with  hoisting  machinery,  compressed  air  for  drilling,  and  other 
modern  improvements. 

Mining  Industries  of  Lincoln  County. — Besides  being  one  of  the  larg- 
est coal  producers  in  the  Territory,  Lincoln  county  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  second  or  third  in  the  mining  of  gold  ore.  Socorro  county  is 
its  closest  competitor  in  lode  mining  for  gold,  the  figures  for  1902  being 
as  follows :  Output  in  ounces,  Lincoln,  244,828,  and  Socorro,  202,947 ; 
value,  Lincoln,  $50,607.  and  Socorro,  $42,056.  The  total  ore  mined  during 
the  year  was,  Lincoln,  23,500  tons,  and  Socorro,  2^,-^4.  Grant  county, 
of  course,  far  exceeds  either  in  the  product  of  its  deep  mines,  while  Colfax 
has  no  competitor  in  placer  gold. 

The  gold  producing  area  of  Lincoln  county  lies  around  White  Oaks 
and  toward  the  south  as  far  as  Nogal  peak,  and  was  known  among  the 
prospectors  and  miners  of  forty  years  ago  as  the  Sierra  Blanca,  or  White 
Mountain  region.  It  is  believed  that  the  first  operations  in  this  stretch  of 
country  were  conducted  by  the  Mexicans,  as  early  as  1850,  and  consisted 
of  placer  mining  in  the  Jicarilla  mountains,  about  ten  miles  northeast  of 
the  present  town  of  White  Oaks.  When  the  American  miners  came,  thirty 
years  afterward,  their  old  pits  and  dumps  were  still  visible,  and.  what  is 
remarkable,  although  the  locality  has  been  thoroughly  prospected,  no  pro- 
ductive lodes  have  yet  been  discovered.  The  fineness  of  the  placer  gold 
is  about  920.     Many  placer  companies  and  individual  miners  have  operated 


952  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

in  this  district  of  late  years,  but  with  indifferent  success.  Among  the 
largest  enterprises  was  'that  inaugurated  by  the  American  Placer  Com- 
pany, in  1903.  It  acquired  5,000  acres  of  ground,  and  during  that  season 
operated  a  large  dredge ;  but  the  process  proved  too  expensive  and  was 
abandoned.  In  recent  years  indications  of  a  copper  belt  have  been  dis- 
covered which  may  prove  worthy  of  development. 

Further  south,  in  the  White  Mountain  district,  many  old  ruins  were 
noted  by  the  early  prospectors  which  pointed  to  the  working  of  gold  and 
silver  mines  bv  the  aborigines.  About  i860  is  the  time  given  as  the  earliest 
placer  mining  in  this  region  bv  the  Mexicans,  and  1868  as  the  location  of 
one  of  the  oldest,  if  not'the  first,  gold  lode— viz.,  the  Sierra  Blanca.  The 
vein  is  about  thirty  feet  wide,  but  not/here  in  the  district  is  active  work 
now  progressing. 

In  the  same  year  of  the  discovery  of  the  Sierra  Blanca  lode,  Billy 
Gill  located  the  American  mine  in  the  Xogal  district,  some  placers  having 
been  worked  several  years  before  in  Dry  Gulch  above.  This  district  covers 
about  240  square  miles,  and  its  elevation  is  from  5,800  to  11,300  feet. 
The  surface  is  not  rough  and  broken,  but  the  mountains  (Nogal)  have 
even  inclines,  with  very  few  rocks,  slides  or  alluvial  deposits.  Timber, 
water   and   good   wagon   roads   also   exist,   thus   making  prospecting  easy. 

The  old  and  famous  American  mine  was  originally  conducted  from 
Fort  Stanton,  probably  by  the  soldiers  stationed  there.  As  was  the  common 
experience  with  the  miners  of  southern  New  Mexico,  those  who  attempted 
operations  in  the  region  around  Nogal  peak  thirty  years  ago  were  largely 
at  the  mercy  of  the  relentless  Apaches,  and  the  graves  of  a  number  of 
these  early  adventurers  bear  mute  witness  to  this  hard  fact.  No  svstematic 
mining  was  done  in  the  district  until  1880.  and  at  that  time  it  formed  a 
part  of  the  Mescalero  Indian  reservation,  which,  two  years  later,  was  par- 
tially thrown  open  to  settlement. 

The  Helen  Rae  and  Cruss-Cut  mines  were  located  in  1880,  and  in  1882 
came  into  possession  of  John  Rae,  from  whom  the  property  received  its 
name.  In  less  than  a  year,  through  shallow  shafts  and  with  mortar  and 
pestle,  the  proprietor  took  out  nearly  $15,000  worth  of  gold.  The  ores 
turned  base  at  no  great  depth,  however,  although  Mr.  Rae  sold  his  prop- 
erty finally  to  Rolla  Wells  for  $15,000,  and  in  the  first  years  of  the  1900's 
it  passed  into  possession  of  the  American  Gold  Mining  Company. 

It  is  from  the  White  Oaks  district,  however,  that  most  of  the  actual 
production  of  gold  has  come,  lode  gold  being  first  discovered  by  modern 
prospectors  in  1879,  on  Baxter  mountain.  This  was  the  beginning  of  White 
Oaks,  which  was  surveyed  in  the  following  year.  The  story  of  the  famous 
discovery  is  thus  given :  "A  number  of  prospectors  had  been  prospecting 
the  immediate  vicinity  for  placer  gold,  among  whom  were  George  Wilson 
and  his  partners,  old  Jack  Winters  and  George  Baxter.  While  the  party 
were  eating  dinner,  Wilson  took  his  lunch  in  his  hand  and  strolled  up  the 
side  of  Baxter  mountain,  where  he  climbed  on  the  top  of  a  large  "blow- 
out" and  with  his  pick  chipped  off  a  piece  of  the  rock,  and  on  examination 
was  much  surprised  to  find  that  it  contained  gold.  He  immediately  re- 
ported his  find  to  those  below,  and  staked  out  the  North  Homestake,  which 
was  the  first  lode  location  made  in  the  camp.  On  the  same  afternoon 
Wilson  relinquished  his  rights  in  the  property  to  his  partner.  Jack  Win- 
ters, for  $40,  a  pony  and  a  bottle  of  whisky.     Not  a  great  while  after  this 


MINING  953 

deal,  the  discoverer  of  the  lode  mines  of  White  Oaks  disappeared  and 
was  never  heard  of  again." 

North  Homestake  passed  through  various  hands,  the  first  few  years 
of  its  existence  netting  its  owners  handsomely,  both  in  production  and  the 
sums  realized  in  the  sale  of  the  property.  It  has  been  quite  a  steady  pro- 
ducer, and  to  the  present  is  credited  with  about  half  a  million  dollars. 
Soon  after  the  first  strike,  the  South  Homestake,  Old  Abe,  Little  Mack, 
Comstock  and  Rip  Van  Winkle  mines  were  located. 

Although  discovered  thus  early,  the  true  vein  of  the  famous  Old  Abe 
mine  was  not  located  until  1890.  As  a  total  depth  of  nearly  1,400  feet  has 
been  reached  without  tapping  water  so  as  to  interfere  with  the  working  of 
the  mine,  it  is  not  only  the  deepest  in  New  Mexico,  but  one  of  the  deepest 
dry  mines  in  the  world.  It  is  a  free-milling  gold  mine,  and  the  main  streak, 
varying  from  three  to  twenty-two  inches  in  width,  is  a  sulphide  ore  which 
has  averaged  $8  per  ton.  A  number  of  rich  strikes  have  been  made,  and 
among  the  remarkable  geological  occurrences  encountered  has  been  virgin 
gold  embedded  in  gypsum.  The  old  shaft,  840  feet  deep,  collapsed  in 
March,  1896,  the  new  shaft  having  been  sunk,  as  stated,  to  a  depth  of  some 
1,400  feet.  According  to  the  latest  figures,  there  are  about  3,600  feet  of 
new  drift  and  about  4,000  feet  in  the  old  works.  The  daily  output  of 
Old  Abe  is  about  fifty  tons  of  ore,  which  is  treated  on  the  ground,  and 
the  total  production  in  value  is  given  at  not  far  from  $1,000,000.  The 
South  Homestake  is  also  credited  witu  a  production  equaling  the  latter 
figures. 

The  total  gold  production  of  White  Oaks  district  is  about  $3,000,000, 
five  or  six  gold  mills  being  in  constant  operation.  There  are  also  large 
iron  deposits  in  the  district,  averaging  from  58  to  68  per  cent  hematite 
ore,  as  well  as  coal,  indications  of  oil,  and  quarries  of  excellent  marble 
and  building  stone.  All  in  all,  it  is  one  of  the  richest  mineral  regions  in 
the  Territory. 

The  Gold  Mines  of  Baldy  Mountain. — The  most  productive  gold  dis- 
trict of  New  Mexico  is  embraced  by  the  slopes  of  Baldy  mountain,  or 
Elizabeth  Peak,  a  short  distance  southeast  of  Elizabethtown,  in  the  western 
part  of  Colfax  county.  On  its  western  flank  is  the  Moreno  river,  just 
below  the  town,  and  in  its  valley  lies  the  greatest  placer  field  in  the  Terri- 
tory. With  the  exception  of  some  placer  mining  conducted  in  the  locali- 
ties of  Ute  creek,  on  the  southeastern  slope  of  the  mountain,  virtually  all 
of  the  fields  are  to  the  west,  and  in  this  direction  the  only  productive  dis- 
trict besides  the  Moreno  valley  lies  along  Willow  creek.  None  compares, 
however,  with  the  Moreno  fields,  which  chiefly  have  given  Colfax  county 
its  standing  as  a  gold  producer.  Since  the  discovery  in  1866  it  is  estimated 
that  fully  $3,000,000  of  gold  have  been  washed  out  of  the  placer  mines  of 
the  Moreno  valley,  and  their  yield  has  gone  far  toward  maintaining  the 
record  of  Colfax  county  as  having  yielded,  within  recent  years,  from  one- 
fourth  to  one-third  the  total  gold  production  of  New  Mexico.  In  1902 
her  placers  are  credited  with  a  production  of  $117,680,  as  against  a 
total  output,  throughout  the  Territory,  of  $384,685.  The  principal  lode 
mining  has  been  conducted  on  the  east  side  of  Baldy,  the  chief  producer, 
and  the  oldest  and  best  known  mine  in  Colfax  county,  being  the  famous 
Aztec,  which  has  a  record  of  $1,500,000 — $1,000,000  of  which  was  mined 
prior  to  1872.     It  is  therefore  safe  to  say  that  since  the  opening  of  both 


954  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

the  placer  and  quartz  districts  around  Baldy  mountain,  forty  years  ago, 
fully  $6,000,000  worth  of  gold  has  been  mined. 

The  discovery  of  the  placer  fields  was  due  to  the  Indians,  who,  in 
their  quest  for  game,  roamed  over  Old  Baldy,  and  were  in  the  habit  of 
picking  up  rich  copper  float.  On  one  of  their  trailing  expeditions  to  Fort 
Union  they  exhibited  some  of  these  specimens  to  the  soldiers,  and,  as  the 
metal  was  then  in  good  demand,  William  Kroenig,  \Y.  H.  Moore  and  others 
around  the  fort  became  interested.  After  paying  the  Indian  for  his  infor- 
mation, as  an  earnest  of  his  good  faith,  they  sent  a  man  out  with  him  to 
locate  the  find,  and  the  two  proceeded  directly  to  the  top  of  Baldy,  where 
an  abundance  of  copper  ore  was  found.  This  trip  resulted  in  what  was 
known  for  years  afterward  as  the  "Copper  Mine,"  or  the  present  "Mystic 
Lode." 

Mr.  Kroenig  and  his  partners  at  once  commenced  to  develop  their 
claims,  and  in  October,  1866,  sent  Messrs.  Larry  Bronson,  Peter  Kin- 
singer  and  Kelly  to  do  the  annual  assessment  work  on  the  copper  property. 
Late  one  afternoon  they  arrived  on  Willow  creek,  and  camped  for  the 
night.  While  Messrs.  Bronson  and  Kinsinger  engaged  in  cooking  supper, 
Kelly  took  a  gold  pan  and  commenced  washing  some  of  the  gravel  along 
the  edge  of  the  creek.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  he  found  gold — not  in  large 
quantities,  but  sufficient  to  spur  them  on  to  prospect  further.  All  three 
now  began  to  pan  and  dig,  and  to  their  astonishment  the  prospects  became 
better  as  they  advanced  in  their  work.  Several  days  were  spent  in  the 
locality,  many  open  cuts  being  run  and  holes  dug  in  the  banks  of  gravel ; 
and  the  final  results  far  exceeded  their  first  expectations. 

It  being  late  in  the  season,  and  not  having  the  proper  outfit  to  com- 
mence placer  mining,  the  men  decided  to  return  to  Fort  Union  for  the 
winter,  and  to  say  nothing  of  their  gold  discovery  until  the  following 
spring,  except  to  their  most  intimate  and  trustworthy  friends.  Although 
the  trio  had  failed  to  perform  the  work  which  they  had  been  sent  to  do, 
they  faithfully  marked  the  pine  under  which  they  had  first  encamped, 
naming  it  Discovery  Tree,  and  it  afterward  served  as  a  landmark  from 
which  claims  were  staked  and  consecutivelv  numbered. 

Although  the  intentions  of  the  gold  discoverers  were  wise,  the  temp- 
tation to  exhibit  their  samples  of  coarse  metal  obtained  from  the  pannings 
was  irresistible,  and  the  news  spread  so  rapidly  over  Xew  Mexico  and 
Colorado  that,  long  before  the  winter's  snow  had  melted,  a  procession  of 
prospectors  was  on  its  way  to  the  new  washings  and  diggings.  Bronson, 
with  several  partners,  made  the  first  locations  on  Willow  creek,  measuring 
their  claims  westwardly  from  Discoverv  Tree.  Others  followed  thick  and 
fast,  Matthew  Lynch  and  Tim  Foley  taking  claims  near  by  on  the  south 
side  of  the  gulch.  The  latter  two  soon  passed  over  to  the  eastern  slope 
of  Baldv,  however,  and  discovered  the  famous  Aztec  lode,  with  whose  early 
development  they  became  identified.  For  a  dozen  years  thereafter  Mr. 
Lynch  was  known  as  the  most  successful  hydraulic  miner  in  the  fields,  and 
is  acknowledged  to  be  the  father  of  this  process  in  the  Baldy  region. 

About  the  time  the  first  locations  were  made  along  Willow  creek, 
another  party  from  Fort  Union,  consisting  of  J.  E.  Codlin,  Pat  Lyons, 
Fred  Fhefer  and  Big  Mich,  made  the  first  discoverv  of  gold  at  what  is 
now  Elizabethtown.  They  found  gold  a  few  hundred  yards  east  of  the 
present  town  site,  and  as  they  called  themselves  the   Michigan  Company, 


Dredge  Mining  at  Elizabethtown 


Organ  Mountains 


MINING  95& 

they  named  the  locality  Michigan  Gulch.  Then  followed  a  general  line  of 
prospecting,  which  revealed  the  fact  that  gold  existed  in  paying  quantities 
in  every  gulch  around  Baldy  mountain.  Grouse  and  Humbug  gulches  at- 
tracted the  most  attention,  probably  because  each  had  a  stream  of  water. 
The  placer  fields  were  now  known  to  extend  from  Willow  Creek  gulch 
north,  along  the  foot  of  Baldy  mountain,  as  far  as  Mills'  gulch,  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  or  ten  miles ;  and  the  ground  in  every  gulch  was  taken. 
Humbug  gulch  was  located  from  the  Moreno  river  almost  to  its  head, 
having  received  its  name  from  the  supposition  that  the  dirt  there  would 
not  pay  for  the  working ;  but  later  developments  proved  it  to  be  the  richest 
of  them  all.  Across  the  river,  just  in  front  of  Grouse's  gulch,  was  the 
famous  Spanish  bar,  which  was  located  by  Messrs.  Lowthian,  Kinsinger 
and  Bergmann. 

With  the  great  influx  of  people  into  the  new  gold  field,  civil  organiza- 
tion and  the  protection  of  the  laws  became  a  necessity,  and  early  in  1867 
John  Moore,  George  Buck  and  others  got  together  to  plan  a  town.  To 
Mr.  Moore's  oldest  daughter,  Elizabeth,  was  accorded  the  final  credit  of 
giving  it  a  name,  and  T.  G.  Rowe  laid  it  out,  as  a  surveyor.  The  god- 
mother of  Elizabethtown  is  now  Mrs.  Joseph  Lowrey,  still  an  honored  resi- 
dent of  the  place.  In  the  year  after  its  founding  (1868)  it  probably  reached 
the  high-water  mark  in  population,  although  it  was  so  shifting  and  va- 
riable that  it  has  been  estimated  at  from  1,500  to  7,000.  It  is  also  believed 
that  more  gold  was  extracted  from  the  gulches  along  the  western  flanks 
of  Baldy  mountain,  from  1868  to  1870,  than  during  any  period  of  equal 
length  in  the  history  of  the  region. 

After  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  the  placer  fields  were  both  valu- 
able and  extensive,  and  the  settlers  had  organized  themselves  into  a  civic 
community,  the  problem  of  a  sufficient  water  supply  was  one  of  the  most 
serious  nature.  With  this  question  unsolved,  the  immense  beds  of  gravel 
could  never  be  worked  to  advantage.  Thomas  Lowthian  had  taken  in  a 
ditch  from  the  north  side  of  Baldy  to  work  his  claims  in  Grouse  gulch ; 
the  water  of  the  Moreno  river  was  ditched  by  the  Michigan  Company,  and 
those  working  the  rich  diggings  of  the  Spanish  bar;  another  ditch  had 
been  brought  to  the  Spanish  bar  from  Comanche  creek.  This  was  all  the 
water  available  in  the  Moreno  valley  previous  to  the  inauguration  of  the 
Elizabethtown  ditch,  also  known  as  the  Big  Ditch. 

Parties  from  Fort  Union  and  Las  Vegas  became  especially  interested 
in  the  water  question,  on  account  of  their  large  investments  in  the  district, 
and  sent  Captain  N.  S.  Davis,  a  competent  engineer,  to  look  over  the 
ground.  It  was  on  the  strength  of  his  report  that  the  famous  ditch,  with 
branches  and  reservoirs,  was  built,  circling  along  the  edges  of  mountains, 
and  bridging  deep  ravines  and  gulches,  for  a  distance  of  42  miles,  al- 
though the  main  source  of  the  water  supply  was  the  Red  river,  only  eleven 
miles  west  of  Elizabethtown.  Considering  the  nature  of  the  work  and 
that  it  was  completed  from  May  12  to  November  13,  1868,  it  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  pieces  of  engineering  in  the  west.  The  Moreno  Water 
and  Mining  Company,  which  had  charge  of  the  undertaking  and  was  the 
original  owner  of  the  property,  consisted  of  L.  B.  Maxwell  owner  of  the 
grant ;  William  Kroenig.  John  Dold,  W.  H.  Moore,  V.  S.  Selby,  M.  Bloom- 
field  and  Captain  N.  S.  Davis,  the  engineer. 

The  main  ditch,  whose  eastern  terminus  is   Grouse  gulch,   Elizabeth- 

Vol.   II.      2S 


956  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

town,  cost  $280,000  in  the  building,  the  first  water  being  delivered  in  Hum- 
bug gulch  July  9.  1869.  Later  the  supply  of  water  was  increased  by 
ditches  seven  miles  long  from  Moreno  creek  and  the  Ponil  river,  the  latter 
being  on  the  east  side  of  Baldy  mountain.  Three  reservoirs,  or  lakes,  were 
also  built  high  up  in  the  Red'  River  mountains,  these  minor  undertakings 
costing  about  $20,000. 

The  construction  company  did  not  own  any  placer  land,  but  it  was  ex- 
pected that  the  receipts  from  the  water  rates  would  be  sufficient  to  make 
the  enterprise  a  profitable  investment.  First  water  was  sold  at  fifty  cents 
per  inch,  and  second  and  third  was  usually  let  by  contract.  The  main 
ditch  had  a  capacity  to  deliver  600  inches  of  water,  but  it  was  found  on 
account  of  the  seepage  and  the  evaporation  in  coming  such  a  long  dis- 
tance, that  really  only  a  small  amount  of  water  compared  to  the  capacity 
reallv  reached  its  destination.  The  revenue  was,  therefore,  not  sufficient 
to  reimburse  the  company  in  the  earlier  vears,  and  it  became  financially 
embarrassed.  A  transfer  of  the  property  was  then  made  to  Colonel  Y.  S. 
Selbv.  of  Santa  Fe,  who  had  loaned  the  company  a  large  sum  of  money. 
Shortly  afterward  Colonel  Selby  sold  to  L.  B.  Maxwell,  and  Matthew 
Lynch'  purchased  the  ditch  from  Mr.  Maxwell  in  1875,  operating  it  suc- 
cessfully until  his  death  in  1880.  In  the  operation  of  the  Aztec  mine,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  discoverers,  Mr.  Lynch  had  realized  about  a 
million  and  a  half  of  dollars,  but  since  1872,  when  it  shut  down  on  account 
of  legal  complications,  he  had  been  engaged  in  placer  mining  at  Grouse's 
gulch.  When  he  became  owner  of  the  Elizabethtown  ditch  it  had  been  neg- 
lected for  several  years,  but  he  immediately  put  it  in  repair  and  made  it 
carry  a  full  head  of  water.  The  mining  was  carried  on  with  considerable 
energy  for  the  succeeding  five  years,  Mr.  Lynch  himself.  Joseph  Lowrey, 
Thomas  Lowthian  and  the  Carr  brothers  being  large  hydraulic  operators. 
The  ground  opposite  Elizabethtown  is  still  known  as  the  Lowrey  placers, 
Mr.  Lowrev  coining  to  the  Moreno  valley  in  1867,  the  year  of  the  discov- 
ery of  the  fields. 

Until  his  death,  in  1880,  Mr.  Lynch  was  the  master  spirit  in  the  hy- 
draulic development  of  the  placer  fields.  During  the  five  years  in  which 
he  owned  and  operated  the  ditch  their  output  was  very  large.  The  Low- 
thian ground  yielded  $75,000  in  one  season's  run,  with  only  one  hydraulic. 
A  claim  on  Willow  creek  yielded  forty  ounces  of  gold  to  the  box — that  is, 
a  piece  of  ground  twelve  by  twenty-four  feet.  Spanish  bar  was  equally  as 
rich,  while  the  tract  in  the  Moreno  river  just  below  Spanish  bar.  owned 
by  the  Central  Company  and  now  in  possession  of  the  Oro  Dredging  Com- 
pany, was  then,  as  now,  considered  the  richest  ground  in  the  camp.  Lazy 
sjulch  produced  as  much  as  120  ounces  per  week,  while  Xew  Orleans  Flats 
is  known  to  have  yielded  as  hign  as  228  ounces  in  one  week,  valued  at  $19 
per  ounce. 

After  the  death  of  Matthew  Lvnch,  the  ditch  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Lis  two  brothers,  James  and  Patrick  Lynch,  who  operated  it  for  a  num- 
ber of  vears,  but  it  has  gradually  fallen  into  disuse  and  is  now  practically 
inoperative.  Attempts  were  in  the  meantime  being  made  to  extract  the 
gold  by  means  of  shovels  and  dredging  machines.  For  several  years  these 
enterprises  failed  because  the  plants  were  crude  and  too  light  to  perform 
the  desired  work;  they  were  correspondinglv  expensive.  It  remained  for 
the   Oro  Dredging  Company,   under   the  presidency   of   H.   J.   Reiling,   of 


MINING  957 

Chicago,  to  put  in  operation  a  successful  dredge.  In  August,  1901.  it  was 
christened  the  Eleanor  and  put  to  work.  The  great  machine  handles 
4,000  cubic  yards  of  dirt  daily,  and  the  electric  plant  on  the  boat  makes  it 
possible  to  operate  it  twenty-four  hours  continuously.  Very  little  water 
is  required  for  the  operation  of  the  plant,  as  the  water  in  the  sluice  box 
is  used  over  and  over  again.  The  values  of  the  placer  gold  ground 
handled  are  from  thirty  cents  to  three  dollars  per  cubic  yard,  and  during 
the  first  year  of  its  operation  the  dredge  cleared  over  $100,000,  or  about 
one-quarter  the  gold  production  of  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Reiling  is  a  pioneer 
in  ibis  method  of  placer  mining,  introducing  the  first  dredge  into  the  gold 
fields  of  Montana. 

As  already  stated,  Matthew  Lynch  and  Tim  Foley  went  across  to  the 
east  side  of  Baldy  mountain,  in  1867,  and  began  prospecting  on  Ute  creek. 
They  first  struck  rich  float,  some  of  which  was  more  than  half  gold,  and 
finally  in  June,  1868,  after  about  a  year  of  hard  work  they  uncovered  the 
Aztec  mine  at  the  foot  of  Baldy,  on  a  little  ridge  which  separates  Ute 
creek  from  South  Ponil.  At  the  time  it  was  the  richest  gold  lode  discovery 
made  in  the  west.  A  15-stamp  mill  began  operations  October  29,  1868,  and 
Aztec's  richest  vein  yielded  as  high  during  the  first  few  years  of  work  as 
$21,000  per  week.  According  to  a  report  made  to  the  general  government 
in  1870,  the  ore  averaged  $68.85  Pcr  ton-  The  mine  went  into  litigation 
and  was  shut  down  in  1872,  after  producing  about  $1,500,000.  The  Aztec 
has  since  been  spasmodically  worked,  although  never  since  1872  with  pro- 
nounced success. 

The  Montezuma,  another  old  lode  producer  on  the  Ute  Creek  side  of 
Baldy.  has  a  record  of  about  $300,000.  In  the  Ponil  district  is  the  noted 
French  Henry  mine.  In  the  Moreno  Valley  district  the  most  important 
group  of  lode  claims  is  perhaps  the  Red  Bandana,  consisting  of  eight  mines 
which  apparently  center  in  one  mother  vein  farther  down.  The  Gold  and 
Copper  Deep  Tunnel  Mining  and  Milling  Company  has  also  commenced 
what  promises  to  be  important  developments  on  its  115  acres  of  property 
on  the  west  slope  of  Baldy.  It  owns  twelve  claims  in  this  locality,  and  its 
object  is  to  develop  both  gold  and  silver  prospects  by  running  a  tunnel 
directly  east,  3,600  feet  long  and  2,000  feet  deep. 

The  Aztec  mine  at  Baldy,  Colfax  county,  which  has  been  in  operation 
several  years,  has  been  worked  under  a  lease  for  the  past  four  years  bv 
A.  G.  Ward,  who  came  from  Colorado  to  Baldy  and  began  operations  in 
the  fall  of  1902.  Mr.  Ward  has  been  engaged  in  mining  in  Colorado  since 
1875,  and  is  well-known  throughout  central  mining  circles.  He  is  a  native 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  To  his  new  field  of  labor  he  brought  enterprise  and 
industry  and  has  contributed  largelv  to  the  development  of  mining  re- 
sources in  this  part  of  the  country.  The  Aztec  is  a  lode  mine  located  on  the 
side  of  Baldy,  the  highest  peak  in  Colfax  countv. 

The  only  mining  dredge  in  operation  in  New  Mexico'  is  that  now 
employed  in  the  development  of  the  placer  fields  near  Elizabethtown.  It 
was  constructed  bv  the  Oro  Dredging  Company  in  1901  and  began  opera- 
tions about  September  1  of  that  year.  It  was  at  first  located  on  the  creek 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  below  Elizabethtown.  As  it  has  proceeded  up- 
stream it  has  made  its  own  body  of  water  as  the  result  of  its  operations. 
and  is  now  nearly  opposite  the  once  prosperous  mining  camp.  Its  opera- 
tion is  confined  to  the  spring,  summer  and  fall  months.    This  giant  dredge, 


95b  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

named  the  "Eleanor,"  contains  machinery  weighing  three  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  pounds.  Its  sixty-five  buckets,  weighing  half  a  ton  each, 
weighed  eleven  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  each  when  work  was  first 
begun.  They  have  cut  into  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  twenty-two  feet, 
bringing  to  the  surface  the  gold-laden  soil;  and  when  attacking  a  gravel 
bank  high  above  the  level  of  the  little  stream  they  have  cut  through  fifty 
feet  of  earth.  The  average  capacity  of  this  monster  placer  miner  is  fifty 
thousand  cubic  yards  of  earth  per  month.  The  Oro  Dredging  Company- 
was  organized  with  H.  J.  Reiling  as  president  and  F.  Z.  Hunt  as  superin- 
tendent. John  S.  Butler,  of  Chicago,  is  now  president  and  treasurer,  and 
J.  H.  Funk  is  superintendent.  Their  enterprise  is  unique  in  the  history 
of  mining  in  New  Mexico. 

The  Gold  and  Copper  Deep  Tunnel  Mining  and  Milling  Company, 
which  is  now  operating  in  Mount  Baldv,  directly  east  of  Elizabethtown, 
was  incorporated  October  20,  1900,  with  a  capital  stock  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  It  has  driven  a  tunnel  into  Mount  Baldy  about  two 
thousand  feet  and  is  finding  gold  and  copper  in  paying  quantities,  the 
quality  of  the  ore  improving  the  further  the  mountain  is  penetrated.  The 
promoters  of  this  enterprise  are  confident  that  they  will  ultimately  find 
the  parent  ore  body  which  supplied  the  placer  field  below. 

John  H.  Funk,  superintendent  of  the  placer  dredge  of  the  Oro  Dredg- 
ing Company,  of  Elizabethtown,  was  born  in  Waynesburg,  Pennsylvania, 
April  8,  1863 ;  was  reared  in  his  native  town,  receiving  his  education  in 
the  common  schools.  He  learned  the  trade  of  machinist  with  the  Frick 
Engineering  Company  at  Waynesburg,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  that 
firm  for  thirteen  years  before  coming  west.  It  was  in  1899  that  he  landed 
in  New  Mexico,  having  come  to  the  Territory  on  a  prospecting  tour.  His 
first  work  here  was  in  the  Anchor  mine  at  Elizabethtown.  The  mine  not 
proving  profitable,  he  sought  other  employment,  and  soon  went  to  work 
for  the  Oro  Dredging  Company,  that  had  set  up  a  dredge  in  the  placer 
gold  fields  of  Elizabethtown  in  1900.  By  his  ability  and  his  faithful  serv- 
ice he  won  the  confidence  of  his  employers,  and  May  15,  1905,  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent  of  the  dredge,  succeeding  L.  N.  Parks.  Air.  Funk 
is  a  member  of  Montezuma  Lodge  No.  10,  Knights  of  Pythias,  at  Eliza- 
bethtown. 

Captain  Thomas  C.  Sewell,  Elizabethtown,  New  Mexico,  is  identified 
with  the  mining  interests  of  this  place.  Captain  Sewell  first  came  to  the 
Territory  of  New  Mexico  in  1892,  and  at  that  time  bought  six  claims  in 
Last  Chance  Gulch.  Previous  to  this  he  had  been  at  Cripple  Creek.  After 
remaining  here  a  short  time  he  returned  to  that  place,  and  it  was  not  until 
1897  that  he  came  again  to  Elizabethtown  and  took  up  his  residence  here. 
At  present  he  is  superintending  the  construction  of  a  tunnel  known  as  the 
Isabella  B.,  for  Homer  C.  Chapin,  of  Chicago,  who  owns  claims  or  options 
on  all  land  the  tunnel  will  tap.  For  eighteen  months  the  work  has  been 
under  way  and  the  tunnel  now  extends  a  thousand  feet  into  the  mountain. 
It  has  crossed  numerous  rich  veins  of  ore  and  the  prospects  are  bright  for 
a  rich  mine  when  the  railroad  is  built  in  the  valley. 

His  own  claims  that  he  purchased  in  1892  Captain  Sewell  still  owns 
and  contemplates  developing  as  soon  as  railroad  facilities  and  a  mill  are 
brought  to  the  locality. 

Orestes  St.  John,  of  Raton,  fcr  years  geologist  for  the  Maxwell  Land 


MIXING  959 

Grant  Association,  has  been  a  resident  of  New  Mexico  during  all  the 
years  of  the  modern  practical  development  of  the  resources  of  the  Terri- 
tory. He  is  undoubtedly  more  familiar  with  geological  conditions  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  Territory  than  any  other  man,  having  devoted  the 
best  years  of  his  life  to  their  study,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  highest 
living  authorities  on  the  mineralogy  of  the  southwest. 

W.  P.  Mclntyre,  of  Elizabethtown,  superintendent  of  the  Gold  and 
Gopper  Deep  Tunnel  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  was  born  in  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  and  was  reared  in  Iowa,  where  he  acquired  his  education 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  Leaving  home  he  went  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  became  familiar  with  the  processes  of  mining.  In  the  fall 
of  1898  he  arrived  in  Elizabethtown  to  look  up  the  gold  and  copper  prop- 
erties. He  is  interested  in  five  claims  on  the  old  Baldy  mountain,  and  is 
conducting  a  profitable  business  as  superintendent  of  the  Gold  and  Copper 
Deep  Tunnel  Mining  and  Milling  Company.  This  company  was  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  in  October,  190x3, 
with  a  capitalization  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  divided  into  two 
hundred  thousand  shares  of  a  par  value  of  one  dollar  each,  full  paid  up 
and  non-assessable. 

The  company  has  one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  ground,  consisting 
of  twelve  claims  in  one  body,  lying  parallel  and  running  north  and  -south 
on  the  west  slope  of  Baldy  mountain,  Colfax  county.  New  Mexico,  about 
thirty  miles  south  of  the  Colorado  state  line.  A  number  of  shares  will  be 
sold  to  provide  capital  to  run  a  good-sized  working  tunnel  through  all  the 
claims,  a  distance  of  more  than  one-half  mile  (thirty-seven  hundred  feet). 
Almost  one-quarter  mile  of  this  tunnel  is  now  completed. 

Joseph  Henry  Lowrv.  mine  operator.  Elizabethtown,  Colfax  county, 
dates  his  birth  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  April  6,  1840.  He  is  a  son  of  John 
and  Maria  (Martine)  Lowrey,  the  latter  of  French  descent.  When  he  was 
a  child  his  parents  moved  to  Montreal,  Canada,  and  seven  or  eight  years 
later  to  Troy,  New  York.  Joseph  was  sent  back  to  Montreal  to  attend 
school,  and  after  he  had  been  there  about  four  months  ran  away  from 
school  and  went  to  Stillwater,  Minnesota.  For  about  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  rafting  on  Lake  St.  Croix,  that  state,  and  one  year  was  in  the 
pineries.  The  next  two  years  he  worked  on  rafts  on  the  Mississippi  river, 
going  down  as  far  as  St.  Louis,  and  after  this  he  followed  steamboating, 
on  the  lower  Mississippi  and  Red  rivers,  for  four  or  five  years.  He  was  in 
the  south  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  and  in  1862  he  joined  the  Con- 
federate army,  becoming  a  member  of  Colonel  Neely's  regiment  of  cavalry, 
under  General  Forrest,  and  was  with  General  Forrest  at  the  capture  of 
Fort  Pillow ;  was  in  the  army  three  years,  most  of  that  time  on  the  skirmish 
line.  In  1864  he  came  from  Fort  Leavenworth  to  Denver,  as  teamster 
for  Captain  Caldwell,  and  subsequently  worked  in  Central  City  and  Black 
Hawk.  In  1866  he  started  out  on  a  prospecting  tour  in  Wyoming,  and 
spent  two  years  in  prospecting,  after  which,  in  1868,  he  set  out  for  Texas 
to  buy  cattle.  Arrived  at  Patterson's  ranch,  his  progress  was  delayed  be- 
cause at  that  time  it  was  dangerous  for  small  parties  to  cross  the  plains 
alone.  After  waiting  two  weeks,  and  as  there  were  yet  not  enough  men 
to  organize  for  the  crossing,  he  and  seven  others  as  venturesome  as  him- 
self, struck  out  in  the  direction  of  Texas.  After  they  had  driven  about 
forty  miles  they  were  met  by  a  company  of  soldiers  who  compelled  them 


960  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

to  return.  Thus  diverted  from  his  original  intention,  Mr.  Lowrey,  after 
remaining  at  a  ranch  a  week,  decided  to  come  to  Elizabethtown,  lured 
hither  by  stores  of  gold  discoveries.  And  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged 
in  mining  at  this  place.  For  a  period  of  four  years  he  was  also  interested 
in  cattle  ranching,  on  Ponil  creek,  but  with  this  exception  his  whole 
time  and  attention  have  been  given  to  mining  operation,  in  which  he  has 
been  reasonably  successful.  He  now  has  a  placer  field  and  other  mines 
and  has  a  patent  from  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company.  Also,  he  has 
mining  interests  on  Red  river. 

Formerly  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Lowrey  now  votes  an  independent  ticket. 
He  has  served  his  district  as  school  director.  June  20,  1881,  he  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Moore,  who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Elizabeth- 
town,  and  in  honor  of  whom  the  town  was  named.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
John  Moore,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  United  States  army,  and  as  such 
was  stationed  at  Fort  Union  and  other  points  in  New  Mexico,  and  who 
came  to  this  locality  during  the  first  mining  excitement  here,  in  1867.  The 
fruits  of  this  union  have  been  nine  children.  The  first  born  died  in  in- 
fancy. The  others  in  order  of  birth  are :  Jane  Matilda,  May  Lillian, 
Bessie,  Laura,  who  died  in  Elizabethtown  August  14,  1891  ;  Annie,  Joseph, 
Jr.,  William  and  Maud.     Bessie  died  in  Trinidad  in  the  spring  of  1904. 

Lead  and  Zinc  District  of  Eastern  Socorro  County. — West  of  the 
town  of  Socorro,  toward  the  northern  end  of  a  range  of  mountains,  is 
Mount  Magdalena,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  outline  of  a  face  and 
bust,  formed  by  a  combination  of  rocks  and  shrubbery  into  a  fair  resem- 
blance to  a  female  figure.  The  figure,  which  in  the  early  years  is  said  to 
have  been  a  sanctuary  to  which  the  hunted  fugitive,  whether  white  or  red, 
could  flee  in  safety,  gave  the  name  of  Magdalena  to  both  mount  and  range, 
and  in  this  region  lies  the  former  great  lead  producing  district  of  New 
Mexico,  and  the  region  which,  of  late  years,  has  obtained  prominence  for 
its  large  yields  of  zinc.  It  has  the  honor  of  being  the  only  considerable 
producer  of  the  latter  metal  in  the  Territory,  and  is  becoming  one  of  the 
most  important  zinc  districts  in  the  country.  Up  to  1904,  when  the  zinc 
ores  commenced  to  be  discovered  in  commercial  quantities,  the  production 
of  the  Magdalena  district  in  lead  and  silver  amounted  to  $8,700,000,  more 
than  three-fourths  of  this  value  being  in  lead.  The  Kelly  and  the  Graphic 
mines  alone  yielded  nearly  $6,000,000  worth  of  the  metal.  As  the  car- 
bonate lead  ore  had  been  practically  exhausted  from  these  mines,  it  was 
fortunate,  for  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  district,  that  not  only  were 
large  bodies  of  smithsonite  and  other  forms  of  zinc  ore  uncovered,  but 
that  it  was  found  profitable  to  work  over  the  refuse  from  the  old  mines 
which  contained  .rich  carbonates  of  zinc. 

Even  during  the  later  years,  when  the  lead  production  of  the  Magda- 
lena district  was  not  at  its  height,  the  lead  mines  of  Socorro  county  yielded 
from  two-thirds  to  a  half  of  the  total  output  of  New  Mexico.  In  1902, 
of  the  2,490,885  pounds  of  lead  mined  throughout  the  Territory.  1,189,004 
pounds  came  from  this  count}-.  Luna  and  Grant  counties  producing  nearly 
all  the  balance. 

Colonel  J.  S.  Hutchinson  ("Old  Hutch"),  with  a  Mexican  peon,  made 
the  first  location  in  the  Magdalena  district,  in  the  spring  of  1866.  They 
were  looking  for  rich  float,  which  had  been  found  at  Pueblo  Springs  dur- 
ing the  war,  but  instead  discovered  rich  outcroppings  of  lead.     First  they 


MINING  9til 

staked  out  the  Juanita  lode,  and  about  three  weeks  later  the  Graphic  mine. 
Soon  they  were  taking  out  the  lead  ore.  smelting  it  in  an  adobe  furnace 
and  sending  the  bullion  to  Kansas  City  by  bull  teams.  Before  the  advent 
of  the  railroads  that  city  and  St.  Louis  were  the  chief  markets  for  the 
district.  The  Juanita  mine  was  subsequently  sold  to  Col.  E.  W.  Eaton 
and  others,  while  the  Graphic  was  also  disposed  of — the  latter  at  the  com- 
fortable figure  of  $30,000. 

The  Graphic  mine  is  now  the  largest  producer  and  the  most  valuable 
piece  of  mining  property  in  the  district,  although  for  many  years  the 
Kelly  took  the  lead.  Its  present  weekly  shipments  are  2,000  tons  of  zinc 
and  lead  ore  and  200  tons  of  copper.  Two  rich  veins  of  lead  and  zinc  are 
benig  worked,  and  new  developments  are  going  on  200  feet  below  the  old 
mine.  The  zinc  ore  body  of  the  Graphic  is  pronounced  by  experts  to  be 
the  largest  in  the  United  States,  and  probably  in  the  world.  Since  March, 
1904,  this  valuable  property  has  been  in  possession  of  the  Graphic  Lead  and 
Zinc  Company,  which  was  incorporated  in  that  year  by  Messrs.  W.  H. 
Cunningham  and  J.  G.  Fitch. 

The  pioneer  work  in  zinc  development  was  done  at  the  Graphic  mine 
when  it  was  controlled  by  Fitch  &  Brown,  in  1903.  They  first  blocked  out 
50,000  tons  of  the  zinc-lead  sulphide  ore,  upon  which  they  experimented 
with  profit.  They  then  discovered  that  there  were  thousands  of  tons  of 
carbonate  of  zinc  ore  in  the  old  stopes  of  the  mine,  which  they  extracted 
and  commenced  shipping  to  the  smelters  of  Missouri  and  Wisconsin  as 
the  first  zinc  ore  ever  sent  from  New  Mexico  mines.  This  was  in  the 
spring  of  1903. 

The  famous  Kelly  mine  was  also  discovered  by  Col.  Hutchinson  soon 
after  the  Graphic.  He  turned  it  over  to  his  friend,  Andy  Kelly,  who  was 
to  locate  the  property.  This  he  did,  but  later  owners  failed  to  do  the 
necessary  annual  assessment,  and  "Old  Hutch"  jumped  the  property,  sell- 
ing it  afterward  to  Messrs.  Hanson  and  Dawsey.  Gustav  Billing,  the  next 
owner,  erected  a  smelting  plant  at  Socorro,  where  the  product  of  the  mine 
was  treated.  So  important  did  the  Kelly  mine  become  as  a  lead-silver 
producer  that  the  Magdalena  branch  of  the  railroad  was  built  only  under 
the  guarantee  that  it  should  furnish  a  definite  tonnage  of  ore.  Since 
1904  the  development  of  the  mine  has  been  chiefly  in  the  line  of  zinc,  and 
its  present  shipments  amount  to  about  21,000  tons  of  zinc  carbonate  per 
year. 

The  Cooney  (Gold)  District  of  Socorro  County. — Socorro  has  always 
stood  high  among  the  counties  of  New  Mexico  as  a  producer  of  gold,  its 
record  depending  upon  the  yield  of  the  Cooney  district  in  the  Mogollon 
range,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  Arizona  line.  Although  a  German 
is  said  to  have  entered  the- region  first,  in  1870,  the  district  is  named  from 
James  C.  Cooney.  a  brave  scout  and  guide,  and  for  a  time  connected  with 
the  cavalry  service  at  Fort  Bayard.  He  was  offered  a  commission  in  the 
army,  but  declined,  as  in  1875  he  had  discovered  high  grade  silver  and 
copper  ore.  during  one  of  his  scouting  expeditions  in  the  Mogollon  moun- 
tains. In  the  spring  of  1876,  immediately  at  the  expiration  of  his  term 
as  scout,  he  organized  a  prospecting  party,  consisting  of  George  W.  Will- 
iams, Frank  Vingoe  and  George  Lambert,  of  Georgetown,  and  Harry  Mc- 
Allister, William  Burns  and  George  Doyle,  of  Central. 

The   Apaches   attacked   the   party   repeatedly,   and   finally   all   the  loca- 


962  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tions  were  abandoned,  except  the  Albatross,  made  by  Burns.  Two  years 
afterward  the  other  original  claims  were  located,  among  them  being  the 
Silver  Bar,  better  known  as  the  Cooney  mine.  From  the  28th  to  the  30th 
of  April,  1880,  there  was  a  series  of  fights  between  the  Apaches,  under 
Victorio,  and  the  miners  and  settlers  on  Mineral  Creek,  now  the  mining 
camp  of  Cooney.  Several  miners  were  killed,  including  Cooney  himself. 
He  was  forty  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  lamented  death,  and  his  rude 
tomb,  with  a  simple  cross  at  its  summit,  is  a  revered  landmark  of  the  dis- 
trict. 

Soon  after  this  sad  occurrence,  the  brother  of  the  deceased,  Capt.  M. 
Cooney,  arrived  from  New  Orleans  and  commenced  the  active  develop- 
ment of  the  Silver  Bar.  He  organized  a  working  company,  built  a  5-stamp 
mill,  and  his  first  year's  shipments  to  the  Argo  smelter,  at  Denver,  were 
valued  at  $360,000,  some  of  his  concentrates  running  as  high  as  $1  a 
pound.  This  work  continued  until  the  accumulation  of  low-grade  milling 
ore  was  in  the  way,  and  greater  reduction  facilities  were  imperative.  As 
it  took  $65  per  ton,  at  the  mine,  to  cover  expense  of  operation,  freight  and 
treatment,  the  stockholders  hesitated  to  install  improved  machinery,  and 
the  mine  lay  dormant  for  seventeen  years,  when,  through  a  vendor's  lien, 
it  passed  again  into  the  full  possession  of  Capt.  Cooney.  The  property 
was  then  leased  to  the  Captain's  nephew,  Tom  Cooney,  who  in  six  months 
took  out  about  $65,000.  On  the  expiration  of  the  lease,  Capt.  Cooney  sold 
the  mine  to  Colorado  parties  for  $50,000.  who,  within  two  years,  took  out 
over  $300,000.  It  was  later  sold  to  the  present  owners,  the  Mogollon  Gold 
&  Copper  Company,  and  under  its  operation  has  produced  about  $200,000. 

Up  to  the  present,  the  production  of  the  Cooney  district  has  been  be- 
tween $6,000,000  and  $7,000,000.  Of  this  sum  about  $1,500,000  has  been 
from  the  Cooney,  $1,500,000  from  the  Little  Fannie.  $1,500,000  from  the 
Confidence,  and  $100,000  to  $500,000  each  from  the  Leap  Year,  the  Maud 
S.,  the  Last  Chance,  and  Deep  Down,  and  others. 

The  holdings  of  the  Mogollon  Gold  &  Copper  Company  are  the  larg- 
est of  any  in  the  district,  comprising  about  twenty-eight  mining  claims, 
mill  sites,  water  rights,  125-ton  modern  concentrating  plant,  modern  min- 
ing and  hoisting  machinery,  office,  residence  and  store  buildings,  etc.  The 
mining  properties  include  the  famous  Cooney  and  Leap  Year  mines,  and 
the  Little  Charlie,  the  Florida,  the  Independence,  the  Bloomer  Girl  and 
the  Ninety-eight  groups.  All  of  these  have  produced  shipping  ore,  yet  on 
the  greater  portion  there  is  but  a  small  amount  of  development  work.  The 
ore  in  sight  is  about  as  follows :  Cooney  mine,  $270,000,  and  in  the  other 
groups,  $75,000  (gold  and  silver). 

The  Last  Chance,  owned  by  the  Ernestine  Mining  Company,  has  had 
a  strenuous  history.  In  its  operation  and  the  attempt  to  reduce  the  ores 
(gold  and  silver)  at  a  profit,  there  were  many  disappointments,  but  since 
the  early  part  of  1905  the  production  has  been  at  a  profit.  In  the  lower 
levels,  where  recently  ore  was  being  blocked  out  in  a  seventeen- foot  vein, 
averaged  about  $40  per  ton,  a  depth  has  now  been  reached  where  the  ore 
runs  at  $100  a  ton. 

The  Little  Fannie  group,  comprising  five  claims,  has  had  a  production 
of  $1,500,000,  with  $1,000,000  now  blocked.  This  property  was  recently 
purchased  by  the   Mogollon   Mountain   Investment  Company.     During   its 


MINING  ',63 

long  period  of  idleness  the  old  workings  of  the  mine  have  caved  in  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  new  owners  are  now  opening  another  main  shaft. 

The  Maud  S.  group  is  owned  by  the  Colonial  Company,  of  Boston, 
and  has  produced  about  $900,000  from  a  shaft  600  feet  in  length.  The 
ore  from  the  lowest  level  exceeded  $100  in  value  per  ton.  There  is  con- 
siderable surface  development,  and  a  15-stamp  pan  amalgamation  mill. 
At  present  the  property  is  idle. 

The  great  drawback  to  the  development  of  the  Mogollon  district  has 
been  the  distance  from  railway  transportation,  and  lack  of  proper  reduc- 
tion methods.  The  percentage  of  saving  by  pan-amalgamation  only 
amounted  to  45  to  60  per  cent,  which  meant  too  great  a  loss.  Cyanide 
has  been  given  severe  tests  on  these  ores,  and,  taken  in  connection  with 
concentration,  shows  a  saving  of  about  90  per  cent  of  the  values. 

Other  than  those  mentioned  in  the  Cooney  and  Magdalena  districts, 
there  is  no  mine  of  great  importance  in  Socorro  county  except  the  Rose- 
dale,  at  the  north  end  of  the  San  Mateo  mountains,  west  of  the  southern 
extremity  of  the  Magdalena  range.  The  first  to  enter  the  region  was  J. 
W.  Richardson,  who,  in  1882,  came  thither  by  way  of  San  Martial.  It 
is  claimed  that  his  wife  found  the  first  float,  which  she  prevailed  upon  her 
husband  to  have  assayed,  and  which  proved  to  carry  good  values  in  gold. 
For  several  years  the  property  was  jeopardized  by  incursions  of  the  dreaded 
Apaches,  who  managed  to  drive  nearly  all  the  prospectors  out  of  the  re- 
gion ;  but  for  a  long  time  the  work  has  been  continuous  and  productive 
of  good  financial  results,  so  that  now  the  Rosedale  mine  is  among  the 
leading  gold  lode  producers  in  New  Mexico.  It  is  the  mine  which  first 
drew  attention  to  the  fine  prospects  of  the  district. 

The  mining  operations  in  the  Rosedale  district  have  become  more 
important  than  ever  before.  Gold  is  the  principal  ore  found.  The  Rose- 
dale mine,  which  was  sold  in  1905  for  $160,000,  is  still  rewarding  its  pur- 
chasers with  excellent  returns.  Over  half  a  million  dollars  worth  of  ore 
is  now  in  sight,  principally  birdseye  porphyry,  in  true  fissure  veins.  The 
rock  is  full  of  trachite,  the  veins  are  solid  and  heavy  and  of  good  width, 
growing  richer  as  they  are  developed  toward  the  divide.  When  the  Rose- 
dale camp  was  opened  in  the  early  eighties,  the  stories  of  the  discovery 
of  gold  there  obtained  slight  credence  in  other  quarters ;  but  the  develop- 
ment work  of  the  past  few  years  shows  that  the  conditions  there  are  even 
more  favorable  than  they  were  in  the  Cripple  Creek  district  at  the  same 
stage  of  the  work,  showing  greater  width  and  better  values.  There  are 
now  five  company  properties  in  the  camp,  besides  many  individual  claims. 
Second  to  the  Rosedale  mine,  the  New  Golden.  Bell  mine  is  the  most  im- 
portant in  the  district.  L.  M.  Lasley  has  induced  considerable  capital  to 
enter  the  camp  in  recent  vears,  and  the  outlook  is  promising.  The  fact 
that  there  are  five  true  fissure  veins  on  which  good  properties  are  located, 
that  some  veins,  sixteen  feet  wide,  contain  free  gold,  and  that  all  the  ores 
in  the  district  are  free  milling — none  being  refractory — speaks  well  for  the 
future  of  Rosedale. 

The  district  west  of  the  town  of  Socorro,  which  was  so  active  in  the 
eighties,  is  now  almost  deserted.  The  demonetization  of  silver  paralyzed 
the  silver  industries  of  Socorro  mountain,  and  the  decline  of  the  Kelly  and 
Graphic  mines,  upon  whose  ores  the  great  Rio  Grande  smelter  chiefly  de- 
pended   for    its    business,    put    a    quietus    to    its    other   principal    industry. 


9W  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Among  the  earliest  in  the  Socorro  mountain  region  were  J.  F.  Downing 
and  E.  Z.  Smart.  Some  years  ago  Mr.  Smart  prospected  a  broken  and 
almost  unknown  country,  some  miles  north  of  Socorro,  nearly  opposite  the 
village  of  San  Acacia,  on  the  western  side  of  the  Rio  Grande.  In  this 
locality  he  discovered  the  Dewey  lead  property,  which  now  consists  of 
three  claims,  and  upon  which  considerable  development  has  been  done. 

The  Mines  of  Taos  County. — Three  years  after  the  opening  of  the 
famous  lead  fields  of  the  Magdalena  district  and  the  even  more  famous 
placer  properties  near  Elizabethtown,  prospectors  commenced  to  drift 
westward,  through  the  Red  River  pass  into  Taos  county.  They  took 
some  gold  from  the  stream  and  its  gulches,  but  the  region  failed  to 
pan  out  anything  like  the  Moreno  valley.     Ten  years  afterward  a  smelter 


George  W.  Stubbs,  mining  promoter  and  operator  at  Albuquerque, 
came  to  New  Mexico  in  1894  and  became  principal  owner  of  rich  placer 
fields  on  the  Chama  river  in  Rio  Arriba  county.  On  the  19th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1900,  he,  with  T.  J.  Curran,  organized  and  incorporated  the  Juras 
Trias  Copper  Company,  capitalized  at  one  million  dollars,  Mr.  Stubbs 
being  manager,  secretary  and  treasurer.  In  1901  they  effected  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Mogollon  Gold  &.  Copper  Company,  incorporated  Sep- 
tember 23d  of  that  year,  with  a  capital  of  $1,250,000.  Mr.  Stubbs  is  the 
New  Mexico  representative  of  that  concern.  He  is  one  of  the  successful 
mining  men  of  New  Mexico,  and  has  done  much  to  develop  the  natural 
resources  of  the  state  in  this  direction,  and  thereby  contributes  in  sub- 
stantial measure  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Territory.  Mr.  Stubbs,  having 
been  in  the  past  and  at  present  in  touch  with  the  mines  and  mining  con- 
ditions of  this  part  of  New  Mexico,  is  perhaps  better  posted  in  mining 
affairs  in  this  part  than  any  other  man  in  north  and  west  New  Mexico. 

Lucien  M.  Lasley,  prospector  and  promoter  of  gold  mining  proper- 
ties, was  born  in  Boyle  county,  Kentucky,  March  23,  1847,  and  was  reared 
in  Lincoln  county,  spending  much  of  his  life  in  the  central  section  of  the 
Blue  Grass  state.  In  earl)-  youth  he  recognized  the  Divine  call  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  gospel,  but  fled'  from  the  will  of  God  many  years,  not  enter- 
ing upon  the  work  and  life  until  over  forty  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
devoted  many  years  of  his  life  to  preaching  the  gospel  and  to  evangelistic 
work.  On  the  22d  of  May.  1899,  he  arrived  in  New  Mexico,  and  after 
a  fnonth  or  two  spent  in  the  Territory,  became  actively  connected  with 
mining  interests  and  has  since  given  his  attention  exclusively  to  that  busi- 
ness. He  had  no  practical  knowledge  of  mining;  when  he  came  here,  but 
a  new  field  was  being  opened  up  in  the  vicinity  of  San  Marcial,  and  be- 
coming mentally  interested  in  the  processes  he  soon  afterward  made  finan- 
cial investment  and  has  since  become  well  known  as  a  prospector  and  pro- 
moter of  gold  mining  properties.  He  has  sold  several  undeveloped  prop- 
erties at  prices  ranging  from  one  thousand  to  ten  thousand  dollars.  Hav- 
ing made  a  close  and  earnest  study  of  mining  in  all  of  its  various  branches 
he  has  prospered  in  his  undertakings  and  has  assisted  materially  in  the 
development  of  the  rich  mineral  resources  of  this  section  of  the  country  by 
placing  upon  the  market  valuable  mining  lands  which  have  been  worked 
to  good  advantage,  and  has  succeeded  in  bringing  eastern  capitalists'  at- 
tention to  this  rich  mineral  section,  otherwise  overlooked. 


^Lr^i-  jzU^Uv 


MINING  9G5 

was  built  on  the  property  now  known  as  the  Copper  King,  but,  after  a 
short  trial  it  was  shut  down,  and  in  1889  it  was  burned  down.  The  first 
systematic  prospecting  and  developing  began  about  the  time  the  townsite 
of  Red  River  City  was  located,  in  1804,  and,  although  the  camp  has  the 
advantages  of  abundant  wood  and  water,  it  has  the  disadvantage  of  Inn- 
distance  from  transportation. 

The  best  property  in  the  district  is  the  Jayhawk  mine,  located  at  Black 
mountain,  three  miles  north  of  Red  City.  It  consists  of  about  seventy 
acres  of  ground,  most  of  which  is  patented,  a  good  concentration  mill,  and 
some  .}oo  feet  of  tunnel,  besides  tables,  a  boiler,  an  engine  and  a  crusher. 
Five  distinct  leads  have  been  pierced  by  the  tunnel.  The  ores  are  gold 
and  silver  bearing,  values  of  the  former  metal  largely  predominating. 

Some  rich  ore  has  been  taken  from  what  is  known  as  the  Black 
Copper  district,  at  the  head  of  the  Red  river,  and  extensive  developments 
were  made  in  gold  properties,  several  years  ago;  but  litigation  was  chiefly 
responsible  for  the  suspension  of  active  work.  Thomas  Cannard,  an  old 
prospector,  has  a  number  of  good  claims,  partially  developed,  in  this  dis- 
trict. In  this  region,  also,  the  Cashier  Mining  and  Milling  Company  has 
made  over  1,000  feet  of  development  on  its  claims,  and  has  a  steam  hoisting 
and  pumping  plant. 

The  Rio  Hondo,  or  Twining  district,  was  quite  active  in  the  early 
'yos  after  the  discoverv  of  promising  properties  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old 
Amizette  camp.  The  most  extensive  development  was  undertaken  by  the 
Fraser  Mountain  Copper  Company,  at  the  head  of  the  Hondo  river,  thirty- 
five  miles  east  of  Tres  Piedras,  on  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  and 
eighteen  miles  north  of  the  county  seat.  The  company  purchased  1,200 
acres  from  William  Fraser.  who  had  located  the  original  claims  on  Fraser 
mountain;  built  roads  all  over  the  propertv.  and  erected  dwellings,  board- 
ing houses  and  shops ;  opened  a  bed  of  fire  clay  for  the  manufacture  of 
brick  to  be  used  in  the  extensive  plant,  which  included  a  100-ton  concen- 
trator and  smelter,  run  by  electricity,  and  drove  a  number  of  tunnels  and 
drifts  into  Fraser  mountain  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  even  penetrating 
to  the  Red  river  side  of  the  range.  In  addition  to  this  holding,  the  com- 
pany owned  640  acres  near  Fraser  mountain,  comprising  groups  of  gold, 
silver,  lead  and  iron  claims.  Unfortunately  the  company  undertook  more 
work  than  it  could  carry  out,  and  its  large  properties  went  into  the  hands 
of  a  receiver. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Taos  county,  near  Cieneguilla,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Rio  Grande,  is  the  famous  Glen-Woody  gold  camp,  which  ex- 
hibits the  greatest  body  of  gold  quartz  in  the  Southwest.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1902  by  W.  M.  Woodv,  a  former  placer  miner  and  Klondiker,  and 
is  owned  by  the  Glen-Woody  Mining  and  Milling  Company. 

Luna  County  Mines. — The  lead-silver  and  silver-lead  country  cen- 
tering in  Cook's  peak,  twenty  miles  north  of  Deming,  was  discovered  in 
1S76.  about  a  year  after  Cooney  made  bis  remarkable  gold  strike  in  the 
Mogollon  mountains  of  Socorro  county.  Ed.  Orr  is  pronounced  the 
pioneer  of  the  Cook's  peak  district,  and  Messrs.  Taylor  and  Wheeler  the 
prospectors  who  really  located  the  producing  properties  and  made  the 
region  a  factor  in  the  mining  world.  In  the  early  '80s  they  staked  out 
the  Montezuma,  Graphic,  Desdemona  and  Othello  claims,  the  two  last 
named  being  purchased  by  J.   K.   Gooding  and   Giles   O.   Pierce   in    1882. 


966  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

They  afterward  became  the  property  of  the  Consolidated  Kansas  City 
Smelting  and  Refining  Company,  which  was  later  absorbed  by  the  Ameri- 
can Smelting  and  Refining  Company.  Besides  its  original  purchase  the 
latter  corporation  now  also  owns  the  Monte  Cristo  mine,  another  remark- 
ably rich  holding. 

George  L.  Brooks  took  the  first  ore  from  the  camp  at  Cook's  peak  in 
the  summer  of  1882.  Although  Yictorio  had  removed  himself  and  his 
warriors  from  this  region  several  years  before,  the  Apaches  were  still 
troublesome,  and  it  was  necessary  to  take  precautions  against  their  raids. 
So  that  when  Mr.  Brooks  graded  the  wagon  road  up  the  main  canyon  to 
the  top  of  the  divide,  above  the  present  site  of  the  postoffice,  he  was  obliged 
to  prosecute  the  work  under  an  escort  of  soldiers  from  Fort  Cummings. 
After  its  completion,  he  hauled  out  2.700  tons  of  ore.  a  portion  of  it 
going  to  the  Lake  Valley  smelter  and  the  balance  to  Florida,  the  nearest 
railroad  point. 

The  Graphic  mine,  one  of  the  first  locations  made  by  Taylor  and 
Wheeler,  is  now  the  property  of  the  Graphic  Mining  Company.  The  Teel 
and  Poe  mines,  known  as  the  Summit  group,  are  also  important  producers. 
These  two  properties,  with  the  mines  already  mentioned  under  the  owner- 
ship of  the  American  Smelting  and  Refining  Company,  have  yielded  the 
great  bulk  of  the  lead  and  silver  credited  to  the  district.  The  Desdemona, 
Othello  and  Monte  Cristo  mines  are  estimated  to  have  produced  $2,000,000 ; 
the  Graphic.  $500,000;  the  Teel  and  Poe.  $350,000;  and  all  other  prop- 
erties, $250,000 — making  the  total  production  about  $3,100,000.  Of  the 
total  value,  about  four-fifths  is  lead  and  one-fifth  silver. 

Victorio  district  receives  its  name  from  the  fact  the  country  was  once  a 
favored  camping  ground  of  the  noted  Apache  chief.  It  lies  immediately 
south  of  Gage,  a  station  on  the  Southern  Pacific,  and  has  been  made  fa- 
mous by  the  output  of  the  St.  Louis  and  Chance  mines,  which  have  pro- 
duced the  bulk  of  the  $1,150,000  taken  from  the  district. 

The  importance  of  Luna  as  a  mining  county  rests  solely  upon  her 
lead  production,  Socorro  only,  among  the  counties  of  New  Mexico,  ex- 
ceeding her  figures  in  this  regard.  In  1002  the  total  production  in  the 
Territory  was  2,490,885  pounds,  of  which  the  mines  of  Luna  county  yielded 
711,825  pounds. 

Gold  and  Silver  Mines  of  Sierra  County. — Sierra  county  has  produced 
some  of  the  most  productive  mineral  fields  in  New  Mexico,  both  of  gold 
and  silver.  The  discovery  and  exploitation  of  her  rich  deposits  of  the 
precious  metals  cover  the  late  '70s  and  the  early  '80s,  or  about  the  same 
period  as  the  first  development  of  the  lead-silver  districts  of  Luna  county. 
The  placers  and  lodes  of  gold  are  chiefly  in  the  country  around  Hillsboro, 
and  the  first  discoveries  in  that  region  were  made  by  Dan  Dugan  and 
Dave  Stitzel,  who,  at  the  time,  were  prospecting  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Mimbres.  On  the  20th  of  April,  1877,  they  found  some  float,  which  Dugan 
rejected,  but  which  his  partner  had  assayed,  and  to  the  great  surprise  of 
both  it  proved  to  carry  $160  in  gold  value  per  ton.  In  the  following  month, 
they  returned  to  the  place  of  their  discovery  and  located  the  Opportunity 
and  Ready  Pay  mines.  Their  first  five  tons  of  ore,  taken  to  the  old  quartz 
mill  on  the  Mimbres  river,  netted  them  $400.  In  the  August  following 
the  opening-  of  these  pioneer  mines  the  first  house  was  built  on  the  present 
site  of  Hillsboro,  and  the  town  was  founded. 


MINING  9G7 

In  the  meantime  Dugan  had  branched  out  into  other  discoveries,  for 
in  June,  1877,  with  Frank  Pitcher,  he  found  the  Rattlesnake,  or  Snake 
mine.  As  the  two  prospectors  were  returning  to  their  camp  in  Ready  Pay 
gulch,  they  killed  a  large  "rattler."  and  soon  after  sat  down  to  rest.  As 
they  talked  they  commenced  to  take  up  the  loose  rocks  around  them  and 
carelessly  break  them  into  smaller  pieces.  To  their  surprise  free  gold  was 
found  among  the  fragments,  and  they  immediately  made  a  claim  and  named 
it  the  Rattlesnake  lode. 

In  November  of  that  vear  placer  gold  was  found  in  the  Snake  and 
Wicks  gulches,  and  the  discoveries  soon  extended  so  as  to  embrace  the 
territory  around  Slap-Jack  hill.  The  result  of  these  discoveries  of  both 
placer  and  lode  gold  was  to  draw  quite  a  population  to  Hillsboro  during 
the  fall  and  winter  of  1877.  It  is  said  that  during  the  winter  of  1877-8 
one  George  Wells  enriched  the  stores  and  saloons  of  the  town  with  $90,000 
in  gold  dust  and  nuggets,  taken  from  Wicks  gulch. 

The  Hillsboro  district  has  been  a  steady  producer  of  gold  up  to  the 
present,  its  total  output  having  been  estimated  as  high  as  $9,000,000.  As 
to  its  natural  features,  it  has  been  compared  to  an  immense  wagon  wheel, 
the  spokes  of  which  converge  in  the  direction  of  Las  Animas  peak,  as  its 
hub.  The  leading  mines  located  on  the  spokes  are  Opportunity.  Ready 
Pay,  Bonanza,  Enterprise,  Golden  Era,  Garfield,  Eldorado,  Montreal,  Rich- 
mond. Empire,  Snake,  Bobtail,  Butler,  Morning  Star,  McKinley  and  the 
Wicks.  The  largest  producers  have  been  the  Bonanza,  with  an  output 
valued  at  over  $1,000,000:  Opportunity,  more  than  $500,000;  Richmond, 
over  $250,000,  and  Snake  and  Bobtail  (on  the  same  vein  as  Opportunity), 
considerably  over  $100,000.  The  placer  properties  are  now  being  generally 
worked  by  Mexicans,  and  their  production  is  small — probably  not  to  ex- 
ceed $6,000  or  $7,000  per  year. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Sierra  county  are  the  remarkable  silver  depos- 
its of  the  Lake  Valley  district,  which  include  the  famous  Bridal  Chamber, 
unanimously  pronounced  by  geologists  to  have  been  the  purest  body  of 
silver  ore  ever  discovered  in  the  world.  The  mine  is  located  at  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  Black  range,  near  the  town  of  Lake  Valley,  and  has  pro- 
duced fully  2.500,000  ounces  of  silver,  $3,000,000  in  values  being  extracted 
in  one  period  of  six  months,  and  $1,200,000  in  an  area  of  seventy-five  feet 
square.  An  immense  body  of  pure  horn  silver  was  found  buried  under  a 
thick  deposit  of  porphyrite.  and  in  all  the  Lake  Valley  district  the  ores, 
are  covered  with  an  immense  iron-flint  blanket.  In  the  early  days  of  the 
Bridal  Chamber  the  silver  body,  after  being  uncovered,  was  simply  sawed 
out  in  blocks. 

On  the  east  side  of  Lake  Valley,  where  are  the  Stone  Cabin.  Standish 
and  Black  Prince  claims,  the  geological  blanket  mentioned  comes  to  the 
surface  denuded  of  its  lime  covering.  In  such  places  as  the  flint  has  been 
penetrated  by  shafts  it  is  found  to  be  of  great  thickness,  and  the  bottom 
has  not  yet  been  reached  at  a  depth  of  over  fifty  feet.  To  the  west  of  the 
camp  and  the  developed  territory  of  the  district,  about  half  a  mile,  is  a 
mountain  of  porphyry,  at  whose  base  silver  is  found  in  bowlders.  Several 
carloads  of  this  ore  have  been  shipped,  yielding  from  $40  to  $60  per  ton. 

The  rich  ores  of  Lake  Vallev  are  the  silver  horn  varietv.  sulphides, 
and  flint  carrying  horn  silver.  Other  ores  are  quartz  impregnated  with 
silver,  and  galena  and  carbonate  lead.     Iron   manganese  ore,  worth   from 


968  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

$2  to  $20  per  ton,  and  too  siliceous  for  fluxing  purposes,  is  piled  up  in  the 
dumps  around  the  mines.  In  fact,  all  these  heaps  of  so-called  refuse  are 
composed  entirely  of  low  grade  ores  of  some  kind,  and  await  the  fortunate 
man  who  can  devise  some  cheap  method  of  extracting  them. 

Both  the  rich  discoveries  of  the  Lake  Valley  district  and  of  the  Kings- 
ton camp,  further  to  the  northwest,  were  the  direct  results  of  the  excite- 
ment which  followed  the  prolific  gold  findings  at  and  around  Hillsboro. 
It  was  George  W.  Lufkin,  a  cowboy  prospector  from  the  Hillsboro  camp, 
who,  in  August,  1878,  picked  up  a  piece  of  heavy  stone  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Bridal  Chamber,  and,  purely  as  a  matter  of  curiosity,  had  it  assayed. 
To  his  astonishment,  the  float  carried  at  the  rate  of  several  thousand 
ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton,  but.  as  is  usual.  Lufkin  received  only  a  few- 
dollars  for  his  claim,  which  led  to  the  opening  of  the  Bridal  Chamber,  the 
Thirty  Stope  and  other  silver  mines  of  phenomenal  richness.  Among  the 
early  owners  of  the  Lake  Valley  mines,  before  the  discovery  of  the  Bridal 
Chamber,  were  John  A.  Miller  and  Martin  Cox,  the  latter  of  Silver  City. 
After  considerable  development  had  been  done  by  them  and  other  indi- 
viduals the  best  claims  were  absorbed  by  the  Sierra  Grande  Company  ( capi- 
tal. $2,000,000),  (he  Sierra  Bella  (capital,  $1,000,000),  and  the  Sierra 
Apache  (capital,  $1,000,000).  These  consolidations  were  effected  in  the 
early  '80s,  and  for  several  years  thereafter  the  developments  and  opera- 
tions generally  were  conducted  by  the  Sierra  Grande  Company. 

A  blacksmith  by  the  name  of  John  Leavitt  leased  a  piece  of  ground 
from  the  management,  unearthed  a  mass  of  horn  silver,  and  then  sold  his 
lease  to  the  company  for  a  few  thousand  dollars,  being  unable  to  work  the 
deposit  himself.     This  was  named  the  Bridal  Chamber,  and  on  the  day  of 


J.  W.  Burke,  superintendent  of  the  Bigelow  Mining  Company,  with 
residence  at  Hillsboro.  is  a  native  of  Franklin  county.  Massachusetts,  born 
June  24,  1846.  He  acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
locality  and  has  practically,  throughout  his  entire  life,  been  connected  with 
mining  interests.  He  was  employed  at  tunnel  work  and  at  mining  in  the 
east,  and  in  1875  came  to  the  west,  being  identified  with  mining  operations 
in  Arizona  and  in  California  prior  to  his  arrival  in  New  Mexico.  He  also 
worked  on  railroad  construction  in  the  south  for  seven  years.  In  1879  he 
came  to  this  Territorv,  prospecting  in  the  Sierra  Madre  mountains  for  a 
vear,  and  in  1880  he  made  his  way  across  the  black  range,  settling  at 
Chloride  and  at  Fairview.  He  remained  in  that  region  working  claims 
and  contracting  until  iS8q,  when  he  went  to  Kingston,  where  he  engaged 
in  mining  for  a  year.  He  next  went  to  Hermosa,  and  has  since  been  in- 
terested in  the  Hermosa,  Kingston  and  Hillsboro  camps,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  the  city  of  Hillsboro  in  i8q6.  He  had  charge  of  the  Snake  mine 
for  about  seven  years,  and  is  now  superintendent  of  the  Bigelow  Alining 
Company.  His  familiarity  with  the  several  departments  of  the  business 
from  the  prospecting  to  the  most  modern  processes  of  developing  the  mines 
and  separating  the  ore  has  well  qualified  him  for  his  present  responsible 
position.  He  has  a  wick  acquaintance  in  mining  circles  and  is  familiar 
with  the  varied  experiences  of  frontier  life  in  New  Mexico,  when  the  In- 
dians were  numerous  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  frequently  went  upon 
the  warpath.     On  more  than  one  occasion  Mr.  Burke  has  joined  organiza- 


MIXING  969 

its  discovery  George  Daly,  the  famous  ranchman  and  general  manager  of 
the  Sierra  Grande,  was  killed  by  Apache  Indians.  Dr.  F.  M.  Endlich  was 
the  first  to  give  the  property  a  thorough  scientific  examination  and  reveal 
its  remarkable  possibilities — which  were  afterward  realized. 

The  Sierra  Grande  Company  operated  the  mines  for  some  fifteen  years, 
closing  down  in  August.  1893.  Principally  under  this  management  the 
yield  was  approximately  as  follows :  Bridal  Chamber,  2,500,000  ounces 
of  silver;  Thirty  Stope,  1,000,000  ounces;  Emporia  Incline,  200,000;  Bunk- 
House.  300,000;  Bella  Quite,  500,000;  Twenty-five  Cut,  200,000;  Apache, 
with  other  mines,  300,000 — total,  5,000,000  ounces  of  silver. 

New  development  has  been  going  on  to  some  extent  since  1901,  under 
the  Lake  Valley  Mines  Company,  and  considerable  ore  has  been  shipped; 
but  it  now  runs  rather  low  in  silver  values. 

About  fifteen  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Lake  Valley  is  a  district  which, 
twenty  vears  ago,  produced  some  high  grade  silver  bromide.  It  is  known 
as  the  Bromide  No.  1,  or  the  Tierra  Blanca  district,  and  has  also  yielded 
many  thousands  of  dollars  in  surface  gold.  At  the  Log  Cabin  mine  the 
metal  occurred  in  pockets,  just  below  the  grass  roots,  and  seldom  exceed- 
ing a  depth  of  ten  feet.  Near  the  head  of  Trujillo  creek  is  the  Outlook, 
now  the  principal  producer,  and  shipments  of  ore  have  been  made  from  it 
which  were  remarkably  rich  in  both  gold  and  silver  values. 

The  Black  Range  mineral  districts  are  in  the  western  and  northwest- 
ern parts  of  Sierra  county,  lying  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Continental 
Divide  and  covering  a  wide  belt  from  Kingston  on  the  south  to  Grafton 
on  the  north — fifty  miles  north  and  south  and  fifteen  miles  east  and  west. 
In  the  fall  of  1880  Messrs.  Chapman,  Phillips,  Heard  and  Elliott  made  the 


tions  of  the  citizens  who  have  proceeded  against  the  red  men  in  order  to 
protect  life  and  property.  For  thirty-four  years  he  has  been  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  now  a  member  of  Kingston  Lodge  No.  16, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  and  also  Hillsboro  Lodge  No.  12.  A.  O.  U.  W. 

Mr.  Burke  married  Miss  May  Roberts  at  Hermosa,  New  Mexico,  in 
1891.     Their  children  are  Ethel  and  John  R. 

John  B.  McPherson,  who  is  engaged  in  mining  operations  in  Hills- 
boro, came  to  the  Territory  in  1878  when  there  was  only  one  house  and 
one  store  in  the  city  where  he  now  makes  his  home.  A  native  of  Ohio,  he 
was  born  in  Dayton  February  22,  1844.  and  was  reared  in  Indiana  to  the 
occupation  of  farming.  On  the  20th  of  July,  1861,  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  army  as  a  member  of  the  Thirty- 
third  Indiana  Infantry  and  remained  at  the  front  for  four  years.  In  1862 
he  was  taken  prisoner,  but  was  soon  afterward  released.  A  short  time  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  war  he  was  again  captured,  and  for  thirty  days  was 
in  Libby  prison.  The  first  fighting  in  which  he  participated  was  at  Y\"ilcl- 
cat  Mountain,  in  Kentucky.  He  was  also  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  par- 
ticipating in  various  battles,  leading  up  to  the  siege  and  capture  of  the 
citv  of  Atlanta,  was  with  Sherman  on  the  celebrated  march  to  the  sea 
and  in  the  Carolina  campaign.  He  was  captured  at  Goldsboro  while  doing 
scouting  duty.  After  the  war  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising 
in  Indiana  and  in  Kansas,  and  the  possibilities  for  business  development 
and  success  led  him  in  1878  to  come  to  New  Mexico.     Locating  in  Hills- 


970  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

first  discoveries  and  locations  in  the  Kingston  camp.  Their  claims  in- 
cluded the  Empire.  Iron  King  and  the  Eclipse.  Later  the  Brush  Heap 
was  staked  out  by  one  Johnson,  and  the  Blackeyed  Susan  by  Elliott  and 
Forbes,  the  latter  being  one  of  the  original  party  of  prospectors  who 
formed  the  Kingston  camp.  Dan  Dugan,  one  of  the  original  discoverers 
of  gold  at  Hillsboro,  located  Gray  Horse  and  Lady  Franklin,  the  latter  a 
famous  producer  in  its  day. 

In  1880  several  parties,  composed  of  such  men  as  Harrv  W.  Elliott, 
Frank  B.  Pitcher.  J.  J.  B.  McPherson,  J.  P.  Blaine,  J.  W.  Wilson  (some 
of  whom  were  founders  of  the  Kingston  camp),  located  a  number  of 
claims  in  this  vicinity.  At  first  there  was  no  permanent  settlement  made 
at  Chloride,  originally  known  as  Bromide,  but  early  in  January,  1881,  there 
was  a  general  stampede  to  the  new  diggings,  and  in  a  short  time  there 
were  hundreds  of  miners,  prospectors,  capitalists  and  adventurers  locating 
claims  in  the  district.  At  this  time  the  first  log  cabin  was  erected  and  the 
first  store  opened  in  Chloride. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  18th  of  January,  of  that  year,  while  most 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  prospecting  in  the  hills,  the  Apaches 


boro  he  staked  some  prospects,  being  associated  with  Hank  Dorsey,  a  dis- 
tinguished pioneer,  who  discovered  the  placers  six  miles  northeast.  They 
made  some  money,  the  largest  nugget  taken  out  being  worth  eighty-six 
dollars,  while  the  largest  prospect  was  valued  at  twenty-seven  dollars  to 
the  pan.  Mr.  McPherson  afterward  went  through  the  county  to  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Chloride  in  search  of  some  horses  that  had  been  stolen  by  the 
Indians.  Later  he  returned,  but  subsequently  visited  the  Chloride  district, 
where  he  located  some  claims.  He  worked  the  Mountain  King  mine  for 
gold  and  silver  and  has  been  activelv  interested  in  mining  and  prospecting 
since  his  arrival  in  the  Territory,  being  one  of  the  oldest  residents  in  camp. 
In  1882  he  located  on  a  ranch  on  the  Rio  Percha,  where  he  engaged  in 
raising  hay  and  fruit,  having  an  orchard  of  five  acres.  This  is  one  of  the 
best  small  orchards  in  the  Territory,  having  a  large  variety  of  trees.  It 
is  carefully  irrigated  and  yields  a  splendid  return  in  fruit  of  fine  size,  qual- 
ity and  flavor.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the  raising  Belgian  hares  and  of  bees, 
having  an  excellent  apiary.  He  has  been  a  promoter  of  business  interests 
here,  especially  in  the  line  of  the  development  of  the  natural  resources  of 
the  Territory,  and  his  efforts  have  been  of  direct  service  in  advancing  the 
growth  and  upbuilding  of  the  district.  He  is  still  interested  in  military 
affairs  and  for  three  years  served  as  first  lieutenant  of  Company  A  of  the 
First  Regiment  of  Cavalry  of  the  New  Mexico  National  Guard. 

Mr.  McPherson  was  married  in  Missouri  in  1868  to  Miss  Jennie  Milli- 
gan.     She  died  in  1894,  leaving  one  child,  a  son,  Guy. 

W.  W.  Williams,  who  for  many  years  has  been  engaged  in  mining 
in  Sierra  county,  has  taken  an  unusually  active  interest  in  public  matters  in 
his  county.  He  was  born  in  Basin  City,  Montana,  in  1869,  and  educated 
chiefly  in  the  public  schools.  In  earlv  life  he  engaged  in  mining.  In  1894 
he  removed  to  New  Mexico  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Sierra  county. 
For  several  years  he  managed  the  affairs  of  the  Wicks  Mining  Company, 
one  of  the  principal  developers  of  the  mineral  resources  of  that  section  of 
the  Territory.     He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  has  served  as  mayor  of  Hills- 


MINING  W-l 

suddenly  attacked  the  store,  killing  Messrs.  Overton  and  McDaniells  and 
wounding-  Henry  E.  Patrick.  Then  rounding  up  what  horses  and  mules 
remained  in  camp,  the  Indians  dashed  away  in  safety.  This  raid  did  not 
check  the  tide  of  gold  hunters,  and  in  a  short  time  a  city  of  tents  graced 
the  picturesque  little  valley,  which  later  gave  place  to  a  town  of  more 
substantial  buildings.  Chloride  prospered,  notwithstanding  that  the  Apaches 
occasionally  raided  the  country  until  as  late  as  1887,  thus  fixing  the  name 
Apache  upon  the  entire  district. 

The  first  mine  to  be  developed  and  become  a  valuable  producer  was 
the  Silver  Monument,  near  Victoria's  Outlook.  Up  to  1893  it  produced 
$100,000.  then  was  idle  for  a  decade,  and  has  been  somewhat  active  since. 
The  Colossal,  a  few  miles  southwest  of  Chloride,  has  shipped  out  $60,000  in 
silver,  and  at  Grafton  a  camp,  two  miles  northwest,  is  the  once  famous 
Ivanhoe  mine.  Its  stock  was  floated  by  Col.  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  and  his 
associates,  in  the  early  eighties,  and  produced  considerable  ore  for  several 
years. 

Copper  and  Turquoise  Alines  of  the  Jarilla  Mountains  (Otero  County), 


boro,  and  represented  the  Eleventh  district  in  the   Thirty-sixth   legislative 
assembly. 

Colonel  A.  W.  Harris  is  one  of  the  citizens  of  Kingston  who  is  en- 
thusiastic in  his  belief  concerning  the  future  of  New  Mexico.  This  is  not 
the  view  of  an  optimist,  but  is  the  opinion  of  a  man  of  practical  ideas  and 
broad  experience,  who  recognizes  opportunities  and  through  a  study  of 
trade  interests  and  possibilities  bases  his  prediction  not  upon  chance,  but 
upon  fact.  A  native  son  of  New  England,  he  was  born  and  reared  in 
Rhode  Island.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  became  a  resident  of 
California,  and  while  there  residing  rendered  service  in  various  official 
positions  to  which  he  was  called  by  the  votes  of  his  fellow  townsmen,  who 
recognized  his  worth  and  capability.  He  served  for  several  terms  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  was  associate  judge  of  Alameda  county,  California,  and 
in  1874  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  legislature.  In  1882, 
for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  he  made  his  way  to  Lake  Valley,  in  New  Mex- 
ico, and  being  pleased  with  the  climate  and  the  prospects  of  the  country 
decided  to  remain.  In  a  few  months  he  invested  in  mining  property  in  the 
Kingston  district,  and  has  since  been  actively  associated  with  the  develop- 
ment of  its  rich  mineral  resources.  He  developed  the  Illinois  mine,  which 
has  produced  over  four  hundred  thousand  dollars.  He  was  part  owner 
and  manager  of  the  mine  from  the  earliest  period  of  its  development,  and 
also  became  a  fourth  owner  and  manager  of  the  Monaska  group  and  owner 
of  a  large  part  of  the  Virginia  mine,  on  the  North  Perche  creek.  His 
broad  experience  in  connection  with  prospecting,  the  operations  of  the 
mine  and  the  processes  of  working  the  ore  have  given  him  unbounded 
faith  in  the  camp,  for  he  recognizes  that  there  are  immense  bodies  of  ore 
that  can  be  treated  profitably  with  a  concentrating  plant.  His  investments 
have  resulted  profitably  and  he  is  zealous  in  his  advocacy  of  the  country 
and  its  prospects.  Mr.  Harris  is  a  demitted  member  of  Eden  Lodge,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  of  California.  In  politics  he  has  always  been  a  stalwart  Repub- 
lican and  gold  standard  advocate,  but  since  coming  to  New  Mexico  has 
declined  political  honors. 


972  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

■ — In  the  region  of  the  Jarilla  mountains,  a  little  range  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  Otero  county  covering  an  area  of  about  nine  by  five  miles,  is  a 
copper-bearing  district  which  has  already  produced  considerable  and  is 
quite  rich  in  prospects.  For  ages  the  district  was  also  celebrated  for  its 
turquoise  deposits,  which  were  mined  by  Aztecs,  Mexicans  and  Americans. 
The  DeMueles  mines,  which  had  a  monopoly  of  the  turquoise  production 
in  this  district  for  a  long  time,  have  been  idle  since  their  proprietor  was 
killed  by  a  Mexican  in  1898.  Since  then,  however,  they  have  been  worked 
for  their  copper  ores.  Although  prospecting  was  conducted  in  the  Jarilla 
mountains  by  S.  M.  Perkins  in  1879,  tne  district  did  not  come  into  prom- 
inence until  nearly  twenty  years  later,  and  then,  not  from  any  locations 
of  copper  properties,  but  because  of  the  exploitations  of  the  turquoise  made 
by  Amos  J.  DeMueles. 

Among  the  best  developed  properties  are  the  mines  of  the  Three 
Bears  Mining  Company,  the  Nannie  Baird  and  the  Lucky.  The  contact 
and  blanket  veins  of  the  two  lodes  last  named  show  immense  outcroppings 
of  iron,  under  which  are  the  large  copper  deposits  carrying  a  liberal  quan- 
tity of  the  precious  metals.  In  the  Lucky  the  vein  matter  attains  a  thick- 
ness of  over  thirty  feet,  and  in  the  Nannie  Baird  the  vein  is  more  than 
nine  feet  wide.  In  several  parts  of  the  district  several  deposits  of  iron, 
commercially  valuable,  have  been  encountered,  and  some  shipments  have 
been  made,  as  from  the  Iron  Queen  lode.  Placer  mining  has  been  carried 
on  with  some  success  by  the  Electric  Mining  and  Milling  Company,  the 
chief  drawback  here  to  the  industry  having  been  the  scarcity  of  water. 

Mines  of  Sandoval  and  Rio  Arriba. — The  chief  productive  district 
of  Sandoval  county  has  centered  in  Bland,  which  lies  in  its  northern  por- 
tion, midway  between  the  Rio  Grande  and  Jemez  rivers.  Prospecting  was 
done  in  this  region  as  early  as  1880,  but  it  did  not  become  really  prosper- 
ous until  1883,  and  then  largely  depended  upon  the  product  of  the  Albe- 
marle group,  which  was  first  located  by  Chester  Greenwood.  Norman  Blotcher 
and  Henry  Woods.  The  mines,  which  consisted  of  the  Albemarle,  Ontario, 
Pamlico  and  Huron,  were  afterward  purchased  by  the  Cochiti  Gold  Min- 
ing Company,  of  Boston.  Under  this  ownership  the  property  was  opened 
to  a  depth  of  800  feet.  A  reducing  plant  of  300  tons  capacity  was  com- 
pleted in  189a,  the  electrical  power  coming  from  a  generator  at  the  Madrid 
coal  mines,  thirty-five  miles  distant.  The  ore  was  reduced  by  dry  crush- 
ing, and  extracted  by  the  cyaniding  process.  During  the  two  and  a  half 
years  of  their  operation  the  Albemarle  mines  produced  $667,000  in  gold 
and  silver,  in  the  respective  ratio  of  about  two  to  one.  The  plant  closed 
down  in  the  spring  of  1902 — the  ores  gradually  decreasing  in  value  with 
depth — and  the  property  went  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver.  In  the  Jemez 
mountains,  west  of  the  river  by  that  name,  are  valuable  copper  deposits, 
the  principal  claims  being  owned  by  the  Jura-Trias  Copper  Company, 
fdiich  has  extensively  developed  its  property  of  1.000  acres. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  Rio  Arriba  county,  west  and  south  of  Tres  Pie- 
Iras,  there  have  been  several  prominent  developments  of  silver  and  gold 
mines  within  the  past  twenty  years.  The  Bromide,  the  first  lode  discov- 
ered, from  which  the  district  west  of  Tres  Piedras  takes  its  name,  was 
'ocated  by  D.  M.  Field  and  J.  M.  Bonnett  in  1881.  Some  ore,  which  is 
Dure  silver,  has  been  taken  from  the  mine,  but  the  property  has  been  little 
leveloped.     The   Colonial   Mining  and   Leasing  Company  has  made  most 


MINING  9^3 

of  the  shipments  within  late  years,  but  work  has  been  greatly  retarded 
on  account  of  the  heavy  flow  of  water. 

Professor  Fayette  A.  Jones  was  born  on  August  I,  1859,  on  a  farm 
twenty  miles  southeast  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  His  father,  a  school 
teacher  and  civil  engineer,  came  from  Puritan  stock,  and  his  mother  was 
a  Virginian,  closely  related  to  the  Lee  family  of  Revolutionary  and  Civil 
war  fame.  Professor  Jones  received  his  early  schooling  at  a  common 
country  school,  where  he  developed  an  aptitude  for  mathematics  and  en- 
gineering. He  remained  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  after  which  he  secured  employment  in  a  flouring  mill  at  Blue  Springs, 
Missouri,  working  alternately  as  engineer,  bookkeeper  and  miller.  From 
1880  to  1882  he  attended  the  Missouri  State  University,  during  his  spare 
time  being  employed  on  the  college  farm,  receiving  ten  cents  an  hour, 
thus  being  enabled  to  remain  at  school  after  his  father  had  become  finan- 
cially embarrassed. 

In  1882,  he  married  Miss  Agnes  A.  Cairns.  The  year  following  his 
marriage  Professor  Jones  taught  a  country  school  and  engaged  in  survey- 
ing. From  1884  until  1889  he  was  city  engineer  of  Independence,  Mis- 
souri, and  was  also  deputy  surveyor  of  Jackson  county  from  1884  to  1888. 
From  1889  to  1892  he  was  a  student  at  the  Missouri  State  School  of 
Mines,  a  portion  of  that  time  being  also  assistant  professor  of  engineering 
and  mathematics,  graduating  at  the  head  of  his  class,  taking  degrees  both 
in  civil  and  in  mining  engineering.  From  1892  to  1893  he  was  engaged 
in  mining  engineering  and  metallurgical  work  in  Arizona,  having  a  nar- 
row escape  from  death  at  the  hands  of  the  Apache  chief  known  as  "The 
Kid."  During  the  fall  of  1893,  Professor  Jones  made  a  preliminary  rail- 
'road  survey  from  Maxwell  City,  Colfax  county,  New  Mexico,  through 
the  Taos  Pass  to  the  Rio  Grande.  In  1894  and  1895  he  was  engineer  in 
charge  of  an  expedition  across  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  and  from 
1896  to  1898  was  the  government  assayer  in  charge  of  foreign  ores  at  the 
port  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  During  this  time  he  acted  in  addition 
as  chemist  of  the  State  Geological  Survey  of  Missouri.  It  was  from  1898 
to  1902  that  Professor  Jones  was  president  of  the  New  Mexico  School  of 
Mines  at  Socorro,  during  the  last  named  year  being  appointed  field  assist- 
ant of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  at  present  has  charge  of 
the  mineral  resources  of  New  Mexico  as  a  member  of  the  Survey,  making 
his  headquarters  at  Albuquerque.  As  a  member  of  the  New  Mexico  board 
of  managers  for  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  he  gathered  the 
mineral  exhibit  and  compiled  a  volume  entitled,  "New  Mexico  Mines  and 
Minerals,"  covering  the  mining  history  and  resources  of  the  Territory. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


COAL  FIELDS  OF  NEW  MEXICO. 

According  to  the  latest  estimates,  the  coal  fields  of  New  Mexico  em- 
brace an  area  of  1,493,480  acres,  or  over  2,330  square  miles;  combined, 
therefore,  they  would  overlap  the  state  of  Delaware  by  more  than  280 
square  miles.  As  the  thickness  of  the  seams  has  been  approximately  de- 
termined, the  available  tonnage,  or  "coal  in  sight,"  has  been  placed  at 
8,809,000,000.  The  Cerrillos  mines  of  Santa  Fe  county  are  the  only  ones 
which  have  ever  produced  anthracite  coal,  and  the  latest  reports  were 
that,  as  they  had  encountered  such  a  poor  grade,  they  had  been  forced 
to  suspend  operations.  As  a  stoking  coal,  the  product  of  some  of  the 
New  Mexico  mines  is  the  equal  of  any  in  the  world. 

By  counties  the  available  coal-producing  territory  and  tonnage  of  the 
same  is  as  follows : 

Thick- 
ness of 
coal  Tonnage 

Field.  Area.        seam.         available. 

Acres      Indies 

McKinley    and    San    Juan    counties 800,000  60      4,800,000,000 

Colfax    County    345.600  72      2,488,320,000 

Santa    Fe    County    26,880  40  107,520,000 

Lincoln    County    1.000,000 

Rio   Arriba   County    192,000  40         768,000,000 

Socorro    County    65,000  50         325,000.000 

Valencia    County    64,000  50         320,000,000 


Total     1.493,480  8.809,840,000 

General  Progress  of  Coal  Mining. — Coal  was  known  to  exist  in  New 
Mexico  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,  but  the  first 
vein  was  not  opened  and  utilized  until  1863,  when  General  Montoya  mined 
some  coal  on  land  which  he  claimed  as  a  part  of  his  private  grant,  but 
which  was  afterward  declared  as  a  portion  of  the  public  domain,  and  is 
now  included  in  the  Carthage  field  of  eastern  Socorro  county.  This  pio- 
neer Mexican  operator  hauled  his  product  to  Fort  Craig  to  supply  the 
needs  of  the  troops  during  the  Civil  war,  who  are  also  said  to  have 
worked  the  mines  themselves  to  some  extent.  From  these  facts  it  became 
known  as  the  Government  mine.  Technically,  this  historic  property  is 
located  in  the  S.  W.  ]/A  of  the  N.  W.  54.  and  the  N.  W.  yA  of  the  S.  W. 
Yx,  Section  15,  Township  5  South,  Range  2  East,  New  Mexico  principal 
base  and  meridian.  The  thickness  of  the  seam  at  this  point  is  six  feet 
and  the  depth  of  slope  800  feet.  Of  late  years  the  mine  has  not  been 
operated  regularly. 

The  next  opening  of  the  New  Mexico  coal  fields  was  in  the  Cerrillos 
anthracite  district,  in  1869-70.  Work  was  done  in  two  localities  by  the 
New  Mexico  Mining  Company,  and  personally  by  R.  W.  Raymond,  the 


MINING  973 

site  of  the  operations  being  near  what  is  now  called  by  operators  Cerrillos 
Anthracite  "A"  28  mine,  situated  at  the  town  of  Madrid,  Santa  Fe  county. 
From  the  first  of  the  workings  250  tons  were  taken  out  and  used  by  the 
company  at  their  steam  stamp  mill,  working  at  the  Old  Placers  in  that 
vicinity.  Another  100  tons  was  mined  from  an  excavation  a  short  dis- 
tance to  the  southwest  of  the  first  openings,  and  piled  on  the  dumps  ready 
for  use.  At  that  time  samples  of  the  coal  were  tested  by  Mr.  Brucker  at 
his  assaying  furnace  in  Santa  Fe.  He  states,  according  to  Prof.  F.  A. 
Jones,  that  he  was  able  to  obtain  a  white  heat  in  a  very  short  time,  and 
that  its  lasting  qualities  were  about  three  times  as  long  as  that  produced 
by  an  equal  weight  of  charcoal.  The  same  authority  adds  that  coal  was 
known  to  exist  in  1870  at  the  following  places  in  New  Mexico:  About 
ten  miles  south  of  the  anthracite  deposits  at  Madrid;  near  Galisteo  creek; 
on  the  pueblo  Indian  reservation,  in  the  vicinity  of  Taos,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Pueblo  mountains ;  on  the  Vermejo,  Raton  mountains,  near  Maxwell's — ■ 
vein  six  feet  thick ;  on  the  Purgatoire  river,  Las  Vegas ;  at  the  Rio  Puerco ; 
in  the  San  Mateo  mountains,  and  at  several  places  west  of  Fort  Wingate. 
Approximately,  400  tons  of  coal  were  produced  in  New  Mexico  in  1870. 

For  a  number  of  years  past  the  production  of  the  Territory  has  been 
beyond  the  i, 000.000-ton  mark,  the  greatest  increase  being  in  the  fields  of 
Colfax  county.  Until  1903  McKinley  was  in  the  lead,  but  during  that 
year  Colfax  county,  on  account  of  the  superior  coking  qualities  of  its  coal, 
increased  its  output  by  294,000  tons  and  is  still  first.  It  is  this  marked 
superiority  which  has  attracted  the  attention  of  Eastern  capitalists,  manu- 
facturers and  railroad  men  to  Colfax  county,  and  resulted  in  the  wonder- 
ful development  of  her  coal  mining.  In  1905  one  of  the  greatest  land 
deals  known  to  the  world  was  perfected  in  the  Raton  district.  It  is  thus 
authoritatively  described  by  the  "Mining  and  Engineering  Journal.*'  in 
August  of  that  year: 

"Having  acquired  the  property  of  the  Raton  Coal  and  Coke  Company, 
in  northern  New  Mexico,  the  St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  and  Pacific  Com- 
pany, which  was  incorporated  in  New  Mexico  a  month  ago,  has  matured 
plans  for  a  noteworthy  increase  in  the  output  of  steam  and  domestic  bitu- 
minous coal  and  of  coke.  The  company  has  in  operation  two  new  and 
well-equipped  coal  mining  plants :  one,  with  a  single  drift  opening  at 
Blossburg,  four  or  five  miles  west  of  Raton,  New  Mexico;  another  with 
three  drift  openings  at  Van  Houten,  about  ten  miles  southwest  of  Raton. 
The  Van  Houten"  plant  dates  from  1902,  and  the  Blossburg  plant  from 
1903.  The  former  has  electric  haulage,  the  latter  the  tailrope  system ;  in 
both  operations  the  maximum  possible  use  is  made  of  gravity. 

"These  mines,  now  served  by  a  branch  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  Railway,  will  have  similar  connections  with  a  new  railroad,  120 
miles  in  length,  to  be  constructed  by  the  St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  & 
Pacific  Company.  The  railroad  is  to  extend  from  Des  Moines,  New  Mex- 
ico, on  the  Colorado  &  Southern  Railway.  80  miles  south  of  Trinidad, 
Colorado,  to  the  Elizabethtown  gold  mining  district  in  the  eastern  foot- 
hills of  the  Rocky  mountains,  about  70  miles  west  of  Raton. 

"The  company's  mineral  property  consists  of  184,170  acres  of  coal 
land  in  fee  simple,  and  coal  rights  and  surface  necessary  for  mining  in 
314.300  acres.  The  area  controlled,  about  800  square  miles,  is  one-half 
as  large  again  as  all  the  anthracite  coal  regions  of  Pennsylvania  and  five 


976  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

times  as  large  as  the  entire  Connellsville  basin.  This  property  is  the 
largest  body  of  coal  land  under  one  ownership  in  the  United  States.  The 
coal  lies  in  horizontal  seams,  mostly  from  5  to  13  feet  thick,  and  is  mined 
by  adits  and  entries  aiong  the  seams  into  the  mesas  or  foothills.  The 
mines  are  dry  and  non-gaseous. 

"Examinations  of  the  coal  field  have  been  made  in  behalf  of  Fisk  & 
Robinson,  of  New  York,  by  three  well  known  geologists  and  engineers, 
viz. :  Professor  Orestes  St.  John,  E.  V.  d'Invilliers,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
William  Griffith,  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  With  regard  to  the  charac- 
ter and  extent  of  the  coal  all  these  engineers  say  : 

"  'The  property  is  not  only  extensive,  but  is  well  located  and  combines 
man\-  of  the  principal  factors  which  vouchsafe  the  integrity  of  a  coal  and 
coke  proposition,  and  insure  its  commercial  success. 

"  'The  geology,  structure  and  topography  of  the  Raton  coal  tract  are 
all  favorable  to  the  regular  occurrence  of  coal  and  for  its  economical  min- 
ing. There  are  certainly  three  commercial  coal  seams,  all  outcropping 
above  water  level  along  the  eastern  escarpment  of  the  mountain  plateau, 
and  therefore  subject  to  drift  mining. 

"  'These  three  seams  occur  within  an  interval  vertically  of  800  feet. 
All  yield  good  mining  sections  from  4  to  8  feet  in  thickness,  the  lowest, 
or  Raton,  seam  being  the  only  one  now  commercially  developed,  and,  within 
the  scope  cf  existing  mines,  yielding  6  to  8  feet. 

"  'The  coal  lies  at  very  gentle  angles  of  dip,  often  quite  flat  and  rarely 
exceeding  an  inclination  of  more  than  11 -5  degrees.  Some  slight  faults 
and  dikes  have  been  encountered  and  some  intrusion  of  basaltic  material 
causing  the  coal  seam  on  either  side,  above  or  below,  to  be  converted  into 
a  natural  coke;  but  the  region,  as  a  whole,  is  singularly  free  from  such 
effects,  and  such  small  dikes  as  have  been  met  with  have,  in  no  case, 
caused  any  change  in  mining  plans. 

"  'Because  of  the  thickness  of  the- seams,  the  roof  and  floor  ordinarily 
are  not  disturbed,  either  in  driving  entries  or  in  working  coal  in  the 
rooms.  The  floor  is  usually  a  hard  slate,  supported  by  massive  Trinidad 
white  sandstone  below,  and  the  roof  is  largely  a  tough  slate  in  the  Bloss- 
burg  district,  changing  to  sandstone  in  the  Willow  or  Van  Houten  can- 
yon. 

"  'At  Blossburg  the  coal  seam  nominally  ranges  from  5  to  7  feet,  but 
the  roof  is  comparatively  poor  and  the  timbering  required  is  much  greater 
than  elsewhere  in  the  field.  The  present  limited  average  output  is  500 
tons  per  day.  Such  an  enlargement  of  plant  is  justified  as  to  secure  an 
output  of  1,000  to  1.500  tons  a  day.  At  the  Van  Houten  mines  an  out- 
put of  200  tons  per  day  can  readily  be  secured  from  three  mine  openings, 
delivering  to  one  tipple.  The  thickness  of  seam,  absence  of  water,  an 
excellent  roof  (requiring  a  limited  amount  of  prop  timber),  large  devel- 
opment, and  a  thoroughly  well  equipped  and  efficient  mining  plant,  all 
combine  to  render  the  mining  of  coal  here  rapid  and  economical. 

"  'The  areas  which  these  coal  seams  occupy  are  very  great ;  how 
great  it  is  not  possible  to  assert  now,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  no  occasion 
lias  arisen  to  do  more  than  establish  the  integrity  of  the  principal  seam 
throughout  its  outcrop  of  48  miles  back  from  the  eastern  edge  of  the  coal 
field.  ' 

"'As  thus  defined  this  limited  area  of  42,700  acres  of  this  one  coal 


MINING  977 

bed  ought  to  yield  about  300,000,000  tons  of  coal,  with  an  assurance  of 
50,000,000  tons  more  in  the  higher  seams  on  this  property  within  only  one- 
tenth  of  their  known  area  of  occurrence. 

"  'Aside,  therefore,  from  the  enormous  reserve  tonnage  in  the  re- 
mainder of  the  tract — 160.000  acres — the  available  coal  tonnage  of  the 
eastern  escarpment  of  the  field,  open  to  drill  mining,  is  350,000,000  gross 
tons.'  " 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  great  increase  in  the  output  of  the  Colfax 
county  dates  from  the  commencement  of  operations  by  the  Raton  Coal 
&  Coke  Company  and  the  St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  &  Pacific  Company. 

According  to  the  report  of  Jo  E.  Sheridan,  United  States  Mine  In- 
spector, for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1905,  the  net  product  of  the  coal 
mines  of  New  Mexico,  after  deducting  62,196  tons  used  in  their  opera- 
tion, was  as  follows: 

County                                                                                            Net  Product  Value 

Colfax    880,087  $1,101,101.75 

Lincoln     43.14°  107,326.10 

McKinley   430,888  610,244.20 

Rio  Arriba    41.523  59,836.80 

Santa  Fe   62,033  190,000.00 

Sandoval   1,400  i,75o.oo 

San  Juan   4.55°  2.937.50 

Socorro  8,481  12,646.50 

Total  for  Territory   1,472,102  2,086,042.85 

The  total  number  of  employees  was  as  follows : 

County.  Men.  Boys. 

Colfax   1,077  30 

Lincoln 85  4 

McKinley    , 609  36 

Rio  Arriba  61  3 

Santa  Fe  132  16 

Sandoval 16 

San  Juan   27 

Socorro    56 

Total   for  Territory 2,043  89 

During  the  fiscal  years  1903  and  1904  there  was  an  approximate  in-, 
crease  in  the  output  of  twenty  per  cent,  while  1905  showed  a  decrease  of 
122,482  tons.  Fully  twenty  per  cent  of  the  production  of  the  last  named 
year  is  believed  to  have  been  held  back  by  lack  of  transportation  facilities 
caused  by  the  widespread  washing  out  of  railroad  beds  by  freshets  in  the 
fall  of  1904.  It  unfortunately  happened  that  this  serious  interference  with 
freight  traffic  occurred  during  the  season  when  winter  stocks  of  coal  are 
generallv  stored  by  the  coal  dealers  and  when  the  railroads  replenish  their 
reserves  for  winter  service. 

The  more  permanent  features  of  the  coal  industry  in  New  Mexico, 
as  well  as  the  extent  of  the  competition  in  cheap  fuel  oil,  are  thus  set  forth 
in  the  report  of  the  Mine  Inspector : 

"Coal  mining  is  destined  to  become  one  of  the  chief  industries  of 
New  Mexico,  and  it  is  s^fe  to  say  that  within  the  next  five  years  it  will- 


We  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

have  made  a  strong  race  for  first  place  as  to  value  of  production.  At  the 
present  time  fuel  oil  from  the  oil  wells  of  California  and  Texas  is  re- 
placing coal  upon  the  railroads  of  California,  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas, 
and  Mexico  to  the  almost  complete  exclusion  of  coal  upon  the  railroads 
and  to  a  great  extent  for  domestic  and  manufacturing  purposes.  The  de- 
mand for  New  Mexico  coal  has  thus  been  lessened  to  the  extent  of  1,000,000 
tons  per  annum,  approximately.  On  the  other  hand,  the  mines  have  not 
been  fully  equipped  and  developed,  nor  have  the  transportation  facilities 
been  adequate  to  supply  the  demand  during  the  fall  and  winter  months. 
Coke  from  Eastern  states  and  from  England  has  been  used  at  the  smelters 
of  Arizona  and  Mexico,  because  of  the  lack  of  facilities  for  production  of 
coke  at  the  mines  of  New  Mexico.  All  these  obstacles  and  hindrances  now 
seem  certain  of  being  remedied  within  a  few  years  upon  the  completion 
of  new  railroad  connections  and  the  construction  of  the  many  new  coke 
ovens  now  under  way.  The  manufacture  of  coke  will  largely  increase 
the  output  from  the  coal  mines  and  give  employment  to  many  more  people. 

"In  McKinley  county  the  producing  capacity  of  the  mines  is  far  in 
excess  of  the  demand.  It  is  in  this  county  that  the  competition  of  fuel 
oil  is  most  felt.  The  cheap  fuel  oil  of  California  has  been  substituted  for 
coal  upon  the  Santa  Fe  Pacific  Railroad  from  San  Francisco,  California, 
to  Seligman,  Arizona,  a  length  of  770  miles  of  road,  and  also  upon  the 
branch  from  Los  Angeles  to  Barstow,  California,  141  miles,  and  upon 
other  coast  lines  where  New  Mexico  coal  was  used,  and  oil  is  also  used 
in  many  industries  and  for  domestic  purposes  in  many  localities  of  Cali- 
fornia where  coal  was  formerly  used.  And  yet  with  this  formidable  com- 
petitor in  the  field  of  consumers  the  production  of  coal  from  McKinley 
county  shows  a  very  slight  decrease,  and  had  transportation  facilities  been 
available  during  the  winter  months  to  supply  the  California  markets  the 
production  of  McKinley  county  would  have  shown  a  gain  for  the  past 
fiscal  year.  This  indicates  that  the  settlement  of  the  territories  of  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  and  development  of  their  resources  has  created  a  demand 
which  at  present  compensates  for  the  lost  markets  to  the  railroads  in 
California,  and  which  will  in  the  near  future  furnish  a  home  market  for  a 
large  proportion  of  New  Mexico's  coal  production.  The  development  of 
the  vast  mining  resources  of  Arizona  and  old  Mexico  are  largely  depend- 
ent upon  the  cheap  coal  of  New  Mexico. 

"Fuel  oil  has  been  substituted  for  coal  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and 
Arizona,  territory  tributary  to  the  El  Paso,  Texas,  coal  market^  curtailing 
the  demand  by  fully  30,000  tons  per  month,  which  means  an  equal  diminu- 
tion of  production  from  the  Colfax  county  coal  mines.  Thus  the  demand 
for  New  Mexico  coal  has  been  lessened  to  the  amount  of  1,000,000  tons 
per  annum.  Continued  development  of  the  resources  of  California  and  the 
Pacific  Coast  states,  as  well  as  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  old  Mexico, 
will  insure  an  increased  demand  and  permanent  market  for  New  Mexico 
coal  on  a  scale  of  greater  magnitude  than  most  people  foresee.  Nor  can 
the  influence  of  the  Panama  Canal,  when  completed,  be  overlooked.  Through 
the  harbors  of  California  vast  tonnage  will  be  transported  via  the  canal, 
and  the  New  Mexico  fields  will  furnish  the  nearest  available  coal  supply 
for  the  vessels  engaged  in  this  traffic. 

"During  the  past  two  years  many  shipments  of  coal  were  made  from 
the    Colfax   county,    New    Mexico,   mines   to   various    points   in    Oklahoma 


MINING  9^9 

and  Kansas,  the  New  Mexico  coal  being  preferred  to  the  product  of  mines 
closer  to  these  markets,  and  New  Mexico  coal  commanded  a  sufficiently 
higher  price  to  compensate  for  the  difference  in  cost  of  transportation  on 
the  longer  haul  from  New  Mexico  mines.  This  will  indicate  a  good  future 
market  in  that  direction  for  the  coal  from  this  Territory.  Favored  by  loca- 
tion, near  the  markets  of  old  Mexico,  Texas,  Arizona,  and  California,  as 
well  as  the  local  demand,  in  all  of  which  markets  New  Mexico  coal  is  pro- 
tected from  competitors  by  reason  of  distance  of  other  mines  from  these 
markets,  Xew  Mexico  is  thus  assured  of  a  good  market  for  its  great  coal 
resources. 

"For  extent  in  area,  thickness  of  coal  seams,  good  roof  and  floor,  ab- 
sence of  gas,  freedom  from  heaving  bottom,  absence  of  water,  which,  if 
present,  would  necessitate  powerful  pumps ;  in  fact,  for  all  favorable  con- 
ditions which  go  to  make  up  a  desirable  coal-producing  field,  New  Mexico 
is  far  ahead  of  any  state  or  territory  in  America,  and  consequently  the  coal 
fields  can  be  more  profitably  operated.  The  extent  of  the  areas  underlaid 
by  coal  in  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico  can  not  be  fully  estimated  until  a 
geological  survey  is  made.  New  localities  are  attracting  notice  each  year, 
as  it  is  demonstrated  by  development  that  profitable  coal  fields  exist 
therein." 

The  Fields  and  Mines. — The  Colfax  coal  field  embraces  an  area  com- 
mencing in  Town  28  north,  Range  19  east,  and  running  thence  northeast  to 
Town  31  north,  Range  26  east,  a  total  length  of  about  45  miles,  and  an 
average  width  of  T2  miles,  or  an  area  of  540  square  miles.  The  mines  of 
this  county  have  the  best  transportation  facilities  in  the  Territory.  In 
addition  to  the  coal  shipped,  there  was  an  output  of  76,737  tons  of  coke 
during  1905,  this  industry  being  actively  developed  at  Blossburg  and  Daw- 
son. New  railroad  lines  are  being  projected  from  Raton  and  Dawson  to 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  El  Paso  &  Northeastern  re- 
spectively, to  provide  even  more  complete  transportation  for  the  immense 
tonnage  of  coal  and  coke  which  is  anticipated  within  the  next  few  years. 
Demand  for  coke  in  the  smelting  industries  of  the  Southwest  is  expected 
to  furnish  the  chief  market  for  the  product  of  the  Colfax  mines,  and  many 
new  railroads,  as  well  as  the  settlement  of  the  territories  of  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico,  will  supply  the  necessary  market  for  coal. 

McKinley  county  is  second  as  a  coal  producer,  but  as  its  field  is  geo- 
logically coextensive  with  that  of  San  Juan  county  to  the  north,  they  are 
generally  described  as  one.  They  comprise  an  area  of  125  miles  in  length 
by  10  in  width,  and  extend  from  the  Zuni  buttes  on  the  south  to  La  Plata. 
or  the  Colorado  line,  on  the  north.  This  immense  field  is  underlaid  by 
several  coal  seams  of  good,  workable  thickness,  ranging  from  y/2  to  40 
feet.  In  the  Gallup  district,  McKinley  county,  the  most  productive  region. 
there  are  two  series  of  coal  seams,  known  as  the  Upper  and  Lower  Coal 
Measures,  separated  by  about  400  feet  of  sandstone,  slates,  shale  and  clays. 
In  the  upper  seam,  or  measures,  six  coal  veins  have  been  exploited  and 
five  of  them  found  to  be  valuable  producers.  All  the  workable  seams  in 
both  measures  are  in  the  areas  controlled  by  the  Gallup,  the  Weaver  and 
Clark  Coal  Company's  mines;  but  it  is  believed  there  is  an  almost  inex- 
haustible supply  in  the  Uoper  Measures  alone. 

The  coals  of  McKinley  countv.  so  far  as  developed,  have  proven  to  be 
lignites  of  non-coking  character,   so  that   operators  are   forced   to  depend 


980  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

upon  the  demand  for  fuel  in  the  sale  of  their  output.  Thus,  as  heretofore 
stated,  they  have  been  much  handicapped  recently  by  the  plentiful  supply 
of  fuel  oil  from  the  Pacific  coast.  Gallup  coal  has  been  noted  for  years  for 
its  superior  qualities  as  a  fuel. 

The  first  discovery  of  coal  at  Gallup  was  made  in  1880,  about  a  year 
before  the  advent  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Railroad,  the  discovery  being 
made  by  Thomas  Dye,  who  found  an  outcrop  and  developed  a  small  mine, 
the  product  of  which  he  sold  to  the  railroad  company.  Soon  after  his 
arrival  a  man  named  Patten  found  a  body  of  coal  near  the  surface,  which 
he  worked,  disposing  of  it  to  the  same  customer.  The  news  of  the  success 
of  these  two  men  spread,  and  soon  after  Patten  began  his  operations  the 
firm  of  Pegram  &  McMillen  began  operations  on  a  tract  of  land  which 
they  secured  from  the  government.  Mr.  Pegram  subsequently  retired 
from  the  firm,  which  then  became  McMillen,  Kennedy  &  Weaver.  It  was 
these  gentlemen  who  organized  the  Gallup  Coal  Company.  The  product 
of  this  mine  also  was  purchased  by  the  railroad  company.  After  two  or 
three  years  Dye  and  Patten  abandoned  the  field.  In  1885  Judge  Joseph 
Bell,  Colonel  Molineaux  Bell  and  E.  S.  Stover,  of  Albuquerque,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Bell  &  Company,  began  operations  on  section  16,  west  of 
Gallup.  Soon  afterward  W.  A.  Maxwell  and  others  organized  the  Black 
Diamond  Mining  Company,  opening  the  Black  Diamond  mine. 

By  1888  operations  in  this  field  had  grown  more  extensive  and  capital 
began  to  be  attracted  to  a  greater  extent.  In  that  year  the  Caledonian 
Coal  Company,  composed  of  Alexander  Bowie,  Mariano  S.  Otero,  Neill 
B.  Field,  M.  D.  Thatcher,  John  Stewart  and  others,  opened  three  proper- 
ties called  the  Caledonian  mine,  the  Thatcher  mine,  and  the  Otero  mine. 
About  the  same  time  the  Aztec  Coal  Company,  organized  by  John  A.  Lee, 
E.  S.  Stover,  Charles  Marriner  and  others,  purchased  the  property  of  Bell 
&  Company,  under  the  name  of  Aztec  Coal  Company,  and  also  opened  the 
Catalpa  mine  about  one  mile  south  of  the  railroad  and  south  of  Gallup. 
The  Crown  Point  Coal  Company,  organized  about  this  time,  opened  a 
shaft  on  section  2,  north  cf  the  railroad,  and  began  taking  out  the  coal. 

In  the  meantime  the  work  of  prospecting  which  had  been  carried  on 
over  an  extensive  territory,  proved  the  existence  of  a  practically  inex- 
haustible supply  of  coal,  and  the  independent  operators  began  to  talk  of 
consolidating.  The  first  step  in  this  direction  was  taken  when  the  Gallup 
Coal  Company,  the  Aztec,  the  Black  Diamond  Coal  Company,  combined 
with  an  organization  chartered  as  the  Crescent  Coal  Company,  which  oper- 
ated under  that  name  until  1900,  when  its  properties  were  sold  to  the 
American  Fuel  Company.  This  concern  operated  these  mines  and  devel- 
oped the  industry  systematically  until  March.  1906,  when  it  branched  out 
by  purchasing  the  entire  mining  property  of  the  Caledonian  Coal  Company. 
This  concern  is  now  the  most  important  in  the  Gallup  district. 

In  1897  United  States  Senator  W.  A.  Clark,  of  Montana,  secured  a 
large  tract  of  land  located  about  four  miles  west  of  Gallup  and  the  same 
distance  north  of  the  railroad,  where  he  at  once  began  development  work 
on  a  large  scale.  This  property  is  now  second  in  importance  to  that  of  the 
American  Fuel  Company  only.  Among  the  smaller  operators  are  Stephen 
Canavan,  who  owns  the  Rocky  Cliff  mine  located  north  of  the  railroad 
about  a  mile  east  of  Gallup ;  and  the  Gallup  Fuel  Company,  located  about  a 


.MINING  981 

mile  south  of  Gallup,  which  recently  purchased  the  property  of  the  Union 
Coal  Company. 

The  coal  field  of  which  the  town  of  Gallup  is  the  active  operating 
center,  is  said  by  experts  to  be  the  most  important  and  most  extensive  un- 
broken body  of  that  mineral  in  the  United  States  exclusive  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania fields.  It  extends  from  a  point  about  fifty  miles  south  of  Gallup 
in  the  form  of  a  rough  triangle  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  Territory 
and  even  into  Colorado.  Along  the  line  of  the  Santa  Fe  railroad  it  ex- 
tends from  a  point  three  miles  east  of  Gallup  as  far  west  as  Defiance  sta- 
tion, widening  out  rapidly  as  it  goes  north.  In  the  northern  section  of  this 
vast  field  there  has  been  found  one  bed  over  thirty-five  feet  thick,  and  one 
about  twenty  feet  thick.  In  the  southern  section  the  beds  vary  in  thick- 
ness from  three  to  eight  feet.  The  entire  field  belongs  to  the  Laramie 
group,  and  in  its  formation  is  identical  with  that  at  Canyon  City  and  Trini- 
dad in  Colorado  and  the  great  Colfax  county  field.  Experiment  and  years 
of  practical  experience  have  proved  that  the  product  is  particularly  adapted 
for  domestic  use,  as  it  is  easily  kindled,  burns  very  freely  and  leaves  a 
smaller  proportion  of  refuse  than  any  other  coal  to  be  found  in  New 
Mexico. 

In  1886  the  output  of  all  the  mines  in  and  near  Gallup  was  about  five 
hundred  tons  per  day.  In  1906  the  average  daily  output  was  something 
over  two  thousand  tons,  but  the  productive  capacity  of  the  mines  is  placed 
by  experts  at  about  three  thousand  tons  daily  with  the  existing  develop- 
ment work.  The  greater  portion  is  consumed  by  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
system,  but  large  quantities  are  sold  for  domestic  fuel  at  all  points  in  Ari- 
zona and  California  reached  by  that  railroad  and  its  connections,  and  also 
in  Albuquerque,  and  at  all  points  south  of  that  city  reached  by  the  Santa 
Fe  system ;  El  Paso  and  Mexican  points  reached  from  that  city ;  Deming, 
Lordsburg,  Bisbee,  Douglas,  Cananea.  Mexico  and  other  places.  Large 
quantities  are  also  used  in  the  same   sections   for  steam   fuel. 

The  possibilities  of  this  vast  field  are  pronounced  by  experts  to  be 
practically  unlimited.  At  one  time  there  seemed  to  be  no  doubt  that  it 
would  become  the  principal  producer  for  the  entire  southwest,  west  and 
south  of  Albuquerque,  but  the  discovery  of  oil  in  vast  quantities  in  Cali- 
fornia altered  the  outlook  in  that  direction  very  suddenlv.  When  the  oil 
output  begins  to  diminish,  as  it  eventually  must,  the  demand  for  what  has 
become  widely  known  as  Gallup  coal  obviously  must  increase  at  a  corre- 
sponding rate. 

Alexander  Bowie,  for  years  superintendent  of  the  Caledonian  Coal 
Company's  properties,  is  recognized  as  the  highest  authority  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  coal  fields  of  northwestern  New  Mexico.  His  entire  life  has 
been  devoted  to  scientific  coal  mining  in  Scotland,  his  native  land,  and  in 
America.  In  young  manhood  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  in  the  coal 
region  of  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  became  superintendent  of  a 
large  mine.  In  1880  he  was  selectel  by  the  Canyon  City  Coal  Company 
to  open  the  mines  near  Canyon  City,  Colorado,  for  supplying  fuel  to  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway  Company.  He  opened" shafts  1  and 
2  and  the  Shaw  mine,  and  performed  other  expert  work  there  of  a  similar 
character.  In  1882  he  went  to  Carthage,  New  Mexico,  for  the  San  Pedro 
Coal  and  Coke  Company,  remaining  there  about  a  year.  From  1882  until 
18S6  he  served  as  mine  expert  for  the  Santa  Fe,  during  which  time  he 


982  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

made  a  study  of  coal  mining  conditions  and  prospects  in  many  parts  of 
the  Territory.  In  1887  he  went  to  Gallup  to  manage  the  property  of  the 
Bell  Company.  The  year  following  he  organized  the  Caledonian  Company, 
of  which  he  remained  superintendent  until  its  purchase  by  the  American 
Fuel  Company  in  March,  1906.  Mr.  Bowie  expresses  the  conviction  that 
the  coal  field  of  northern  New  Mexico  is  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  im- 
portant in  the  world. 

The  Santa  Fe  county  coal  field,  which  is  third  in  the  extent  of  its 
production,  is  much  disturbed  and  broken.  Generally  speaking,  it  extends 
from  the  north  end  of  the  Sandia  mountains,  in  Bernalillo  county,  across 
Santa  Fe  county  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  to  Porvenir,  in  San  Miguel 
county.  From  this  total  distance  of  50  miles  is  deducted  the  interruption 
of  15  miles,  caused  by  the  Glorieta  Mountain  range,  making  a  total  area  of 
35  miles  in  length  by  4  miles  in  width,  or  140  square  miles.  A  further  de- 
duction is  again  made  of  fully  79  per  cent  for  the  broken  condition  of  the 
remaining  territory,  leaving  only  about  42  square  miles  of  available  coal 
lands  in  Santa  Fe  county.  The  most  compact  section  is  that  in  which  are 
located  the  mines  of  Madrid  and  Waldo,  generally  known  as  the  Cerrillos 
mines.  Here  is  the  only  pronounced  anthracite  coal  region  of  New  Mexico, 
until  recently  the  Lucas  mine  at  Madrid,  having  been  a  steady  producer  for 
fifteen  years.  It  is  believed  that  the  most  valuable  deposits  of  this  coal 
have  been  exhausted.  The  Madrid  field  has  been  by  far  the  most  pro- 
ductive in  Santa  Fe  county,  over  1,000,000  tons  of  both  varieties  having 
been  mined  during  the  past  ten  years  from  one  seam  of  an  area  one-half  a 
mile  square. 

The  Coal  Measures  of  Santa  Fe  county  in  the  vicinity  of  Madrid  have 
attracted  much  attention,  both  on  the  part  of  geologists  and  operators,  from 
the  fact  that  the  bituminous  and  anthracite  coals  occur  in  juxtaposition 
in  the  same  seam.  In  some  instances  a  part  of  a  coal  vein  may  be  anthra- 
cite, while  a  few  hundred  yards  distance,  laterally,  the  same  vein  may  pro- 
duce bituminous  coal.  The  product  of  the  Cerrillos  bituminous  (Cook  & 
White)  mine  has  until  recently  been  a  non-coking  coal,  but  at  a  depth  of 
alv  nit  j/oo  feet  it  changed  to  a  verv  good  coking  variety. 

The  coal-field  of  Lincoln  county  is  much  broken  and  cut  by  igneous 
dikes,  so  that  its  area  is  difficult  to  estimate.  It  ranks  fourth  among  the 
producing  counties  of  New  Mexico,  its  most  productive  mines  being  at 
Capitan.  Work  in  them  has  been  almost  abandoned  recently  because  of 
faults  in  the  seams,  which  make  their  working  so  expensive  as  to  cut  out 
all  the  profits.  An  area  near  White  Oaks  promises  to  be  more  permanent  in 
its  yield. 

The  coal  fields  of  Rio  Arriba  countv  commence  on  the  east  at  Azotea, 
a  station  on  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  Railroad,  and  extend  west  along 
the  Colorado  line  to  the  San  Juan  river — a  distance  of  40  miles  in  length 
by  an  average  width  of  12  miles,  south  of  the  Colorado  line.  Besides  this 
continuous  area  outcrops  appear  below  Monroe,  about  forty  miles  south 
and  twenty-five  miles  southeast.  Fortunately,  wherever  the  fields  have 
been  developed  along  the  line  of  that  road  the  coal  has  possessed  excellent 
coking  characteristics.  The  total  area  of  the  fields  in  the  countv  is  esti- 
mated at  400  square  miles,  and  geologically  they  are  classed  as  an  eastern 
division  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  San  Juan  county. 

Socorro   countv  has   been   credited   with   a   coal-bearing   area   of  only 


.MIXING  983 

about  1,000  acres,  but  a  much  larger  area  has  been  recently  developed  in 
Northern  Socorro  and  Southern  Valencia  counties. 

The  Coal  Measures  developed  and  operated  in  San  Juan  county  are 
supposed  to  be  an  extension  of  the  great  fields  found  in  McKinley  county. 
Those  of  San  Juan,  however,  are  larger  than  those  found  in  any  other 
section  of  New  Mexico,  ranging  from  4  to  60  feet  in  thickness,  and  as 
most  of  these  great  deposits  are  composed  of  good,  marketable  coal,  it  is 
probable  that,  with  the  coming  of  the  railroads,  the  county  will  become  a 
large  producer.  The  Denver  &  Rio  Grande  has  already  built  a  line  from 
Durango,  Colorado,  to  Farmington,  which  is  considered  the  first  step  to- 
ward tapping  these  inexhaustible  supplies.  Half  a  dozen  small  mines  have 
been  in  operation,  principally  supplying  the  local  demand  of  farmers  in  the 
valleys  of  the  La  Plata,  Las  Animas  and  San  Juan  rivers.  The  La  Plata 
mine,  near  Pendleton,  is  the  best  developed,  its  coal  seam,  at  one  point 
showing  a  thickness  of  60  feet.  The  second,  in  point  of  production,  is  the 
Stevens  mine,  near  Fruitland. 

The  coal  field  of  Sandoval  county,  which  is  a  broken  extension  of 
the  Cerillos  field  in  Santa  Fe  county,  has  been  but  little  developed,  the 
Hagan  mine  being  the  only  real  operator.  The  building  of  the  branch  lines 
connecting  the  district  with  the  Albuquerque  Eastern  and  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  roads  will  undoubtedly  hasten  its  development. 

In  addition  to  the  coal  fields  above  named,  there  are  several  isolated 
areas  of  coal  lands,  but  of  undetermined  extent.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Cebolleta  and  Chavez  Mesa,  in  Valencia  county,  there  are  two 
workable  seams  of  coal,  one  4  and  the  other  5  feet  in  thickness.  Thou- 
sands of  acres  of  coal  lands  have  been  located  along  the  boundaries  of 
Santa  Fe  and  Bernalillo  counties. 

Lndoubtedly  the  prospects  of  New  Mexico  as  a  producer  of  bitu- 
minous coal  are  bright.  As  an  indication  of  what  has  already  been  accom- 
plished in  the  way  of  the  organization  of  companies  and  the  establishment 
of  mines  in  the  Territory,  the  following  directory,  prepared  by  United 
States  Mine  Inspector  Sheridan,  is  reproduced: 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


Name  of  mine. 

Name    of    manager    or    super- 
intendent. 

Post-office. 

I  I.      Van      Houten,      vice-presi- 

Colfax  County: 

Van             Houten 
mines,    Nos.    1, 
2,     and     3. 

1 

dent. 
Allen    French,    general    super- 

Raton,    N.    Mex. 

|  St.      Louis,      Rockv 
;-      Mountain  and  Pa- 

-1  James     Cameron,     superintend- 

Van  Houten,    N. 

Mex. 
Blo^burg,    N.    Mex. 
Do. 

Dutchman  mine.. 
Brilliant    mine... 

|      cine    Co. 

J 

Bert    Lloyd,    superintendent. 
1  Joseph      Curran,      superintend- 

Climax    mine.... 
Sugante    mine... 
Llewellyn    mine.. 

J  Raton    Fuel    Co.... 
Thos.     Llewellyn... 

)  Frederick       Pelouze,       general 
/       manager. 
Thos.    Llewellyn,    superintend- 

Raton,   N.    Mex. 
Do. 

Sperry     mine.... 

Elmer     Sperry 

Scott'  &     Polly,    lessees. 
f  W.       P.      Thompson,      general 

Do. 

Dawson    Railway 

manager. 

}- Dawson,     N.    Mex. 

and    Coal    Co. 

]   E.      H.      Weitzel,     superintend- 

Honeyfield    mine. 
Lincoln    County : 

Honeyfield    Bros 

'  Honevfield     Bros 

Raton,    N.    Mex. 

\\  .       P.       Thompson,      general 

1 

Capitan     mines 
Nos.   1   and  2. 

New     Mexico     Fuel 

\ Capitan,  N.  Mex. 

Co. 

]  James      McCartney,        superin- 

'    ,.,  • 

Old      Abe       Coal 

Old      Abe       Mining 

"John       \'!        Hewitt,        general 

Whiteoaks,   N.  Nex. 

McKinley  County: 

Gallup     mine.... 
Weaver     mine... 
Catalpa     mine... 
Heaton    mine.  . .. 

Co. 
|  American    Fuel    Co. 

manager. 
fGeo.  W.  Bowen,  president 

J  Thos.     Pattison,     division     su- 
1       oerintendent. 
Hugh      McGinn,      superintend- 

E.    &    C.    Building, 

Denver,    Colo. 
Gallup,   N.    Mex. 

Gibson,    N.    Mex. 

Clark    Coal    Co.. 

Clark    Coal    Co 

\Y.    L.    Bretherton,   agent 

1  Alex.      Bowie,     general     man- 

Clarkville,    N.    Mex. 

Otero     mine 

Thatcher     mine.. 

|  Caledonian  Coal  Co. 

1      ager. 

/  John     Stewart,    superintendent. 

Gallup,    N.    Mex. 

Rocky   Cliff  mine 

(Stephen     Canavan.. 
Union   Coal   Co.... 

1  Stephen        Canavan,        general 
Win.    McVicker,   general    man- 

Do. 
Do. 

Black      Diamond 

Black     Diamond 

John      Sharp,      general      man- 

Do. 

Coal  Co. 

Do. 

Casoa    mine 

Rio    Arriba    County: 

Monero     mines 
Nos.   1   and  2. 

'■  Rio  Arriba  Coal  Co 

J.    H.    Crist,    general   manager. 

Monero,    N.    Mex. 

McBroom  mine.. 
Kutz    mine 

Geo.     \V.     Kutz 

Geo.    W.    Kutz,    general    man- 

Lumberton,    N. 
Mex. 

Santa    Fe     County: 

Cerrillos     Bitumi- 

1 

I  Tohn   T.    Kebler,   president.... 

Boston    Building, 

,'  Colorado    Fuel    and 

\ 

Denver,    Colo. 

Cerrillos    Anthra- 

f      Iron    Co. 

1  James    Lamb,    superintendent. 

Madrid,    N.    Mex. 

Block'  Coal  mine. 

Estate     of    Leonard 

Richard   McCaffrey,    agent 

San  Pedro,  N.  Mex. 

(New     Mexico     Fuel 
\      and    Iron    Co. 

I  W.    S.    Hopewell,    president... 

Santa  Fe,  N.  Mex. 

Hagen    mine 

->  John      W.      Sullivan,      general 
m 

Hagan,    N.    Mex. 

Socorro     County: 

Hilton    mine 

Government  mine 

|  Powell     Stackhouse, 
\     J,,  trustee. 

[■  Tohn      James,      superintendent 

San    Antonio,    N. 

Mex. 

Mclntyre    mine.  . 

Southern    Fuel    Co. 

Robert    E.     Law,    superintend- 
ent. 
C.     B.     Allaire,    general    man- 

Do. 

Emerson    mine... 

Emerson    &    Allaire 

Do. 

ager. 

San    Tuan    County: 

Thomas     mine... 

"\V.    H.    Thomas.... 

W.    H.     Thomas,    superintend- 

Pendleton,  N.   Mex. 

Morgan     mine... 

Geo.    Morgan 

Geo.     Morgan,    superintendent. 

Do. 

Stevens     mine... 

E.    S.    Young 

Thos.       Evans,       lessee       and 

operator. 

Fmitland,  N.  Mex. 

Jones    mine 

Geo.    E.    Jones 

Geo.     W.     Jones,     owner     and 

Do. 

La    Plata    mine.. 

T.    H.    O'Brien.... 

T     H.    O'Brien,    general    man- 

Dawson,  N.   Mex. 

MINING 


MISCELLANEOUS  MINERAL  PRODUCTS. 

Petroleum. — On  account  of  the  widespread  areas  of  bituminous  coal 
through  New  Mexico,  the  natural  inference  would  be  the  presence  of  pe- 
troleum, but  although  indications  of  the  oil  have  been  found  in  many  places 
the_\-  have  not  yet  led  to  any  commercial  production.  The  most  favorable 
indications  and  the  most  persistent  efforts  at  development  center  in  locali- 
ties adjacent  to  Raton,  Colfax  county,  and  Gallup,  McKinley  county.     In 

1902  what  was  known  as  the  Raton  Oil  and  Development  Company  com- 
menced operations  a  few  miles  east  of  the  town,  but  after  boring  a  well 
2,700  feet,  obtained  only  a  strong  odor  of  oil,  or,  as  the  trade  term  goes, 
"got  a  smell."  In  the  following  fall  the  New  Mexico  Oil  and  Gas  Com- 
pany put  down  two  wells  on  the  McCowen  and  Burns  ranches,  twelve 
miles  southeast  of  Raton,  reaching  a  depth  of  1,000  and  1,500  feet,  respect- 
ively. In  one  of  the  wells,  at  700  feet,  a  small  flow  was  obtained,  with  an 
immense  escape  of  gas.  Four  or  five  barrels  of  oil  were  drawn,  and  100 
feet  further  down  the  borers  struck  a  large  flow  of  water  and  lost  their 
tools.  At  1,400  feet  oil  in  small  quantities  was  again  encountered,  but 
there  was  another  experience  of  water,  sand  and  loss  of  tools,  and  work 
was  finally  suspended. 

Both  northeast  and  southwest  of  Gallup,  wells  have  been  sunk  from 
400  to  900  feet,  without  results  as  promising  as  those  recorded  above. 
Also,  more  or  less  work  has  been  done  near  Farmington,  San  Juan  county, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  Santa  Rosa,  Guadalupe  county.  Although  in  the 
latter  region  the  surface  indications,  such  as  a  rich  bituminous  sandstone 
and  petroleum-saturated  earth,  seemed  to  be  especially  favorable,  no  oil 
oil  have  been  found  in  many  localities,  but  time,  perseverence  and  the 
in  paying  quantities  has  yet  been  encountered.  As  stated,  indications  of 
oil  have  been  found  in  many  localities,  but  time,  perseverance  and  the 
expenditure  of  some  capital  will  be  necessary  to  prove  whether  oil  exists 
in  commercial  quantities. 

Iron. — In  preceding  pages  note  has  been  made  of  the  most  promising 
iron  properties  in  the  Territory,  but  there  is  only  one  deposit  which  has 
been   worked   to   advantage   and    that   is   at   Fierro,   in    Grant   county.     In 

1903  the  production  of  the  mines  there  was  137,269  tons.  An  important 
iron  field  also  lies  in  Eastern  Socorro  and  Western  Lincoln  counties.  Gen- 
erally the  iron  is  of  fair  quality,  and  is  suitable  for  the  making  of  good 
steel.  As  compared  with  the  Lake  Superior  ore,  it  contains  a  greater 
quantity  of  phosphorus. 

Salt,  Gypsum  and  Soda. — There  are  a  number  of  saline  lakes  in  New 
Mexico,  but  up  to  the  present  their  product  has  not  been  manufactured 
or  refined  on  a  commercial  scale.  The  benefits  of  a  vast  supply  of  salt 
have  been  confined  to  a  suppositious  savoring  of  the  foods  of  the  Aztecs 
and  later  natives  of  the  soil,  and  to  furnishing  a  necessary  element  in  the 


9S6  t    HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

nourishment  of  the  live  stock  of  the  plains.  Nearly  in  the  center  of  New 
Mexico  is  the  Estancia  plain,  occupying  the  lowest  point  between  the 
Trinchera  Mesa  and  Manzano  mountains.  Scattered  over  it  are  numerous 
saline  and  alkaline  iakes,  the  largest  of  which,  known  as  Big  Salt  Lake, 
is  the  most  important  producer  of  salt  in  New  Mexico.  About  a  third 
of  the  matter  which  the  water  holds  in  suspension  is  common  salt,  and  a 
vessel,  when  left  standing  in  it  for  a  few  hours,  will  be  covered  with 
crystals.  This  remarkable  property  is  in  possession  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Development  Company,  which  is  the  builder  of  the  Santa  Fe  Central  Rail- 
road. 

The  salt  lakes  of  the  famous  White  Sands  district,  which  lies  prin- 
cipally in  southwestern  Otero  county,  are  also  rich  in  natural  deposits, 
but  are  chieflv  valued  by  the  ranchmen,  and  no  attempt  has  yet  been  made 
to  acquire  them  for  commercial  purposes.  The  Zuni  Crater  salt  lake  in 
Western  Socorro  county,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  across,  is 
set  in  an  extinct  volcano.  The  salt  is  simply  shoveled  from  the  lake  into 
small  flatboats,  and  piled  on  the  bank  ready  for  the  ranchmen  or  settlers, 
who  come  hither  for  their  supply  for  a  hundred  miles  around.  It  is  the 
purest  in  quality  of  any  found  in  the  Territory.  It  is  estimated  that  the 
waters  of  the  lake  contain  500,000  tons  of  salt,  to  say  nothing  of  the  valu- 
able deposits  which  are  known  to  exist  at  the  bottom  of  the  lagoon. 

Geologically,  gypsum  is  always  associated  with  salt,  and  from  all 
natural  evidences  it  has  been  determined  that  the  gypsum  deposits  of  New 
Mexico  were  laid  down  in  salt  water  bodies  which  become  separated  from 
the  parent  ocean.  Eastern  Socorro  county,  at  the  north  end  of  the  Sierra 
Oscura,  and  southwestern  Lincoln  county,  furnish  some  of  the  most  note- 
worthy deposits,  but  they  have  been  virtually  undeveloped,  either  here  or 
elsewhere.  The  Rock  Island  Cement  and  Plaster  Company,  however,  is 
utilizing  the  gypsum  beds  at  Ancho,  in  the  latter  county,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  cement  plaster. 

The  White  Sands. — But  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  gypsum  deposit 
in  the  world  is  found  in  the  desert  stretch  in  Otero  and  Dona  Ana  coun- 
ties, known  as  the  White  Sands.  One  of  the  best  descriptions  ever  writ- 
ten of  this  remarkable  region  occurs  in  the  report  of  Governor  Otero  to 
the  secretary  of  the  interior  for  the  year  1903,  and  is  here  reproduced : 

"The  White  Sands,  extending  into  Doha  Ana  county,  are  among  the 
great  natural  wonders  of  the  Southwest.  They  are  a  most  conspicuous 
feature  in  the  landscape.  The)-  have  a  length  of  40  miles  and  a  width 
varying  from  5  to  20  miles.  They  are  easily  reached  from  Escondido,  Dog 
Canyon,  Alamogordo,  La  Luz,  and  Tularosa,  the  distance  varying  from 
15  to  20  miles.  They  are  great  dunes  of  white  gypsum,  broken  into  fine 
grains  like  sand,  which  move  to  and  fro  with  the  wind  like  the  sand 
dunes  on  the  seacoast.  This  gypsum  sand,  white  as  snow  and  fine  as 
corn  meal,  evidently  comes  from  an  old  lake  bed,  covering  about  100 
square  miles,  where  the  winds  have  been  at  work  for  ages  operating  a 
sand  blast.  The  area  of  these  sand  hills  is  about  600  square  miles,  and 
away  from  the  edges  there  is  neither  animal  nor  vegetable  life,  but  along 
the  edges  there  are  found  small  groves  of  Cottonwood  trees,  large  areas  of 
peppermint,  and  plants  peculiar  to  the  locality,  some  of  them,  owing  to 
the  chemical  properties  of  the  gypsum,  being  nearly  colorless.  The  white- 
ness of  the  region  under  the  full  glare  of  the  sun  is  so  dazzling  that  one 


MINING  987 

soon  becomes  blinded  unless  protected  by  goggles.  On  these  gypsum 
sands  is  the  playground  of  the  mirage,  and  here  it  plays  its  greatest  pranks 
with  distance,  perspective,  and  color.  Sometimes  it  raises  the  white  hills 
high  above  the  surrounding  flat  country,  making  them  exceptionally  con- 
spicuous, and  at  other  times  covers  them  with  verdure  and  nodding  shad- 
ows, and  again  hides  them  behind  an  opaque  wall. 

"The  gypsum  sands  have  been  analyzed  at  the  New  Mexico  College 
of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  at  Mesilla  Park,  and  their  constituents 
are  gypsum,  97  per  cent;  calcium  carbonate,  2.06  per  cent;  magnesium 
sulphate,  0.12  per  cent;  magnesium  carbonate,  0.06  per  cent;  potassium 
sulphate,  0.07  per  cent;  sodium  carbonate,  trace;  sodium  chloride,  trace. 
The  lake  bed  from  which  this  gypsum  sand  is  derived  was  probably  the 
mouth  of  an  ancient  river  which  traversed  the  valley  from  north  to  south 
and  carried  the  gypsum  in  solution.  Experiments  made  with  the  sands 
for  fertilizing  purposes  found  them  to  be  especially  adapted  for  that  use 
on  certain  soil.  The  experiments  at  the  agricultural  college  demonstrated 
that  the  application  of  white  sand  in  considerable  quantities  improved  cer- 
tain soils  a  great  deal.  In  addition  to  the  uses  mentioned  above,  the  sands 
are  valuable  for  the  manufacture  of  plaster  of  Paris  and  its  various  by- 
products. Sulphuric  acid,  which  is  largely  used  in  leaching  copper  ores, 
can  be  manufactured  from  the  sands,  and  with  the  advantages  of  cheap 
fuel  and  corresponding  cheap  power  the  great  desert  20  miles  west  of 
Alamogordo  may  some  day  be  utilized  in  commerce  and  be  found  a  great 
source  of  wealth.  Cement  is  now  made  of  the  gypsum,  at  a  factory  at 
Alamogordo,  and  is  used  for  building." 

In  1905  a  gigantic  field  of  native  soda,  8,000  acres  in  extent,  was 
opened  in  Otero  county,  near  the  plain  of  the  White  Sands.  Twelve  feet 
beneath  the  surface  a  vein  60  feet  deep  was  found,  composed  of  68  per 
cent  of  pure  soda.  The  locality  is  thirty-five  miles  west  of  Alamogordo, 
and  A.  J.  King  is  at  the  head  of  the  development  and  manufacturing  com- 
pany, which  is  largely  backed  by  capitalists  of  that  place. 

Building  Stones  and  Materials. — The  stones  found  in  New  Mexico, 
which  may  be  used  for  building  and  ornamental  purposes,  are  of  such 
variety  and  abundance  that  their  value  has  been  to  a  large  extent  over- 
looked. The  locations  of  some  of  the  important  deposits  and  quarries 
may  only  be  briefly  mentioned.  East  of  Albuquerque,  in  the  Sandia  moun- 
tains, are  splendid  quarries  of  granite,  sandstone  and  limestone.  From 
the  vicinity  of  Las.  Cruces  comes  a  handsome  mottled  marble,  and  from 
near  Silver  City  a  dark  colored  curly  marble.  Lordsburg  ships  to  Chicago 
and  other  large  cities  the  pretty  ornamental  stone  known  as  ricolite,  which 
presents  beautiful  blended  shades  and  is  susceptible  of  a  high  polish.  The 
quarries  near  Las  Vegas  supply  the  red,  gray  and  brown  sandstone,  and 
those  of  Raton  a  gray  variety,  which  are  unexcelled  as  building  material. 
Santa  Fe  county  produces  the  cream  colored  sandstone,  used  in  the  Terri- 
torial capitol.  In  the  vicinity  of  Roswell  are  good  sandstone  and  lime- 
stone. There  are  marble  quarries  near  Alamogordo,  and  others  supplying 
the  necessary  stone  for  building  purposes  and  ornamentation  are  found 
near  most  of  the  centers  of  population  in  New  Mexico. 

New  Mexico  abounds  in  clays  of  various  qualities  and  geological  va- 
rieties, good  plants  for  the  manufacture  of  brick  having  been  established 
at  Las  Vegas,  Gallup,  Albuquerque,  Socorro,  and  the  Territorial  Peniten- 


9SS  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tiary  at  Santa  Fe.  The  only  paving-  brick  is  made  at  the  institution  named, 
by  convict  labor,  and  is  largely  used  in  the  walks  and  streets  of  Santa  Fe, 
Las  Vegas,  Albuquerque  and  other  places.  The  Socorro  manufactories 
turn  out  fire  brick,  and  have  also  been  utilizing  the  beds  of  kaolin  near  the 
mouth  of  Blue  canyon.  At  several  points  in  New  Mexico,  notably  Albu- 
querque, the  manufacture  of  cement  bricks,  or  blocks,  has  become  quite 
an  industry. 

The  raw  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  cement,  plaster  and  lime 
are  found  everywhere  in  the  Territory.  The  beds  of  marl  in  the  Estancia 
plain  and  in  many  other  parts  of  New  Mexico  might  furnish  the  supply 
for  the  manufacture  of  the  famous  Portland  cement,  which  is  now  im- 
ported into  the  Territory  at  considerable  cost.  A  plant  was  erected,  sev- 
eral years  ago  at  Springer,  Colfax  county,  but,  after  a  short  active  period, 
was  closed  indefinitely.  From  the  gypsum  deposits  (already  mentioned) 
are  made  cement,  plaster  of  Paris,  dental  plaster,  stucco,  etc.,  and  there 
are  manufactories  at  Ancho,  Lincoln  county,  Alamogordo,  Otero  county, 
and  other  places.  The  principal  lime  kilns  of  New  Mexico  are  at  Tijeras, 
twenty  miles  east  of  Albuquerque,  and  at  Las  Vegas,  near  the  Hot  Springs, 
although,  on  account  of  the  widely  scattered  and  inexhaustible  supplies 
of  limestone,  they  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of  all  the  important  centers  of 
population. 

Mica,  Sulphur  and  Other  Minerals. — Mica  was  mined  near  Santa  Fe, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  used  in  the  houses  of  that 
city  as  well  as  in  the  neighboring  villages.  In  fact,  up  to  nearly  the  middle 
of  the  century  it  was  generally  used  in  place  of  glass,  the  chief  supply 
coming  from  Nambe,  north  of  Santa  Fe;  Talco  (the  natives  called  all  mica 
talc),  in  Moro  county;  and  from  the  vicinity  of  Petaca,  Rio  Arriba  county. 
The  chief  mines  in  the  Territory,  known  as  the  Cribbensville  deposits,  are 
still  two  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  the  place  last  named. 

Sulphur  was  obtained  from  various  springs,  as  well  as  from  the  Guada- 
lupe deposits,  by  the  early  Spaniards,  and  used  in  the  manufacture  of  their 
powder.  In  modern  times  it  has  been  made  on  a  commercial  scale  by  Mari- 
ano S.  Otero,  who,  a  few  vears  before  his  death  in  1904,  operated  a  five-ton 
plant.  Near  Guadalupe,  White  Oaks  and  Eastern  New  Mexico,  along  the 
Texas  border,  there  are  good  supplies 'of  sulphur. 

The  most  important  known  deposits  of  pumice  stone  are  near  Grant, 
Valencia  county,  and  opposite  Socorro,  on  the  Rio  Grande.  The  former 
bed  is  being  worked  by  the  New  Mexico  Pumice  Stone  Company. 

Valuable  deposits  of  ocber,  yielding  beautiful  rad  and  yellow  colors, 
are  found  near  Coyote  Springs,  east  of  Albuquerque,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  San  Pedro,  Santa  Fe  county. 

It  is  believed  that  New  Mexico  has  one  of  the  most  extensive  deposits 
of  alum  in  the  world,  comprising  nearly  2,000  acres,  located  about  ten 
miles  below  the  Gila  Hot  Springs,  on  the  Upper  Gila  river.  Grant  county. 
The  district  is  known  as  Alumina,  and,  although  about  two-thirds  of  the 
deposit  has  been  patented  by  New  York  capitalists,  lack  of  transportation 
facilities  has  prevented  its  development.  Other  deposits,  but  not  so  pure, 
exist  in  Eastern  Mora  county,  some  twenty-five  miles  from  Wagon  Mound  ; 
in  Northwestern  Sandoval  county,  and  southeast  of  Springer,  Colfax 
county. 

Among  the  numerous  natural  mineral   springs   of  New  Mexico,   that 


MINING  989 

which  supplies  to  the  world  the  Artesian  Coyote  mineral  water  has  become 
very  widely  and  favorably  known  during  the  past  few  years.  The  original 
spring  known  by  this  name,  located  in  Coyote  Canon,  in  the  Sandia  moun- 
tains, about  thirteen  miles  southeast  of  Albuquerque,  was  owned  by  San- 
tiago Baca,  of  Albuquerque,  who  sold  it  to  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Chavez. 
George  K.  Neher,  of  Albuquerque,  learning  of  the  high  medicinal  value 
of  the  springs,  leased  it  from  Mr.  Chavez  and  established  a  bottling  plant 
on  the  property,  which  he  operated  until  1900.  In  that  year  Thomas  J. 
Topham  bought  the  bottling  plant  from  Mr.  Neher,  and  obtained  some 
land  from  the  government  adjoining  that  of  Mr.  Chavez,  and  drilled  an 
artesian  well,  from  which  he  is  getting  his  famous  Artesian  Coyote  water. 

The  water  is  brought  to  Albuquerque  in  barrels,  and  there  bottled.  Mr. 
Topham  has  found  an  extensive  and  constantly  increasing  market  for  the 
water,  and  is  at  the  present  time  ( 1906)  the  only  man  in  New  Mexico  who 
ships  water  in  carload  lots. 

The  Coyote  water  is  naturally  charged  with  carbonic  acid  gas  and 
has  been  pronounced  by  chemists  to  contain  most  wonderful  medicinal 
properties,  taking  rank  with  the  great  health-producing  waters  of  the 
world.  Its  analysis  shows  that  it  contains  about  the  same  properties  as 
Apollinaris  water.  Its  mineral  ingredients  are  as  follows :  Iron  carbonate, 
magnesium  bicarbonate,  calcium  bicarbonate,  sodium  sulphate,  sodium 
chloride,  silica,  potassium  salts,  lithia  salts,  calcium  sulphates,  and  phos- 
phates, besides  free  carbonic  acid  gas. 

Thomas  J.  Topham,  who  is  responsible  for  the  development  of  this 
widely  known  spring,  has  been  a  resident  of  Albuquerque  since  1899.  He 
is  a  native  of  England,  but  in  boyhood  was  brought  to  Virginia  by  his  par- 
ents, and  there  reared  to  manhood.  In  addition  to  the  business  he  has 
established  in  Albuquerque,  he  has  erected  and  conducts  a  summer  re- 
sort on  the  property  on  which  his  spring  is  located.  He  is  actively  inter- 
ested in  the  work  of  St.  John's  Episcopal  church  of  Albuquerque,  in  which 
he  is  a  vestrvman  and  treasurer  of  the  board. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


IRRIGATION  IN  NEW  MEXICO 

To  understand  the  supreme  importance  of  irrigation  in  the  future 
development  of  New  Mexico,  it  is  only  necessary  to  show  how  large  a 
proportion  of  her  population  is  already  depending  upon  the  products  of 
her  soil  for  a  livelihood ;  how  small  a  fraction  of  her  area  has  been  culti- 
vated, and  what  a  vast  domain  would  be  thrown  open  to  new  settlers  and 
to  the  production  of  untold  prosperity  and  wealth,  if  only  the  waste  waters 
of  her  streams  and  underground  supplies  were  generally  utilized  for  irri- 
gation purposes.  Although  splendid  work,  in  the  face  of  general  derision 
and  almost  insurmountable  physical  obstacles,  has  been  accomplished  by 
individuals  within  the  past  fifteen  years,  the  subject  has  assumed  such 
gigantic  proportions  as  to  take  it  beyond  the  reach  of  private  enterprise 
and  to  classify  it  as  among  the  great  projects  which  can  only  be  success- 
fully accomplished  by  the  United  States  government.  The  creation  of  the 
Reclamation  Service  of  the  Interior  Department,  in  1902,  and  the  subse- 
quent taking  over  by  the  government  of  several  partially  abandoned  sys- 
tems, were  commencements  of  a  great  historic  era  in  the  development  of 
the  latent  agricultural  and  horticultural  wealth  of  New  Mexico. 

Briefly  stated,  more  than  one-third  of  the  entire  population  of  the 
Territory  consists  of  agriculturists,  and  out  of  a  total  area  of  over  78,000,000 
acres,  only  about  400,000  acres,  lying  in  a  few  river  and  mountain  valleys, 
are  under  cultivation.  Of  this  latter  amount  some  quarter  of  a  million 
acres  are  under  irrigation  ditches.  It  is  estimated  that  about  6,000,000  acres 
of  land  are  under  fence,  or  available  farm  land.  According  to  the  latest  re- 
turns, there  are  12,311  farms  in  New  Mexico,  of  which  9,128  are  irri- 
gated.    Of  the  total  improved  acreage  some  70  per  cent  is  irrigated. 

The  average  number  of  acres  of  irrigated  land  for  each  mile  of  ditch 
reported  is  86,  and  the  area  under  ditch  averages  272  acres  per  mile.  In 
many  states  where  there  is  a  larger  percentage  of  new  irrigation  enter- 
prises than  in  this  Territory  the  area  irrigated  bears  a  much  smaller  ratio 
to  the  area  under  ditch.  In  the  sections  of  New  Mexico  where  irrigation 
has  been  practiced  for  centuries,  the  effect  on  the  old  canals  of  the  diver- 
sion of  water  at  points  further  up  the  stream  is  shown  by  the  difference 
between  acreage  under  ditch  and  the  area  actually  irrigated.  This  is  espe- 
cially evident  along  the  Rio  Grande.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  valleys  of 
the  Pecos  and  San  Juan  rivers  and  their  tributaries,  the  difference  is  due 
to  new  enterprises  which  have  not  been  sufficiently  developed  to  furnish 
water  to  all  the  lands  under  them.  In  the  newer  districts  this  difference 
indicates  that  an  increase  in  the  irrigated  area  is  possible.  In  the  older 
districts   further   development   without   water  storage  is   unlikely. 

Prices  of  Irrigated  Lands. — The  average  size  of  all  farms  in  the  Terri- 
tory, excluding  Indian  holdings,  is  464  acres,  and  of  irrigated  farms,  360 
acres;  of  the  latter,  there  is  an  average  irrigation  of  26  acres.     The  value 


Las  Cruces  Diversion  Dam 
Showing  the  character  of  construction  work  undertaken  by  Americans  in  New  Mexico   during  the  past 
twenty   years.      This  is  a  view  of  the   present  Las  Cruces  diversion  dam.  which 
•      .supplies  water  to  the  farmers  of  the   Mesilla  Valley. 


■H 


w  ■  -T 


Old  Diversion  D; 


Old  Mexican  diversion  dam  near  El  Paso,  three  hundred  years  old.     A  fair  sample  of  the  best  irrigati 
structures  of  earlier  days. 


IRRIGATION  991 

of  all  lands  in  the  irrigated  farms,  exclusive  of  buildings,  is  $13,551,000, 
and  in  the  unirrigated,  $3,772,000.  The  average  value  per  acre  for  irri- 
gated land  is  $29.26,  while  that  for  the  best  irrigated  alfalfa  land  is  from 
$50  to  $100  per  acre.  Irrigated  fruit  land  runs  as  high  as  $400  to  $500 
per  acre. 

Of  the  78,000,000  acres  which  embrace  the  area  of  New  Mexico,  52,- 
000,000  acres  are  included  in  the  public  domain  of  the  United  States,  and 
of  the  latter,  5,000,000  are  within  the  forest  reserves,  and  the  Indian  and 
military  reservations.  As  to  the  prices  which  obtain  throughout  the  Terri- 
tory, and  the  best  methods  by  which  settlers  may  obtain  irrigable  lands, 
and  those  naturally  watered,  the  following  is  interesting  and  valuable  in- 
formation from  Governor  Otero : 

"The  citizen  or  the  United  States  who  wants  to  come  to  New  Mexico  to  settle 
can  either  purchase  land  now  held  under  private  title  or  secure  a  homestead  or  desert 
land  entry  under  the  land  laws  of  the  United  States,  if  he  is  entitled  to  do  so,"  said 
Governor  Otero.  "The  52,000,000  acres  of  government  land  remaining  are  what  might 
be  called  (the  majority  portion,  at  least)  the  public  range,  which  theoretically  is 
open  to  every  citizen  who  possesses  live  stock.  Good  private  range,  however,  can  only 
be  secured  to-day  at  considerable  outlay.  The  man  who  owns  the  water  on  the  public 
domain  to  all  intents  and  purposes  owns  the  public  range  surrounding  it  for  many 
miles.  To  be  sure,  there  is  much  development  of  water  going  on.  I  know  of  one 
sheep-raiser,  who,  within  the  past  four  years,  has  dug  or  drilled  eight  wells  on  the 
public  domain,  thus  supplying  all  the  water  needed  for  his  extensive  sheep  herds. 

Lands  under  cultivation  and  irrigation,  with  water  rights,  can  be  purchased,  es- 
pecially in  the  valleys  with  streams,  at  from  $10  an  acre  up,  according  to  location 
near  railroads  or  towns,  water  rights,  supply  of  water,  conditions  as  to  crops,  etc. 
Locations  of  this  kind  can  be  found  in  many  sections  of  the  Territory,  but  they  will 
have  to  be  paid  for.  For  instance,  I  know  of  a  fruit  farm  twenty  miles  north  of 
Santa  Fe  of  less  than  twenty  acres,  the  trees  in  actual  bearing,  which  may  be  pur- 
chased for  $3,000,  and  I  know  of  land  in  the  Rio  Grande  Valley  with  water  rights 
and  irrigation  ditches  located  between  Los  Lunas  and  Belen,  which  can  be  bought 
for  from  $15  to  $20  an  acre.  Upon  the  public  domain  I  doubt  if  there  are  any  quarter 
sections  left  containing  living  water,  but  there  are  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
quarter  sections  upon  which  the  energetic,  thrifty  farmer  or  ranchman  who  under- 
stands his  business  could  develop  water  by  the  drilling  of  artesian  wells,  by  the  driv- 
ing or  digging  of  common  wells,  by  the  construction  of  reservoirs  and  dams  or  by 
pumping  the  overflow  or  seepage.  Much  of  such  development  of  water  is  now  going 
on  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  territory,  and  many  homesteads  have  been  taken  up 
in  that  section  in  the  last  three  years  upon  lands  heretofore  considered  absolutely 
unfit  for  cultivation  or  the  production  of  agricultural  crops.  In  some  cases  intensive 
and  dry  farming  is  being  successfully  practiced  on  land  over  which  I  rode  twenty  or 
twenty-five  years  ago,  and  which  at  that  time  I  considered  worthless  for  even  a  poor 
cattle  or  sheep  range. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  homestead  the  intending  homesteader  must  first  select  the 
160  acres  he  desires,  get  the  number  of  the  section  (that  is,  the  description  according 
to  the  United  States  surveys,  quarter  section,  section,  township  and  range),  then  pro- 
ceed to  make  his  entry  at  the  land  office  of  the  district  where  his  selected  location  is 
situated.  The  land  office  fees  are  merely  nominal,  but  the  settler  is  required  to  live 
upon  his  homestead  for  five  years,  make  it  his  home,  and  cultivate  it,  before  he  is 
allowed  to  make  final  proof  and  receive  patents. 

It  is  a  fact  that  the  only  irrigated  and  cultivated  lands  of  the  territory  are  in  the 
valleys  of  its  rivers  and  streams.  The  second  and  third  benches  and  the  vast  stretches 
of  high  table  lands  are  used  only  for  stockraising  purposes.  There  are  many  im- 
proved farms  for  sale  in  the  valleys  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries,  on  the 
Pecos  River,  the  San  Juan  River,  the  Red  River  and  their  tributaries ;  in  any  of  the 
river  valleys  in  this  territory  and  many  of  the  scattered  mountain  valleys.  Prices 
for  these  will  range  all  the  way  from  $15  to  $200  an  acre.  This  territory  is  as  vast 
in  extent  and  is  a  country  of  such  magnificent  distances  that  no  general  rule  can  be 
laid  down,  and  conditions  are  so  different  also,  that  each  section  (one  might  say)  is 
almost  sufficient  unto  itself.     No  man  need   come  to  New  Mexico  expecting  to   pur- 


992  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

chase  land  under  irrigation  ditches  and  with  water  rights  for  less  than  $10  an  acre, 
and  with  annual  rental  either  in  money  or  labor  of  from  $i   per  acre  up. 

Vacant  farm  lands  may  be  found  all  over  the  Territory.  They  are  in  every  county. 
There  is  not  a  single  county  out  of  the  twenty-five  in  the  Territory  that  contains  less 
than  450,000  acres  of  public  domain,  while  there  are  several  which  contain  5,000,000 
acres  and  oyer.  Of  these  I  think  quite  a  percentage  might  be  used  for  agricultural 
and  stockraising  purposes,  could  water  be  secured.  Of  late  it  has  been  secured  by 
deep  wells  and  artesian  wells  and  the  construction  of  reservoirs  and  ditch  systems  in 
many  sections  where  it  was  deemed  impossible  to  do  so,  even  as  late  as  three  years 
ago. 

Irrigation  in  General. — As  intimated  by  Governor  Otero,  irrigation 
ditches  and  wells  are  to  be  the  salvation  of  New  Mexico,  and  in  order 
to  "make  good,"  every  agriculturist  must  first  look  to  his  water  supply. 
Until  the  larger  projects  are  perfected,  each  farmer  and  ranchman  must 
become  a  member  of  some  community  system,  by  which  a  ditch  is  held 
and  controlled  by  the  owners  of  the  land  it  irrigates.  Those  who  are 
members  of  one  community  system  usually  live  together  in  a  village  or 
pueblo.  In  the  fall  of  each  year  a  mayordomo  is  elected,  who  has  full 
control  of  the  ditch  for  the  following  season.  He  assesses  the  land  for  the 
labor  necessary  to  clean  the  ditch  and  keep  it  in  repair  during  the  irri- 
gation season,  apportions  the  water  to  each  consumer  according  to  the 
local  conditions,  and  in  general  supervises  all  matters  pertaining  to  irriga- 
tion. While  the  apportionment  of  labor  varies,  it  is  generally  such  that 
a  farmer  holding  a  tract  of  six  acres  is  required  to  furnish  the  labor  of 
one  man  in  cleaning  and  repairing  the  entire  ditch  in  the  spring,  while  he 
who  holds  twelve  acres  furnishes  a  man's  labor  whenever  necessary  dur- 
ing the  entire  season.  Usually  the  ditches  have  no  regulating  gates,  or 
sluices,  and  flooding  is  the  only  means  of  irrigation :  consequently,  the 
use  of  water  is  extremely  wasteful.  These  remarks  especially  apply  to 
the  Rio  Grande  valley. 

The  Irrigation  Districts. — Physically,  New  Mexico  may  be  divided 
into  the  eastern  plains,  watered  by  the  Pecos  and  Canadian  rivers — the 
former  draining  the  eastern  and  southeastern  sections  and  flowing  into 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  the  latter,  the  northeastern  portion,  and  emptying 
into  the  Arkansas ;  the  great  central  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  with  nu- 
merous tributary  valleys,  formed  by  the  affluent  streams  and  the  mountain 
ranges  on  either  side:  and.  lastly,  the  western  plateaus,  the  northern  sec- 
tions drained  by  the  San  Juan,  and  its  southern  by  the  San  Francisco  and 
Gila  rivers,  all  tributaries  of  the  Colorado.  A  small  section  of  the  plateau 
region  in  southwestern  New  Mexico  is  drained  by  the  Mimbres.  which 
rises  in  the  mountains  of  that  name,  near  the  Gila,  but  flows  toward  the 
Rio  Grande,  its  waters  being  often  lost  in  the  sands  of  New  and  Old 
Mexico. 

The  principal  irrigation  development  in  western  New  Mexico  has 
been  in  the  region  of  the  San  Juan,  and  its  tributaries  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  by  that  name.  The  sources  of  this  river  are  in  the  San 
Juan  and  La  Plata  mountains  in  Colorado,  and  the  affluents  which  it  re- 
ceives from  the  south  are  unimportant  and  have  little  bearing  on  the  irri- 
gation problem.  Near  the  Colorado  line  the  San  Juan  has  a  mean  flow 
of  960  cubic  feet  per  second,  and  the  Las  Animas,  its  most  important 
tributary,  of  856  feet  at  a  point  below  Bloomington.  The  Rio  La  Plata 
has  an  estimated  flow  of  50  feet.     While  the  flow  of  all  these  streams  is 


IRRIGATION  yyd 

perennial,  it  fluctuates  with  the  seasons,  being  especially  increased  by  thfc 
melting  snows  of  spring  and  the  rains  of  the"  early  fall.  In  the  drainage 
basin  of  the  San  Juan  there  are  52  ditches,  located  as  follows:  On  th* 
Las  Animas  20  ditches,  irrigating  7.132  acres;  on  the  San  Juan  19,  irri 
gating  3.999  acres;  and  on  the  La  Plata  13,  irrigating  3,063  acres.  Tho 
total  area  irrigated  by  the  San  Juan  and  its  tributaries  is  14,734  acres. 
The  valleys  of  the  La  Plata  and'  the  Las  Animas,  especially  where  they 
blend  with  the  main  valley  of  the  San  Juan,  are  among  the  most  fertile 
districts  in  the  Territory,  and  noted  for  their  fine  fruits.  The  Reclamation 
Service  has  a  project  under  investigation  in  the  La  Plata  valley,  which 
promises  to  be  of  great  benefit  to  that  section. 

A  large  irrigation  project  has  lately  been  published  which  is  designed 
to  bring  into  the  market  many  thousand  acres  of  land  along  the  I'pper 
Mimbres.  It  is  said  that  the  Rio  Mimbres  Irrigation  Company,  which  for 
a  dozen  years  has  been  experimenting  on  the  adaptability  of  lands  in  this 
section  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  melons,  vegetables  (especially  sugar  beets) 
and  canaigre,  has  acquired  110,000  acres  of  choice  lands  extending  28 
miles  up  the  valley  from  Deming,  with  a  width  of  twelve  townships.  The 
land  lies  mainly  in  Luna  county.  The  plan  of  the  irrigation  company  is 
to  construct  a  dam  at  a  point  twenty-four  miles  north  and  west  of  Deming, 
known  as  Rock  canyon,  or  Geronimo's  postoffice.  It  is  to  be  900  feet  wide", 
115  feet  high,  secure  a  depth  of  about  80  feet  of  water,  and  form  a  reser- 
voir three  miles  long  and  three  miles  wide,  gathering  the  drainage  from  an 
area  of  750  square  miles.  It  is  estimated  that  the  construction  of  the  dam, 
reservoir,  and  75  miles  of  canals  will  cost  about  $1,000,000.  The  engineers 
believe  that  the  water-shed  thus  utilized  will  furnish  irrigation  for  300,000 
acres.  Of  this  quantity  the  reservoir  will  actually  hold  a  supply  neces- 
sary for  the  irrigation  of  80,000  acres. 

Irrigation  in  the  Canadian  River  Region. — The  northeastern  portion 
of  New  Mexico  is  a  thick  network  of  streams,  rising  in  the  Las  Yejas  and 
Taos  ranges  and  flowing  in  a  general  southeastward  direction  into  the 
Canadian  river,  that  also  being  the  main  course  of  the  parent  stream.  With- 
in the  Territory  the  valley  of  the  Canadian  river  is  200  miles  in  length, 
and  there  is  no  section  of  New  Mexico  where  the  irrigation  systems  have 
been  more  extensively  developed,  although  the  projects  have  not  been 
on  so  extensive  a  scale  as  those  undertaken  in  the  Pecos  and  Rio  Grande 
valleys.  The  ditches  in  this  drainage  basin  are  confined  almost  wholly 
to  the  tributaries  of  the  Canadian,  as  the  course  of  the  main  stream  is  gen- 
erallv  through  a  canyon  from  which  it  does  not  emerge  until  it  passes  the 
Territorial  boundary.  Important  irrigation  is  supplied  by  the  Cimarron, 
Vermejo.  Mora,  and  Conchas  rivers,  those  on  the  two  first-mentioned 
streams  being  the  most  extensive  in  the  Territory.  Two  large  canals, 
constructed  by  a  corporation,  are  located  on  the  Maxwell  grant,  a  tract 
containing  1,491,765  acres  of  erazing  and  agricultural  lands,  and  including 
within  its  boundaries  the  headwaters  of  the  Canadian,  Vermejo,  and  Cimar- 
ron rivers.  Along  the  line  of  these  canals  is  a  series  of  natural  basins  or 
ancient  lake  beds,  favorably  situated,  in  which  large  quantities  of  water  are 
stored.  Many  smaller  natural  reservoir  sites,  located  at  elevations  where 
evaporation  is  comparatively  slight,  are  found  near  the  headwaters  of  nearly 
all  the  streams  which  originate  in  this  basin.  Eleven  reservoirs,  with  a 
combined  capacity  of  6,000  acre-feet  have  been  constructed   on   the  Ver- 


994  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

me  jo.  On  the  Cimarron  there  are  thirteen  individual  ditches  and  one  cor- 
poration ditch.  Connected  with  these  are  four  storage  reservoirs,  with 
an  aggregate  capacity  of  6,000  acre-feet.  The  area  irrigated  by  the  ditches 
of  this  stream  is  7,629  acres.  Mora  river  and  its  tributaries  supply  water 
for  practically  all  the  irrigation  systems  in  Mora  county.  None  of  the 
normal  flow  of  this  stream  reaches  the  Canadian  river  during  the  irrigating 
season,  and  there  is  a  general  scarcity  of  water  throughout  its  entire  drain- 
age basin.  The  insufficient  water  supply  has  greatly  retarded  agricultural 
development  and  has  caused  the  abandonment  of  many  acres  of  valuable 
land.  As  a  partial  relief  from  these  conditions  two  ditches  have  been 
built,  by  which,  during  the  periods  of  greatest  scarcity,  water  is  taken 
from  the  Rio  del  Pueblo  in  Taos  county  and  diverted  through  passes  in 
the  mountains.  All  the  ditches  along  the  Mora  and  its  tributaries  are  either 
private  or  community  ditches,  and  the  methods  of  management  and  dis- 
tribution are  those  commonly  found  in  all  Mexican  settlements. 

Irrigation  in  the  Valley  of  the  Pecos. — The  drainage  area  or  catchment 
basin  of  the  Pecos  river  lying  within  the  Territory,  available  for  irrigation 
purposes,  is  estimated  at  20,000  square  miles,  and  embraces  eastern  and 
southeastern  New  Mexico.  The  most  fertile  lands,  and  those  to  whose 
development  the  most  important  irrigation  systems  have  been  directed, 
are  in  Chaves  and  Eddy  counties,  and  the  main  projects  undertaken  in  the 
past  and  still  being  prosecuted  by  the  Reclamation  Service  have  centered 
around  Roswell  and  Carlsbad.  The  arduous  and  faithful  initiatory  work 
accomplished  by  Charles  B.  Eddy,  Charles  W.  Greene,  J.  J.  Hagerman  and 
others  has  already  been  described  in  the  histories  of  those  counties.  Upon 
their  work,  incomplete  and  disastrous  though  it  was,  the  government  en- 
gineers of  the  Reclamation  Service  have  based  their  great  irrigation  works, 
centering  in  the  construction  of  the  Hondo  reservoir,  twelve  miles  west  of 
Roswell,  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  Lake  Avalon  reservoir,  six  miles  north 
of  Carlsbad,  with  the  entire  remodeling  of  what  was  long  known  as  the 
Southern  canal  of  the  Hagerman  irrigation  system. 

The  Hondo  Project. — The  credit  for  discovering  the  natural  depres- 
sion north  of  the  Hondo  and  suggesting  the  completion  of  the  basin's  rim 
by  filling  the  few  gaps  in  the  encircling  range  of  hills — the  Columbus  of 
the  Hondo  reservoir — was  Leslie  M.  Long,  a  civil  engineer,  who  came  to 
Roswell  in  the  early  eighties  and  established  a  ranch  ten  miles  west  of 
town.  His  plans  for  transforming  this  depression  into  an  artificial  lake 
for  irrigation  purposes  included  an  inlet  and  an  outlet  canal  from  the 
Rio  Hondo,  and  these  he  communicated  to  such  men  as  Nathan  Jaffa  and 
William  S.  Prager,  of  Roswell.  These  men.  with  Peter  Pauley,  of  St. 
Louis,  formed  the  First  New  Mexico  Irrigation  and  Reservoir  Company, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  1890  its  agents  and  engineers  pros- 
pected and  bored  quite  thoroughly  in  the  site  of  the  proposed  reservoir, 
but  the  company  was  cramped  for  lack  of  funds,  and  in  1892-3  sold  its 
rights  to  J.  J.  Hagerman  and  his  associates. 

It  was  then  that  W.  M.  Reed  came  to  Roswell  and  first  assumed  the 
work  of  which  he  has  remained  in  charge  as  a  United  States  engineer  with 
the  Reclamation  Service,  and  the  plans  which  he  then  made  are  practically 
the  same  as  those  which  he  has  carried  out  in  behalf  of  the  national  govern- 
ment. While  in  charge  of  the  work  for  the  Hagerman  Company  he  par- 
tially  completed  the   inlet   and  outlet   canals,   the  outlet  ditch  being  quite 


IRRIGATION  995 

an  expensive  structure.  Then  came  the  panic  of  1893,  the  paralyzing 
shortage  of  money,  and  the  going  out  of  the  first  Avalon  dam,  on  the 
Southern  canal.  With  the  exception  of  performing  the  little  work  actually 
required  in  the  maintenance  of  its  property  rights,  the  connection  of  the 
Hagerman  Company  with  the  Hondo  reservoir  ceased  in  the  year  named, 
and  in  1904  the  government  made  a  legal  and  ready  purchase  of  the  site, 
improvements  and  property  generally. 

Two  years  of  strenuous  effort  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  of  Roswell 
had  been  required  before  this  decisive  step  had  been  brought  about.  In  the 
fall  of  1902  an  irrigation  congress  was  held  at  Colorado  Springs.  This 
meeting  had  followed  the  passage  of  the  irrigation  act  on  June  17,  1902. 
A  committee  of  Roswell  men,  composed  of  W.  M.  Reed,  H.  R.  Morrow, 
G.  A.  Richardson,  L.  D.  McGuffey  and  Jason  W.  James,  waited  upon  the 
convention,  and  particularly  upon  Frederick  H.  Newell,  of  Washington, 
chief  engineer  of  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service.  One  week  later 
the  government  engineer  was  going  over  the  ground  of  the  Hondo  reser- 
voir in  company  with  Mr.  Reed,  and  promised  to  start  the  project  if  the 
latter  would  take  charge  of  the  work  and  stay  with  it  until  completed. 
This  request  was  made  on  account  of  a  shortage  of  men  who  could  take 
such  responsibility.  Mr.  Reed  made  the  promise,  and  the  preliminary  sur- 
veys were  made  in  January  of  1903  by  W.  A.  Wilson,  who  was  under  Mr. 
Reed's  direction,  of  course. 

With  these  surveys  the  board  of  consulting  engineers  of  the  United 
States  Reclamation  Service  gave  the  project  the  stamp  of  their  approval 
by  recommending  that  work  be  done.  This  recommendation  was  made  to 
Secretarv  of  the  Interior  Hitchcock,  and  in  June  of  1904  the  secretary  of 
the  interior  approved  the  work.  The  consulting  engineers  of  the  board 
then  were  A.  P.  Davis,  G  Y.  Wisner,  W.  H.  Sanders  and  H.  N.  Savage. 
On  December  5,  1904,  the  contract  for  blasting  and  remoyal  of  stone  was 
let  to  the  Slinkard  Construction  Company,  of  Roswell,  and  the  contract 
for  the  removal  and  filling  of  earth  work  was  let  to  the  Taylor-Moore 
Construction  Company,  of  Hillsboro,  Texas.  That  same  month  the  com- 
panies began  to  move  their  machinery  to  the  sit;,  and  Slinkard's  men  were 
throwing  rock  and  dirt  by  New  Year's  Day.  The  Taylor-Moore  people 
began  actual  work  in  January,  1905. 

The  inlet  canal  takes  its  water  from  the  Hondo  at  a  point  about  thir- 
teen miles  from  Roswell.  Thus  it  is  about  a  mile  above  the  reservoir,  from 
east  to  west,  and  about  twenty-five  feet  above  it  in  actual  altitude.  This 
fall  in  the  river  gives  the  canal  sufficient  altitude  to  fill  the  reservoir  to  a 
depth  of  about  twenty-five  feet.  This  inlet  canal  was  built  with  the  wisdom 
of  the  best  engineers  of  the  United  States.  Should  the  water  of  the  Hondo, 
muddy  from  is  mad  spring  rush  from  the  mountains,  be  run  into  the  reser- 
voir, the  silt  that  would  settle  there  would,  it  is  estimated,  fill  the  entire 
basin  in  forty  years.  To  avoid  this  and  to  make  the  life  of  the  reservoir 
interminable,  the  inlet  canal  was  made  as  one  long  settling  basin.  The 
water  is  to  run  into  the  canal  to  a  depth  of  ten  feet.  Along  the  lower  side 
of  the  canal,  beginning  near  the  intake  and  extending  almost  to  the  reser- 
voir, is  a  system  of  gates  that  will  let  the  water  on  the  bottom  run  out 
through  small  canals  back  into  the  river.  Of  these  gates  there  are  two 
spillwavs  and  four  sluice  gates.  They  will  release  the  heavy,  silt-laden 
water  that  sinks  to  the  bottom.     At  the  lower  end  of  the  inlet  canal,  a  mile 


996  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  a  half  from  the  intake,  is  a  weir,  which  will  permit  only  the  top  part 
of  the  settled  water  to  spill  into  the  reservoir.  In  this  way  the  blackest  of 
water  entering  the  canal  is  absolutely  clear  when  run  into  the  reservoir. 
A  test  has  proven  that  the  theory  is  correct.  Only  a  third  of  the  water 
that  runs  into  the  inlet  canal  goes  into  the  final  receptacle,  but  with  the 
average  head  of  water  that  comes  down  the  Hondo  every  spring  the  reser- 
voir can  be  filled  in  ten  days,  nevertheless. 

To  increase  the  capacity  of  the  natural  basin  to  an  amount  considered 
practical,  six  fills  had  to  be  made,  the  maximum  height  of  these  embank- 
ments being  twenty-two  feet.  In  each  case  these  fills  were  made  130  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom  and  twenty  feet  wide  at  the  top.  They  were  made  by 
the  placing  of  dirt,  sprinkling  and  rolling  it  with  immense  machinery  in 
thin  layers.  The  tops  of  these  embankments  now  make  splendid  drive- 
ways. Although  they  are  made  of  dirt,  they  are  so  compact  that  even 
after  a  rain  heavily  laden  wagons  make  no  material  impression  on  their 
surface. 

The  Hondo  reservoir  has  a  surface  of  2,000  acres.  From  east  to  west 
it  is  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  from  north  to  south  two  and  a  quarter 
miles  in  width.  A  straight  line  over  three  miles  long  coidd  be  drawn, 
however,  diagonally  across  the  lake.  The  water  will  have  an  average 
depth  of  twenty  feet,  making  its  capacity  40,000  acre-feet  of  water.  It  will 
irrigate  10,000  acres  of  land,  supplying  every  acre  with  a  depth  of  forty- 
eight  inches  every  year.  Alfalfa,  the  most  thirsty  of  all  crops,  requires  no 
more  than  thirty  inches  of  water  per  year. 

The  outlet  pipes  will  pass  a  head  of  thirty-eight  feet  of  water.  Run- 
ning down  the  outlet  canal  and  emptying  into  the  river  bed,  the  water  will 
follow  the  natural  stream's  course  for  a  mile.  Then  begins  the  system  of 
laterals  that  will  distribute  it  over  10,000  acres.  This  land  extends  on  both 
sides  of  the  Hondo  from  a  mile  below  the  reservoir  to  within  a  half  mile 
of  the  city  limits  of  Roswell.  The  lateral  canals  reach  every  quarter  section 
in  the  irrigated  district. 

The  land  irrigated  by  this  reservoir  is  owned  entirely  by  individuals. 
They  have  formed  the  Rio  Hondo  Water  Users'  Association,  and  this  cor- 
poration will  have  entire  management  of  the  reservoir  after  it  is  completed 
and  accepted  by  the  government.  These  owners  will  pay  for  their  water 
rights  at  the  rate  of  $2.75  per  acre  for  ten  years.  The  estimated  cost  of 
the  work  was  $275,000,  but  it  will  probably  go  close  to  $300,000.  The  ap- 
propriation for  this  purpose  was  $275,000.  Each  acre  of  irrigated  land 
will  have  paid  $27.50  to  the  government  in  ten  years.  Thus  the  land 
owners  will  have  to  pay  no  interest.  The  entire  tract  is  owned  mostly  in 
pieces  of  from  twenty  to  160  acres. 

The  Southern  (Carlsbad)  Canal  System. — When  the  first  dam  at 
Lake  Avalon,  a  few  miles  above  Eddy  (Carlsbad),  was  washed  away  in 
August,  1893.  the  Hagerman  Company  devoted  its  already  shattered  ener- 
gies to  the  work  of  repairing  it.  It  was  rebuilt,  in  spite  of  the  depressing 
financial  period,  at  a  cost  of  about  $180,000,  but  the  canals  were  still  leaky 
and  imperfect,  and,  owing  to  cramped  finances  and  inadequate  expenditure, 
the  entire  system  was  imperfect.  Still,  with,  good  times  and  fair  receipts 
from  water  users,  the  faults  would  undoubtedly  have  been  corrected  ;  but 
the  improvement  was  not  to  come  under  the  Hagerman  management,  and 


IRRIGATION  997 

on  October  2.  1904,  when  the  second  Avalon  dam  went  out  with  the  flood, 
the  company   was   virtually  bankrupt. 

The  plant,  which  then  belonged  to  the  Pecos  Irrigation  Company, 
consisted  of  the  McMillan  reservoir,  the  upper  storage  clam;  the  Avalon 
reservoir,  until  its  destruction  known  as  the  lower  storage  and  diversion 
dam,  and  a  system  of  canals  furnishing  water  to  about  14,000  acres  of 
land.  When  the  lower  dam  at  Lake  Avalon  was  washed  away,  this  break  in 
the  diversion  dam,  at  the  head  of  the  system,  cut  off  the  water  completely 
from  the  canals.  As  the  Pecos  Irrigation  Company  could  not  undertake 
to  repair  it,  an  appeal  to  the  Reclamation  Service,  supported  by  the  water 
users,  resulted  in  an  examination  and  survey  of  the  property  by  the  gov- 
ernment engineers  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  proper  basis  for  its  purchase. 
These  government  investigations  were  begun  in  December,  1904. 

In  January,  1905,  certain  individuals  owning  stock  and  bonds  in  the 
Pecos  Irrigation  Company  subscribed  an  amount  of  money  that  was  con- 
sidered sufficient  for  building  a  temporary  diversion  dam,  turning  the 
water  into  the  canal,  and  for  repairing  the  canals  and  concrete  aqueduct 
across  the  river  to  the  west  side  canal.  The  engineers  of  the  Reclamation 
Service  were  asked  to  make  plans  for  this  temporary  work  and  give  general 
supervision  to  the  construction,  while  making  the  investigations  above  re- 
ferred to.  As  money  was  very  scarce,  the  plans  for  the  construction  of 
the  diversion  dam  were  based  noon  the  assumption  that  there  would  be  no 
floods  in  the  river  during  the  winter  season,  as  the  records  of  the  company 
for  sixteen  continuous  vears  showed  that  the  river  was  always  low  in 
winter  and  that  no  floods  had  occurred  in  winter  during  that  period.  The 
plans  for  this  diversion  dam  are  a  strong  earth  embankment  across  the 
valley  and  a  timber  spillway  100  feet  long  at  its  center  where  it  crosses 
the  river  channel.  The  top  of  the  spillway  is  twenty  feet  above  low  water 
in  the  river  and  the  top  of  the  earth  embankment  is  ten  feet  higher. 

The  construction  was  begun  about  the  last  of  January,  1905.  The 
weather  immediately  turned  very  cold  and  the  month  of  February  had 
three  heavy  snows  with  freezing  weather  that  made  it  impossible  to  work. 
Then  the  floods  began  in  the  river  and  have  continued  ever  since. 

The  work  on  the  concrete  flume  was  carried  to  successful  completion 
and  the  earth  embankment  of  the  diversion  dam  was  completed  in  like 
manner:  but  the  timber  spillway  in  the  bed  of  the  river  and  its  connection 
with  the  embankment  on  each  end  has  been  the  constant  plaything  of  the 
floods.  Lake  McMillan,  ten  miles  above,  which  had  been  relied  on  to  con- 
trol the  river  and  had  never  been  full  in  the  winter  time  before,  was  abso- 
lutely inadequate  to  control  the  floods  of  the  season.  It  would  hold  the 
water  only  long  enough  to  get  in  part  of  the  foundations  of  the  spillway 
in  the  river  bed  and  then  begin  to  run  over  and  cause  a  rise  that  would 
wash  them  out.  Under  these  conditions  the  timber  abutments  connecting 
the  earthwork  at  the  left  bank  was  so  badly  strained  that  it  evidently  de- 
veloped unobserved  leaks  in  the  sheet  piling  and  planking  underneath, 
which  caused  it  to  fail  when  the  water  was  finally  raised  on  it.  The  wash- 
out which  occurred  about  midnight  on  June  4th  took  out  this  abutment,  with 
a  small  portion  of  the  timber  work  on  one  side  and  a  small  portion  of  the 
end  of  the  embankment  on  the  other  side  of  it. 

It  would  seem  that  the  elements  conspired  against  the  construction 
of  this  diversion  dam  for  the  temporary  relief  of  the  people  of  the  lower 


998  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Pecos  valley,  although  fortunately  the  rains  during  this  season  of  attempted 
work  were  more  abundant  than  usual.  As  the  interior  department  has  set 
aside  $600,000  for  this  work,  however,  future  operations  will  be  conducted 
with  a  view  of  thoroughly  remodeling  the  entire  system  on  permanent 
lines. 

Artesian  Belt  of  the  Pecos  Valley. — The  failure  of  the  irrigation  sys- 
tems of  the  Pecos  valley  to  meet  the  requirements  of  this  splendid  agri- 
cultural and  horticultural  section  of  New  Mexico  has  a  partial  compensa- 
tion in  the  development  of  the  wonderful  artesian  supply,  whose  value 
even  now  can  only  be  imperfectly  gauged.  The  first  well  was  discovered 
in  Roswell  in  1891,  and  there  are  now  fully  400  in  the  district,  flowing 
continually  and  apparently  yielding  inexhaustible  supplies.  The  story  of 
the  wonderful  development  of  the  artesian  belt  in  Chaves  and  Eddy  coun- 
ties has  already  been  told  in  the  history  of  those  counties.  Considered  from 
a  scientific  standpoint,  this  area  of  artesian  waters  is  thus  described  by 
George  P.  Cleveland,  of  Artesia : 

"Beginning  at  the  head  of  North  Spring  river,  where  is  located  the 
beautiful  town  of  Roswell,  and  following  it  nearly  east  for  ten  or  twelve 
miles  to  the  point  where  it  empties  into  the  Pecos  river,  and  thence  down 
the  Pecos  about  fifty  miles,  you  traverse  a  valley  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles 
broad,  under  which  is  a  subterranean  watershed.  Tapping  this  watershed 
with  drills,  as  you  go  down  the  Pecos  valley,  on  the  west  side,  the  water 
will  rise  higher  and  higher  above  the  surface,  until  at  Artesia  it  will  reach 
a  height  of  210  feet. 

"In  prehistoric  times  there  has  been  thrown  up  a  section  of  country 
passing  about  twelve  miles  to  the  north  of  Roswell  and  continuing  nearly 
south  for  about  sixty-five  miles,  and  thence  westward  to  the  foothills  of 
the  Guadalupe  mountains.  When  this  upheaval  occurred,  it  broke  and 
sealed  all  the  strata  below,  and  it  now  acts  as  a  huge  dam  across  an  im- 
mense river,  held  down  by  an  impervious  covering;  and  it  is  this  dam 
which  caused  the  water  to  come  to  the  surface  at  Roswell  when  it  made 
North  Spring  river. 

"Attempting  to  raise  the  water  level,  a  dam  was  thrown  across  North 
Spring  river  near  its  exit  from  the  hills,  and  the  river  refused  to  climb  the 
dam.  This  proves  there  is  a  subterranean  flow  on  the  same  level  as  is  the 
water  at  the  head  of  North  Spring  river,  and  that  stream  joined  the  flow 
instead  of  climbing  to  the  higher  level  of  the  dam,  the  dam  being  removed 
to  get  back  the  flow  of  the  surface  part  of  this  hidden  river. 

"To  the  east  of  this  thrown-up  country,  against  which  the  Pecos  lies 
as  it  flows  south,  no  artesian  water  has  been  found,  nor  do  I  know  of  any 
deep  drilling  there ;  but  south  of  this  area  of  upheaval,  at  Carlsbad,  where 
it  turns  westward  to  the  foothills  of  the  Guadalupe  mountains,  which  is 
about  twelve  miles  below  where  the  Pecos  has  cut  its  way  through  the 
surface  of  the  subterranean  dam.  wells  have  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  2,200 
feet  and  failed  to  flow.  Some  ten  miles  west  of  Carlsbad,  Black  river  rises 
from  the  ground,  and  to  the  southward  and  eastward  for  a  hundred  miles, 
through  the  semi-desert  country,  a  great  number  of  streams  or  springs 
boldly  gush  from  the  soil.  On  the  Texas  Pacific,  twenty  miles  west  of 
Pecos  City,  is  a  good  flowing  well  800  feet  deep,  and  along  the  river  in 
and  around  that  place  are  numerous  shallow,  light-flowing  wells;  all  of 
which  seems  to  indicate  that  the  artesian  watershed  that  was  broken  and 


IRRIGATION  999 

sealed  by  the  above  mentioned  subterranean  dike  finds  a  westward  outlet 
which  is  on  a  level  with  the  headwaters  of  North  Spring  river.  As  to 
where  all  this  water  originates,  we  cannot  hope  to  have  any  detailed 
knowledge,  but  in  a  general  way  conclude  that  it  is  drained  from  a  good 
part  of  the  subterranean  watershed  of  our  end  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
range. 

"Our  known  or  proven  artesian  water  level  includes  about  500,000 
acres  of  land,  and  by  drilling  we  have  found  that  this  watershed  is  miles 
broader  than  the  area  mentioned.  And  as  to  where  this  water  goes,  we 
cannot  know  :  but  it  is  highly  important  and  intensely  gratifying  that  -it 
continues  to  flow  and  will  not  desert  us.  even  after  we  drill  holes  enough 
to  irrigate  every  inch  of  our  500,000  acres  under  our  artesian  level.  In 
other  words,  water  under  this  level  will  be  the  maximum  and  land  the 
minimum,  and  I  cannot  find  the  existence  of  a  like  condition  anywhere 
else.  Nowhere  else  have  we  had  any  reliable  data  from  which  to  calculate 
as  to  the  cause  of  an  artesian  water  level,  or  to  determine  approximately  the 
quantity  of  water  available. 

"About  twelve  days  ago  (from  the  time  of  writing)  occurred  a  down- 
pour of  rain,  causing  overflows  which  have  not  been  equalled  in  twenty 
years.  The  flood  came  over  the  hills  and  poured  into  the  basin  at  the  head 
of  North  Spring  river  until  it  raised  the  water  level  about  five  feet,  and 
that  level  being  five  feet  higher  than  the  subterranean  exit,  the  flood  water 
went  off  through  the  underground  passage;  as  its  gravity  carried  it  to  this 
lower  level,  the  fish  which  were  in  the  basin  at  the  head  of  the  river  were 
borne  along,  and  some  of  them  came  to  the  surface  through  the  wells  at 
Artesia,  forty-five  miles  below  where  thev  doubtless  commenced  their 
journey.  In  one  instance  they  came  up  through  the  drill  pipe,  having 
struck  the  flow  about  875  feet  below  the  surface.  This  evidence  so  forcibly 
corroborates  the  truth  of  my  inductions  that  it  sets  me  on  the  plane  of 
conclusive  fact  instead  of  in  the  territory  of  theory." 

The  Elephant  Butte  Project. — The  government  projects  for  the  irri- 
gation of  lands  in  the  Pecos  valley  are  overshadowed  by  the  magnitude  of 
the  enterprise  now  being  prosecuted  by  the  Reclamation  Service  at  Ele- 
phant Butte,  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  due  west  of  Eagle,  a  station  on  the 
Atchison.  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad,  Sierra  county.  After  vears  of 
futile  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Rio  Grande  Dam  and  Irrigation  Company 
to  construct  an  enormous  dam  and  reservoir  at  that  point,  bitter  opposition 
from  the  national  government,  on  the  assumed  ground  that  the  works 
would  be  an  obstruction  to  the  navigation  of  the  river,  and  many  decisions 
by  the  district  and  supreme  courts  of  New  Mexico  and  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  to  the  effect  that  the  course  of  the  Rio  Grande  above 
Elephant  Butte  never  had  been  navigable  and  never  could  be — after  a  decade 
of  contentions  and  litigations  the  great  work,  substantially  as  projected, 
has  been  assumed  by  the  United  States  Reclamation  Service  of  the  Interior 
Department.  As  it  is  estimated  that  more  than  $7,000,000  will  be  re- 
quired to  complete  the  work,  which  is  eventually  to  irrigate  180,000  acres 
of  exceptionally  fertile  land  in  Sierra  and  Dona  Ana  counties,  New 
Mexico,  and  El  Paso  county,  Texas,  the  Elephant  Butte  project  is  obvi- 
ously the  most  important  and  expensive  system  of  irrigation  which  has 
ever  been  assumed  by  the  United  States. 

The   government   of   the   United    States,    through    the   relatively   new 


1000  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

bureau  of  the  Interior  Department  known  as  the  Reclamation  Service, 
organized  in  1902-3,  after  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  continuous 
agitation,  has  been  pushing  forward  its  operations  energetically  and  on  a 
scale  more  extensive  than  the  earlier  advocates  of  the  undertaking  could 
have  anticipated.  Up  to  those  years  practically  all  of  the  irrigation  in  the 
west  had  been  carried  on  by  individuals  or  private  associations.  But  no  large 
private  development  work  has  been  financially  successful.  In  most  cases  the 
cost  of  durable  irrigation  structures  has  proven  prohibitive  to  ordinary- 
private  enterprise,  a  fact  that  has  become  generally  recognized  only  after 
millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  in  works  which,  in  many  instances, 
sooner  or  later  have  fallen  as  the  result  of  the  irresistible  onslaught  of 
mountain  floods. 

In  the  Rio  Grande  valley  in  Xew  Mexico — "the  American  Nile,"  as 
it  is  coming  to  be  known — the  Reclamation  Service  recently  has  inaugu- 
rated work  upon  the  greatest  single  irrigation  project  thus  far  undertaken 
in  America.  While  it  is  totally  different  in  magnitude  and  practicability, 
it  occupies  the  same  territory  as  an  enterprise  undertaken  thirteen  years 
ago  by  citizens  of  the  southwest,  financed  by  British  capitalists,  and  aban- 
doned by  the  original  promoters  only  after  one  of  the  most  dramatic  legal 
contests  in  the  history  of  western  development. 

During  the  spring  of  1892  Dr.  Nathan  Boyd,  a  wealthy  Virginian, 
while  in  London  learned  from  a  fellow  American  of  the  organization  of  a 
corporation  called  the  American  Colonization  Company,  which  had  been 
formed  for  the  purchase  and  improvement  of  irrigable  lands  located  on  the 
Rio  Puerco,  a  branch  of  the  Rio  Grande  in  New  Mexico.  Upon  becoming 
acquainted  with  the  salient  features  of  the  colonization  company's  scheme, 
he  willingly  advanced  moneys,  at  various  times,  for  the  promotion  of  the 
undertaking.  Soon  afterward  a  number  of  young  Englishmen  of  good 
families  emigrated  to  America  to  join  the  company's  settlement  near  Albu- 
querque. But  they  found  that  the  company  was  not  able  to  give  clear  titles 
to  the  lands  they  had  purchased,  which  formed  part  of  an  old  Spanish  grant 
to  citizens  of  the  province  of  New  Mexico,  and  they  asked  Dr.  Boyd  to 
advise  them  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue.  Sailing  at  once  for  America, 
he  found  that  there  were  numerous  Mexican  claimants  to  the  land  which 
had  been  sold  to  the  settlers,  and  that  in  all  probability  prolonged  litigation 
would  be  required  before  perfect  title  could  be  established.  So  dismal  was 
the  outlook  that  the  settlers  soon  abandoned  their  claims  and  the  improve- 
ments which  they  had  placed  upon  them.  In  the  meantime  a  deputation 
of  citizens  of  El  Paso  and  Las  Cruces  had  called  upon  Dr.  Boyd  and  re- 
quested him  to  investigate  the  irrigation  possibilities  further  down  the 
Rio  Grande,  directing  his  attention  particularly  to  the  locality  south  of  the 
natural  clam  site  locally  known  as  "Elephant  Butte." 

A  knowledge  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  catch- 
ment area  is  essential  to  a  correct  conception  of  the  manifold  troubles 
which  followed  Dr.  Boyd's  investigations.  This  great  river,  rising  in  the 
mountains  of  Colorado,  flows  in  a  southerly  direction  through  the  entire 
length  of  the  Territorv  of  New  Mexico  to  the  north  boundarv  of  Texas. 
From  this  point  to  "The  Pass,"  about  four  miles  above  El  Paso,  it  forms 
the  boundarv  line  between  New  Mexico  and  Texas.  Throughout  the  re- 
mainder of  its  journey  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  about  thirteen 
hundred  miles,  it  forms  the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and 


IRRIGATION  10(l1 

Mexico.  It  has  always  been  a  torrential  or  storm-water  stream,  subject 
to  tremendous  floods  at  certain  seasons  and  a  dry  bed,  in  places,  at  other 
periods.  The  country  through  which  it  flows  is' extremely  fertile,  but  so 
meagre  and  erratic  is  the  rainfall  that  it  is  a  desert,  upon  which  no  crops 
can  be   raised  without  artificial  irrigation. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  American  and  Mexican 
farmers  of  that  valley  and  the  citizens  of  El  Paso  had  been  endeavoring 
to  raise  capital  for  the  construction  of  a  large  storage  dam  and  a  scientific 
system  of  distributing  canals  for  the  irrigation  of  this  large  tract  of  land. 
National  aid  was  long  sought,  and  the  co-operation  of  Mexico  earnestly 
solicited,  but  in  vain.  Finally,  in  1892.  citizens  of  El  Paso  formed  a  com- 
pany to  build  an  international  storage  dam  in  the  canyon  just  above  that 
city,  but  upon  full  investigation  their  engineers  found  that  the  cost  of  the 
undertaking  would  be  practically  prohibitive.  They  also  found  that  many 
thousands  of  acres  of  fertile  alluvial  vallev  lands  would  have  to  be  con- 
demned for  reservoir  purposes,  and  that  the  proposed  dam  would  raise 
to  a  much  higher  level  the  sub-surface  water-table  (or  underflow)  above, 
and  thereby  "waterlog"  and  render  totally  unfit  for  farming  purposes 
some  forty  thousand  acres  in  the  Mesilla  valley  in  New  Mexico,  much  of 
which  already  was  under  cultivation. 

Having  abandoned  the  idea  of  building  the  storage  dam  at  El  Paso, 
in  1893  the  same  individuals,  associated  with  citizens  of  Las  Cruces,  New 
Mexico,  and  vicinity,  incorporated,  under  the  laws  of  New  Mexico,  a  com- 
pany called  the  Rio  Grande  Dam  and  Irrigation  Company,  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  a  great  storage  dam  at  Elephant  Butte,  located  about  112  miles 
above  El  Paso,  and  a  complete  system  of  diverting  dams  and  distributing 
canals  for  the  irrigation  of  the  valley  below,  as  far  down  as  Fort  Quitman, 
in  Texas.  But  on  account  of  the  condition  of  the  money  market  in 
America  at  this  time  it  was  found  to  be  impossible  to  raise,  even  at 
usurious  rates,  the  large  amount  of  capital  required  to  construct  and  place 
in  operation  the  proposed  system.  The  unparalleled  possibilities  for  a 
mammoth  colonization  enterprise  in  that  region,  the  facilities  for  the  cre- 
ation of  a  great  storage  reservoir  and  the  economic  distribution  of  the 
flood  waters  of  the  coy  and  uncertain  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  over  nearly 
200.000  acres  of  exceedingly  fertile  land  were  so  obvious,  even  to  the  in- 
experienced eye,  that  Dr.  Boyd  finally  concluded  that  he  would  undertake 
to  finance  the  enterprise.  He  returned  to  Europe  in  1894,  and  after  spend- 
ing nearly  two  years  and  a  small  fortune  in  efforts  to  provide  the  neces- 
sary capital,  a  firm  of  company  solicitors  in  London  proposed  to  form  an 
English  company  to  finance  the  American  company.  This  was  finally 
accomplished.  An  exceptionally  influential  English  board  was  secured,  the 
members  of  which  invested  heavily  in  the  enterprise.  It  included  Colonel 
W.  J.  Engledue,  R.  E..  an  irrigation  expert  of  established  repute:  the 
Earl  "of  Winchelsea  and  Nottingham,  president  of  the  National  Agricult- 
ural Association  of  Great  Britain ;  Lord  Clanmorris,  Lord  Ernest  Hamil- 
ton and  Robert  J.  Price,  M.  P.  Samuel  Hope  Morley,  governor  of  the 
Bank  of  England ;  Rt.  Hon.  Arnold  Morley,  a  member  of  the  last  Glad- 
stone cabinet,  and  four  other  of  England's  multi-millionaires  also  became 
financially  interested  in  the  great  enterprise.  Colonel  Engledue  came  over 
and  investigated  the  engineering  features  of  the  proposed  works  and  the 
rights  and  "titles  of  the  domestic  company.     Work  on  the  proposed  dams 


1002  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  canals  was  begun,  a  great  colonization  system  was  organized,  branch 
offices  and  agencies  were  established  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  continent, 
and  contracts  were  made  for  the  sale  of  large  blocks  of  land  for  fruit  and 
vine  culture,  the  company  undertaking  to  provide  water  within  two  years. 
Widespread  general  interest  in  the  enterprise  in  particular  and  in  the 
resources  of  the  southwest  in  general  was  aroused,  both  in  the  United 
States  and  in  Europe,  when,  at  the  instigation  of  the  commissioner  of  the 
international  boundary  commission,  the  attorney-general  of  the  United 
States,  on  May  24,  1897,  instituted  proceedings  enjoining  the  completion 
of  the  work. 

The  news  came  like  a  thunderbolt  from  the  blue  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Rio  Grande  valley,  who  were  congratulating  themselves  that  the 
efforts  of  many  years  to  bring  about  an  improvement  in  their  condition 
were  at  last  about  to  be  rewarded  in  a  substantial  manner.  This  action 
on  the  part  of  the  federal  government  appears  to  have  been  the  outcome 
of  plans  laid  some  time  before  by  promoters  of  a  proposed  international 
irrigation  sheme  which,  if  successfully  consummated,  would  have  forever 
deprived  the  American  states  drained  in  part  by  the  Rio  Grande  of  the 
use  of  any  considerable  proportion  of  its  water  for  purposes  of  irrigation. 
For  several  years  prior  to  the  inauguration  of  this  proceeding  there  had 
been  a  great  scarcity  of  water,  especially  in  southern  New  Mexico  and  in 
that  portion  of  Mexico  bordering  upon  the  river.  This  led  to  a  complaint 
from  the  republic  of  Mexico,  and  as  the  result  of  diplomatic  negotiations 
between  the  two  countries,  in  May,  1896,  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
international  boundary  commission  for  investigation. 

The  United  States  engineer  who  conducted  the  investigation,  Mr.  W. 
W.  Follette,  made  an  able  report  to  the  international  commission,  in  which 
he  showed  the  true  cause  of  water  scarcity.  The  commission  in  turn  re- 
ported to  the  federal  government,  recommending  as  "the  best  and  most 
feasible  mode  of  regulating  the  use  of  water  and  securine  to  each  country 
and  its  inhabitants  their  legal  and  equitable  rights  in  said  waters,"  that 
the  United  States  government  should  buy  all  necessary  land,  pay  all  dam- 
ages, and  at  its  own  expense  construct  an  international  dam  at  "The  Pass," 
about  four  miles  above  El  Paso;  submerge  over  25,000  acres  of  highly 
productive  land  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico;  extend  the  international 
boundary  upstream  to  the  dam  site,  giving  Mexico  additional  territory  in 
order  that  one  end  of  the  dam  might  be  on  Mexican  soil;  deed  one-half  of 
the  dam,  the  reservoir  and  water  supply  to  the  republic  of  Mexico,  and  in 
some  way  prevent  the  future  construction  of  any  large  reservoirs  on  the 
Rio  Grande  within  the  Territory  of  New  Mexico. 

While  this  investigation  clearly  established  the  fact  that  increased 
irrigation  in  Colorado  caused  a  shortage  of  water  in  New  Mexico,  Texas 
and  Mexico,  the  recommendations  of  the  commission,  had  they  been  favor- 
ably acted  upon,  not  only  would  have  deprived  New  Mexico  of  all  benefits 
to  be  derived  from  a  project  inaugurated  for  the  ostensible  purpose  of 
making  up  this  very  deficiency,  but  would  have  utterly  ruined  the  rich 
Mesilla  valley  in  New  Mexico,  and  put  an  end  forever  to  all  future  irriga- 
tion projects  on  that  portion  of  the  Rio  Grande  within  the  borders  of  the 
United  States! 

B.  M.  Hall,  supervising  engineer  of  the  Reclamation  Service,  acting 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  F.  H.  Newell,  the  chief  engineer,  and  Mr.  A.  P. 


Engle  Reservoir  Site,  Looking  Down  Stream  Past  Elephant  Butte. 


IRRIGATION  1003 

Davis,  assistant  chief  engineer,  after  a  careful  detailed  investigation  of  the 
entire  irrigation  proposition  in  the  southwest,  generously  suggested  as  a 
"reasonable  explanation  of  these  extraordinary  recommendations,"  that 
the  commission  probably  had  no  alternative  plan  for  consideration.  At 
that  time  the  government  had  no  Reclamation  Service ;  but  within  a  few 
years  conditions  have  completely  changed,  and  there  has  been  presented 
an  alternative  plan  by  which  it  is  practicable  to  satisfy  Mexico's  demand 
for  "more  water"  and  accomplish  vastly  more  for  the  afflicted  area  of  our 
own  country  than  could  have  been  effected  by  the  consummation  of  the 
plans  of  the  international  boundary  commission  or  of  the  private  corpora- 
tion promoted  by  Dr.  Boyd. 

In  its  bill  of  complaint  in  the  government's  action  referred  to  in  the  fore- 
going it  was  alleged  that  the  company  proposed  to  secure  an  improper 
monopoly  of  all  the  waters  available  for  irrigation  below  Elephant  Butte; 
that  the  Rio  Grande  is  navigable  in  New  Mexico,  and  that  therefore  the 
proposed  dam  would  obstruct  navigation,  and  that  its  construction  would 
be  a  violation  by  the  United  States  of  its  treaty  obligations  to  Mexico. 

Years  of  litigation  followed  this  action  on  the  part  of  the  federal 
authorities — litigation  that  has  cost  the  government  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  and  ruined  the  chief  moving  spirit  in  the  enterprise.  Trial  after 
trial  has  occurred,  the  result  of  constant  appeals  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment to  the  federal  Supreme  Court,  and  in  each  instance  the  contentions 
of  the  government  have  been  overthrown.  It  was  proven  during  these 
trials  that  the  Rio  Grande  is  not  now  and  never  has  been  a  navigable  river 
within  the  official  definition  of  the  war  department,  which  controls  the 
navigable  streams  of  this  country.  It  was  established  that  the  treaty  be- 
tween this  country  and  Mexico  was  violated  in  no  manner  whatever  by 
the  work  done,  and  would  not  have  been  violated  by  the  completion  of 
any  of  the  work  then  in  contemplation.  It  was  also  definitely  established 
that,  through  the  efforts  of  the  international  boundary  commission,  the 
government  was  made  sponsor  for  a  gigantic  scheme  for  an  international 
irrigating  dam — in  the  face  of  the  prior  efforts  of  this  body  to  prove  that 
any  irrigating  dam  in  the  Rio  Grande  would  interfere  with  navigation  and 
be  in  violation  of  the  treaty  between  this  country  and  Mexico — proposing 
to  furnish  the  occupants  of  lands  in  a  foreign  country  coming  under  the 
system  free  water  forever  in  consideration  of  their  relinquishing  certain 
preposterous  claims  against  the  United  States  for  mythical  damages  to  the 
extent  of  nearly  $35,000,000! 

As  a  last  resort,  the  government  was  induced  to  declare  the  rights  of 
the  founders  of  the  project  forfeited  because  they  had  not  done  the  very 
thing  the  government  had  enjoined  them  from  doing — namely,  completed 
the  work  within  the  time  limit  originally  prescribed.  All  of  this  litigation, 
it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  took  place  before  the  United  States  Reclama- 
tion Service  came  into  existence. 

Upon  the  passage  by  Congress  of  the  Reclamation  act  for  the  arid 
and  semi-arid  west,  a  new  question  presented  itself.  Though  the  people 
of  the  valley  had  asked,  by  numerous  petitions,  for  the  discontinuance  of 
the  litigation  by  which  the  government  sought  to  deprive  this  chart,  red 
company  of  the  rights  which  it  had  previously  conferred  upon  it,  they 
found  that  they  could  obtain  relief  under  the  new  law,  and  asked  the 
government  to  inaugurate  a   reclamation  project   on  the  Rio  Grande.     In 


1004  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

November  of  1905  the  Reclamation  Service  set  aside  the  sum  of  $200,000 
for  the  beginning  of  the  work.  This  is  only  a  small  fraction  of  the  amount 
required,  but  it  is  believed  that  the  remainder  will  be  provided  for  its 
completion,  and  that  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  great  Rio  Grande  valley, 
in  New  Mexico  and  Texas,  now  little  better  than  a  desert,  shall  be  made 
to  "blossom  like  the  rose." 

The  project  recently  inaugurated  by  the  government  contemplates  the 
greatest  single  irrigation  system  in  the  United  States,  and,  compared  to 
the  other  irrigation  undertakings  in  the  world,  second  in  importance  to  the 
great  works  on  the  Nile  only.  The  storage  dam  across  the  Rio  Grande 
near  the  little  town  of  Engle,  about  one-third  of  a  mile  below  the  site 
selected  by  the  old  Elephant  Butte  company,  the  diversion  dams,  the  canals 
and  the  auxiliary  features  of  the  system  will  cost  the  government,  accord- 
ing to  the  estimates  of  the  engineers  in  charge,  the  vast  sum  of  $7,200,000. 
Two  hundred  thousand  dollars  of  this  sum  is  to  be  expended  at  once  upon 
the  construction  of  the  diversion  dam  at  Leasburg. 

The  main  dam  will  create  a  reservoir  175  feet  deep  at  its  lower  end 
about  forty  miles  in  length,  with  a  storage  capacity  of  2,000,000  acre-feet 
(equal  to  a  body  of  water  one  foot  in  depth  spread  over  a  flat  surface  hav- 
ing an  area  of  2,000,000  acres,  or  87,120,000,000  square  feet,  or  3,125 
square  miles) — an  area  nearly  twice  as  great  as  that  of  the  state  of  Dela- 
ware and  about  three  times  as  great  as  that  of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island. 
This  means,  in  other  words,  that  the  flood  waters  to  be  held  in  storage  in 
this  gigantic  dam,  if  suddenly  loosed,  would  cover  an  area  equal  to  that 
of  the  state  of  Rhode  Island  to  the  depth  of  about  three  feet. 

The  Engle  dam  will  be  arched  upstream  on  a  six  degree  curve,  the 
upstream  edge  of  the  crest  having  a  radius  of  955  feet.  From  the  bedrock 
foundation  to  the  top  of  the  parapet  walls  on  the  crest  of  the  dam  the  dis- 
tance will  be  255  feet,  and  from  the  sand  of  the  river  bed  to  the  crest  190 
feet.  The  concrete  dam  will  be  180  feet  thick  at  the  bottom,  20  feet  thick 
at  the  top,  1,150  feet  in  length  at  the  top,  and  400  feet  in  length  at  the 
present  river  level.  On  the  top  or  crest  of  the  dam  there  will  be  con- 
structed a  roadway  fourteen  feet  wide,  with  guarding  walls  of  concrete 
five  feet  high.  If  it  be  found  profitable  to  develop  power  by  the  pressure 
of  the  waters  in  the  reservoir,  it  will  be  produced  by  means  of  iron  pipes 
passing  from  the  reservoir  through  a  rock  bluff  at  the  end  of  the  dam. 

Although  the  river  was  practically  dry  for  three  months  in  1900  and 
for  five  months  in  1904,  while  the  work  of  construction  is  in  progress  it 
will  be  necessary  to  provide  a  flume  or  other  waterway  800  feet  long  that 
will  carry  all  the  water  of  the  river  and  keep  it  out  of  the  excavation  for 
the  dam.  As  bedrock  is  about  sixty-five  feet  below  the  present  river  bed, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  excavate  that  depth  of  sand  and  gravel  to  get  the 
dam  on  bedrock. 

A  further  idea  of  the  gigantic  proportions  of  the  enterprise  may  be 
gathered  by  the  estimates  of  the  material  to  be  removed  and  that  which 
will  be  necessarv  to  the  construction  of  the  dam.  In  the  first  place, 
44400  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  earth  and  335,000  cubic  yards  of  sand  must 
be  removed,  in  addition  to  which  5,000  cubic  yards  of  bedrock  must  be 
blasted  out  to  afford  ample  anchorages  for  the  dam.  In  the  construction 
of  the  dam  410,000  cubic  vards  of  cyclopean  concrete  must  be  laid.  114,000 
yards  of  which  will  be  built  below  the  river  bed,  and  296,000  yards  above 


IRRIGATION  1005 

the  river  bed.  In  the  manufacture  of  this  concrete  about  300,000  barrels 
of  cement  will  be  used.  The  reservoir  will  store  the  entire  flow  of  the 
river  without  waste  and  with  a  minimum  evaporation,  and  will  prevent 
the  recurrence  of  disastrous  floods  along  those  portions  of  the  valley  now 
occupied  by  the  railroad  and  by  several  important  towns. 

While  all  the  money  for  this  beneficent  enterprise — upwards  of  seven 
millions  of  dollars,  not  counting  the  fortune  which  already  has  been  ex- 
pended in  surveys  and  the  other  labors  of  the  Reclamation  Service — is  to 
be  expended  by  the  United  States  government,  it  is  advanced  merely  in 
the  nature  of  a  loan  to  the  people  to  be  benefited,  without  interest.  One 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand  acres  of  exceptionally  fertile  land  will  be 
irrigated,  at  an  expense,  it  will  be  noticed,  of  $40  per  acre.  Proceeding 
on  strictly  business  principles  the  government,  before  entering  upon  the 
project,  demanded  of  those  landholders  throughout  the  valley  whose  prop- 
erty is  to  receive  the  direct  benefits  of  the  project,  an  iron-clad,  irrevocable 
contract  for  the  ultimate  repayment  of  this  enormous  loan.  In  accordance 
with  the  requirements  of  the  federal  law,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to 
organize  and  incorporate  waters  users'  associations,  which  could  deal 
directly  with  the  government,  the  individuals  becoming  responsible  to  the 
associations,  and  the  associations,  in  turn,  becoming  responsible  to  the 
government  for  the  faithful  fulfillment  of  the  contracts.  Two  water  users' 
associations  were  formed,  one  having  headquarters  at  Las  Cruces,  New 
Mexico,  and  one  at  El  Paso,  Texas.  Each  association  is  composed  of  in- 
dividuals owning  lands  in  the  reservoir  district.  Upon  their  organization 
these  associations  procured  contracts  with  the  various  land  owners  to  the 
effect  that  the  latter  will  repay  to  the  government,  in  ten  equal  annual 
installments,  without  interest,  the  cost  of  constructing  the  irrigation  system. 
In  other  words,  each  acre  of  land  irrigated  must  return  to  the  government, 
through  one  or  the  other  of  these  associations,  four  dollars  per  annum  for 
a  period  of  ten  years.  Upon  the  expiration  of  that  time  the  dam  will  be- 
come the  property  of  the  landholders,  though  its  operation  thereafter  will 
be  administered  under  governmental  supervision  by  the  water  users'  asso- 
ciations. The  legal  effect  of  this  undertaking  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment is  practically  the  making  of  a  mortgage  to  the  association  upon  all 
the  lands  to  be  benefited,  to  secure  to  the  government  the  annual  payments 
mentioned. 

This  vast  governmental  undertaking  has  been  placed  under  the  per- 
sonal direction  of  B.  M.  Hall,  supervising  engineer  for  the  Reclamation 
Service  in  Xew  Mexico,  Texas  and  Oklahoma.  W.  H.  Sanders,  a  prominent 
member  of  the  board  of  consulting  engineers,  is  especially  available  for 
consultations  in  this  region.  Inasmuch  as  this  Rio  Grande  project  is  the 
greatest  single  task  in  "the  way  of  irrigation  to  which  the  federal  govern- 
ment has  put  its  hand,  these  men  have  become  almost  national  figures. 
To  Dr.  Nathan  Boyd,  who  took  the  first  practical  steps  toward  saving  and 
developing  the  many  billions  of  gallons  of  water  annually  going  to  waste 
in  this  srreat  arid  region,  belongs  the  credit  for  the  inception  of  the  enter- 
prise. Unfortunately  for  him  and  his  associates,  however,  their  plans  for 
the  storage  of  the  water  and  the  irrigation  of  the  land  appear,  according  to 
expert  government  authority,  to  have  been  'imperfect ;  and  it  has  remained 
for  the"  Reclamation  Service  to  amplify  and  complete  the  plans  now  per- 
fected and  soon  to  be  put  in  operation.     The  task  was  beyond  question  too 


1006  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

great  for  a  private  corporation  of  relatively  limited  finances,  large  as  was 
the  sum  of  money  pledged  to  the  undertaking.  The  government  is  now 
simply  occupying  the  same  ground  that  Dr.  Boyd  and  his  associates  under- 
took to  occupy,  and  is  working  out  plans  conceived  and  advocated  many 
years  ago  by  Major  J.  W.  Powell  when  he  was  director  of  the  U.  S. 
Geological  Survey.  He  died  without  witnessing  the  fruits  of  his  labors, 
but  his  nephew,  Arthur  Powell  Davis,  who  was  his  constant  companion, 
is  now  assistant  chief  engineer  of  the  Reclamation  Service.  Mr.  Newell, 
the  chief  engineer,  was  also  a  companion  of  this  grand  old  man;  and  these 
two  men  have  utilized  his  ideas  in  planning  the  Rio  Grande  project.  Under 
their  direction  Mr.  Hall  worked  out  the  details  of  a  practical  project  and 
persuaded  the  warring  elements  to  accept  it. 

To  a  greater  or  less  extent  the  importance  of  this  long  and  sinuous 
stream  as  a  means  of  irrigation  most  vitally  affects  the  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  a  region  fully  1,200  miles  in  length.  Owing  to  the  great  aridity 
of  the  climate,  agricultural  pursuits  in  that  section  of  the  country  are 
practically  impossible  without  water  artificially  procured,  and  the  waters 
of  the  Rio  Grande  and  its  tributaries  constitute  the  chief  source  of  supply 
for  all  the  irrigable  lands  of  the  Territory.  Under  irrigation,  small  hold- 
ings, worthless  under  natural  conditions,  when  carefully  cultivated,  are 
rendered  exceedingly  profitable.  This  permits  a  happy  combination  of 
urban  and  rural  life  favorable  to  the  development  of  the  best  and  noblest 
institutions  of  society.  The  most  valuable  and  productive  farming  lands 
on  the  American  continent  are  to  be  found  in  irrigated  areas,  and  the 
largest  yield  of  nearly  every  staple  crop  known  to  the  temperate  and  sub- 
tropical belts  has  been  obtained  by  irrigation  with  the  fertilizing  waters 
of  the  "American  Nile." 

The  United  States  annually  produces  more  precious  metals  than  any 
other  country  in  the  world ;  but  the  annual  wheat  crop  of  Minnesota  alone 
exceeds  in  value  the  annual  output  of  all  of  the  gold  mines  in  the  country. 
Colorado  leads  all  the  other  states  in  the  Union  in  the  production  of 
precious  metals,  but  the  value  of  the  products  of  her  irrigated  farms  is 
nearly  double  that  of  her  mines.  In  New  Mexico  productive  mines  have 
long  been  operated,  but  with  such  irrigation  as  the  physical  conditions  of 
the  Territory  permit,  her  farms  inevitably  must  become  her  chief  source 
of  prosperity,  and  at  a  relatively  near  period  add  many  millions  of  dollars 
annually  to  the  agricultural  wealth  of  the  nation. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  products  of  irrigated  lands  throughout  the 
arid  West  give  an  average  annual  net  return  of  $12.80  per  acre.  The 
lands  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley — the  alluvial  deposits  of  ages — are  of  un- 
surpassed fertility,  and  under  proper  irrigation  and  scientific  cultivation 
returns  are  exceptionally  large.  Owing  to  the  richness  of  the  soil,  and 
the  perfect  climate  farming,  with  an  adequate  water  supply,  is  attended 
with  great  profit.  The  Department  of  Agriculture  shows  that  the  valley 
is  the  center  of  the  sugar  belt  of  the  United  States.  If  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  this  product  alone,  it  would  support  a  population  of  from  a 
quarter  to  half  a  million. 

"Experiments  have  proven  that  in  addition  to  sugar  beets,  alfalfa,  ma- 
caroni wheat  and  kaffir  corn,  most  varieties  of  grain,  sugar  cane,  cotton, 
potatoes,  sweet  potatoes  and  many  varieties  of  fruit  can  be  grown  most 
profitably  in  the  Rio  Grande  valley.     With  agriculture  still  an  infant  in- 


IRRIGATION  1007 

dustry,  no  man  can  accurately  gauge  the  full  possibilities  of  the  country. 
I '.ut  such  definite  knowledge  as  has  been  gained  as  the  result  of  years  of 
experiment  has  demonstrated  the  fact  that  in  that  portion  of  this  great 
valley  lying  under  the  proposed  irrigation  system,  thousands  of  people  will 
soon  find  not  only  a  pieasaut  abiding  place,  but  abundant  opportunities 
for  laying  the  foundations  for  generous  competencies  for  their  offspring. 
And,  without  the  aid  of  the  government,  a  durable  basis  of  this  future 
wealth   would  be  impracticable  of  accomplishment." 

Settlement  of  Old  Rio  Grande  Irrigation  Fight. — A  case  of  more  than 
ordinary  importance  to  the  Territory,  and  particularly  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  northern  part  of  Otero  count)-,  was  brought  to  a  climax,  in  1906, 
by  the  action  of  the  United  States  government.  The  disposition  of  the 
waters  of  the  Tularosa  river  was  the  source  of  the  trouble,  which  dates 
back  to  1858.  In  that  year  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Rio  Grande 
valley  attempted  to  settle  on  the  fertile  and  easily  irrigable  lands  in  and 
around  the  townsite  of  Tularosa,  but  were  driven  off  by  the  Indians.  In 
i860  they  returned,  and  this  time  succeeded  in  appropriating  some  of  the 
water  from  the  Tularosa  river  for  irrigation  purposes.  In  1862  the  town- 
site  of  Tularosa  was  platted  by  government  surveyors,  ditches  built  and 
water  concentrated  from  a  number  of  streams  that  flowed  westward  from 
the  mountains. 

During  the  Apache  Indian  troubles  an  Indian  agency  was  established 
by  the  government,  and  a  farm  laid  out  for  them  near  the  headwaters  of 
the  Rio  Tularosa,  and  water  from  the  headwaters  was  taken  to  irrigate 
the  farm.  Settlers  who  had  earlier  water  rights  objected  to  this,  but  in 
vain.  Other  settlers  located  along  the  canyon  had  helped  diminish  the 
supply.  Protests  against  these  settlers  were  also  in  vain.  Farming  at 
the  Indian  agency,  which  had  been  small  at  first,  now  began  to  assume 
large  proportions,  in  spite  of  repeated  protests.  The  original  colonists  who 
had  settled  there  in  i860  soon  began  to  find  their  water  supply  reduced  to 
almost  nothing.  Seeing  ruin  before  them  if  they  did  not  succeed  in  get- 
ting more  water,  these  settlers  made  up  a  party  and  went  into  the  foot 
hills,  demanding  of  the  squatters  that  they  cease  diverting  the  water  from 
its  natural  route.  Their  answer  was  a  rifle  volley,  and  the  little  party  of 
original  settlers  from  Tularosa  returned  to  that  place  minus  four  of  their 
number,  who  had  been  left  behind,  dead.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
feud. 

Matters  went  on  thus  for  some  time,  with  an  occasional  killing,  until 
the  settlers  of  the  valley,  grown  desperate,  in  December,  1904,  resorted  to 
the  courts.  Those  feeling  themselves  aggrieved  secured  an  injunction  against 
the  further  use  of  the  waters  of  the  Rio  Tularosa  by  the  Indians,  but  the 
injunction  was  dissolved  in  the  summer  of  1905.  Suit  was  then  brought 
bv  the  Community  Ditch  against  J.  S.  Carroll,  agent  for  the  Indians,  to 
restrain  the  latter  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  canyon  from  using  the  water 
for  irrigation,  on  the  ground  of  prior  appropriation.  The  government, 
through"  Edward  L.  Medler,  assistant  United  States  attorney,  raised  the 
contention  that  the  Indians  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  canyon,  having  used 
the  water  for  ten  years  or  more,  enjoyed  equal  rights  with  the  people  of 
Tularosa.  Pending  the  settlement  of  the  case  in  the  courts,  in  1906  the 
contending  parties  divided  the  water  by  stipulation.  The  Mascalero  In- 
dian agency  has  230  acres  under  irrigation,  the  settlers  in  the  canyon  have 


1008  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

about  200  acres,  the  Tularosa  Land  and  Cattle  Company  has  about  400 
acres,  and  the  people  of  Tularosa,  as  individuals,  have  about  1,000  acres. 

Forest  Reserves  of  New  Mexico. 

Obviously,  the  object  in  the  creation  of  forest  reserves  by  the  general 
government  is  to  protect  standing  bodies  of  timber  from  the  ravages  of 
fire  and  the  waste  of  commercial  exploitation ;  but  the  main  value  of  the 
movement  to  those  states  and  territories  whose  development  largely  de- 
pends on  their  wise  conservation  of  their  water  supplies  does  not  consist 
in  the  simple  salvation  of  timber  as  building  and  fuel  material.  It  has 
been  learned  by  observation  and  experience  that  forests  regulate  the  flow 
of  water  for  irrigation  purposes,  being  the  most  effective  natural  means  of 
preventing  floods.  As  enumerated  by  the  "Forest  Reserve  Manual,"  they 
accomplish  these  ends  through  the  following  means :  By  shading  the 
ground  and  snow  and  affording  protection  against  the  melting  and  drying 
action  of  the  sun ;  by  acting  as  wind-breaks  and  thus  protecting  the  ground 
and  snow  against  the  drying  action  of  the  wind :  by  protecting  the  earth 
from  washing  away  and  thus  maintaining  a  storage  layer  into  which  rain 
and  snow-water  soak  and  are  stored  for  the  dry  seasons  when  snow  and 
rain  are  wanting;  by  keeping  the  soil  more  pervious  so  that  the  water 
soaks  in  more  readily  and  more  of  it  is  thereby  prevented  from  running 
off  in  time  of  rain  or  when  the  snow  is  melting. 

The  part  taken  by  forests  in  the  regulation  and  conservation  of  river 
waters  is  especially  effective  when  they  are  situated  at  or  near  the  sources 
of  the  streams.  In  New  Mexico,  therefore,  the  primary  object  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  forest  reserves  has  been  to  maintain  and,  if  possible,  increase 
the  flow  of  the  fountain  heads  of  such  water  courses  as  the  Rio  Grande, 
the  Pecos  and  the  Gila. 

The  Pecos  River  Forest  Reserve. — This  is  the  oldest  of  the  forest 
reserves  in  New  Mexico;  was  created  by  presidential  proclamation  on 
January  11,  1892,  and  increased  to  its  present  dimensions  in  May.  1898. 
It  protects  the  headwaters  of  the  Santa  Fe,  Mora,  Gallinas,  Tecolote,  Man- 
uelitas,  Nambe  and  Pecos  rivers ;  provides  a  permanent  and  abundant 
water  supply  to  the  people  of  Las  Vegas,  Santa  Fe,  and  residents  of  the 
reserve  and  vicinity ;  goes  far  toward  preserving  a  valuable  supply  for 
irrigation  purposes  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Lower  Pecos  valley,  and,  of 
course,  attains  the  local  object  of  preserving  the  timber  within  its  boun- 
daries. The  forest  ranges  have  prevented  any  serious  fires  and  carefully 
protected  game,  and  the  entire  reserve  is  becoming  quite  popular  as  a  sum- 
mer resort.  The  grazing  of  cattle  and  horses  is  allowed  to  residents,  non- 
residents who  own  ranches  within  the  reserve,  and  to  stockmen  who  make 
it  their  summer  pasture.     Sheep  and  goats  are  barred  out. 

The  Gila  River  Reserve. — On  March  2,  1899,  President  McKinley  set 
aside  2,327,940  acres  in  the  western  part  of  Grant  and  Socorro  counties, 
to  be  known  as  the  Gila  River  Forest  Reserve.  The  reserve  includes  sev- 
eral prominent  mountain  ranges,  such  as  the  San  Francisco,  the  Tularosa 
and  the  Mogollon.  From  the  eastern  slopes  of  the  last  named  group  drains 
the  west  fork  of  the  Gila  river,  and  from  the  western  and  northern,  the 
headwaters  of  the  San  Francisco.  Luna,  at  the  head  of  the  Tularosa  river, 
is  near  the  northwest  corner  of  the  reserve,  and  McMullen  peak  is  in  the 


IRRIGATION  10°9 

southwestern  portion.  As  a  whole  the  reserve  is  well  watered,  all  the 
streams  from  the  mountain  ranges  carrying  a  considerable  flow  for  a  long 
distanct  beyond  the  forest  regions.  The  San  Francisco  valley  is  well  set- 
tled with  Mormons,  who  devote  themselves  mostly  to  cattle  and  horse 
raising,  and  with  Mexicans,  who  are  cultivators  of  alfalfa  and  corn.  The 
mining  industries  in  the  reserve  are  mainly  confined  to  the  Cooney  district 
of  the  Mogollon  mountains.  Cattle,  horses,  sheep  and  goats  are  allowed 
to  graze  within  the  reserve  in  limited  numbers,  the  privilege  being  con- 
fined principally  to  residents.  Cattle  and  sheep  grazing  districts  have  been 
defined,  in  order  to  equitably  divide  the  grazing  for  future  use.  The  best 
grazing  region  is  along  the  east  fork  of  the  Gila  river  and  the  west  slopes 
of  the  Black  hills.  The  timber  consists  principally  of  yellow  pine,  red  and 
white  fir,  balsam  and  spruce,  and  logging  operations  have  been  carried  on 
for  some  years.  The  total  area  of  the  reserve  examined  approximates  3,640 
square  miles,  and  of  this  more  than  70  per  cent  is  covered  with  merchant- 
able timber  and  2^  per  cent  has  been  logged.  Of  the  5,867,169,750  feet 
of  timber  estimated  to  be  standing,  more  than  5,000,000,000  feet  are  of 
yellow  pine  and  red  fir. 

The  Lincoln  Forest  Reserve. — This  reserve  was  created  July  26,  1902, 
and  includes  about  500,000  acres  on  and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Capitan  and 
White  Mountain  ranges,  in  Lincoln  county.  It  embraces  the  region  from 
which  issue  the  headwaters  of  the  Rio  Hondo,  near  whose  confluence  with 
the  Pecos  the  government  is  completing  one  of  its  most  important  irriga- 
tion works  in  New  Mexico.  The  timber  of  the  reserve  consists  prin- 
cipally of  spruce  pine.  Sheep,  goats,  cattle  and  horses  are  privileged  to 
graze,  their  number  being  limited  and  chiefly  confined  to  resident  owners. 

The  Jemez  Forest  Reserve. — In  1903  the  General  Land  Office  with- 
drew from  settlement  the  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Jemez  and  Nacimiento 
country,  lying  within  Rio  Arriba  and  Sandoval  counties,  which  proved  a 
preliminary  step  in  the  creation  of  the  Jemez  Forest  Reserve  two  years 
later.  This  last  of  the  forest  reserves  of  New  Mexico  embraces  1,252,000 
acres  in  the  counties  named,  and  contains  a  portion  of  the  drainage  basins 
of  the  Rio  Chama,  Rio  Puerco  and  Rio  Jemez,  with  numerous  smaller 
tributaries,  constituting  the  most  northern  affluents  of  the  Rio  Grande  in 
New  Mexico.  Some  months  previous  to  the  creation  of  the -Jemez  re- 
serve, the  sources  of  the  great  river  in  southern  Colorado  had  been  pro- 
tected by  the  setting  aside  of  the  San  Juan  and  Cochetopa  forest  reserves. 
The  plan,  as  a  whole,  provides  for  the  preservation  and  regulation  of  the 
head  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande,  as  they  drain  clown  the  mountains  and 
through  the  streams  of  southern  Colorado  and  northern  New  Mexico  into 
the  parent  river.  Below  the  Jemez  reserve  is  a  long  stretch  of  country  in 
central  New  Mexico  in  which  the  rainfall  is  meager  and  erratic,  and  which 
needs  every  gallon  of  water  which  can  be  supplied  by  the  upper  Rio 
Grande.  The  river  being  a  torrential  stream,  either  withholds  its  supply 
to  central  New  Mexico  almost  entirely,  or  furnishes  it  in  floods,  either  of 
which  is  unsatisfactory.  The  prevention  of  this  waste  of  waters,  with  their 
consequent  scarcity,  will  be  largely  prevented  in  time  by  the  extension  of 
forest  areas,  acting  as  barriers  or  strainers,  at  the  main  sources  of  supply, 
and  by  the  impounding  of  the  flood  waters  of  the  Rio  Grande  at  Elephant 
Butte,  Sierra  county. 


1010  HISTORY  OF  XEW  MEXICO 

Convulsions  of  Nature 

\\  itliin  the  past  twenty  years  New  Mexico  has  suffered  a  number  of 
earthquake  shocks,  which  momentarily  threw  its  people  into  sympathetic 
tremblings,  realizing-  as  they  did  that  they  were  not  entirely  outside  a 
volcanic  district.  But,  in  every  case,  it  was  found  that  the  shock  was  an 
indication  of  serious  trouble  elsewhere,  and  was  not  caused  by  a  home 
convulsion.  At  3:13  P.  M.,  on  May  3,  1887,  earthquake  shocks  of  con- 
siderable seventy  were  felt  at  Denting  and  Silver  City,  southwestern  New 
Mexico,  Santa  Fe,  in  the  northern  part,  and  at  El  Paso,  Texas.  The 
center  of  the  disturbance,  however,  was  in  Sonora,  Old  Mexico,  where 
200  people  were  killed.  The  general  direction  of  the  wave  seemed  to  be 
from  southeast  to  northwest. 

During  the  last  days  of  January,  1906,  the  strip  of  country  that  runs 
from  Seligman,  Arizona,  to  Albuquerque.  New  Mexico,  and  extends  from 
the  rim  of  the  Grand  Canyon  to  a  line  a  little  south  of  Prescott,  was  vis- 
ited with  a  light  earthquake,  that  seems  to  have  originated  from  the  San 
Francisco  peaks.  There  were  several  shocks  of  short  duration,  during 
which  the  ground  rocked  from  north  to  south.  The  most  severe  one  oc- 
curred at  1  130  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  January  the  25th,  and  was  felt 
at  Flagstaff  more  intensely  than  at  any  other  point  within  the  affected 
area.  Though  the  tremor  was  light  and  short,  it  created  quite  a  panic 
among  the  people,  owing  to  the  infrequency  of  such  seismic  disturbances 
in  this  part  of  the  country. 

.Mure  or  less  plausible  explanations  of  that  extraordinary  phenome- 
non were  attempted  by  Xew  Mexico  scientists.  One  of  them  was  of  the 
opinion  that  it  was  caused  by  a  slight  sinking  of  the  San  Francisco  moun- 
tains and  the  surrounding  high  plateau  region,  and  that  this  subsidence 
was  occasioned  by  the  special  and  unusual  climatic  conditions  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  Southwest  in  1905.  It  is  indubitable  that  the  forty  inches  of 
moisture,  with  which  this  part  of  the  country  was  favored  during  that 
year,  must  have  had  some  very  far-reaching  effects.  Through  the  seamy 
and  spongy  formation  of  this  volcanic  region,  the  water  percolated  down 
to  vast  depths.  When  reaching  the  internal  heat  center  of  the  earth  it 
vaporized,  and,  in  the  effort  to  find  an  issue,  this  steam  may  have  caused 
the  earthquake. 

A  long  series  of  earthquakes  occurring  in  July,  1906,  wrought  great 
havoc  in  Socorro  county,  particularly  in  the  town  of  Socorro,  where  many 
buildings  were  ruined  and  others  injured.  There  was  no  loss  of  life.  The 
earthquakes  are  believed  to  have  been  the  result  of  the  slipping  of  the 
Magdalena  "fault." 

The  fall  of  1904  and  the  spring  of  1905  were  noteworthy  seasons  for 
water  events.  The  earth  of  Xew  Mexico  was  not  disturbed  by  its  internal 
fires,  but  was  most  thoroughly  scoured  by  floods  and  torrents  of  rain.  It 
was  singular  that  although  the  fall  rains  of  1904  had  apparently  not  been 
heavy  the  worst  flood  in  the  history  of  the  Territory  should  occur  at  that 
time.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  September  the  Rio  Grande,  the  Pecos, 
the  Canadian  and  other  streams  rose  to  an  unusual  and  inexplicable  height, 
and  much  damage  all  over  the  Territory  was  done  to  farms,  orchards  and 
irrigation  works,  as  well  as  to  town  and  city  property.  The  greatest  casu- 
alties occurred  along  Mora  creek,  a  tributary  of  the   Canadian,   the  flood 


Ruins  of  Main  Street,  Silver  City 
Street  washed  by  heavy  summer  storms 


IRRIGATION  1011 

reaching  the  height  of  its  fury  at  n  o'clock  a.  m.,  September  29th.  At  the 
town  of  Mora  twenty-nine  houses  were  destroyed  and  swept  away,  and 
below  Watrous  several  people  were  drowned  in  the  raging  waters.  In 
one  case  an  entire  homestead — house  and  orchard — was  utterly  wiped  ofT 
the  earth  and  the  soil  scoured  down  to  the  bare  rock.  This  remarkable  ex- 
hibition of  the  power  of  the  flood  occurred  a  short  distance  west  of  Mora. 
Three  days  after,  the  flood  waters  of  the  Pecos  reached  the  lower  valley 
and  carried  away  the  dam  at  Lake  Avalou,  near  Carlsbad. 

The  most  startling  phenomenon  provided  by  nature  for  the  people 
of  New  Mexico,  in  the  spring  of  1905,  was  the  cloud-burst  near  Springer, 
Colfax  countw  At  noon  of  May  27th,  almost  without  warning,  there  came 
from  a  dark  cloud  which  hovered  over  that  locality  a  tempestuous  down- 
pour of  mingled  rain  and  hail.  At  the  farm  of  Peter  Larsen,  six  miles 
west  of  that  city,  water  collected  in  five  minutes  to  a  depth  of  one  foot  on 
the  level. 

Terrific  Hail  Storm. — The  country  drained  by  the  head  streams  of 
the  Canadian  river,  both  in  Mora  and  Colfax  counties,  has  been  the  scene 
of  numerous  floods  and  strange  storms.  It  is  a  net-work  of  mountain 
streams  pouring  their  waters  into  the  gorge  of  the  Canadian,  and,  as  like 
attracts  like,  doubtless  has  a  special  attraction  for  the  aerial  waters,  whether 
liquid  or  solid.  It  thus  happens  that  the  Cimarron  valley,  between  Springer 
and  Elizabethtown,  was  visited  in  1898  by  one  of  the  most  terrific  hail 
storms  known  to  the  west.  The  following  graphic  description  is  given 
by  one  who  participated  in  the  weird  excitement  of  the  storm : 

"At  7  a.  m.,  August  2d,  a  party  of  ten  passengers  left  Elizabethtown 
in  two  spring  wagons  for  Springer,  New  Mexico.  The  sun  was  rising  re- 
splendently  over  old  Baldy  mountain,  which  stands  up  12,500  feet  above 
the  sea.  When  all  were  seated  the  crack  of  the  driver's  whip  started  the 
horses  at  a  six-mile  gait  down  through  the  Moreno  valley,  where  the  dew- 
covered  grass  was  interspersed  with  the  loveliest  of  mountain  flowers — 
blue-bells",  monks-hood,  mountain  daisies  and  many  other  varieties,  which 
one  never  sees  only  in  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  birds  sang  gaily  in  the 
sunshine  as  the  stages  rattled  down  through  Cimarron  canon,  with  its 
castellated  peaks  of  gray  granite. 

"We  reached  Cimarron  at  about  1 1  30,  in  fine  spirits,  and  at  1  o'clock, 
after  partaking  of  a  fine  dinner,  we  were  again  under  way,  but  by  this 
time,  however,  .we  had  been  arranged  in  two  other  vehicles,  one  being  a 
heavy  Concord  coach  with  four  horses,  and  behind  this  followed  a  buck- 
board  with  four  persons  having  two  horses  to  draw  it.  Away  we  went 
down  the  valley  at  a  good  six  mile  jog,  but  before  we  had  come  half  way 
we  could  see  the  clouds  gathering  to  our  left  along  the  Raton  mountains, 
perhaps  twenty  miles  away.  Now  and  then  we  could  see  the  rain  falling 
in  localities  along  the  mountains.  Then  the  clouds  began  to  gather  to  the 
northeast  and  then  we  began  to  realize  the  danger  that  was  near.  The 
horses  seemed  to  realize  that  something  awful  was  in  the  air.  The  driver 
gave  the  animals  rein  and  then  the  race  from  the  ice  storm  began. 

"The  clouds  dropped  down  to  the  earth  and  they  boiled  and  they 
rolled  one  over  another.  The  lower  part  of  the  cloud  was  a  white  vapor, 
looking  like  a  constant  boiler  explosion.  The  storm  had  changed  its  course 
and  was  bearing  down  on  us  with  its  thousands  of  tons  of  ice  whirling 
through  the  air.     An  awful  roaring  accompanied  the  clouds,  like  a  thou- 


1012  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

sand  railroad  trains  lumbering  along  the  road.  Not  a  tree  nor  house  in 
sight  for  protection !  There  was  no  escape ;  our  hearts  trembled,  our  horses 
were  now  on  a  dead  run,  we  were  flying  for  life;  we  were  hoping  yet  to 
reach  Springer  before  the  cloud  demon  should  overtake  us.  Two  miles 
more  would  make  us  safe;  but,  alas  for  the  weakness  of  horseflesh.  The 
ice  king  was  coming  furiously  on.  We  had  just  crossed  a  low  swag  in  the 
prairie  when  the  boiling,  seething  demon  came  close  up  to  our  heels  passing 
along  down  the  draw  in  the  prairie  with  a  fearful  sound,  like  the  noise  of 
clashing  worlds. 

"The  hailstones  were  being  hurled  by  the  thousand  at  the  head  of  us 
who  were  in  the  buckboard  without  protection.  H.  C.  Wilson,  of  Goshen, 
Ind.,  sat  with  me  in  the  rear  seat;  he  raised  an  umbrella,  but  the  first  dash 
of  hail  demolished  it.  Judge  S.  E.  Booth  sat  to  my  left  in  the  front  seat 
with  the  driver,  who  had  drawn  a  blanket  over  his  head  holding  it  up  with 
his  right  arm  so  as  to  shield  his  head.  The  pelting  ice  accelerated  the 
speed  of  the  poor  horses.  They  were  running  now  like  mad.  A  chunk  of" 
ice  had  struck  our  driver  and  he  called  aloud  for  help  to  hold  the  horses. 
I  was  sitting  immediately  behind  him.  I  reached  around  him  with  one 
arm  on  each  side,  seized  the  lines  he  was  feebly  holding  on  to  and  pulled 
with  might  and  main  on  the  bridle  bits  in  the  mouths  of  the  infuriated 
horses.  Just  then  the  four-horse  coach  was  under  the  telephone  wire,  one 
mile  northwest  of  Springer ;  the  off  wheel  horse  in  the  Concord  coach 
dropped  in  the  road.  We  were  about  one  hundred  feet  in  the  rear  of  the 
coach.  Instantly  I  pulled  the  right  rem,  which  turned  our  horses  by  the 
now  still  coach.  I  pulled  again  the  right  line  just  as  we  were  passing  the 
coach.  This  checked  the  horses  for  an  instant  and  I  leaped  to  the  ground. 
Just  then  a  hailstone  struck  me  on  the  bump  of  combativeness  and  knocked 
that  element  cut  of  my  head  as  I  went  sprawling  to  grass.  Recovering  in 
an  instant,  I  went  to  the  driver's  rescue,  who  was  perched  upon  his  seat 
holding  the  three  remaining  horses,  which  were  plunging  about  to  get  away; 
but  he  coolly  kept  his  head  until  I  succeeded  in  unhitching  the  horses  from 
the  vehicle.  The  occupants  of  the  coach  were  Charles  Preston,  Mrs.  W.  T. 
Booth  and  child,  Miss  Myra  Cantrowl  of  Kansas,  Miss  Myra  Michaels  and 
a  Mexican  woman  and  child.  The  hail  had  burst  the  laths  of  the  roof  all 
to  flinders,  but  the  strong  canvass  had  prevented  the  hailstones  from  in- 
juring the  occupants. 

"In  about  twenty  minutes  after  the  coach  had  stopped  the  fury  of  the 
storm  was  over.  The  buckboard  with  its  three  occupants  dashed  in  to 
Springer,  succor  soon  came  from  the  town  to  the  stranded  coach,  and  in  a 
short  time  we  were  in  the  hotel.  No  one  was  seriously  injured.  Judge 
Booth  was  hurt  worse  than  any  one  else ;  he  is  suffering  this  morning 
from  contusions  of  the  shoulder,  head  and  arms.  The  other  three  men  who 
were  on  the  buckboard  are  suffering  from  contusions  of  the  head  and  hands. 
The  driver  had  a  hole  torn  in  the  crown  of  his  hat  about  two  inches  long, 
and  one  in  the  scalp  of  his  head  about  one  and  a  half  inches.  When  we 
got  into  Springer  and  found  that  the  corrugated  iron  roofs  had  been  pierced 
with  the  hailstones,  we  were  all  surprised  to  know  that  we  were  such 
'hard  heads."  " 


Primitive  Indian  Style  of  Threshing.  1906 


l|jfe 


Rams  Bred  in  San  Juan  County  by  R.  E.  Cooper  &  Son,  Farmingtor 


Angora  Doe.  Bred  on  Ranch  of  Mrs.  M.  Armer.  Kingston,  N.  M. 
Sheared  $43.00  worth   of  mohair 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY 


STOCK-RAISING  IN  NEW  MEXICO. 

\\  itli  the  advance  of  scientific  irrigation  and  the  discovery  of  artesian 
supplies  of  water,  many  areas  of  land  in  New  Mexico  which,  not  many 
years  ago,  were  pronounced  untillable  and  "only  fit  for  grazing"  are  now  of 
good  value,  and  some  of  them  actually  producing  bountiful  crops  of  al- 
falfa, fruits,  vegetables  and  grains.  There  are  still,  however,  vast  stretches 
of  country  in  the  mountainous  regions  and  immense  plateaus,  whose  sub- 
soil will  only  support  range  grasses  and  other  rank  vegetation,  which  prob- 
ably can  never  be  brought  under  the  plow  and  will  be  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  live  stock. 

But  New  Mexico  is  sharing  in  the  general  progress  of  the  west,  its 
range  stock  being  of  far  better  blood  than  formerly  and  many  districts 
becoming  widely  known  for  their  blooded  stock.  This  is  true,  both  as  to 
sheep  and  cattle,  to  the  extensive  cultivation  of  alfalfa  as  a  fodder  being 
mainly  due  the  improvement  in  the  latter.  Year  by  year  the  raising  of 
stock  is  left  less  to  chance,  and  the  number  of  animals  made  ready  for  the 
market,  or  as  the  expression  goes,  "finished"  in  New  Mexico,  is  continu- 
ally increasing.  The  result  is  that  the  old-time  free  ranges,  of  such  vast 
extent,  are  giving  place  to  smaller  individual  holdings. 

According  to  the  latest  accessible  figures,  of  the  27,914  persons  in  New 
Mexico  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  8,107  are  occupied  in  raising  live 
stock.  In  June,  1890,  the  value  of  the  live  stock  in  New  Mexico  was 
$25,111,201,  and  in  1900,  $31,727,400.  In  the  latter  year  the  hay  and  for- 
age crops  were  valued  at  $1.427,317 — 87,458  acres  being  devoted  to  their 
production. 

Sheep  and  Wool. — As  a  live  stock  country  New  Mexico  has  acquired 
its  greatest  eminence  as  a  raiser  of  sheep  and  a  producer  of  wool.  In  1904 
she  stood  third  among  the  slates  and  territories  of  the  United  States,  her 
record  being  only  exceeded  by  Montana  and  Wyoming.  During  that  year 
her  sheep  numbered  3,150,000,  from  which  the  wool  crop  was  17,325,000 
pounds.  It  is  estimated  that  there  are  now  over  4,000,000  sheep  in  the 
Territory.  The  average  price  of  wool  obtained  by  the  grower  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  past  has  been  about  15  cents  per  fleece.  As  the  average  annual 
lamb  crop  is  about  1,000,000,  this  is  also  an  enormous  source  of  profit  to 
the  sheep  raiser.  Besides  insuring  a  heavy  increase  in  the  home  flocks, 
numerous  buyers  appear  every  year  and  ship  their  purchases  to  the  feeding 
lots  of  Colorado,  Kansas,  Nebraska.  Missouri,  and  even  Iowa  and  Illinois. 
There  they  are  carefully  raised  for  the  early  spring  markets.  For  this 
purpose  the  lambs  of  New  Mexico  have  been  found  the  most  satisfactory 
of  any  in  the  United  States. 

With  'the  development  of  the  country  and  the  more  extensive  cultiva- 
tion of  the  forage  crops,  this  practice  of  sending  both  sheep  and  cattle  to 
the  feeding  grounds  of  other  states,  and  even  into  Canada,  will  decline  and 


1014  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

probably  be  abolished.  Within  the  last  few  years  considerable  progress 
has  been  made  in  feeding  for  shipment  and  the  home  markets,  the  Pecos 
valley  probably  leading  other  parts  of  the  Territory,  in  this  regard.  In 
this  section  many  thousand  head  of  sheep  and  lambs  have  been  fattened 
for  the  Kansas  City  market. 

Angora  Goats. — In  the  raising  of  Angora  goats.  New  Mexico  leads 
the  United  States.  Lake  Valley,  Sierra  county,  is  the  center  of  the  indus- 
try, other  important  districts  being  the  country  around  the  Black  Range, 
northeast  of  Silver  City ;  the  mountainous  sections  of  Southern  and  North- 
ern Lincoln  county ;  Otero,  Rio  Arraba,  San  Miguel  and  Dona  Ana  counties. 

The  breeding  of  Angora  goats  is  rapidly  increasing,  as  the  climate 
and  physical  conditions  generally  of  New  Mexico  seem  to  make  it  an 
almost  ideal  country  for  that  vigorous  growth  which  makes  them  so  valu- 
able for  wool,  meat  and  hides.  It  is  estimated  that  under  present  condi- 
tions they  are  worth  about  $5  per  head,  and  the  number  of  small  flocks 
being  raised  by  people  of  very  limited  incomes  is  almost  innumerable.  Of 
late  years  the  hides  of  the  common  New  Mexico  kids  have  been  eagerly 
sought,  furnishing  as  they  do  leather  which  is  both  soft  and  durable.  Not 
only  are  buyers  from  the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  Lmited  States  among  the 
ready  purchasers,  but  European  agents  are  in  the  field.  Much  of  the  finer 
Angora  stock  of  New  Mexico  has  been  originally  imported  from  California. 

With  those  who  deal  in  really  blooded  stock,  the  operation  of  the 
ranch  is  conducted  with  the  utmost  care  and  system.  Each  goat  is  ear- 
tagged  and  numbered,  the  number  set  down  in  a  special  ruled  ledger,  made 
for  that  purpose,  and  a  complete  record  is  kept  of  his  clip  from  the  time 
he  arrives  in  the  herd  till  he  is  sold  to  the  butcher  for  mutton.  In  the 
case  of  does,  a  record  is  kept  of  the  kids  borne  by  her.  and  each  kid  in  turn 
is  numbered  and  record  of  the  clip  kept  from  year  to  year.  Thus,  at  an 
instant's  glance,  can  be  told  the  life  story  of  each  goat,  and  the  manager 
can,  in  a  few  minutes,  run  over  the  list  and  check  off  the  "culls"  for  sale 
to  the  butcher. 

The  utmost  precaution  is  taken  to  protect  the  animals  from  any  sud- 
den cold  snap  that  may  come  early  in  the  spring  directly  after  shearing 
by  the  erection  of  long  low  sheds.  During  the  kidding  season,  the  does 
are  taken  to  the  home  ranch  and  placed  in  the  "breeding  pens,"  a  series 
of  large  enclosures,  surrounded  by  steel  woven  wire  fence,  which  furnishes 
absolute  protection  to  the  animals  from  lynxes  or  other  midnight  maraud- 
ers. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Angora  goat  business  must  be  watched 
and  looked  after  as  any  other  business  to  make  it  a  success,  but  those  who 
are  engaged  in  it  seem  fascinated  with  the  work  and  treat  the  animals  with 
marked  deference  and  affection.  Even  in  shearing  great  care  is  taken  not 
to  wound  them,  while  running  the  sharp  clippers  over  their  soft  hides. 
Here  again,  modern  methods  have  been  introduced,  and  the  goats  are  now 
sheared  by  machines.  These  machines  at  present  are  run  by  hand,  but 
on  some  of  the  ranches  power  plants  are  about  to  be  installed  with  a  ca- 
pacity of  half  a  dozen  hand  machines,  and  which  will  reduce  the  shearing 
expenses  one-third. 

The  great  value  of  the  Angora  goat  consists  in  the  fact  that'  although 
he  is  a  fine  producer,  he  is  a  cheap  feeder.  His  hair  brings  from  30  to  40 
cents  per  pound,  undressed  pelts  from  $1.50  to  $3.50  each,  and  his  meat, 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1015 

sometimes  put  on  the  market,  as  "well-dressed  mutton,"  is   far  above  the 
price  of  the  sheep  flesh,  as  it  is  without  a  trace  of  the  woolly  flavor. 

The  Angora  goat  is  not  a  grazer,  but  a  browser,  and  his  main  food 
consists  of  weeds  and  brush.  By  eating  the  leaves  and  bark  from  the  brush 
he  kills  the  undergrowth  and  clears  the  land,  at  the  same  time  manuring  it 
and  preparing  it  for  forage  crops  and  cattle  grounds.  But  little  money  is 
required  to  begin  raising  goats  on  a  small  scale,  and  they  are  very  prolific. 
The  animals  will  provide  for  themselves  during  the  summer,  and  corn 
fodder,  straw,  or  coarse  hay,  with  a  little  gram  in  March  and  April  to 
strengthen  them  for  the  kidding  season,  is  all  that  is  required  in  the  winter. 
Their  long  hair  protects  them  from  the  dry  cold,  and  the  only  shelter  re- 
quired is  a  shed  open  at  the  south,  and  rain  tight  to  protect  them  from 
snow  or  wet,  which  freezes  on  their  heavy  coats  of  hair  and  chills  them. 

In  the  raising  of  Angora  goats  a  business  has  been  developed  until 
it  has  become  an  important  industry.  Mr.  Tom  Wedgwood  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  representatives,  being  a  recognized  leader  in  this  line  of 
activity  throughout  the  southwest.  His  success  has  been  almost  phenom- 
enal and  he  is  regarded  as  an  authority  on  the  subject  of  raising  goats. 
He  breeds  both  goats  and  sheep,  having  a  large  ranch  at  Hillsboro,  where 
his  business  interests  are  carefully  conducted.  He  has  made  a  close  and 
discriminating  study  of  the  best  methods  of  caring  for  goats  and  as  a 
leader  in  the  development  of  this  enterprise  has  been  a  contributor  to  the 
prosperity  and  progress  of  this  section  of  the  country.  A  native  of  Eng- 
land, his  birth  occurred  on  the  qth  of  March,  i860,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Ann  Wedgwood.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1877,  settling  first 
in  Ohio,  where  he  was  engaged  in  teaming  for  a  year.  He  then  removed 
to  Texas  and  worked  with  the  surveying  crew  that  surveyed  the  Texas  & 
Pacific  Railroad  from  Abilene  to  El  Paso,  carrying  on  that  work  in  1879 
and  1880.  In  the  fall  of  the  latter  year  he  bought  two  teams  and  con- 
tracted for  the  construction  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  in  partner- 
ship with  a  Mr.  Bell,  Mr.  Black  and  two  other  men,  all  of  whom  were 
killed  by  Indians  in  old  Mexico,  about  forty  miles  southwest  of  El  Paso, 
Texas,  while  inspecting  the  work. 

Mr.  Wedgwood  continued  to  sub-contract  until  1882,  in  which  year  he 
drove  his  horses,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  number,  from  Zacatecas, 
in  old  Mexico,  to  San  Marcial,  New  Mexico.  He  sold  his  horses  there  in 
1884,  and  engaged  in  the  cattle  business  near  Lake  Valley,  in  which  he 
continued  until  "1900,  when,  believing  that  he  saw  a  more  profitable  business 
in  goat  raising,  he  turned  Iris  attention  to  the  breeding  and  raising  of  An- 
gora goats.  He  also  raises  sheep.  He  has  upon  his  ranch  some  of  the 
finest  goats  produced  in  the  United  States,  having  taken  first  prize  on  An- 
gora goats  at  Kansas  City  in  1002  and  1903.  His  flock  includes  Kingston 
Lad,  the  champion  of  1903  in  Kansas  City.  In  1904  he  sheared  a  fleece 
which  sold  for  fifty-two  dollars  and  forty  cents,  which  is  the  world  record. 
Few  men  are  more  thoroughly  familiar  with  what  is  best  for  the  goats 
and  will  produce  the  most  healthful  animals  and  the  finest  fleece.  Mr. 
Wedgwood  has  his  ranch  well  equipped  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  is 
utilized  and  his  efforts  are  bringing  him  splendid  success. 

In  1890  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Wedgwood  and  Miss  Virginia 
Idalgo,  and  their  children  are  Robert,  Tom  and  John.  Mrs.  Wedgwood 
died^oi  typhoid  fever  in  August,  1900. 


1016  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Mrs.  \V.  M.  Armer,  living  at  Kingston,  New  Mexico,  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  representatives  of  the  goat-raising  industry  in  the  country, 
as  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  she  won  nine  prize  ribbons  at  the  Louisiana 
Purchase  Exposition  at  St.  Louis,  and  also  the  gold  medal  for  the  best 
display  of  mohair.  Much  has  been  written  about  "self-made  men"  and  the 
credit  they  deserve,  but  certainly  none  such  are  more  entitled  to  praise 
than  is  Mrs.  Margaret  Armer  for  her  successful  development  of  an  im- 
portant business  in  New  Mexico.  She  is  a  native  of  California,  where 
her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  In  early  womanhood  she  married  and  her 
husband,  a  miner,  died  at  Saw  Pit  Culch,  leaving  to  her  care  six  small 
children.  Her  possessions  consisted  of  a  tiny  home  and  a  little  herd  of 
goats,  which  the  family  had  kept  as  a  source  of  milk  and  meat  supply. 

It  now  devolved  upon  the  mother  to  support  her  children,  and  she  de- 
termined that  her  herd  of  goats  should  do  this.  .  For  a  time  she  sold  goat 
milk  and  cheese  and  now  and  then  a  kid.  Little  by  little  she  was  able  to 
increase  her  goat  herd.  There  also  came  a  demand  for  the  fleece,  textile 
manufacturers  using  more  and  more  of  the  long  silken  Angora  fleece  for 
the  making  of  mohair,  and  thus  Mrs.  Armer  found  another  source  of  in- 
come from  her  herds.  She  began  buying  pedigreed  goats,  has  continually 
bred  up  her  herds  and  is  today  the  owaier  of  some  of  the  finest  stock  in  the 
country.  She  also  added  to  her  ranch  from  time  to  time.  Her  place, 
"Silver  Tip,"  is  admirably  located,  being  eleven  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level  and  embracing  thousands  of  acres  of  brush-clad  hills,  while  there  is 
also  plenty  of  water  on  the  place. 

Airs.  Armer  exhibited  a  large  herd  of  her  goats  at  the  Exposition  in 
St.  Louis,  and  the  magnificent  herd  carried  off  many  prizes  over  various 
competitors,  with  a  gold  medal  for  mohair.  She  has  also  won  ten  first 
prizes  at  the  Royal  Stock  Show  in  Kansas  City,  with  a  large  number  of 
second  and  third  prizes  during  the  last  four  years.  There  are  now  on  an 
average  of  about  two  thousand  goats  on  the  ranch.  Mrs.  Amer  was  the 
pioneer  in  this  industry  in  this  part  of  the  Territory.  She  came  to  Kings- 
ton in  1880  and  in  1885  embarked  in  the  business,  her  ranch  being  about 
two  miles  from  the  town.  She  is  now  carrying  on  the  industry  largely 
for  the  fleece,  and  in  the  management  of  the  ranch  has  displayed  superior 
business  ability  and  executive  force,  resulting  in  the  acquirement  of 
splendid  success. 

Cattle  Raising  and  Dairying. — The  breeding  of  cattle  has  undergone 
marked  changes  for  the  better  within  late  years.  Not  only  is  far  better 
care  taken  of  range  cattle,  but  manv  sections,  especially  in  the  Pecos  valley, 
are  making  specialties  of  such  blooded  stock  as  Hcrefords  and  Shorthorns. 
Chaves,  Eddy,  Dona  Ana,  Grant,  Luna,  and  other  counties  in  Southeastern 
and  Southern  Xew  Mexico  are  taking  the  lead  in  both  numbers  and  quality. 

There  are  steady  markets  for  New  Mexico  cattle  in  the  east  and  Cali- 
fornia, heavy  shipments  having  been  made  in  recent  years  to  that  state  for 
the  purpose  of  replenishing  her  herds.  The  average  prices  have  been  about 
$15  for  yearlings,  $18  for  twos,  and  $21  for  threes,  with  $16  for  dry  cows. 
At  these  prices  thousands  have  been  shipped  from  Grant  and  Luna  coun- 
ties to  the  Pacific  coast. 

Dairying  in  New  Mexico  has  kept  pace  with  the  demand,  in  the  vicin- 
itv  of  cities  and  towns  where  the  products  are  sold  in  the  form  of  milk  and 
cream ;   but,   although   there   has   been   a   considerable   increase   in   the   pro- 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1017 

duction  of  butter  and  cheese,  the  home  supply  does  not  yet  meet  the  de- 
mand. In  1889  105,000  pounds  of  butter  and  cheese  were  manufactured, 
and  in  1899,  381,000. 

Horses. — The  following  from  a  recent  report  of  Hon.  Will  C.  Barnes 
gives  a  good  resume  of  the  present  status  of  this  branch  of  the  live  stock 
industries : 

"New  Mexico  is  gradually  drifting  back  into  horse  breeding  again, 
and,  instead  of  the  cayuse  of  the  olden  days,  we  find  the  best  possible 
grade  of  blooded  stallions  being  used  and  imported  by  the  progressive 
stockmen  of  the  Territory,  and  before  many  years  we  will  be  raising  a 
superior  class  of  horses  for  driving  and  draft  purposes. 

"While  New  Mexico  grass  will  raise  a  good  animal,  no  one  should 
attempt  to  raise  more  horses  than  he  can  take  care  of  during  the  winter 
months.  The  great  mistake  that  was  made  years  ago  by  horse  breeders 
here,  as  well  as  all  over  the  western  states,  was  that  they  depended  alto- 
gether on  the  native  grasses  to  grow  their  horses.  Now,  this  is  a  poor 
plan,  for  to  make  a  good  horse  requires  good  feed  and  constant  feeding. 
No  man  can  hope  to  raise  a  horse  that  will  weigh  1,200  pounds  upon  500 
pounds  of  grass.  The  horse  can  and  will  do  well  during  the  summer 
months  on  the  grasses  alone,  but  in  winter  they  should  be  kept  growing 
by  hay  and  grain  rations,  so  that  they  are  never  at  a  standstill.  The  men 
who  raise  the  horses  for  the  eastern  and  foreign  markets  keep  their  horses 
growing  from  the  day  they  are  born,  and,  consequently,  they  attain  a  size 
and  shape  that  bring  the  highest  prices  in  the  markets.  New  Mexico  must 
raise  fewer  horses  and  better  ones.  To  this  end  alfalfa  is  the  king  of  feeds, 
and  nowhere  in  the  west  can  this  wonderful  forage  plant  be  raised  more 
satisfactorily  than  here  with  us.  Supplement  the  grass  in  winter  with 
liberal  quantities  of  alfalfa  and  we  will  turn  out  horses  the  equal  of  any." 

Poultry  and  Poultry  Products. — Kansas  and  Nebraska  are  the  chief 
sources  of  supply  for  New  Mexico  in  the  matter  of  fowls  and  eggs,  and 
thousands  of  dollars  are  annually  drawn  from  the  Territory  which  might 
be  spent  at  home.  The  advantages  of  the  industry  here  are  the  rarity  of 
poultrv  diseases  and  high  prices.  The  consequence  is  that  the  number  of 
fowls  has  increased  250  per  cent  from  1890  to  1900,  and  the  egg  product 
from  280,000  to  840,000,  and  vet  the  present  production  does  not  nearly 
supply  the  demand. 

Live  Stock  Interests  by  Counties. — In  the  raising  of  sheep,  which  is 
New  Mexico's  chief  source'  of  wealth  among  her  live  stock  industries,  the 
counties  of  Union,  Guadalupe,  Rio  Arriba,  San  Miguel  and  Valencia  take 
the  lead.  Of  the  total  number  of  sheep  in  the  Territory,  about  seventy-five 
per  cent  are  in  these  counties,  which  also  produce  approximately  three- 
quarters  of  the  crop  of  wool. 

In  the  production  of  both  sheep  and  wool  Union  county  is  the  leader 
in  New  Mexico.  It  is  estimated  that  it  has  600,000  sheep,  and  at  Clayton, 
the  county  seat.  3.000,000  pounds  of  wool  are  sold  annually.  From  that 
point  and  from  Folsom  100,000  lambs  are  annually  shipped  out  of  the 
county  to  Fort  Collins  and  other  Colorado  points,  where  they  are  fed  for 
the  market.  Of  the  60,000  cattle  on  the  range  many  are  a  good  grade  of 
Herefords,  and  a  number  of  model  stock  farms  are  to  be  found  in  the 
county.  Of  late  years  quite  a  number  of  cattlemen  have  been  raising  al- 
falfa for  feeding  purposes,  the  river  bottoms,  especially  along  the  Cimar- 


1018  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ron.  being  used  for  that  purpose.  The  sheep  growers  will  undoubtedly  soon 
follow  this  example.  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  the  cattlemen  are  rapidly 
improving  their  stock  by  importing  registered  cattle  from  the  states.  The 
raising  of  goats  and  horses  is  another  industry  which  is  growing  on  account 
of  the  adaptability  of  the  county  to  its  favorable  prosecution. 

In  [903  one-seventh  of  the  wool  grown  in  New  Mexico  came  from 
Guadalupe  ( then  Leonard  Wood )  county,  the  number  of  sheep  being  esti- 
mated at  a  little  under  600,000.  The  bulk  of  the  wool  product  is  known 
as  Delaine-Merino,  and  is  of  high  grade.  In  this  county  a  considerable 
profit  is  also  derived  from  the  breeding  of  high-class  Merino  and  Shrop- 
shire bucks  for  stock  purposes.  As  to  cattle,  which  number  some  25,000, 
there  are  many  fine  herds  of  Herefords.  The  raising  of  Shetland  ponies 
and  Angora  goats  are  important  specialties.  The  whole  eastern  part  of 
the  county,  which  is  dotted  with  springs  and  covered  with  gramma,  is  a 
good  ranching  section,  while  the  valley  of  the  Pecos  river  is  almost  ideal. 
-In  the  latter  section  ranchmen  secure  title  to  a  water  front,  and  then  run 
their  herds  and  flocks  on  the  well-grassed  plains  and  mesas  extending 
back  from  the  river  for  miles. 

Rio  Arriba  county  will  probably  rank  third  as  a  live  stock  county.  It 
is  estimated  that  500,000  sheep  graze  over  its  hills  and  produce  2,000,000 
pounds  of  wool  annually,  having  as  company  some  50.000  cattle  and  25,000 
goats.  It  is  not  unusual  for  one  owner  to  shear  15.000  sheep  at  one  time, 
and  drive  them  to  Chama,  where  there  is  a  large  dipping  tank.  Cattle  do 
remarkably  well,  and  of  late  goats  have  proven  very  profitable,  especially 
in  the  more  mountainous  districts. 

Of  the  average  production  of  wool  in  the  Territory,  say  18,000.000 
to  20.000.000  pounds  per  year,  San  Miguel  county  grows  fully  ten  per  cent. 
Las  Vegas  and  other  markets  in  the  county  handle  nearly  half  the  crop  of 
New  Mexico,  which  comes  largelv  from  the  eastern  half  of  the  Territory. 
That  city  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  wool-scouring  centers  in  the 
Southwest,  having  five  or  six  large  plants  in  operation.  Of  the  4,000,000 
sheep  in  New  Mexico  the  county  possesses  about  400,000.  In  consequence 
of  its  mountainous  condition  and  its  abundance  of  water  and  grass,  the 
percentage  of  loss  in  the  raising  of  sheep  is  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and 
mutton  brings  a  good  market  price  at  all  times.  The  market  price  for 
lambs  of  the  first  feeding  ranges  from  3  to  4  cents  per  pound,  netting  the 
grower  from  $1.25  to  $1.75  per  head. 

The  rich  valleys  and  the  great  plains  and  mesas  of  San  Miguel  county 
make  it  a  favorite  section  for  the  owners  of  small  herds  of  cattle,  as  well 
as  the  proprietors  of  the  large  ranches.  Its  climate  is  also  mild,  and  every 
condition  is  favorable  for  the  breeding  of  fine  stock.  The  Bell  ranch,  com- 
prising 800,000  acres  along  the  Canadian  river,  is  considered  one  of  the 
finest  breeding  grounds  in  America.  The  usual  run  is  from  20,000  to 
50,000  Hereford  and  Durham  cattle,  and  the  ranch,  besides  the  usual  cor- 
rals and  stables,  comprises  a  store,  a  postoffice,  and  a  stone  residence  hav- 
ing 200  feet  front,  with  a  100-foot  ell.  The  establishment  is  located  about 
eighty  miles  east  of  Las  Vegas,  and  its  magnitude  may  be  inferred  when  it 
is  stated  that  there  are  probably  not  more  than  80,000  head  of  cattle  in 
the  countv.  The  citv  of  Las  Vegas  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Cattle  Sani- 
tary Board  of  New  Mexico,  and  perhaps  a  majority  of  the  cattlemen  of  the 
Territory  also  make  it  their  headquarters  or  their  home.     While  their  herds 


LINE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1019 

may  range  in  Union,  Guadalupe,  Colfax  and  Mora  counties,  the  manage- 
ment and  conduct  of  large  operations  in  the  cattle,  as  in  the  sheep  business, 
are  centered  at  Las  Vegas. 

Because  of  its  mild  winters,  cool  summers,  good  water,  nutritious 
grasses  and  sheltered  valleys  and  canyons,  Valencia  has  attracted  the  ad- 
miration of  the  sheep  and  cattle  grower.  As  a  sheep  country  it  is  only 
exceeded  in  importance  by  a  few  counties  in  New  Mexico,  the  number  of 
animals  credited  to  it  being  400,000.  Cattle  and  horses  do  well,  and  of 
late  considerable  attention  has  been  given  to  Angora  goats. 

Quay  is  an  admirable  grazing  county,  and  on  its  ranges  are  some  200,- 
000  sheep  and  50,000  cattle.  Tucumcari  has  become  an  important  wool 
shipping  center,  the  grade  of  wool  produced  in  the  county  being  above 
the  average. 

Among  the  live  stock  industries  of  Taos  county  that  of  sheep  raising 
precedes  all  others.  About  200,000  sheep  graze  on  the  free  range,  and 
10,000  goats  browse  on  its  mountain  sides.  The  country  is  too  broken  to 
admit  of  great  expansion  in  cattle  raising,  although  there  is  good  pasturage 
for  milch  cows  in  the  fertile  mountain  valleys,  and  dairying  is  undoubt- 
edly a  coming  and  profitable  industry.  Hogs  are  raised  successfully,  and 
the  county  is  a  good  section  for  the  fattening  of  lambs  and  beeves. 

Socorro  county,  the  largest  in  New  Mexico,  furnishes  vast  ranges 
covered  with  abundant  grass,  over  which  graze  some  250,000  sheep,  150,000 
head  of  cattle,  50.000  horses  and  15,000  goats.  Its  winters  are  mild,  and 
altogether  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  stock-raising  sections  in  the  Southwest. 

Lincoln  county  has  200.000  head  of  sheep  ( many  of  them  of  improved 
stock),  85,000  head  of  cattle  (blooded  Herefords  to  a  considerable  extent), 
10,000  goats  (the  greater  part  high-grade  Angoras),  and  3,000  horses.  It 
is  therefore  no  inconsiderable  factor  in  the  live  stock  development  of  New 
Mexico. 

Experts  in  the  cattle  business  insist  that  the  Pecos  valley,  particularly 
its  lower  portions  embracing  substantially  Eddy  and  Chaves  counties,  pre- 
sents the  greatest  inducements  to  breeders  of  fine  cattle  of  any  one  known 
district  in  the  Southwest.  Throughout  this  section  of  the  Territory  the 
raising  of  live  stock  was  the  first  industry  developed,  as  it  is  still  the  great- 
est in  capital  invested  and  value  returned.  Its  mild  climate,  abundant 
water  supply,  and  low,  protected  situation,  earlv  marked  it  as  an  admirable 
range  country,  and  the  same  features,  added  to  the  splendid  development 
in  water  supply  through  artesian  and  irrigation  projects,  now  stamp  it  as 
a  splendid  country  for  the  breeding  of  blooded  cattle,  which  in  turn  are  to 
improve  the  great  herds  of  the  ranges. 

The  altitude  of  Eddy  county  is  3,200  feet,  the  lowest  in  the  Territory. 
From  the  foothills  of  the  Guadalupe  mountains,  in  its  southwestern  part, 
extends  a  plain  for  a  distance  of  Qi  miles  east  and  65  miles  north  and 
south,  the  Pecos  river  flowing  through  its  central  portion.  An  abundance 
of  water  is  found  over  this  vast  range,  at  depths  varying  from  20  to  400 
feet,  and  practically  every  available  acre  of  grazing  land  is  occupied  by 
herds  and  flocks.  Among  the  fine  stock  farms  of  this  region  are  those  of 
Colonel  C.  C.  Slaughter,  General  R.  S.  Benson,  and  George  H.  Webster, 
Jr.  The  two  first  named  are  breeders  of  Herefords,  Shorthorns  and  Dur- 
hams.  Mr.  Webster's  specialty  is  the  fattening  of  lambs  and  hogs  with 
alfalfa  and  kafir  corn,  and  his  experiments  have  been  wonderfully  success- 

Vol.    II.      32 


1020  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ful,  both  in  the  way  of  exemption  from  the  usual  diseases  and  in  obtaining 
the  highest  prices  in  the  Kansas  City  markets.  To  give  an  idea  of  the 
extent  of  the  cattle  business  in  Eddy  county,  it  may  be  stated  that  during 
one  season,  30,000  head  of  steers  were  sold  from  the  ranges  for  northern 
feeding  grounds,  and  about  the  same  number  of  beeves  fattened  on  the 
ground  were  shipped,  while  some  15,000  head  of  yearlings  were  sold  in  the 
home  markets  at  from  $15.50  to  $16.50  per  head.  The  Eddy  county  cattle 
are  generally  bred  into  close  Hereford  grades,  thus  giving  blood,  bone 
and  beef.  In  the  county  are  200,000  head  of  sheep,  well  graded  to  Merino 
and  Shropshire  strains,  thus  covering  a  wool  and  mutton  cross.  The  an- 
nual wool  product  amounts  to  about  1,000,000  pounds. 

The  same  conditions  prevail  in  Chaves  as  in  Eddy  county.  The  fat- 
tening of  young  beef  cattle  on  alfalfa  is  being  extensively  prosecuted  near 
the  town  of  Hagerman,  and  the  whole  county  is  becoming  famous  as  a 
breeding  ground  for  Hereford  and  Shorthorn  cattle.  The  breeders  of 
Herefords  largely  devote  their  attention  to  the  raising  of  young  bulls,  with 
which  to  supply  the  home  ranges,  although  the  demand  is  extending  to 
Mexico  and  Colorado.  There  is  also  considerable  crossing  between  Here- 
fords and  Durhams.  The  cattle  of  Chaves  county  are  valued  at  $4,000,000, 
and  the  number  of  its  sheep  is  placed  at  250,000,  while  there  are  annually 
marketed  about  1,500,000  pounds  of  wool  and  500  carloads  of  beef  cattle 
and  sheep. 

Colfax  county  also  is  acquiring  fame  in  the  breeding  of  fine  cattle. 
Although  85,000  head  of  cattle  graze  on  its  mesas  and  in  its  valleys,  it  i9 
best  known  for  the  high  grade  of  Herefords  raised  on  the  stock  farms  of 
Charles  Springer,  near  Springer,  and  W.  C.  Barnes,  near  Dorsey.  Among 
the  most  heavily  stocked  ranges  are  those  along  the  Red  river  in  the  Catskill 
and  Vasquez  region. 

The  estimate  has  been  made  that  about  3,000,000  acres  of  mountain 
and  table  lands  in  Dona  Ana  county  are  devoted  to  grazing  purposes,  and 
this  may  well  be  a  fact  when  it  is  known  that  250,000  head  of  cattle  and 
150,000  sheep  are  ranging  over  its  surface.  Among  the  Organ  and  San 
Andreas  mountains,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  considerable  progress 
is  being  made  in  the  breeding  of  high-grade  Angora  goats. 

Grant  county  is  especially  prominent  in  the  breeding  of  cattle  and 
horses.  In  the  neighborhood  of  $800,000  worth  of  cattle  are  now  shipped 
annually  from  the  county.  There  are  few  extensive  horse  farms,  their 
breeding  generally  being  conducted  in  connection  with  the  cattle  ranches, 
much  of  the  product  consisting  of  ponies  which  are  used  by  the  cowboys 
and  herders.  Within  Grant  county  are  about  50,000  head  of  sheep,  and 
the  raising  of  hogs  and  goats  is  also  carried  on  quite  extensively.  Good 
crops  of  corn  are  raised  along  the  middle  Gila,  which,  in  default  of  an 
immediate  market,  is  put  into  pork  with  profitable  results.  The  raising  of 
Angora  goats  is  becoming  quite  important,  and  thousands  of  acres  of  rough 
mountainous  country  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  scrub  oak  (their 
favorite  food)  are  being  given  over  to  the  hardy  browsers.  The  climatic 
conditions  are  also  ideal  for  breeding  and  hair-growing.  There  are  a 
number  of  flourishing  goat  ranches  in  Grant  county,  the  largest,  perhaps, 
in  New  Mexico  and  the  Southwest  being  located  about  ten  miles  north  of 
Silver  City,  under  the  proprietorship  and  management  of  the  Bear  Creek 
Angora  Goat  Company. 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1021 

The  eastern  portion  of  Mora  county  is  devoted  almost  entirely  to 
stock  raising,  consisting  largely  of  mesas  well  watered,  grassed  with  nutri- 
tious gramma  and  blue  joint,  and  broken  by  canyons  into  sheltering  valleys. 
About  150,000  sheep,  producing  some  750,000  pounds  of  wool,  30,000 
cattle  and  6,000  goats,  are  supported  by  this  noble  stretch  of  range. 

More  than  3,000,000  acres  in  Otero  county  are  open  range,  and  over 
this  vast  public  domain,  as  well  as  over  numerous  individual  ranches,  graze 
the  75,000  sheep,  40,000  tattle  and  20,000  goats  credited  to  this  southern 
section  of  Xew  Mexico.  Wells  are  being  drilled  by  the  larger  cattle  own- 
ers, who  are  not  already  thus  protected  against  a  failure  of  water  supply, 
and  the  ranges  are  well  equipped  with  buildings  and  modern  appliances, 
although  the  owners  of  the  stock  are  generally  residents  of  other  counties. 
The  Angora  goat  is  especially  prolific  in  the  table  lands  and  foot  hills  of 
Ottro  county,  and  the  mohair  crop  is  of  a  wonderfully  fine  and  long  variety. 

San  Juan  is  not  a  county  of  great  open  ranges,  or  one  where  it  is 
feasible  to  conduct  great  live  stock  operations ;  the  country  is  too  diversi- 
fied, two-thirds  of  it  is  included  in  the  Navajo  Indian  reservation,  and  the 
balance  is  divided  largely  into  river  and  mountain  valleys.  But  for  the 
dairyman  and  the  small  live  stock  dealer,  for  the  breeder  of  fine  cattle 
and  the  feeder  of  all  kinds  of  stock,  it  is  unsurpassed  in  New  Mexico. 
Alfalfa  is  quite  extensively  cultivated  in  the  valleys  of  the  San  Juan  and 
its  northern  tributaries,  and  in  the  La  Plata  valley,  especially,  a  large  num- 
ber of  beef  steers  are  fattened  on  it  for  the  home  and  Kansas  City  mar- 
kets. Hogs  live  throughout  the  winter  on  alfalfa  hay,  and  thrive  on  the 
growing  grass,  only  in  the  last  stages  of  fattening  requiring  a  little  grain 
to  harden  the  flesh.  Nowhere  else  can  hogs  be  raised  cheaper,  or  more 
profitably.  It  is  said.  also,  that  it  costs  less  to  raise  cattle,  sheep  and  goats 
in  San  Juan  county  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  West,  as  the  herds  and 
flocks  are  driven  across  the  line  into  the  fine  stock  ranges  of  southern  Colo- 
rado, in  the  spring,  and  back  again  to  their  home  feeding  grounds  in  the 
winter,  where  they  have  the  benefit  of  mild  and  open  seasons.  Half  of 
the  100.000  sheep  of  the  county  are  thus  fed,  and  about  10.000  cattle  annu- 
allv.  Many  of  the  cattle  are  high-grade  thoroughbreds,  such  as  Short 
Horns,  Herefords,  Red  Poles  and  Poled  Angus.  For  dairy  purposes  many 
of  the  farmers  are  acquiring  first-class  Jerseys  and  Holsteins. 

The  C.  C.  Slaughter  Cattle  Company,  of  which  George  M.  Slaughter 
of  Roswell  is  general  manager,  was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  Texas. 
In  1899  Mr.  Slaughter  came  to  the  Territory  and  bought  one  thousand 
acres  of  farm  lands,  a  mile  and  a  half  cast  of  Roswell,  then  devoted  to 
the  raising  of  alfalfa  and  fruit.  He  put  upon  the  ranch  a  herd  of  regis- 
tered Hereford  cattle  headed  by  the  famous  Sir  Bredmell,  No.  63,685, 
champion  of  the  Omaha  Exposition  of  1898;  also  the  imported  Ancient 
Briton,  No.  55,749.  World's  Fair  champion  in  1893.  He  also  had  some 
twenty-four  blue  ribbon  cows  topped  out  of  the  best  herds  in  the  United 
States,  including  Viola  II,  valued  at  fourteen  hundred  dollars,  and  none 
of  the  cows  cost  less  than  five  hundred  dollars.  The  herd  is  now  increased 
to  forty  head,  and  is  headed  by  the  bull,  Columbus  Slaughter,  son  of  the 
famous  Sir  Bredmell.  The  bulls  produced  here  are  taken  to  Texas  and 
put  on  high-grade  Hereford  cows,  and  bulls  from  this  increase  are  used 
for  the  grading  of  Texas  herds.  Upon  this  one  thousand  acre  farm  there 
are  produced   annually  some   forty-five   hundred   tons   of  alfalfa,  which   is 


1022  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

used  to  winter  six  hundred  bulls,  which  are  in  service  on  Texas  ranches. 
The  company  also  lias  about  twenty  thousand  cattle  in  range  in  Texas. 
The  saddle  horses  used  on  the  four  hundred  thousand-acre  ranch,  located 
fifteen  miles  east  of  the  New  Mexico  line,  are  brought  here  and  wintered 
on  the  ranch,  and  are  taken  back  to  Texas  in  the  spring.  Upon  this  farm, 
near  Roswell,  there  is  also  sixty  acres  in  a  commercial  apple  orchard,  one- 
half  of  the  apples  being  Ben  Davis  and  the  other  half  Missouri  pippins, 
and  they  bore  in  the  year  1906  for  the  first  time. 

The  farm  is  irrigated  by  three  ditches  out  of  North  Spring  river,  and 
is  all  under  irrigation.  The  company  also  has  five  hundred  acres  on 
South  Spring  river,  adjoining  the  famous  Hagerman  orchard.  The 
Slaughter  Company  likewise  owns  thirteen  hundred  and  sixty  acres  six 
miles  south  of  Roswell,  fenced  and  watered,  and  just  outside  the  original 
district  of  the  Hondo  project,  but  will  eventually  be  in  the  Hondo  reser- 
voir district.  In  addition,  there  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining 
the  town  of  Portales  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  under  the  Portales 
spring,  which  is  sub-irrigated  and  is  used  for  a  hay  meadow.  All  of  the 
interests  of  this  company  in  the  Territory  are  managed  by  George  M. 
Slaughter,  who  makes  his  residence  in  Roswell,  and  who  is  prominent 
and  influential  in  business  affairs.  He  is  president  of  the  American  Na- 
tional Bank  at  Roswell,  has  extensive  city  interests  and  is  individually  in- 
terested in  alfalfa  lands  comprising  two  hundred  and  forty  acres. 

George  R.  Urton,  who.  for  a  number  of  years,  has  been  engaged  in 
the  cattle  industry  in  New  Mexico,  was  formerly  identified  with  the  Cass 
Land  &  Cattle  Company,  which  was  organized  in  Cass  county,  Missouri, 
at  Pleasant  Hill.  The  principal  organizers  were  John  C.  Knorpp,  living 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  Zenas  Leonard,  W.  G.  Urton,  Ben  Duncan, 
Lee  Easley,  Harvey  Russell,  Perry  Craig,  J.  D.  Cooley,  William  Meyers 
and  one  Choate,  all  of  Pleasant  Hill,  Missouri.  Of  these,  Mr.  Easley 
received  cattle  near  Fort  Griffin.  Texas,  and  drove  them  across  the  staked 
plains  to  the  ranch,  sixty  miles  north  of  Roswell,  in  the  spring  of  1884. 
George  Urton  and  J.  D.  Cooley  assisted  in  driving  the  first  band  to  this 
country,  numbering  about  twenty-three  hundred  head.  They  drove  these 
cattle  in  the  spring  of  1884  and  thus  established  the  cattle  industry  of 
this  part  of  the  Territory.  Lee  Easley  was  the  prime  mover  in  the  enter- 
prise and  the  first  manager,  and  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  for  two 
years,  after  which  Mr.  Cooley  was  manager  for  a  year.  On  the  expira- 
tion of  that  period  W.  G.  Urton  was  made  manager,  and  so  continued 
until  1901,  since  which  time  Mr.  Cooley  has  been  manager.  This  is  now 
one  of  the  largest  cattle  industries  in  the  country,  with  over  twenty  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle. 

After  the  organization  of  the  company  George  R.  Urton  became  one 
of  its  stockholders,  and  so  continued  until  1898,  when  he  sold  out.  Dur- 
ing that  time  he  also  acted  as  range  foreman.  In  1898  he  purchased  a 
ranch  about  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  Roswell  and  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  on  his  own  account,  there  remaining  until  1900,  when  he  sold  the 
ranch  to  C.  L.  Ballard.  In  the  winter  of  1900  he  embarked  in  the  cattle 
business  near  Kenna  and  bought  a  ranch  on  which  he  now  has  about  six 
hundred  head  of  cattle.  He  favors  the  lease  law,  for  under  existing  con- 
ditions the  stockmen  do  not  know  where  their  cattle  are,  and  under  the 
law  they  would  then  be  in  a  position  to  know  just  where  their  cattle  are, 


j$  ft   ItvfcL. 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1023 

they  would  be  more  tangible  property  and  they  could  realize  more  on 
them.  Mr.  Urton  is  well  known  among  the  cattlemen  of  the  southwest, 
and  as  a  pioneer  in  the  introduction  of  this  industry  into  New  Mexico,  as 
well  as  one  of  its  present  representatives,  he  deserves  mention  in  this 
volume. 

John  Simpson  Chisum,  for  many  years  known  as  the  cattle  king  of 
America,  made  his  home  in  the  eastern  section  of  New  Mexico  for  a  long 
period,  and  his  strenuous  career  was  so  closely  interwoven  with  the  pio- 
neer history  of  the  Territory  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  separate  the 
personal  and  the  general  history  into  two  distinct  narratives.  For  this  rea- 
son we  find  it  advisable  to  enter  more  fully  upon  the  details  of  his  excit- 
ing life  than  will  be  found  the  case  in  referring  to  most  of  his  contem- 
poraries. The  story  of  his  life,  however,  has  never  half  been  told,  and, 
if  written  in  detail,  would  present  a  clear,  correct  and  forceful  picture  of 
pioneer  times  with  the  various  characteristics  of  frontier  life  with  all  of 
its  dangers,  its  privations,  its  horrors,  its  pleasures  and  its  prosperity. 

John  S.  Chisum  was  born  in  Hardeman  county,  Tennessee,  August 
15,  1824,  the  eldest  son  of  Claiborne  C.  and  Lucy  (Chisum)  Chisum.  He 
died  December  23.  1884,  at  Eureka  Springs,  Arkansas,  and  was  buried 
at  Paris,  Texas,  on  Christmas  day.  The  family  comes  of  Scotch  ancestry 
and  was  founded  on  American  soil  in  Virginia,  but  representatives  of  the 
name  removed  to  Tennessee  during  the  colonial  epoch  in  our  country's 
history.  The  name  was  originally  spelled  Chisholm,  but  was  changed  by 
an  army  officer  to  the  present  form,  through  the  war  department,  at  the 
battle  of  New  Orleans  in  the  war  of  1812. 

John  S.  Chisum,  who  undoubtedly  was  the  most  extensive  cattle 
dealer  of  the  United  States,  and  probably  in  the  world  during  his  time, 
removed  from  Tennessee  to  Texas  with  his  parents  in  1837,  and  from  that 
time  forward  until  his  death  was  closely  associated  with  the  development 
and  upbuilding  of  the  southwest.  He  was  the  first  contractor  in  Paris, 
Texas,  and  built  the  first  court  house  there.  He  owned  the  town  site  and 
a  vast  area  of  land  adjoining.  He  was  county  clerk  of  Lamar  county, 
Texas,  for  eight  years,  and  in  1854  he  embarked  in  the  cattle  business  on 
a  limited  scale  in  connection  with  a  partner.  He  first  purchased  beef 
with  another  man,  who  furnished  most  of  the  money,  and  the  cattle  were 
driven  to  Louisiana  for  sale.  He  was  thus  engaged  for  two  or  three  years 
and  was  then  trading  in  cattle  on  the  shares  for  others,  all  under  one 
brand,  in  north  central  Texas.  About  1857  he  began  operating  in  the 
cattle  interests  in  Denton  county,  Texas,  where  he  remained  until  1863, 
when  he  drove  some  stock,  about  ten  thousand  head,  to  Concho  county, 
Texas,  placing  them  on  a  ranch  which  he  had  purchased  there.  He  was 
interested  in  this  enterprise  on  shares  with  E.  B.  Peters,  Christopher 
Fitzgerald,  John  Orr,  Decatur  Clampett  and  Marcus  and  Otley.  In  1867 
he  located  on  a  ranch  on  Four-Mile  Bend  on  the  Pecos,  thirty-one  miles 
north  of  Roswell.  and  four  miles  below  Bosque  Grande. 

That  winter  Mr.  Chisum  had  a  contract  with  the  government  for  ten 
thousand  head  of  beef  for  the  Navajo  Indians  at  Fort  Sumner.  He  suf- 
fered heavy  losses  through  Indian  depredations,  for  the  red  men  were 
constantly  making  raids  upon  his  herds,  stampeding  them  and  driving 
off  a  large   number  of  cattle.     He  wintered  at  the  Bosque  Grande  camp 


1024  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

and  returned  to  Coleman  county,  Texas,  in  the  spring  of  1868,  to  get  the 
cattle  to  fill  his  contract,  which  he  did  at  a  heavy  financial  loss. 

Mr.  Chisum  took  up  his  abode  permanently  in  New  Mexico  in  1872. 
At  Bosque  Grande  he  had  general  headquarters,  built  good  houses,  estab- 
lished a  store,  and  otherwise  perfected  arrangements  for  conducting  an 
extensive  cattle  business.  He  also  had  a  store  at  Trickham,  Coleman 
county,  Texas.  Other  men  who  had  cattle  near  him  in  New  Mexico  at 
the  time  were  Frank  Wilbern,  who  built  the  first  house  in  Roswell,  and 
Van  Smith,  also  of  Roswell.  They  were  partners  in  a  general  store  there 
in  1870.  In  1873,  Mr.  Chisum  conducted  a  ranch  two  miles  above  Carls- 
bad, on  which  he  had  eleven  thousand  head  of  cattle  brought  in  from 
Concho  county,  Texas,  and  fifteen  thousand  at  Bosque  Grande.  In  1874 
he  drove  some  cattle  to  Arizona,  but  as  they  were  not  paid  for  by  the  man 
who  had  contracted  for  them,  he  sold  them  to  the  United  States  govern- 
ment for  the  Indians.  He  had  previously  had  several  contracts  with  the 
government  for  supplying  beef  to  the  red  men.  In  1874  he  was  awarded 
a  contract  for  about  four  hundred  head  for  the  Mescalero  Apaches,  and 
in  1875  had  a  contract  for  about  six  thousand  head  for  the  San  Carlos 
Apaches  in  Arizona. 

Again  and  again  the  Indians  made  raids  upon  his  ranches,  and  his 
men  had  constantly  to  be  on  the  alert  to  protect  the  cattle  and  horses  from 
the  thieving  propensities  of  the  red  race.  In  1863.  on  the  Concho,  thieves 
took  between  eleven  and  twelve  hundred  head  of  cattle  owned  by  Mr. 
Chisum  and  others,  and  started  for  old  Mexico.  Near  Horsehead  Cross- 
ing, on  the  Pecos  river,  Mr.  Chisum.  Frank  Tanksley,  Abe  Hunter  and 
Robert  K.  \\  iley,  in  pursuit,  overtook  the  thieves  and  had  a  fight  there. 
The  thieves  ran,  leaving  all  they  had.  Three  of  their  number,  however, 
were  killed  and  the  cattle  were  brought  back.  One  of  the  most  serious 
losses  he  sustained  was  in  June,  1868,  when  eleven  hundred  and  sixty-five 
head  of  cattle  were  stolen  by  the  Mescalero  Apaches.  He  had  a  contract 
to  deliver  to  the  government,  at  thirty-five  dollars  per  head,  this  number 
of  cattle,  and  had  bought  them  at  Trickham,  Texas,  for  eighteen  dollars 
each  in  gold.  He  started  to  drive  the  herd  to  Fort  Sumner,  there  to  re- 
ceive the  agreed  sum  of  thirtv-five  dollars  per  head,  and  he  lacked  but 
two  hundred  miles  of  reaching  his  destination  when  he  was  attacked  by 
the  Apaches  and  the  entire  herd  was  stolen  in  the  Guadalupe  mountains. 
Previously  he  had  had  several  losses,  as  a  lessee  of  cattle,  and  had  also 
lost  many  horses.  On  the  18th  of  November,  1874,  Indians  stole  seventy- 
five  of  his  horses  at  Comanche  Spring  in  Chaves  county,  New  Mexico. 
On  the  15th  of  July,  1874,  they  stole  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses  at 
Bosque  Grande,  and  on  the  same  day  stole  sixty-five  horses  twelve  miles 
above  Bosque  Grande.  In  every  case  the  Indians  swarmed  in  hordes,  there 
being  too  many  to  be  fought.  On  every  raid  the  Indians  went  in  large 
numbers,  so  that  the  ranchmen,  who  were  widely  scattered,  had  little  or 
no  opportunity  to  protect  themselves  against  their  enemy.  Mr.  Chisum 
also  had  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  head  of  horses  stolen  by  the  white 
men  south  of  Roswell.  In  1877  four  hundred  head  of  cattle  were  stolen 
at  Seven  Rivers  by  white  thieves,  some  of  the  cattle  being  owned  by  Mr. 
Chisum  and  some  by  Robert  K.  Wiley.  It  was  not  only  the  stock,  but 
also  the  ranchmen  and  their  employes  who  were  frequently  in  danger. 
On  various  occasions   Indians  killed  men  working  for   Mr.   Chisum.     On 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1025 

the  1 8th  of  August,  1873,  they  murdered  Newt  Huggins  on  Huggins  ar- 
royo,  and  in  October,   1874,  they  killed  Jack  Holt. 

In  1876,  Mr.  Chisum  drove  six  thousand  head  of  steers  to  Fort  Dodge, 
Kansas,  and  four  thousand  head  of  cattle  to  Arizona,  and  he  had  8,226 
calves  branded  in  1876,  besides  between  four  and  five  thousand  on  the 
range  which  he  could  not  get  to  brand.  His  brand  was  a  long  bar  on 
the  side  called  the  "Rail,"  and  an  earmark,  called  the  "Jinglebob."  After 
leaving  Denton  county  his  first  brand  was  a  half  circle  P,  which  he  had 
used  before  he  came  to  New  Mexico.  He  also  had  a  brand  in  1865  of 
two  parallel  bars.  In  1879  he  changed  his  brand  to  a  capital  U,  high  on 
the  left  shoulder.  Among  the  slaves  owned  by  Mr.  Chisum  was  a  young 
negro,  now  known  in  Roswell  as  Frank  Chisum.  He  was  purchased  by 
Mr.  Chisum  in  1861,  at  the  age  of  four  years,  and  when  liberated  elected 
to  remain  with  his  old  master,  to  whom  he  was  very  devoted.  He  was 
an  eyewitness  to  many  of  the  tragic  and  stirring  scenes  in  the  pioneer 
history  of  the  Pecos  valley,  and  at  the  present  time,  on  account  of  his 
remarkable  memory  for  names  and  dates,  is  regarded  by  the  citizens  of 
Roswell  as  the  most  reliable  authority  on  the  early  history  of  that  section. 

Mr.  Chisum  never  married  and  left  an  estate,  in  value,  amounting  to 
about  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  In  1875  he  owned  seventy-five  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle,  besides  9,231  calves  and  six  thousand  mavericks  or 
unbranded  calves.  He  was  unquestionably  the  largest  individual  cattle 
owner  in  the  United  States,  and  possibly  in  the  world.  He  started  when  only 
eight  years  of  age  with  absolutely  nothing,  and  in  his  boyhood  he  picked 
cotton  for  a  living.  He  continually  extended  the  scope  of  his  activities, 
investing  more  and  more  largely  in  land  and  cattle,  until  his  operations 
exceeded  those  of  any  other  cattle  dealer  of  the  United  States,  and  pos- 
sibly of  the  entire  world. 

In  many  of  the  accounts  of  the  troubles,  known  as  the  Lincoln  county 
war,  the  writers  have  made  it  appear  that  John  S.  Chisum  was  person- 
ally a  participant  in  that  bloody  struggle.  Careful  research  on  the  part 
of  the  writer  of  this  history  has  resulted  in  the  accumulation  of  convinc- 
ing evidence  that  not  only  was  Mr.  Chisum  not  a  participant  in  that  con- 
flict, but  that  at  no  time,  from  the  killing  of  the  first  man  to  the  end  of 
the  so-called  war,  was  any  man  employed  by  him  engaged  in  any  manner 
in  the  outrages  referred  to  with  his  sanction  or  with  his  permission.  It 
is  true,  however,  that  certain  individuals  who  had  been  associated  with 
him  in  the  cattle  business  were  either  drawn  into  the  war  or  entered  the 
fight  voluntarily,  but  at  no  time  during  the  years  1877,  1878  or  1879  did 
Mr.  Chisum  take  any  part  whatever  in  the  bloody  scenes  inaugurated  by 
"Billv  the  Kid,"  in  revenge  for  the  killing  of  the  latter's  friend  and  bene- 
factor, Tunstel.  The  account  of  the  Lincoln  county  war,  which  will  be 
found  elsewhere,  is  based  entirely  upon  the  most  trustworthy  information 
obtainable  from  eye-witnesses  and  participants,  who  are  still  living  in 
New  Mexico  and  Texas.     Mr.  Chisum  was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason. 

The  Yictorio  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  of  which  H.  A.  Jastro,  of 
Bakersfield,  California,  is  president,  and  which  has  its  main  office  in 
Deming,  is  the  greatest  corporation  operated  in  cattle  in  the  southwest. 
The  range  covers  most  of  the  country  from  Silver  City  south  into  old 
Mexico,  and  includes  many  different  ranches.  This  company  raise,  pur- 
chase and  ship  from  15,000  to  20,000  head  of  cattle  per  year.    The  number 


1026  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

of  head  on  the  ranges  can  only  be  estimated.  The  company  has  effectu- 
ally "frozen  out"  all  competition  in  the  territory  it  occupies. 

Cattle  Organizations  and  "White  Caps"  of  the  Early  Eighties.— In 
the  early  eighties  the  cattle  men  of  Bernalillo,  Santa  Fe,  San  Miguel  and 
other  counties  in  the  central  portion  of  the  Territory  were  continually 
aggravated,  and  not  a  little  alarmed,  at  the  bold  and  wholesale  thieveries 
perpetrated  on  their  herds  and  flocks.  The  Mexicans  were  very  bitter  to- 
ward the  Americans,  who  were  coming  in  large  numbers  and  threatening 
to  monopolize  the  ranges  and  the  business  generally.  Among  the  strong- 
est organizations  formed  in  these  troublous  times  by  live  stock  raisers, 
irrespective  of  nationality,  was  that  known  as  the  Central  New  Mexico 
Cattle  Growers'  Association.  It  was  formed  at  Albuquerque  in  April, 
1884,  and  although  its  purposes  were  represented  to  be  for  the  general 
development  of  the  industry,  it  was  tacitly  understood  that  primarily  it 
was  an  organization  for  defense  against  cattle  thieves. 

At  that  time  the  largest  company  operating  in  central  Xew  Mexico, 
and  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  Southwest,  was  the  Fort  Bascom 
Cattle  Raising  Company,  which  had  been  organized  in  New  Haven,  Con- 
necticut, during  the  year  1883.  It  was  heavily  capitalized,  had  for  its 
chief  spirit  Wilson  Waddingham,  and  for  ten  years  after  its  organization 
conducted  extensive  cattle  operations  on  the  ancient  Montoya  Grant.  It 
finally  consolidated  with  two  other  companies,  and  with  them  controlled 
over  a  million  acres  of  choice  grazing  land.  The  business  of  the  company 
in  New  Mexico  was  placed  under  the  management  of  Stephen  E.  Booth, 
who  had  come  to  the  Territory  with  Mr.  Waddingham  in   1883. 

After  the  sale  of  the  entire  Xew  Mexico  interests  of  this  corporation 
to  two  residents  of  Xew  York  City,  Mr.  Waddingham  and  others  visited 
Europe  with  the  expectation  of  floating  the  bonds  of  a  new  company ;  but 
Baring  Brothers,  the  banking  firm  upon  which  they  had  relied  for  the 
promotion  of  the  gigantic  enterprise,  failed  soon  after  their  arrival,  and 
further  negotiations  ceased.  A  committee  on  liquidation  and  reorganiza- 
tion was  soon  afterward  appointed,  and  the  interests  of  all  concerned  were 
finally  consolidated. 

When  Judge.  Booth  first  came  to  the  Territory  in  the  interest  of  the 
Fort  Bascom  Cattle  Raising  Company,  the  sheep  men,  mostly  Mexicans, 
were  engaged  in  a  bitter  conflict  with  the  cattle  men.  The  natives,  having 
resolved  to  maintain  the  open  ranges,  were  everywhere  cutting  the  fences 
which  had  been  erected  by  the  cattle  ranchmen  in  their  endeavors  to  con- 
fine their  stock  within  some  kind  of  limits  and  partially  protect  it  against 
the  alarming  inroad  of  thieves.  Soon  after  becoming  a  resident  of  New 
Mexico  and  San  Miguel  county.  Judge  Booth  was  elected  chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Commissioners,  thereby  wielding  a  wide  influence  in  what 
was  then  the  largest  county  in  the  territory.  An  organization  known  as 
the  "White  Caps,"  was  formed  among  the  natives,  its  objects  being  to 
manage  their  interests  systematically,  and  "cut  out"  the  disorder  and  riot. 
But  it  soon  became  the  tool  of  Felix  Martinez  and  other  Mexican  politi- 
cians, and  the  public  peace  and  the  cattle  interests  were  threatened  more 
seriouslv  than  ever.  Manv  miles  of  fence  were  cut,  and  the  Mexicans 
began  quarreling  among  themselves  and  murdering  each  other,  as  well 
as"  threatening  the  lives  of  Americans.  At  this  crisis  Judge  Booth  and 
others  appealed  to  Governor  Thornton,  who  lent  them  one  hundred  arms. 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1027 

to  be  used  in  case  of  dire  need.  The  County  Commissioners  called  a 
meeting-  to  devise  means  of  protection,  but  the  convention  was  captured 
by  Martinez  and  his  White  Caps,  and  although  Judge  Booth  was  chair- 
man and  the  governor  made  a  speech,  the  subject  matter  was  postponed. 
The  proposed  action  of  the  meeting  aroused  the  worst  element  among  the 
-Mexicans  against  Judge  Booth,  and  his  escape  from  personal  violence  was 
most  remarkable. 

After  this  stormy  meeting  the  chairman  of  the  County  Commissioners 
stored  the  ioo  rifles  and  1,000  cartridges  he  had  received  from  the  gov- 
ernor in  the  court  house,  which  the  White  Caps  had  threatened.  Sheriff 
Don  Lorenzo  Lopez  had  orders  to'  fire  upon  them  if  they  appeared  with 
lawless  intent;  but  it  seems  that  he  used  the  men  furnished  him  for  the 
protection  of  count}'  property,  to  guard  his  own  home.  At  midnight  the 
White  Caps,  to  the  number  of  122,  bravely  appeared  at  the  court  house, 
thence  quietly  repaired  to  the  sheriff's  house,  and  thence  marched  back 
to  East  Las  Vegas  without  committing  any  depredations :  thus  showing 
their  defiance  of  the  constituted  authorities.  But  up  to  the  time  of  the  fol- 
lowing election  there  was  considerable  fighting  among  themselves.  That 
even  passed  without  serious  results,  although  armed  men  were  present 
and  a  railing  had  been  erected  in  the  court  room,  where  Judge  Booth  and 
his  fellow  commissioners  were  to  canvass  the  returns.  Perhaps  the  open 
preparations  which  had  been  made  for  trouble  averted  it.  and  it  may  be 
that  the  victory  of  the  Mexican  element  at  the  election  had  something  to 
do  with  ending  the  worst  of  the  trouble. 

John  van  Houten,  who  has  general  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  Max- 
well Land  Grant  Association,  which  he  directs  from  the  office  of  that  cor- 
poration in  Raton,  is  a  native  of  Holland  and  a  son  of  one  of  the  principal 
stockholders  of  the  company.  He  came  to  America  as  a  youth,  and  for 
some  time  "rode  the  range"  and  roughed  it  generally.  As  he  became 
better  acquainted  with  the  western  country  and  the  characteristics  of  its 
people,  and  principally  with  the  affairs  of  the  famous  Maxwell  Land  Grant, 
his  love  for  the  work  grew,  and  when  he  was  finally  asked  to  take  charge 
of  the  practical  operations  of  the  company  he  was  well  qualified  for  the 
task.  He  has  demonstrated  unusual  executive  ability  and  during  the  past 
two  or  three  vears,  since  the  St.  Louis,  Rocky  Mountain  &  Pacific  Railway 
Company  entered  the  field  and  purchased  a  vast  coal  district  upon  the 
grant,  he  has  been  one  of  the  busiest  men  in  New  Mexico.  He  has  since 
occupied  the  position  of  vice-president  and  general  manager  of  the  St. 
Louis.  Rocky  Mountain  &  Pacific  Company. 

Xew  Mexico  finds  its  chief  source  of  revenue  in  its  mining  and  cattle 
interests,  and  John  W.  Turner  is  connected  with  the  cattle  industry,  being 
well  known  as  a  rancher  of  Elizabethtown.  He  was  born  in  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois,  and  was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  farming,  early  be- 
coming familiar  with  the  duties  and  labors  connected  with  agricultural 
interests.  His  preliminarv  education  was  supplemented  by  four  years' 
study  in  the  University  of  Michigan,  where  he  pursued  a  literary  course. 
He  afterward  engaged  in  teachino-  in  Missouri  and  Kansas.  In  1874  he 
arrived  in  Moreno"  valley  above  Elizabethtown.  removing  to  this  section 
of  the  country  for  the  benefit  of  his  wife's  health.  He  then  engaged  in 
teaching  school  for  one  winter  and  in  mining  for  four  years,  when,  recog- 
nizing "the  possibilities  of  the  country   for  cattle  raising,  he  turned  his  at- 


]02S  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

tention  to  ranching.  He  has  been  a  leader  in  progressive  movements  which 
have  wrought  a  wonderful  development  in  agricultural  and  kindred  inter- 
ests in  this  part  of  the  country.  He  introduced  the  first  mowing  machine 
into  the  valley,  also  the  first  thresher  and  binder,  and  he  has  carried  on 
his  work  along  most  modern  lines  of  progress.  He  purchased  his  land 
from  the  Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company  immediately  after  the  confirma- 
tion of  the  grant,  securing'  twenty-five  hundred  acres,  of  which  three  hun- 
dred acres  is  under  irrigation  and  produces  splendid  crops,  while  upon 
the  ranch  he  has  large  herds  of  cattle.  His  family  comprises  eight  chil- 
dren. 

As  an  example  of  what  is  possible  by  the  application  of  correct  meth- 
ods in  the  cultivation  of  formerly  arid  and  unproductive  land  when  placed 
under  irrigation,  the  noteworthy  record  made  by  Oscar  C.  Snow,  of  Mesilla 
Park,  known  as  the  "Alfalfa  King"  of  New  Mexico,  will  serve  sufficiently. 
In  1893,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  a  year  before  his  graduation  from 
the  New  Mexico  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  with  borrowed 
money  he  leased  a  small  tract  of  land  near  Mesilla  Park — about  one  hun- 
dred acres — part  of  which  he  set  out  to  alfalfa.  In  1896  he  made  his  first 
purchase — one  hundred  and  six  acres — all  of  which  he  irrigated  and  put 
under  alfalfa.  Some  years  he  cut  four  crops  of  this  staple  from  each  acre, 
some  years  five  crops — oftener  the  latter  number.  The  average  total  annual 
cutting  per  acre  is  from  five  to  six  tons.  This,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
lias  been  the  result  of  the  employment  of  the  very  uncertain  waterflow  of 
the  Rio  Grande  before  the  United  States  government  undertook  the  con- 
struction of  the  gigantic  irrigation  planned  in  1905.  Sometimes  he  would 
secure  sufficient  water  for  his  needs — oftener  he  would  not.  When  the 
supply  was  abundant  a  yield  of  two  tons  per  acre  per  cutting  sometimes 
resulted. 

Starting  with  a  trifle  over  one  hundred  acres  in  1896,  with  the  profits 
from  his  alfalfa  culture,  Mr.  Snow  purchased  an  additional  hundred  acres 
in  1897,  another  hundred  in  1898  and  another  hundred  in  1899.  Nearly 
every  acre  of  the  land  he  bought  was  "wild,"  arid,  uncultivated  desert  land, 
with  its  only  value  for  agricultural  purposes  in  the  prospective.  He  has  thus 
cleared,  cultivated  and  irrigated  nearly  eight  hundred  of  the  thousand 
acres  that  he  owns  and  is  now  (1906)  preparing  to  place  under  water  as 
much  more  as  he  is  able  to  purchase.  At  a  conservative  estimate  his  prop- 
erty is  worth  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 

At  the  request  of  the  department  of  agriculture,  Mr.  Snow  has  made 
experiments  with  other  products,  notably  with  macaroni  wheat.  In  1900 
he  sowed  eleven  bushels  of  the  seed  of  this  wheat  furnished  by  the  gov- 
ernment, on  about  twelve  acres  of  land.  With  imperfect  irrigation  the 
yield  was  above  forty  bushels  to  the  acre.  In  1905  he  made  a  similar  ex- 
periment in  dwarf  milo  maize  (commonly  known  as  Kafir  corn),  and  the 
results  attained  led  him  to  believe  that  this  product  ultimately  will  be 
even  more  valuable  than  alfalfa  as  a  general  stock  feed. 

The  success  which  has  attended  the  labors  of  Mr.  Snow  is  exceptional, 
it  is  true,  but  for  two  principal  reasons  only.  First,  he  made  a  careful 
scientific  study  of  one  subject — alfalfa  culture.  Second,  he  became  one  of 
a  relatively  small  number  of  agriculturists  who  found  he  could  secure 
from  the  very  poor  irrigating  system  upon  which  he  depended  a  reasonable 
volume  of  water  part  of  the  time — though  not  all  that  he  wanted  part  of 


(J.W&^hA 


LIVE  STOCK  INDUSTRY  1029 

the  time,  nor  a  modicum  all  of  the  time.  The  lack  of  water  at  the  proper 
moment  has  been  a  serious  drawback  to  him.  though  not  so  serious  as  in  the 
cases  of  farmers  more  remote  from  the  source  of  the  heretofore  limited  and 
very  uncertain  supply. 

Mr.  Snow  was  born  in  Atchison  county,  Missouri,  November  24,  1872, 
and  is  a  son  of  Oliver  K.  and  Susan  (Toe)  Snow.  From  1876  to  1878  he 
lived  in  Denver  with  his  parents,  and  from  1878  to  1882  he  lived  in  various 
parts  of  Texas.  Settling  in  El  Paso  in  1882  he  attended  school  there,  and 
at  Addsan  College,  at  Weatherford,  Texas.  In  1888  the  family  removed 
to  Chamberino,  New  Mexico,  and  in  1880  to  Mesilla  Park.  Entering  the 
New  Mexico  College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  he  made  a  special 
studv  of  the  comparative  nutritive  value  of  stock  foods,  being  graduated 
with  the  first  class  leaving  that  institution  in  1894.  his  thesis  being  upon 
the  subject  of  food  value  in  alfalfa.  November  4.  1891,  he  married  Marie 
Macgregor,  a  native  of  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  and  a  daughter  of  James 
E.  Macgregor,  now  of  Mesilla  Park.  Mr.  Snow  is  a  member  of  the  Mesilla 
Valley  Giamber  of  Commerce,  a  charter  member  and  vice-president  of  the 
Water  Users'  Association  of  Dona  Ana  county,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the  New 
Mexico  Institute  for  the  Blind  at  Alamogordo.  Mr.  Snow  is  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Las  Cruces,  the  only  national  bank  in  Doiia 
Ana  county.  He  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  examples  of  the  self-made 
young  man  now  living  in  the  Southwest,  and  his  career  offers  great  en- 
couragement to  other  young  men  who  start  out  in  life  with  no  greater 
equipment  than  he  possessed  at  the  outset  of  his  career. 

Clifton  Chisholm,  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of  Chaves 
county,  has  been  a  resident  of  New  Mexico  since  the  nth  of  February, 
1901.  Soon  after  his  arrival  here  he  purchased  of  Frank  Divers  the  old 
J.  M.  Miller  place,  located  ten  miles  southeast  of  Roswell,  consisting  of 
eight  hundred  acres,  and  there  he  embarked  in  the  business  of  raising 
swine.  Three  years  ago,  in  1903,  he  added  a  tract  of  twelve  hundred  acres 
to  his  original  purchase,  thus  making  him  the  owner  of  a  valuable  farm 
of  two  thousand  two  hundred  acres,  all  in  one  tract,  and  which  is  watered 
from  his  own  ditch,  four  miles  long,  the  water  being  taken  from  the  North 
Spring  river.  The  nucleus  of  his  present  large  business  was  one  hundred 
and  eighty  brood  sows,  but  in  the  following  year  this  number  was  increased 
to  six  hundred,  and  from  that  time  on  his  possessions  have  gradually  in- 
creased until  he  is  now  the  owner  of  three  thousand  head  of  hogs,  while 
in  1905  the  number  reached  as  high  as  sixty-five  hundred  head.  During 
the  past  ten  months  he  has  marketed  in  Kansas  City  about  five  thousand 
fat  hogs.  He  feeds  on  alfalfa  and  fattens  on  grain,  and  no  finer  animals 
can  be  found  than  those  from  the  Chisholm  ranch.  This  is  the  largest 
hog  ranch  in  the  world  where  the  animals  are  kept  up  in  quarters.  It  is 
Mr.  Chisholm's  intention,  however,  to  close  out  this  branch  of  business, 
on  account  of  the  lack  of  food,  and  turn  his  attention  to  sheep  raising. 
Over  four  hundred  acres  of  this  large  ranch  is  devoted  to  orchard  pur- 
poses, where  apples  alone  are  raised. 

W.  T.  Borland,  manager  of  the  Las  Animas  Land  &  Cattle  Company 
at  Las  Palomas,  Sierra  county,  was  born  and  reared  near  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, and  his  preliminarv  education  acquired  in  Oakland  public  and  high 
schools,  was  supplemented  bv  study  in  Berkley  College,  in  that  state.  He 
became  acquainted  with  the  cattle  business  in  California  by  actual  experi- 


1030  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

ence  on  the  ranch,  and  in  1900  accepted  the  position  of  manager  with  the 
Las  Animas  Land  &  Cattle  Company,  which  was  established  in  Sierra 
county  in  1882  and  incorporated  the  same  year.  The  home  ranch  is  at  Las 
Palomas  and  Nathan  Grara,  the  first  manager,  was  succeeded  by  W.  S. 
Hopewell,  the  predecessor  of  Mr.  Borland.  The  company  has  been  breed- 
ing up  the  cattle  of  the  country  and  has  introduced  some  fine  strains,  mak- 
ing a  hardy  beef  cattle.  Mr.  Borland  has  the  business  well  systematized, 
knows  the  number  of  head  of  cattle  on  the  ranch  and  is  closely  studying 
the  best  methods  of  improving  the  breed,  so  that  higher  market  prices 
may  be  obtained.     He  belongs  to  Silver  City  Lodge  No.  14,  B.  P.  O.  E. 


CORPORATIONS 


BUSINESS  INCORPORATIONS. 

Some  of  the  more  important  corporations  formed  for  the  promotion 
of  the  material  interests  of  the  Territory,  aside  from  chartered  railroads, 
mining'  companies  and  hanking  institutions,  with  the  date  of  their  charters, 
location  and  capital  stock,  are  as  follows : 

Mesilla   Ferry   Company,  Mesilla,  February  i,   1S66,  $500,000. 

New  Mexico  Wool  Manufacturing  Company.  January  28,  1863,  $750,000. 

Rio  Grande  Company.  January  31,  i860.  $100,000. 

Santa  Fe  Artesian  Weil  Company,   February  4,  1854,  $10,000. 

San   Miguel    Leather   Manufacturing  Company.   January   31,    1861.  $50,000. 

San   Miguel   Wool   Manufacturing   Company,  January  31,  1861,  $100,000. 

Abo  Land  Company,  Albuquerque,  July   to.   toot.  $20,000. 

Absolute  Chemical    Company,   Albuquerque,   December   19,    1890,  $50,000. 

Acme  Fence   Company,   Raton,  June  25,   1S90.  $.30,000. 

Acme  Live  Stock  Company,  Tusas,   May  9,   1899.  $1,000,000. 

Acoma  Land  and  Cattle  Company   (Mo.),  Albuquerque.   May  26,   1884,  $300,000. 

Adams  Cattle  Company,  Vermejo.  June  22,  190,3,  $200,000. 

.Etna   Building  Association.   Las  Vegas,   September  13,   1899,  $1,000,000. 

Agua  Cbiquita  Reservoir  and  Irrigating  Company,  Weed.  June  30.   1S90,  $100,000. 

Alamogordo  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Alamogordo,  Noyember  22,  1900, 
$100,000. 

Alamogordo  Improvement  Company,  Hueco.  April  5,  1898,  $500,000. 

Alamogordo  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Las  Vegas,  March  3.  1887,  $100,000. 

Alamogordo  Lumber  Company,  Alamogordo.  May   19.   1898.  $200,000. 

Alamogordo  Waterworks  Company.  Alamogordo,  May  9.  1903,  $300,000. 

Albuquerque   Bridge   Company.   Albuquerque,   November   24,   1879,  $500,000. 

Albuquerque   Building  and  Loan  Association.  Albuquerque,  July   18,   1887.  $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Commercial  Club  Building  Association,  Albuquerque,  May  24,  1890, 
$60,000. 

Albuquerque   Ditching    and    Irrigation    Company,    Albuquerque,    January    8,    ]  ~~ 
$500,000. 

Albuquerque  Electric  Light  Company.   Albuquerque.  March   10,  1881,  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Foundry  and  Machine  Works,  Albuquerque.  September  25.  1902 
$50,000. 

Albuquerque  Gas  Company.  Albuquerque,  December  31,   1880,  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Gas,  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  (Colorado),  Albuquerque 
November  17.   1902,  $200,000. 

Albuquerque  Hotel  and  Opera  House  Company,  Albuquerque,  February  11,  1S82 
$100,000. 

Albuquerque  Improvement  Company.  Albuquerque,  July  I.  1884.  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Irrigating  and  Ditch  Improvement  Company.  Albuquerque,  January 
9.   1886,  $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Irrigation  Canal  and  Improvement  Company.  Albuquerque.  March  7 
1893,   $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Irrigating  Canal  and  Land  Company,  Albuquerque.  April  13,  1889 
$100,000. 

Albuquerque  Irrigation  Company.  Albuquerque.  December  29.   1896,  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Land  Association,  Albuquerque,  December  3,   1887.  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Land  and  Water  Company.  Albuquerque,  October  II,  1887,  $2,000,000 

Albuquerque  Mountain  Water  Company,   Albuquerque,   August   17,   1882,  $500,000. 

Albuquerque-Navajo  Oil   Company,  Albuquerque,  July  3,  1901,  $1,000,000. 


1032  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Albuquerque  Power  Company.  Albuquerque.  November  I.  18S3,  $50,000. 

Albuquerque  Real  Estate  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  November  22, 
1892,  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Safety  Railway  Switch  and  Rail  Joint  Company,  Albuquerque,  May 
9,  1893,  $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Stock  Yards.  Meat  Canning,  Slaughtering  and  Refrigerating  Com- 
pany.  Albuquerque.  January  22,  1886,  $300,000. 

Albuquerque  Townsite  Company,  Albuquerque,  March  28.  1889,  $100,000. 

Albuquerque  Wool  Scouring  Mills.  Albuquerque.  April  3,  1905,  $75,000. 

Albuquerque   Water   Company,    Albuquerque.    August    25.    1882.   $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Water  Supply  Company,  Albuquerque,  March  29,  1882,  $200,000. 

Albuquerque  Water  Works   Company.   Albuquerque,   March  4,   1882,  $200,000. 

Albuquerque  Consolidated  Water  Works  Company,  Albuquerque,  September  18, 
1882,  $500,000. 

Albuquerque  Mountain  Water  Company,  Albuquerque,  August   17.   1882,  $500,000. 

Aluminum  and  Vehicles  Wheels  Company,  Albuquerque,  March  5,  1894,  $2,500,000. 

American  Blab  and  Rubber  Company.  Tucumcari.  June  16.   1904,  $200,000. 

American  Cattle  Company,  Bernalillo  County.  September  16.  1882,  $500,000. 

American   Crude  Oil   Company,   Las  Cruces.   July   17,   1901,  $1,000,000. 

American  Lumber  Company.  Albuquerque,  December  20,  1901,  $8,000,000. 

American  Meat   Company,   Las  Vegas.  July  27,   1889,  $25,000,000. 

American  Oyster  Carrier  Company,  Albuquerque,  October  19.   1901,  $300,000. 

American  Bohemian  Association.  Socorro.  December  28,  1905.  $1,000,000. 

American   Valley   Company,   Santa    Fe.   August  2.   1886,   $500,000. 

Animas,  La  Plata  and  San  Juan  Irrigating  Canal  Company.  Ohio,  May  9,  1887, 
$150,000. 

Animas  River  Land  and  Irrigating  Company,  Aztec.  February  28,   1898,  $250,000. 

Anton  Chico  Irrigating  Ditch  Company,  San  Miguel  County,  July  9.  1890, 
$5,000,000. 

Apache  Valley  Irrigation  Company.  Clayton.  October  23,  1890.  $250,000. 

Arid  Land   Reservoir   Company,   Roswell.   August   10,    1901,  $250,000. 

Artesia  Improvement  Company.  Artesia,  July  25,  1903,  $50,000. 

Artesia  Water,  Power  and  Light  Company,  Artesia,  August  29,   1903,  $100,000. 

Aztec  Land  and   Cattle  Company,   Santa  Fe,   September  4,   1885,  $100,000. 

Aztec  Oil   Company,   Gallup,   October   17.   1901,  $1,000,000. 

Aztec   Oil  and  Development  Company,   Aztec.  August  29.  1901,  $200,000. 

Ballard  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Roswell.  December  18.  1900,  $30,000. 

The  Becker  Company,  Belen,  December  24,  1902.  $200,000. 

Belen  Town  and  Improvement  Company,  Belen,  August  7,  1903,  $40,000. 

Bell  Ranch  Company.  Las  Vegas,  April  14.  iSqo,  $5,000,000. 

Bell  Ranch  Land  and  Irrigation  Company.  San  Miguel  County,  September  16, 
1882.  $2,500,000. 

Benham  Indian  Trading  Company,  Albuquerque,  August  4.  1903,  $50,000. 

Bernalillo  County  Water  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  June  25,  1890, 
$200,000. 

Bernalillo  Ditch  and  Irrigating  Companv.  Albuquerque,  January  7,   1881,  $250,000. 

Bernalillo  Gas  Company.  Albuquerque,  March  2.   1881.  $100,000.' 

Bernalillo  Oil  Company.  Wingate,  January  20,  1001.  $5,000,000. 

Bland  Milling  Company.  Bland,  March  11,  1807,  $50,000. 

Blethen  Lumber  Company.   Catskill.    September   13,   1803.   $50,000. 

L.  W.  Bill  Lumber  Company,  Deming.  August   19,   1SS1.  $150,000. 

Blossburg  Mercantile  Company,  Raton,  March  25,  1S05.  $90,000. 

Blue  Water  Land  and  Irrigation  Company.  Fort  Wingate,  October  16,  1894, 
$500,000.  ___ 

Bonaventure  Industrial  Company,  Silver  City,  September  29,  iSgr,  $100,000. 

G.  W.  Bond  &  Brother.  Espanolo.  May  22.   1903,  $500,000. 

Bosque  Grande  Ditch   Company,   Roswell.  June   14.   1888.  $50,000. 

Bosque  Redondo  Irrigation  Company.  Fort  Sumner.  March  10,  1891.  $50,000. 

Boston-Albuquerque  Oil  Company.  Albuquerque.  December  14.  1901.  $1,000,000. 

Boston  and  New  Mexico  Cattle  Company.  Santa  Fe.  January  20,  18S2,  $2,000,000. 

B.  R.  Canon  Ditch  Company.  Lincoln  County,  December  17.  18S4,  $500,000. 

Brazito  Development  and  Power  Company,  Las  Cruces,  October  21,  1904,  $300,000 

Broadway  Land  and  Investment  Companv,  Albuquerque,  August  3,   1892,  $40,000. 

Brown  and  Manzanares  Company,  Las  Vegas,  July  15,  1885,  $150,000. 


CORPORATIONS  1933 

Canaigre  Cultivating  Company.  Hudson,  November  n,  1S95,  $500,000. 

Capital  Light  and   Power  Company,  Santa  Fe.  June  24,   ig02,  $500,000. 

Carlsbad  Syndicate  Oil  Company,   Carlsbad,  May  17,  tgoi,  $5oo'ooo. 

Carrizozo  Capital  Ranch  Company,  Limited  (England),  White  Oaks.  May  23, 
1884,  80,000  pounds. 

Cerrillos  Gas  and  Water  Company.  Cerrillos,  February  14,  1882,  $100,000. 

Charles   Springer  &   Company.    Springer.   September  ,3,   1001,  $100,000. 

Cibola  Land  and  Cattle  Company.  Fort  Wingate,  January  26.  1883.  $250,000. 

Cimarron  Cattle  Companv,   Cimarron,  February  ig.  1881,  $60,000. 

Citizens   Water   Works   Companv,    Socorro,    December  6,    1881,   $1,000,000. 

City   Water  Works   Company,   Carlsbad.   July   3,    1893,   $100,000. 

Clayton   Town    Company,    Clayton,    January    14.    1S00.    $50,000. 

Cochiti    Ferry    Company,    Pena    Blanca,    May   2,    i8g4,    $500,000. 

Colorado  and  New  Mexico  Oil  and  Land  Company,  Santa  Rosa.  November  20, 
igo2.  $1,000,000. 

Colorado  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company.  Albuquerque,  March  26,  1885, 
$200,000. 

Columbia  Asphaltum  and  Petroleum  Company.  Santa  Rosa.  May  2,  igo2,  $500,000. 

Columbia   Savings   and   Loan   Association.    Santa   Fe,   January   18,    1S90.   $1,000,000. 

Comrey  Oil   Company.  White   Oaks.   December  T.    1002.   $300,000. 

Consolidated  Cattle  and  Land  Company.  Santa  Fe,  January  4.  1S90,  $400,000. 

Consolidated  Land.  Cattle  Raising  and  Wool  Growing  Company,  Santa  Fe.  Octo- 
ber ig.  1872,  $10,000,000. 

Consolidated  Oil  and  Fuel  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Las  Vegas.  August  17,  igoi, 
$1,000,000. 

Co-operative  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Albuquerque,  August  16.  1888, 
$1,000,000. 

Cosmopolitan  Petroleum  Companv.  Albuquerque.  December  7.  1883,  $350,000. 

C.  N.  Cotton  Company.  Gallup,  December  20.  1902,  $100,000. 

Crystal  Ice  Company,  Albuquernue,   September  24,   1S00,  $100,000. 

La  Cueva  Ranch  Company,  La  Cueva.  September  6.  188  5.  $150,000. 

Chaves  County  Telephone  Company,  Hagerman.  November  16.  1905,  $50,000. 

Commercial  Telephone  Companv.  Las  Cruces,  April  10.   1905.  $100,000. 

Deming  City  Water  Company.  Doming.  November  13,  1905,  $100,000. 

Dambmann  Cattle  Company.  Las  Vegas,  September  12,  1883.  $100,000. 

Delano  and  Dwyer  Cattle  Company,  Raton.  June  10.  1885.  $1,000,000. 

De  Mier  Electric  Train  Signal  Comnany.  Albuquerque.  April  10.  1SS7.  $500,000. 

Deming  Artesian  Water  Company,  Deming,  January  10,  1884,  $50,000. 

Deming  Land  and  Water  Company.  Deming.  August  3.  1892.  $700,000. 

Deming  Real  Estate  arid  Improvement  Company.  Deming,  August  24,  1901, 
$500,000. 

Deming  Waterworks  Companv.  Deming.  April  2.   1884,  $50,000. 

Democrat  Printing  and  Publishing  Company.  Albuquerque.  December  29,  1882, 
$25,000. 

Durango  Land  and  Colonization  Company.  Las  Vegas,  July  22,  1889,  $1,000,000. 

Durango  and  New  Mexico  Oil  Comnany.  Aztec.  August  5.  1901,  $1,000,000. 

Durango  Telephone  Companv.  Las  Vegas.  July  22.  1882,  $200,000. 

Eagle  Tail  Cattle  Company.  Colfax  County.  October  28.  1882.  $100,000. 

Eastern  Financial  Security  Comnanv,  Las  Vegas.  May  26,  1807.  $10,000,000. 

East-Side  Hotel  Companv.  Las  Vegas.    August  23.  1882.  $200,000. 

Eddv  and  Bissell  Livestock  Company.  Seven  Rivers.  March  13.  1884.  $320,000. 

Eddv  Building  Company.  Carlsbad.  Julv  3.  TS03.  $too.ooo. 

Eddy  Building  and  Loan   Association.  CarHmd.  October  Ti.  1890.  $t.ooo,ooo. 

Eddy  Electric  and   Ice  Company,   Carlsbad.  December  2.   1893,  $50,000. 

Eddv  Water  Works   Companv.   Carlsbad.   May  23.   1802,  $100,000. 

El  Capitan  Land  and  Cattle  Comnany.  Fort  Stanton.  Aoril  20.  1885.  $300,000. 

El   Capitan    Orchard   Company.   Roswell,    Tune  8,    1S06.   $250,000. 

Electric   Light    Comnany.    Albunuerque.    Mav   23.    1885,    Jroo.ooo. 

Elks  Leaseholding  Companv.  Albuquerque.  June  17.  190a.  $60,000. 

Employes'  Savings  and  Building  Association,  Las  Vegas.  August  II,  1903, 
$5or.ooo. 

Espanola  Irrigation   Company.   Santa   Fe.   September  to.   iSoj.  $200,000. 

European  Silico  Mica  Composition  Company.  Albuquernue.  May  t6,  1S91,  $100,000. 

Farmington  Awning  Company,  Farmington,  April  17,  1806,  $20,000. 


1034  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Faywood  Hot  Spring?  and  Ranch  Company.  Hudson  Hot  Springs,  June  5,  1900, 
$120,000. 

Felix  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Roswell,  May  7.  tqoo.  $700,000. 

Felix  Land  and  Water  Company.  Lincoln,  Mav  27,  1891,  $100,000. 

Fidelity  Oil   Company,   Silver  City.   April  6,   igoi,  $2,000,000. 

Fidelity  Savings  Association  (formerly  Fidelity  Building  and  Loan  Association), 
Las  Vegas.  March  7.  1806.  $1,000,000. 

First  New  Mexican  Reservoir  and  Irrigation  Company,  Roswell,  January  18, 
18S9,  $400,000. 

Fort  Sumner  Land  and  Canal  Company.  Las  Vegas,  April  4,   1903,  $200,000. 

Fort  Sumner  Land  and  Cattle  Company.  Fort  Sumner,  November  19.  1885.  $500,000. 

Four  Mile  Irrigation  Company.  Carlsbad,  December  30,  1902.  $50,000. 

Fruit  Vale  Irrigation  Colony.  Las  Vegas.  December  II.  1893,  $250,000. 

Galisteo  Water  Company.  Las  Vegas,  February  26,  1800,  $100,000. 

Gallup  Electric  Light  Company.  Gallup.  January  7.  1904.  $50,000. 

Genovera  Fruit  Company.  Las  Cruces,  October  16,  1890.  $100,000. 

Gila  Land  and  Live  Stock  Company.  Silver  City.  July  30.  1902,  $200,000. 

Gila  River  Irrigation   Company.  Silver  City.  February   15.   1894.  $100,000. 

Godair  Cattle  Company.  Roswell.  May  21.  1903.  $150,000. 

Godman  Brake  and  Manufacturing  Company,  Albuquerque.  May  14,  1898.  $500,000. 

Goodrich  Cattle  Raising  Company.  Las  Vegas,  March  16.  188S.  $500,000. 

Grand  Canal  Company,  Farmington,  November  29,  1889,  $30,000. 

Grant  County  Pipe  Line.  Real  Estate  and  Cattle  Company,  Silver  City,  May  10, 
1887.  $1,500,000. 

Great   Southwest  Improvement   Company,   Santa   Fe.   September  4.   1885,  $100,000. 

Great  Western  Oil  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Silver  City,  August  5,  1901 
$1,000,000. 

Greene's  Vinevard  Company.  Eddy   County.   December  26,  1893.  $100,000. 

Gross.  Kellv  &  Company  (formerly  Gross.  Blackwell  &  Company),  Las  Vegas, 
January  14,   1898,  $300,000. 

Hagerman  Irrigation  and  Land  Company  (Colorado).  Carlsbad,  September  16, 
1889.  $300,000. 

Hansford  Land  and  Cattle  Company  (Scotland).  Roswell.  December  8.  1882, 
126.000  pounds. 

High   Land  Irrigation   Company.  Las  Cruces.  November  21.   1892.  $50,000. 

Home  Oil  Company,  Farmington,  January  11.  1902,  $1,000,000. 

Hondo  Reservoir  Canal  and  Irrigation  Company.  Roswell.  April  8.  1806,  $200 

Hudson  Hot  Spring  and  Sanitarium  Company.  Hudson.  February  11,  1895.  $50,000. 

Hyde  Exploring  Expedition  of  New  Mexico.  Farminsrton.  January  7.  1903,  $250,000. 

Improvement  and  Investment   Company.   Springer.  December  22.  1886,  $500,000. 

International  Cereal  Company,  Golden.  May  31.  1898,  $1,000,000. 

Investment  Corporation  of  Mexico,  Deming,  April  18.   1892.  $1,200,000. 

Jackson-Galbraith-Fo.xworth   Company.   Alamogordo.  December   14.   1903,  $200,000. 

Jamez  Hot  Springs  Mineral,  Industrial  and  Improvement  Company,  Santa  Fe, 
January  7,  1881,  $1,000,000. 

Joyce-Pruit   Company.   Roswell,  April   14.   1003.  $250,000. 

Keystone  Land  and  Cattle  Company.  Colfax  County,  May  3,  1886.  $300,000. 

Kingston  and  Black  Range  Toll  Wagon  Road  Company,  Kingston,  November 
22,  1888.  $10,000. 

Kingston  and  Deming  Wagon  and  Toll  Road  Company,  Kingston,  February  14. 
1883.  $25,000. 

Kingston    Water   Company.    Kingston.   March    16.    1S87.   $50,000. 

Laguna   Land   and    Irrigation    Company.    Laguna.    "May   25.    1895.   $200,000. 

Laguna  Vallev  Comnany.  San  Mnrcial.  December  10.  1886.  $1,500,000. 

Lake  Ranch  Cattle  Company.  Springer,  March  17,  1884.  $300,000. 

La  Luz  Irrigating  and  Improvement  Company.  La  Luz,  February  27.  1893.  $45,000. 

La  Plata  Ditch  Company.   La   Plata.  June  20.   iSqi.  $420,000. 

Las   Cruces   Sanitarium   Company.   Las   Cruces.    February   2,    1S93,   $100,000. 

Las  Cruces  Water  Works  Company,  Las  Cruces.  May  2^.   1887.  $50,000. 

Las  Cruces  Electric  Light  and  Ice  Company.  Las  Cruces.  January  30.  1905.  $50,000. 

Las  Vegas  Brewing  Association.  Las  Vegas.  June  15.  1882.  $50,000. 

Las  Vegas  Brewing  Comnany,  Las  Vegas,  November  10,  1887,  $50,000. 

Las  Vegas  Building  and  Loan  Association.  Las  Vegas.  January  13.  1SS1,  $100,000. 

Las  Vegas  Electric  Light   Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  29,   1886.  $60,000. 


CORPORATIONS  1035 

Las  Vegas  Gas  and  Coke  Company,  Las  Vegas,  November  29,  1880,  $100,000. 

Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs  Company,  Las  Vegas,  July  8,   1880,  $300,000. 

Las  Vegas  Hot  Springs  Sanitarium  Company,  Las  Vegas,  July  18,  1904,  $400,000. 

Las  Vegas   Ice   Company,   Las   Vegas,   November    16,    1882,   $300,000. 

Las  Vegas  Light  and  Fuel  Company,  Las  Vegas,  April  22,  1893,  $100,000. 

Las  Vegas  Masonic  Building  Association,  Las  Vegas,  January  19,  1902,  $100,000 

Las  Vegas  Sewer  Company,  Las  Vegas,  November  1,  1899,  $10,000. 

Las  Vegas  Water  Company,  Las  Vegas,  June  4,  1894,  $500,000. 

Las  Vegas  Water  and  Electric  Power  Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  30,  1895, 
$500,000. 

Lawrence   Plaster  Company,   Roswell,   September  20,   1904,  $1,200,000. 

Lea  Cattle  Company,  Roswell,  May  25,  1885,  $1,000,000. 

Leasburg  Canal  and  Irrigation  Company,  Dona  Ana.  March  22,  1893,  $25,000. 

Francis  E.  Lester  Company  (formerly  Pueblo  Indian  Textile  Art  Association), 
Mesilla  Park,  December  5,  1903,  $75,000. 

Lordsburg  Water  Works,  Lordsburg,  September  9,  18S2,  $25,000. 

Luna  County  Telephone  and  Improvement  Company,  Deming,  October  20,  1903, 
$100,000. 

Lyons  and  Campbell  Ranch  and  Cattle  Company,  Silver  City,  June  24,  1884,  $T>" 
500,000. 

Magdalena  Pipe  Line  and  Colonization  Company,  Magdalena,  July  25,  1887, 
$30,000. 

Manuelito  Oil  Company,  Gallup,  September  20,  1901,  $1,000,000. 

Masonic  Building  Association,  Las  Vegas,  April  14,  1883,  $25,000. 

Maxwell  Cattle  Company,  Cimarron,  September  29,  1881.  $20,000,000. 

Maxwell  Land  Grant  Company,  Raton,  June  25,   1880,   1,000,000  pounds. 

Maxwell  Timber  Company,  Catskill,  January  25,  1897,  $50,000. 

Meadow  City  Hotel  Company,  Las  Vegas,  February  22,  1892,  $100,000. 

Mesa  Land  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  June  16,   1891,  $300,000. 

Mesilla  Valley  Canal  Land  and  Improvement  Company,  Las  Cruces,  December  I, 
1886,  $500,000. 

Mesilla  Valley  Fruit  and  Wine  Company,  Las  Cruces,  March  28,  1890,  $50,000. 

Mesilla  Valley  Irrigation  Company,  Las  Cruces,  April  2,  1896,  $20,000. 

Mesilla  Valley  Irrigation  Colony,   Las  Cruces,  December   11,    1893,  $250,000. 

Mesilla  Valley  Land  and  Irrigation  Company,  Las  Cruces,  December  18,  1889, 
$500,000. 

Middle  Pecos  Land  Company,  Carlsbad,  June  29.  1895,  $100,000. 

Midland   Pastoral   Company.   Raton,   November  22,   1892,  $1,000,000. 

Milne  and  Bush  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Roswell,  January  3,  1887,  $350,000. 

Mimbres    Canal    Company.    Deming,    September    4.    1887.    $1,000,000. 

Mimbres  Canal  and  Deming  Water  Company,  Deming,  September  3,  1891,  $500,000. 

Mimbres  and  Deming  Canal   Company,   Deming,  June    1,   1891.  $250,000. 

Mimbres  and  Deming  Ditch  and  Pipe  Line  Company,  Silver  City,  January  5, 
1 891,  $2,000,000. 

Mimbres  Ditch  and  Pipe  Line  Company,  Silver  City,  September  5,  1887,  $2,000,000. 

Mimbres  River  Canal  Company,  Deming,  September  6,  1887,  $1,000,000. 

Mimbres   River   Cattle   Company,   Deming,  January  3,    1884,   $500,000. 

Mimbres   River   Water  Company,   Albuquerque,  June  7,   1904,  $2,000,000. 

Missouri  Florida  Cattle  Company.  Deming,  August  22,  1885,  $250,000. 

Missouri  Oil  and  Asphaltum  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Santa  Rosa,  September  3, 
1902,  $1,000,000. 

Montezuma  Hotel  Company  (Illinois),  Las  Vegas,  June  26,  1895,  $25,000. 

Mora  County  Cattle  Company.   Santa  Fe.   March   12,   1884.  $250,000. 

Mora  County  Woolen  Mills,  Mora   County,   February  28,   1880,  $100,000. 

Mountain  Lake  Reservoir  and  Irrigation  Company,  Roswell,  January  4,  1897, 
$2,000,000. 

Mutual  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Albuquerque,  May  9,  1888,  $1,000,000. 

Mutual   Building  and   Loan   Association,   Deming.   May  28,   1891,   $1,000,000. 

Mutual  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Las  Vegas.  March  16,  1887,  $1,000,000. 

Mutual  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Santa  Fe,  August  30.   1887,  $2,000,000. 

Nambe  Power  and  Improvement  Company,  Santa  Fe,  September  3,  1895,  $100,000. 

National   Surety  Company,  Alamogordo,  June  22.   1904,   $500,000. 

New  Mexican  and  Arizona  Telegraph  Company,  Lordsburg,  September  30,  1882. 
$1,000,000. 

Vol.   II.      33 


1036  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

New  Mexican  Artesian  Well  Company,  Santa  Fe,  November,  23.  1893,  $50,000. 

New  Mexican  Printing  and  Publishing  Company,  Santa  Fe,  April  15,  1880,  $22,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Arizona  Electric  Light  and  Storage  Company,  Las  Vegas,  No- 
vember 11,  1882,  $100,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Arizona  Telegraph  Company,  Silver  City,  December  13,  1872, 
$1,500,000. 

New  Mexico  Brick  and  Tile  Manufacturing  Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  3, 
1882,  $50,000. 

New  Mexico  Building  Association,  Albuquerque,  August  21.  1891,  $1,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Building,  Real  Estate  and  Loan  Association,  Albuquerque,  February 
28,  1882,  $300,000. 

New  Mexico  Cattle  Breeding  Company,  Albuquerque,  February  16,  1887,  $160,000. 

New  Mexico  Colonization  Company,  Las  Vegas,  February  3,  1888,  $500,000. 

New   Mexico   Consolidated  Oil   Company,  Gallup,   August  26,   1001,  $1,000,000. 

New   Mexico  Electric  Company.   Santa   Fe,  January   19,   1882,  $100,000. 

New  Mexico  Gas  Company,  Santa  Fe,  July  20,  1880,  $100,000. 

New  Mexico  Homestead  Company,   Socorro,  June  27,   1S92,  $250,000. 

New   Mexico  Investment   Company,   Clayton,   May   1.    1897,   $500,000. 

New  Mexico  Investment  and  Industrial  Company,  Santa  Fe,  September  7,  1883, 
$500,000. 

New  Mexico  Irrigating  Canal  Company  (formerly  Pecos  and  Placer  Mining  and 
Ditch  Company),   Santa  Fe.  December  28,   1867,  $2,500,000. 

New  Mexico  Irrigating  and  Land  Company,  Albuquerque,  March  29,  1882, 
$3,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Irrigation  Company,   Santa  Fe.  November  26,   1873,  $5,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Santa  Fe.  May  I,  1883.  $800,000. 

New  Mexico  Land  and  Live  Stock  Company,  Springer,  June  22,  1903,  $500,000. 

New  Mexico  Land,  Oil  and  Development  Company,  Raton,  May  6,  1002,  $150,000. 

New  Mexico  Light  and  Power  Company,  Albuquerque,  May  2,  1902,  $500,000. 

New   Mexico  Lumber  Association,  Las  Vegas,   August  18,   1882,  $250,000. 

New  Mexico  and  Northern  Cattle  Company,  Socorro  County,  March  21,  1902^ 
$200,000. 

New  Mexico  Oil  Company,  Wingate,  January  17,   1002.  $1,500,000. 

New  Mexico  Promotion  and  Development  Company,  Las  Vegas,  September  22, 
1903,  $250,000. 

New  Mexico  Real  Estate,  Loan  and  Trust  Company.  Deming,  November  18,  1893, 
$500,000. 

New  Mexico  Sheep  Company.  Springer,  July  24,  1891,  $500,000. 

New  Mexico  Sugar  Refining  Company,  Albuquerque.  May  27.  1891.  $200,000. 

New  Mexico  Tanning  Extract  Company.  San  Antonio,  March  6,  1899,  $250,000. 

New  Mexico  Water  Company,   Santa  Fe.  July  20.   1880,  $200,000. 

New  Mexico  Water  Development  and  Irrigation  Company,  Albuquerque,  June  7, 
1895,  $1,000,000. 

New  Mexico  Water  and  Irrigation  Company,   Socorro,  May  5,   1886.  $1,000,000. 

New    Mexico   Woolen    Mills,    Albuquerque,    January    18,    1883.   $500,000. 

Newton    Lumber    Company.    Catskill,    March    27.    1803,    $200,000. 

Nogal  and  San  Mateo  Cattle  Company.  Limited,  San  Marcial.  October  20,  1884, 
$2,500,000. 

Optic   Company,  Las  Vegas,  October  31.   1903,  $50,000. 

Palo  Blanco  Cattle  Company.  Colfax  County.  March  9,  1882,  $2,000,000. 

Pecos  Irrigation  Company.  Carlsbad.   September  19.   1000.  $325,000. 

Pecos  Irrigated  Farms  Company,  Carlsbad,  December  7.  1891,  $250,000. 

Pecos  Irrigation  and  Investment  Company,  Carlsbad,  September  15,  1888,  $600,000. 

Pecos  River  Cattle  Raising  Company,  Las  Vegas.  March  3.   1887,  $2,000,000. 

Pecos  River  Ditch  Companv.  Roswell,  January  31.  1889,  $100,000. 

Pecos  Vallev  Beet  Sugar  Company,  Carlsbad.  April  23,  1896,  $2,000,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Building  Association.  Roswell.  November  18,  1002,  $210,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Cement  and  Plaster  Company.  Roswell.  August  29.  1903.  $650,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Telephone  Company,  Roswell.  February  19,  1904,  $50,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Town  Company,  Carlsbad,  April  15,  1880,  $500,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Trust  Company,  Carlsbad.  May  12.  1803.  $100,000. 

Pecos  Valley  Wool  Scouring  Mill  and  Water  Power  Company.  Roswell,  April 
20,  1894,  $50,000. 

Pecos  Water  Users'  Association,  Carlsbad,  October  24,  1904,  $1,000,000. 


CORPORATIONS  1037 

Penasco  Cattle  Company,  Las  Cruces,  February  25,  1891,  $400,000. 

Penasco  Reservoir  and  Irrigation  Company,  Carlsbad,  December  15,  1891,  $1,000,- 
000. 

Prairie  Cattle  Company,  Limited  (Great  Britain),  Albuquerque,  October  14,  1885, 
£60,000. 

Public   Utilities   Company,   Carlsbad,  June   13,   1904,  $100,000. 

Quivira  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Albuquerque,  April   13,  18S7,  $500,000. 

Raton  Building  and  Loan  Association,   Raton,  September   10,   1889,  $500,000. 

Raton  Electric  Lighting  Company,  Raton,  June  16,  1885,  $25,000. 

Raton  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company,  Raton,  November  27,  1894,  $40,000. 

Raton  Loan  and  Investment  Company,  Raton,  May  9,  1895,  $50,000. 

Raton  Water  Company,  Raton,  January  20,   1882,  $100,000. 

Raton  Water  Works  Company,  Raton,  June   17,   1891,  $100,000. 

Red  River  Cattle  Company,  Cimarron,  October  10,  1881,  $341,700. 

Red  River  City,  Town  and  Mineral  Company,  Santa  Fe,  May  14,  1895,  $1,000,000. 

Red  River-Taos-Santa  Fe  Telephone  Company,  Red  River,  March  15,  1897,  $50,000. 

Red  River  Valley  Company,  Las  Vegas,  January  24,  1899,  $1,000,000. 

Rio  Arriba  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Limited  (England),  Santa  Fe,  March  3, 
1887,    £160,000. 

Rio  Grande  Bridge  and  Ferry  Company,  San  Marcial,  June  7,  1882,  $25,000. 

Rio  Grande  Canning  and  Preserving  Company,  Las  Cruces,  May  7,  1888,  $60,000. 

Rio  Grande  and  Colorado  River  Turnpike  and  Bridge  Company,  Santa  Fe,  Febru- 
ary 8,    1879,   $250,000. 

Rio  Grande  Dam  and  International  Irrigation  Company,  Las  Cruces,  August  29, 
1892,  $10,000. 

Rio  Grande  Dam  and  Irrigation  Company,  Las  Cruces,  September  9,  1893,  $5,000,- 
000. 

Rio  Grande  Electric  Power  and  Irrigation  Company,  Santa  Fe,  June  1,  1895, 
$500,000. 

Rio  Grande  Irrigating  Canal,  Land  and  Live  Stock  Company,  Socorro,  March 
5,  1885,  $500,000. 

Rio  Grande  Irrigation  and  Improvement,  Company,  Albuqerque,  November  24, 
1879,  $3,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  Irrigation  Company,  Las  Cruces,  January  13,   1893,  $2,500,000. 

Rio  Grande  Irrigation  and  Colonization  Company  Albuqerque,  March  3,  1887, 
$5,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  Irrigation  and  Homestead  Company,  Las  Cruces,  December  19,  1892, 
$5,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  Land  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  August  9,  1883,  $500,- 
000. 

Rio  Grande,  Pecos  and  Ortiz  Grant  Canal  Company,  Santa  Fe,  June  23,  1873, 
$2,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  Valley  Irrigation  Company,  Albuqerque,  November  18,  1893,  $1,000,000. 

Rio  Grande  Valley  Tobacco  Company,  Albuquerque,  April  6,  1903,  $25,000. 

Rio  Grande  Woolen  Mills  Company,  Albuquerque.  November  24,   1902,  $1,000,000. 

Rio  Hondo  Reservoir  and  Improvement  Company,  Roswell,  April  4,  1896,  $250,000. 

Rio  Puerco  Irrigation  and  Agricultural  Company,  Albuquerque,  January  20,  1890, 
$2,500,000. 

Rio  Puerco  Irrigation  Company.  Albuquerque,  April  30,  1S95.  $500,000. 

Rio  Puerco  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company,  Albuquerque,  July  ig,  1889, 
$500,000. 

Roswell  Building  and  Loan   Association,  Roswell.  February  8,   1901,  $250,000. 

Roswell  Electric  Light  Company.  Roswell.  August  30.  1004.  $250,000. 

Roswell  Telephone  and  Manufacturing  Company.  Roswell.  April  14,   1894,  $50,000. 

Roswell  Water  Company,  Roswell,  April  23,  1880,  $50,000. 

San  Andreas  Irrigation  Company,  San  Marcial,  February  3.  1902,  $400,000. 

San  Juan  Canal  Company,  Blnomfield,  February  1.  18SS.  $200,000. 

San  Juan  Canal  and  Development  Company.  Blanco.  March  4.  1904,  $1,000,000. 

San  Juan  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company.  Ohio,  August  27,  1891,  $150,000. 

San  Juan  Land  and  Canal  Cnmpanv,  Aztec.  June  3.  1887.  $300,000. 

San  Juan  Water  Company.  Bloomfield.  April  30.  18S9,  $200,000. 

San  Marcial  Building  and  Loan  Association,  San  Marcial.  March  30,  1S94,  $200,000. 

San  Pedro  and  Canon  del  Agua  Company  (Conn.),  San  Pedro,  May  3,  18S0, 
$10,000,000. 


1038  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

Santa  Fe  City  Water  Works,  Santa  Fe,  December  17,  1S81,  $300,000. 

Santa  Fe  Electric  Light  and  Power  Company,  Santa  Fe,  September  22,  1883, 
$50,000. 

Santa  Fe  Gas  Company,  Santa  Fe,  April  9,   1880,  $100,000. 

Santa  Fe  Gas  and  Electric  Company,  Santa  Fe,  August  1,   1894,  $100,000. 

Santa  Fe  Gas  Light  and  Coke  Manufacturing  Company,  Santa  Fe,  December  21, 
lS/9,  $50,000. 

Santa  Fe  Irrigation  and  Colonization  Company,  Santa  Fe,  December  13,  1887, 
$2,500,000. 

Santa  Fe  Water  Company,  Santa  Fe,  June  8,  1893,  $500,000. 

Santa  Fe  Water  and  Improvement  Company,  Santa  Fe,  October  27,  1880,  $500,000. 

Santa  Fe  Water  and  Light  Company  (N.  Y.),  Santa  Fe,  February  28,  1900, 
$50,000. 

Santa  Fe  Water  Works  Company,  Santa  Fe,  December  29,  1879,  $100,000. 

San  Vincente  Cattle  Company,  Mangus  Springs,  April  6,  1892.  $6,000,000. 

John  Schrock  Lumber  Company,  Roswell,  March  26,  1903,  $250,000. 

Short  Horn  Cattle  Company,  Albuquerque,  February  1,  1884,  $500,000. 

Sierra  Grande  Ranch  Company,  Springer,  August  6,  1888,  $750,000. 

Silver  City  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Silver  City,  April  19,  1887,  $1,000,000. 

Silver  City  Gas  Company,  Silver  City.  January  2.  1882,  $50,000. 

Silver  City  Water  Company,  Silver  City,  December  27,  1886.  $100,000. 

Silver  City  Water  Works.   Silver  City,  March  3,   1883,  $60,000. 

Socorro  Building  and  Improvement  Company,  Socorro,  November  23,  1881, 
$100,000. 

Socorro  Building  and  Loan  Association,  Socorro,  April   13,   1885,  $200,000. 

Socorro  Gas  Light  Company,  Socorro,  November  17,  1881,  $100,000. 

Socorro  Illuminating  Company.  Socorro,  December  3,  1881.  $100,000. 

Socorro  Irrigation   Company,   Socorro.   December  28.    1904,   $250,000. 

Socorro  Water  Company,  Socorro,  July  28,  1884,  $100,000. 

Southwest  Development  and  Exploration  Company  of  New  Mexico,  Albuquerque, 
February  1.  1904,  $2,000,000. 

Southwestern  Savings.  Loan  and  Building  Association,  Las  Vegas,  April  14,  1899, 
$2,500,000. 

Stephenson-Bennett  Consolidated  Mining  Company,  Las  Cruces,  April  24,  1905, 
$1,250,000. 

Spring  City  Town  Company,  Socorro,  April  10,  1882,  $90,000. 

Springer  Land  Association,  Springer.  March  16.  1889,  $320,000. 

Taos  County  Irrigation  and  Improvement  Company,  Questa,  July  16,  1902, 
$1,000,000. 

Tijeras   Water   Company,   Albuquerque.   June   10,    1891.   $250,000. 

Truiillo  Ranch  Company,  Las  Vegas,  April  17,  1885,  $500,000. 

Tuerto  Water  Company,  Santa  Fe,  February  27.  1880,  $10,000,000. 

Tularosa   Irrigation   Company,   Tularosa,   October   14,    1889.   $220,000. 

Tularosa  Reservoir  and  Irrigation  Company,  Tularosa,  December  7,  1894,  $100,000. 

Tuxpan  Land  Company.  Albuquerque,  February  17,  1894.  $2,000,000. 

Union  Stock  Yards  Company,  Albuquerque,  February  5,  1891.  $50,000. 

United  States  Agricultural  Society.  Fort  Bascom,  July  23.  1881,  $2,500,000. 

Ute  Creek  Ranch  Company,  Raton.  February  3,  T002,  $50,000. 

Valencia  Bridge  Company,  Los  Lunas,  June  30,  1882.  $25,000. 

Valverde  Irrigating  Ditch  Company.  San  Marcial,  September  5,   1889,  $5,000,000. 

Vermejo  Company,  Colfaz  Counfy.   March  9,   1889,  $300,000. 

Victorio  Land  and  Cattle  Company  (California),  Deming.  February  17.  1899, 
$200,000. 

Waddingham   Cattle  Association.   Fort  Bascom,  June   18,   1881,  $500,000. 

Water  Supply  Company.  Albuquerque,  April  26,  1898.  $150,000. 

Western  Homestead  and  Irrigation  Company,  Albuquerque,  October  29,  1894, 
$1,000,000. 

Western  Ranch  and  Irrigation  Company.  White  Oaks,  May  ir.  1901.  $1,000,000. 

Western  Union  Cattle,  Land  and  Irrigation  Company,  Socorro,  July  23,  1887, 
$250,000. 

White  Sands  Soda  and  Gypsum  Company.  Las  Cruces.  June  3.  1S92,  $1,000,000. 

Wise  Automatic  Computing  Scale  Company.  Las  Vegas,  December  5,  1894,  $100,000. 

Zuni  Mountain  Lumber  and  Trading  Company,  Albuquerque,  September  27,  1902, 
$25,000. 


CORPORATIONS  1039 

Among  the  early  business  corporations  of  the  Territory  was  the  Albu- 
querque Bridge  Company,  incorporated  by  act  of  Legislature  January  24, 
1865,  with  a  capital  stock  of  1,000  shares  of  $50  each. 

The  incorporators  were  well  known :  Salvador  Armijo,  Thomas  Gon- 
zales, Manuel  Garcia,  William  Van,  R.  H.  Ewan,  W.  T.  Strachan,  Cristo- 
val  Armijo  and  W.  H.  Henrie.  They  were  granted  exclusive  right  to 
construct  and  maintain  a  toll  bridge  across  Rio  Grande  at  Albuquerque, 
toll  not  to  exceed  5  cents  for  each  person  afoot,  10  cents  for  each  person 
horseback,  25  cents  for  each  buggy  or  one-horse  carriage,  10  cents  addi- 
tional for  each  additional  horse,  30  cents  for  vehicles  drawn  by  two  horses, 
etc.,  and  10  cents  additional  for  each  additional  horse. 

An  act  January  30,  1865,  incorporated  the  "Taos  and  Mora  Mountain 
Road  Company,"  to  construct  a  toll  road  across  the  mountain  from  Taos 
to  Mora,  by  way  of  the  Piedras  Coloradas.  The  incorporators  were :  Colo- 
nel Ceran  St.  Vrain,  Thomas  Means,  Antonio  Jose  Martinez,  Juan  Manuel 
Lucero.  Antonio  Jose  Valdez,  Pedro  Valdez,  Juan  Santistevan,  Ferdinand 
Maxwell,  Diego  A.  Gallegos,  Charles  Rite,  Aloys  Scheurich,  Moritz  Biel- 
showski,  David  Webster,  George  A.  Ross,  Estevan  Garcia,  W.  L.  Blanc, 
Jose  Gabriel  Gallegos,  Francisco  Armijo,  Adolph  Guttmann,  W.  Friedmann, 
Miguel  Ribera.  Antonio  Abad  Romero,  B.  M.  St.  Vrain,  Lucian  Stewart, 
E.  A.  Du  Brenil.  Edward  Pointer,  Antonio  Joseph,  Juan  de  Jesus  Valdez, 
and  Gregario  Valdez. 

The  greatest  individual  enterprise  in  New  Mexico — the  American 
Lumber  Company — was  organized  in  1902  and  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  New  Jersey.  The  Company's  great  mills  were  located  in  Albu- 
querque, and  the  timber  is  obtained  from  a  tract  of  three  hundred  thousand 
acres  in  the  Zuni  mountains,  formerly  owned  by  the  Mitchell  Brothers. 
This  land,  originally  secured  from  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
way Company,  formerly  was  the  property  of  the  Territory,  and  under  the 
laws  should  have  been  held  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  the  schools  of  New 
Mexico,  but.  through  the  shrewd  manipulation  of  the  railroad  company 
and  politicians,  the  intention  of  the  law  came  to  naught  and  the  title  passed 
into  the  hands  of  individuals. 

The  American  Lumber  Company,  upon  obtaining  control  of  this  vast 
tract  of  land  for  a  nominal  sum,  at  once  erected  the  great  mills  in  Albu- 
querque and  about  thirty-five  miles  of  logging  railway  in  the  timber  field. 
The  Albuquerque  plant  covers  one  hundred  and  ten  acres,  on  which  are  a 
sawmill  having  a  capacity  of  325.000  feet  per  day  of  twenty-four  hours; 
the  largest  single-floor  sash  and  door  factory  in  the  world,  turning  out  an 
average  of  twelve  hundred  doors  and  eighteen  hundred  window  sashes  per 
dav  of  ten  hours;  and  a  box  factory  with  a  capacity  of  six  carloads  of  box 
material  per  day.  Eight  hundred  and  fifty  men  are  employed  in  the  plant 
at  Albuquerque,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  woods,  and  the  pay-roll 
averages  $45,000  per  month.  The  mill  began  operations  in  February,  1903, 
the  box  factory  in  1904,  and  the  sash  and  door  factory  in  1905.  The  high 
grade  output  is  shipped  to  the  eastern  states  and  the  common  lumber  goes 
chiefly  to  the  local  market,  Kansas  and  Oklahoma.  The  concern  enjoys  a 
large  export  trade.  The  capital  stock  is  controlled  largely  by  residents 
of  ^Cleveland,  Ohio,  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  Detroit,  Michigan.  The  present 
officers  are :  '  President,  W.  P.  Johnson ;  vice-president,  W.  H.  Sawyer ; 
secretary  and  treasurer,  D.  E.  Wright;  business  manager,  John  N.  Coffin. 


1040 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


One  of  the  principal  industries  at  Tucumcari,  the  Tucumcari  Wool 
Scouring  Company's  mills,  was  established  in  April,  1904,  bv  E.  J.  Hiding, 
of  Trinidad,  Colorado,  the  M.  B.  Goldeuberg  Company,  S.'  Florsheim  and 
IMerritt  C.  Mechem.  j\lr.  Hiding  is  president  of  the  company  and  F.  G. 
Chittenden  is  secretary.  The  mills  cost  $30,000,  have  a  capacity  of  14,000 
pounds  for  ten  hours'  run,  and  employ  twenty-five  men.  The  concern 
handled  1,500,000  pounds  of  wool  in  1905. 

The  Rio  Grande  Valley  'Woolen  Mills  Company,  of  Albuquerque, 
which  began  business  about  four  years  ago,  is  not  only  a  big  concern  from 
a  manufacturing  standpoint,  but  is  notable  as  one  of  the  large  co-operative 
enterprises  of  the  country.  Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  great  wool-growing 
district,  the  business  is  conducted  on  those  modern  principles  of  co-opera- 
tion which  bring  an  equitable  distribution  of  profits  to  all  shar- 
ing in  the  production  and  at  the  same  time  increase  the  quality  of  the  out- 
put and  economy  in  all  departments  of  manufacture.  The  president  of  the 
company  and  the  moving  spirit  in  the  enterprise  is  Mr.  Johney  H.  Bear- 
rup,  a  well  known  business  man  of  the  Southwest. 

The  Crystal  Ice  Company  of  Albuquerque  was  incorporated  in  1891 
by  William  H.  Hulvey,  John  T.  Barraclaugh,  William  B.  Childers  and 
Angus  A.  Grant,  William  Barraclaugh  being  elected  president,  and  William 
H.  Hulvey,  secretary.  The  latter's  successors  have  been  R.  W.  Hopkins, 
Henry  Barraclaugh  and  C.  A.  Hawks.  Water  for  the  manufacture  of  ice  is 
obtained  from  a  well  sixty-five  feet  deep.  The  capacity  of  the  plant  is 
about  thirty-five  tons  per  day.  Shipments  are  made  to  several  towns  in  the 
Territory. 

The  Automatic  Telephone  Company  of  Albuquerque,  which  was  or- 
ganized in  1895  by  Walter  C.  Hadley,  Neill  B.  Field,  Joseph  E.  Saint,  B. 
O.  Green  and  others,  operates  in  Albuquerque  and  vicinity.  It  was  the  first 
automatic  telephone  line  in  the  southwest. 

The  Superior  Lumber  &  Planing  Mill  Company  at  Albuquerque,  or- 
ganized by  G.  E.  Gustafson  and  Wallace  Hesselden  in  February.  1906,  is 
the  outgrowth  of  the  enterprise  established  by  Mr.  Gustafson,  who  arrived 
in  Albuquerque,  January  2,  1899,  and  became  a  partner  in  the  Albuquerque 
Planing  Mill,  now  owned  by  John  Newlander.  For  one  year  Mr.  Gustaf- 
son operated  the  latter  plant  under  lease  and  in  September,  1905,  erected 
the  establishment  which  the  company  now  occupies.  He  had  been  en- 
gaged in  business  for  twelve  years  in  Chicago  as  a  contractor  and  in  plan- 
ing mill  work,  and  came  to  New  Mexico  well  qualified  for  the  business 
now  in  his  charge.  This  concern  manufactures  sash,  doors,  stair  work  and 
lathe  work,  operating  twenty-two  machines  and  employing  from  twenty- 
five  to  thirty  workmen.  The  house  supplies  not  only  the  local  trade,  but 
ships  its  product  to  outside  points.  The  present  plant  represents  an  ex- 
penditure of  about  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  the  business  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  productive  industries  of  this  part  of  the  territory.  It  is 
growing  rapidlv.  and  to  meet  the  increasing  demands  a  large  addition  to  the 
mill  will  soon  be  built  on  the  five  lots  adjoining  on  First  street,  south  of 
Coal  avenue. 

Mr.  Gustafson  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  has  been  in  the  United  States 
since  June.  1886.  He  has  noted  with  interest  the  business  opportunities, 
and  through  a  utilitarian  spirit  has  taken  advantage  of  these,  working  for 


G.  E.  Gustafson 


CORPORATIONS  1041 

his  own  success  and  at  the  same  time  belonging  to  that  class  of  citizens 
who  promote  general  prosperity  while  advancing  their  individual  welfare. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  Society  and  also  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks. 


HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 


NEW  MEXICO  OF  TODAY 

An  act  of  the  Thirty-fifth  legislative  assembly  created  the  Territorial 
Board  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  Managers  of  New  Mexico. 
A  similar  board  had  been  created  by  the  Thirty-fourth  assembly,  but  at  the 
session  of  1903  a  clause  providing  for  the  repeal  of  the  former  act  was 
inserted  in  the  appropriation  bill  and  was  passed,  owing  to  the  inadvisa- 
bility  of  attempting  to  change  a  measure  of  such  general  importance  and 
affecting  so  many  conflicting  interests.  As  soon  as  this  action  on  the  part 
of  the  Legislature  became  known,  there  was  a  demand  from  all  sections 
of  the  Territory  that  immediate  provision  be  made  to  continue  the  work  of 
preparing  for  the  exhibit;  and  the  result  was  the  passage  of  the  bill  pro- 
viding for  the  appointment  of  a  board  of  managers  March  19,  1903,  and 
making  an  appropriation  of  not  to  exceed  thirty  thousand  dollars  to  carry 
on  the  work.  Pursuant  to  this  act,  May  18th  Governor  Otero  designated 
the  following  as  members  of  the  board :  Charles  A.  Spiess  and  Eusebio 
Chacon  of  Las  Vegas,  Fayette  A.  Jones  of  Albuquerque,  Arthur  Seligman 
of  Santa  Fe,  Carl  A.  Dalies  of  Belen,  Herbert  J.  Hagerman  of  Roswell,  and 
William  B.  Walton  of  Silver  Citv.  Qn  June  1  following:  the  board  organized 
by  the  election  of  Charles  A.  Spiess  as  president,  Carl  A.  Dalies  as  vice- 
president,  W.  B.  Walton  as  secretary,  and  Arthur  Seligman  as  treasurer. 

Shortly  after  the  organization  of  the  board  Honorable  M.  W.  Porter- 
field  of  Silver  City  was  elected  manager  of  the  exhibit,  and  he  performed 
the  arduous  duties  of  his  office  in  a  most  capable  manner,  assuming  per- 
sonal charge  of  the  collection,  installation  and  maintenance  of  the  exhibit. 
Professor  Hugh  A.  Owen  of  Silver  City  served  as  superintendent  of  the 
educational  exhibit,  J.  A.  Graham  of  Roswell  as  superintendent  of  the 
exhibit  of  agriculture  and  horticulture.  Prof.  A.  R.  Riddell  as  superintend- 
ent of  the  mining  exhibit,  and  J.  H.  Huckel  as  superintendent  of  the  ethno- 
logical exhibit.  Valuable  aid  was  also  rendered  by  the  Woman's  Auxiliary 
Committee,  of  which  Mrs.  Miguel  A.  Otero  was  president.  The  other 
members  of  this  committee  were:  Mrs.  Louis  Ilfeld  of  Albuquerque,  Mrs. 
William  Curtiss  Bailey  of  Las  Vegas,  Mrs.  G.  T.  Veal  of  Roswell,  Mrs.  John 
van  Houten  of  Raton,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Branigan  of  Las  Cruces,  Mrs.  J.  O. 
Cameron  of  Carlsbad,  Miss  Isabel  Lancaster  Eckles  of  Silver  Citv,  Mrs. 
Florence  Morse  of  Santa  Rosa,  Mrs.  G.  W.  Prichard  of  White  Oak's.  Mrs. 
■Walter  H.  Guiney  of  Deming,  Mrs.  Gregory  Page  of  Gallup,  Miss  Louise 
A.  Walton  of  Mora,  Mrs.  L.  D.  Koger  of  Alamogordo,  Mrs.  Alexander 
Goldenberg  of  Tucumcari,  Miss  Margaret  Burns  of  Park  View,  Mrs.  W. 
O.  Oldham  of  Portales,  Miss  Clara  H.  Olsen  of  Santa  Fe.  Mrs.  E.  L.  Med- 
ler  of  Albuquerque,  Mrs.  M.  M.  Page  of  Aztec,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Hall  of  Hills- 
boro,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Dougherty  of  Socorro,  Mrs.  Antonio  Joseph  of  Ojo 
Caliente,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Martinez  of  Folsom.  and  Mrs.  Solomon  Luna  of  Los 
Lunas. 


NEW  MEXICO  OF  TO-DAY  1043 

With  funds  very  much  smaller  than  those  of  other  states  and  terri- 
tories, the  people  of  New  Mexico  labored  untiringly  to  assemble  a  display 
of  their  achievements  and  the  resources  of  the  Territory  which  should  be 
a  credit  not  only  to  New  Mexico,  but  to  the  greatest  of  all  international 
expositions.  With  an  eye  single  to  the  purpose  of  displaying  "a  New  Mex- 
ico of  today,"  instead  of  picturing  the  Territory  as  a  land  of  relics  and 
curios,  the  board  endeavored  to  illustrate  what  had  been  accomplished  by 
pick  and  drill,  by  irrigation  and  many  other  industries  which  had  reached 
a  high  degree  of  development  during  the  period  which  had  elapsed  since 
th"e  organization  of  the  Territory.  The  exhibit  was  designed  especially  for 
showing  the  desirability  of  the  Territory  as  a  place  of  residence  and  for 
investment. 

The  building  erected  by  New  Mexico  was  one  of  the  most  attractive 
on  the  Plateau  of  States,  despite  its  moderate  cost — considerably  less  than 
ten  thousand  dollars.  The  mission  style  of  architecture,  characteristic  of 
the  earlier  days  of  the  Territory,  was  adopted.  In  the  building  were  many 
valuable  and  interesting  relics  loaned  by  residents  of  the  Territory.  Among 
them  were  the  "Maria  Josefa,"  the  oldest  bell  in  America,  which  was  cast 
m  I555»  presumably  in  Spain,  and  in  the  sixteenth  century,  according  to 
tradition,  was  brought  to  the  present  site  of  Algondones  by  one  of  the 
Franciscan  missionaries.  One  of  the  most  interesting  features  of  the  ex- 
hibit was  the  display  collected  and  prepared  by  the  women  of  New  Mexico 
under  the  organization  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary.  It  consisted  of  gold 
and  silver  plate,  costly  lace  and  other  fabrics,  relics  and  antiquities,  with 
interesting  romantic  and  tragic  histories  attached,  all  of  which  had  been 
contributed  by  the  women  of  the  Territory.  A  pictorial  display,  which 
adorned  the  walls  of  the  building  and  was  contained  in  albums,  was  the 
most  complete  ever  sent  out  by  the  Territory.  It  was  prepared  under  the 
supervision  of  Mrs.  William  Curtiss  Bailev.  manager  of  the  Woman's  Aux- 
iliary Board,  and  illustrated  every  industry,  the  scenery,  the  people,  the 
homes,  the  conditions  and  every  phase  of  New  Mexican  life. 

The  educational  exhibit  was  complete,  illustrating  the  school  system 
of  the  Territory,  in  both  the  higher  and  lower  branches.  All  the  higher 
educational  institutes  in  the  Territory  had  exhibits  which  excited  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  eastern  educators.  Many  of  the  public  schools  were 
represented  by  excellent  displays. 

The  mineral  exhibit  was  the  most  comprehensive  collection  ever  made 
in  the  Territory.  It  was  officially  characterized  as  containing  "perhaps 
the  greatest  variety  of  mineral  and  mineral  products  shown  by  any  state 
or  country  at  the  exposition."  Here  were  exhibited  side  by  side  iron,  zinc, 
lead,  copper,  silver  and  gold  in  their  combinations  and  mineralogical  forms, 
sulphur,  mineral  paints,  mica,  asbestos,  gypsum,  salt,  marble,  onyx,  build- 
ing stone,  precious  stones,  and  coal,  both  anthracite  and  bituminous,  telling 
a  silent  story  of  the  diversified  deposits  of  ore  and  other  mineral  values 
which  are  known  to  exist,  and  placing  New  Mexico  before  the  world  as  an 
exceptionallv  interesting  field  to  the  mining  engineer,  the  expert,  the  capi- 
talist, the  prospector  and  the  miner.  Among  the  more  striking  features  of 
this  exhibit  was  a  four-ton  block  of  coal  obtained  from  the  Hagan  coal 
fields — the  largest  specimen  of  its  kind  on  the  ground's,  with  the  single  ex- 
ception of  one  from  Pennsylvania.  Huge  cubes  of  sulphur  from  the  famous 
Jemez    sulphur   hot    springs,    beautifully    tinted    specimens    of   copper,    the 


1044  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

largest  sheet  of  native  copper  in  the  world  from  the  ancient  Santa  Rita 
copper  mines  ;  mineral  paints  of  various  tints,  gypsum  from  that  great  natural 
curiosity — the  "white  sands"  of  eastern  New  Mexico,  salt  from  the  exten- 
sive salt  lakes  near  the  central  part  of  the  territory,  marble  from  Gila 
valley — thus,  in  almost  interminable  variety,  could  be  recounted  the  various 
unique  and  interesting  specimens  that  this  Territory  has  yielded  to  the 
prospector  and  miner.  Magnificent  specimens  of  gold  ore  from  Pinos 
Altos,  Cooney,  Golden  and  White  Oaks,  and  of  rich  silver  ore  from  Lake 
Valley,  Kingston,  Georgetown  and  other  sections  attracted  rare  interest. 
There  were  three  fine  private  collections,  embracing  almost  every  known 
mineral — the  Laidlaw  Economic-Scientific  collection,  the  Abraham  col- 
lection and  the  Hillsboro  collection.  The  zinc  exhibit  of  the  New  Mexico 
School  of  Mines,  from  the  Magdalena  district,  was  important,  having  been 
prepared  from  a  scientific  standpoint.  The  turquoise  exhibit,  the  only  one 
at  the  exposition,  was  noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  fully  eighty  per  cent 
of  the  world's  production  of  this  gem  comes  from  the  mines  of  New  Mex- 
ico. Professor  Fayette  A.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  mines  and 
mining,  and  M.  W.  Porterfield,  doubtless  the  greatest  living  authority  on 
the  turquoise,  rendered  material  assistance  in  the  assembling  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  exhibits.  The  former  prepared  a  volume  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  pages  descriptive  of  the  mineral  resources  of  the  Territory,  which 
was  published  at  the  expense  of  the  board  and  distributed  among  those 
who  evinced  an  interest  in  mining  matters. 

The  horticultural  and  agricultural  exhibit  was  intended  to  prove  to 
the  world  what,  under  adverse  conditions  and  without  government  aid, 
had  been  possible  of  accomplishment  by  the  aid  of  irrigation  during  the 
decade  ending  with  the  year  of  the  exposition.  The  superior  character  of 
the  products  of  farm,  field  and  orchard  was  a  revelation  to  visitors  from 
all  lands,  demonstrating  that  the  very  best  results  and  most  perfect  devel- 
opment may  be  obtained  in  New  Mexico  by  irrigation  and  sunny  skies. 
This  was  the  only  state  or  territory  having  an  exhibition,  every  day  of  the 
fair,  of  apples  grown  during  the  year  1904.  A  glass  jar  containing  varie- 
ties of  apples  as  large  as  pigeon's  eggs,  picked  April  8,  1904,  from  a  five 
hundred  and  eighty-acre  orchard  near  Roswell,  was  displayed  the  first 
day  of  the  exposition,  and  a  new  shipment  was  received  every  fifteen  days 
to  illustrate  the  early  maturity  in  this  region.  Cotton  from  the  lower 
Pecos  valley  was  pronounced  by  some  of  the  judges  who  saw  it  to  be  of 
the  very  finest  staple.  The  Mesilla  valley  made  a  fine  showing  in  cereals, 
and  the  Pecos  valley  of  alfalfa  and  vegetables.  The  exhibit  received 
thirty-two  awards,  which  was  a  greater  number  than  those  received  by  some 
of  the  old  states,  though  the  exhibit  was  smaller. 

The  ethnological  exhibit  filled  an  entire  room  in  the  Anthropological 
building,  thirty-two  by  forty-five  feet  in  dimensions.  It  was  second  only 
to  that  made  by  the  United  States  government,  and  proved  of  the  greatest? 
interest  to  visitors.  Many  scientists  from  all  parts  of  the  world  pronounced 
it  one  of  the  best  collections  ever  placed  on  exhibition.  The  Navajo  blank- 
ets and  Indian  baskets  exhibited  were  probably  the  most  perfect  display  of 
this  character  ever  made  in  the  history  of  the  world.  A  private  exhibition 
of  modern  pueblo  pottery,  containing  fifty-one  pieces,  represented  all  the 
potterv-making  pueblos  of  the  present  day,  including  Acoma,  Zuni,  Zia, 
San  II  Defonso,  Santa  Clara,  San  Juan  and  Isleta. 


NEW  MEXICO  OF  TO-DAY  1015 

The  list  of  awards  demonstrated  the  wide  range  and  excellence  of 
the  resources  of  the  Territory.  The  following  complete  list  is  deemed  worthy 
of  perpetuation : 

In  AGRICULTURE  AND  HORTICULTURE:  Gold  medals.—  John  Becker  Com- 
pany, Belen,  wheat;  Jose  Rodriguez,  San  Miguel,  peas,  wheat;  New  Mexico  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station,  wheat;  J.  J.  Hagerman,  Roswell,  alfalfa,  hay.  corn,  fruit; 
D.  J.  Jones.  Berino.  alfalfa ;  Mrs.  M.  Armer,  Kingston,  wool ;  J.  J.  Jacobson,  Fay, 
wood,  roots;  Territory  of  New  Mexico,  collective  exhibit  of  fruit.  Silver  medals. — 
Alellan  Growers'  Association,  , Roswell,  canteloupes ;  Alvino  Chaberilla,  Mesilla,  wheat ; 
L.  Clapp,  Hatch,  wheat;  W.  N.  Hager.  Mesilla  Park,  wheat;  Margarite  Padillo, 
Las  Cruces,  wheat;  Catarino  Rodriguez.  San  Miguel,  wheat;  Oscar  C.  Snow,  Mesilla 
Park,  alfalfa;  Jesus  Soles,  Hatch,  alfalfa;  George  M.  Williams,  Las  Cruces,  wheat; 
H.  Mertin,  Rodey,  wool;  New  Mexico  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  two  fleeces 
from  Angora  goats;  R.  F.  Barnett,  Roswell.  apple-.;  Robert  Beers.  Roswell,  fruit; 
Beers  Orchard,  Roswell,  fruit;  Charles  De  Bremoud,  Roswell,  fruit;  Parker  Earle 
Orchard  Company,  Roswell,  plums ;  Ingleside  Orchard,  Roswell,  peaches ;  E.  Kim- 
mick,  Swarts,  apples;  Love  Orchard,  Carlsbad,  peaches ;  L.  F.  D.  Orchard,  Roswell, 
apples;  George  Medley.  Roswell,  apples;  F.  G.  Tracy,  Carlsbad,  peaches.  Bronze 
medals. — Jose  Baca,  Las  Cruces,  wheat:  Clifton  Cbisholm,  Roswell,  Indian  corn 
grown  by  irrigation;  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Roswell,  canteloupes;  Anastacio  Garcia, 
Mesilla,  wheat;  Frank  Knapp,  Las  Cruces,  barley;  Felipe  Lopez,  Mesilla.  wheat;  Jose 
Madrid,  Mesilla,  wheat:  Lebiro  Ramico,  San  Miguel,  wheat;  Emilio  Ramirez,  San 
Miguel,  wheat ;  J.  E.  Wilson,  Roswell,  potatoes ;  Mesilla  Valley  Canning  Company, 
Las  Cruces,  tomatoes,  chili  peppers  in  cans:  Latham  Brothers,  Lake  Valley,  wool; 
J.  R.  Slease,  Roswell.  honey  in  comb  and  in  jars;  Mrs.  Lucy  C.  Slease.  Roswell, 
honey  in  jars;  General  R.  S.  Benson,  Carlsbad,  apples;  Pickering  Orchard,  Roswell, 
fruit;  Roswell  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Roswell.  peaches;  C.  H.  Sansel.  Roswell,  apples; 
Mrs.  Goodwin   Ellis,  Lincoln  countv.  apples;   G.   W.   Stevens.  Roswell,   fruit. 

In  MINES  AND  METALLURGY:  Cold  medals.— Territory  of  New  Mexico, 
mineral  resources ;  New  Mexico  World's  Fair  Commission,  coal  and  ores.  Silver 
medal. — New  Mexico  School  of  Mines,  zinc  ores  and  minerals.  Bronze  medals. — 
C.  H.  Laidlaw,  Fairview,  mineral  specimens :  A.  B.  Renehan,  San  Pedro,  mineral 
paint;  New  Mexico  Fuel  and  Iron  Company.  Santa  Fe,  bloedite  and  bituminous  coal; 
Kelly  Mine.  Kelly,  zinc  and  lead  ores;  Graphic  Mine.  Kelly,  zinc  ores  and  calcites ; 
Mogollen  Gold  and  Copper  Company,  Cooney,  copper  ores;  C.  B.  Hickman,  Silver 
City  copper  minerals:   Central   Mining   District.   Grant  county,   native  copper. 

In  EDUCATION:  Gold  medal— New  Mexico  College  of  Agriculture  and 
Mechanic  Arts,  Mesilla  Park,  students'  work.  Silver  medals.— -New  Mexico  Commis- 
sion (collective),  elementary  education;  Department  of  Horticulture.  New  Mexico 
College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  photographs  and  charts  showing  benefits 
from  arsenical  sprays  against  the  codlin  moth  and  also  the  number  of  breeds  of  this 
insect.  Bronze  medals. — Gallup  Board  of  Education,  Roswell  Board  of  Education, 
Las  Vegas  Board  of  Education,  Santa  Fe  Board  of  Education,  University  of  New  Mex- 
ico (general  exhibit). 

In  MANUFACTURES:  Gold  medal.— Richard  Wetherill.  Putnam,  rare  old 
blankets. 

In  ANTHROPOLOGY:  Bronze  medal.— To  George  Tietzel.  Albuquerque  (col- 
laborator with  Fred.  Harvey)  :  Apache  group.  Chief  Trucha  Tafoya,  leader,  Dulce ; 
Acoma  group.  Juan  Antonio  Saracini.  leader.  Laguna :  Pueblo  group.  Antonio  Chavez, 
leader.  Santa  Clara  Reservation.  Grand  prize  in  Archaeology. — Territory  of  New 
Mexico,  aboriginal  blanketry  and  basketry. 

"New  Mexico  Day."  at  the  exposition,  was  appropriately  observed 
on  Friday,  November  18th.  The  date  had  been  set  for  October  27th,  but 
owing  to  the  unusual  climatic  conditions  orevailing  in  the  southwest  about 
that  time  and  the  disarrangement  of  railroad  traffic,  by  reason  of  wash- 
outs, it  became  necessary  at  the  last  moment  to  postpone  the  ceremonies 
until  the  date  mentioned.  An  interesting  program  was  carried  out.  In 
the  morning  Governor  Otero  and  his  party,  after  calling  on  President 
Francis,   joined  the  procession   of  exposition  officials  at  the  New  Mexico 


1046  HISTORY  OF  NEW  MEXICO 

building.  Addresses  were  made  by  President  Francis,  Governor  Otero 
and  Judge  John  R.  McFie,  of  Santa  Fe,  associate  justice  of  the  New 
Mexico  Supreme  Court.  A  reception  was  held  in  the  afternoon,  followed 
in  the  evening  by  a  dinner  given  by  the  board  of  managers  to  President 
Francis,  Governor  Otero  and  invited  guests. 

An  immediate  and  direct  result  of  the  magnificent  mineral  exhibit 
made  at  St.  Louis  was  a  marked  revival  in  the  mining  industry  of  the 
Territory.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  Xew  Mexico  outclassed  every 
state  in  the  Union,  and  the  whole  world,  as  to  the  variety  of  her  mineral 
products.  By  reason  of  this  distinction  the  jury  of  awards  conferred  on 
the  Territory  a  gold  medal  for  the  best  collective  exhibit.  The  general 
standing  of  the  Territory  at  the  exposition  was  outlined  as  follows  by 
Charles  M.  Reeves,  of  the  Department  of  Domestic  Exploration,  in  an 
article  from  his  pen,  which  was  published  in  hundreds  of  newspapers 
throughout  the  United  States : 

"The  ten  or  eleven  years  that  have  elapsed  since  the  Columbian  Ex- 
position at  Cbicago,  have  brought  great  changes  to  New  Mexico,  and  the 
marked  advancement  and  progress  made  along  all  lines  is  emphasized  by 
a  comparison  of  her  exhibits  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  with 
those  at  Chicago.  The  Territory  has  large  and  excellent  exhibits  here, 
displayed  in  a  most  attractive  and  interesting  manner,  and  showing  many 
of  the  splendid  products  of  that  country,  as  well  as  the  educational  facili- 
ties and  other  interesting  features,  and  the  chance  for  statehood  has  been 
advanced  many  points  by  the  excellent  impression  made  at  the  fair. 

"Great  irrigation  enterprises  within  the  last  decade  have  reclaimed 
large  areas  of  fine  agricultural  lands,  richer  than  the  valley  of  the  Nile, 
providing  happy  homes  for  thousands  of  people  in  the  most  beautiful  and 
delightful  climate  in  the  world. 

"The  superior  products  shown  here  in  New-  Mexico's  agricultural  and 
horticultural  exhibits  are  a  revelation  to  visitors  from  all  lands,  and  have 
demonstrated  that  the  very  best  results  and  the  most  perfect  development 
in  fruits  and  farm  products  is  obtained  by  irrigation  and  sunny  skies. 
The  fruits,  grains,  and  other  vegetables  and  products  of  the  soil  shown 
here  have  few  equals  and  no  superiors.  The  exhibits  are  larger  and  better 
than  have  ever  been  made  by  the  Territorv  at  previous  expositions. 

"New  Mexico's  exhibit  in  the  beautiful  Palace  of  Mines  and  Metal- 
lurgy ably  presents  the  status  of  one  of  her  most  important  industries, 
showing  the  products  of  a  vastly  greater  number  of  producing  mines  than 
it  was  possible  to  show  ten  years  ago,  or  when  the  Territory  made  an 
exhibit  at  Chicago ;  and  it  also  includes  a  far  greater  range  of  minerals, 
perhaps  the  greatest  variety  of  minerals  and  mine"ral  products  shown  by 
any  state  or  country  at  the  great  exposition — anthracite  and  bituminous  coal, 
iron,  zinc,  lead,  copper,  silver  and  gold,  in  their  many  combinations  and 
various  mineralogical  forms,  besides  mica,  gypsum,  salt,  sulphur,  bloedite, 
asbestos,  marble,  onyx  and  building  stone.  A  unique  and  most  important 
product  of  the  mines  of  New  Mexico  is  the  beautiful  blue  gem  stone,  the 
finest  and  most  valuable  turquoise  found  in  any  part  of  the  world.  This 
Territory  has  the  only  turquoise  exhibits  at  the  exhibition.  One  of  these 
is  in  the  mineral  exhibit  in  the  Palace  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy.  A  larger, 
and  perhaps  the  most  extensive  exhibit  of  this  stone  ever  shown,  is  in  the 
Varied  Industries  Building;  also  an  exhibit  of  a  turquoise  mine  and  its  prod- 


NEW  MEXICO  OF  TO-DAY  1047 

nets  is  shown  in  the  gulch  or  outside  mining  exhibit,  where  a  reproduction  of 
the  famous  Porterfield  turquoise  mines  near  Silver  City,  New  Mexico,  shows 
the  actual  geological  occurrence  of  this  gem,  which  was  accomplished  by 
bringing  to  the  fair  several  tons  of  the  rock  from  the  mine,  with  turquoise 
embedded  in  it,  just  as  it  was  placed  there  when  the  chemical  processes  of 
nature  were  preparing  the  beautiful  jewels  which  were  intended  to  delight 
the  eye  of  man  and  to  rival  the  flowers,  the  birds  and  many  other  heaven- 
born  charms  which  brighten  the  earth. 

"New  Mexico's  greatest  pride  is  her  educational  exhibit,  which,  as 
one  writer  puts  it,  'is  exciting  the  approval  and  astonishment  of  all  visitors 
and  many  easterners,  whose  hazy  ideas  about  the  west  receive  a  strong  and 
wholesome  readjustment  when  they  see  the  actual  results  of  the  splendid 
school  room  work,  and,  by  photographs,  the  grand  and  stately  school  build- 
ings, which  demonstrate  that  New  Mexico  is,  in  proportion  to  her  popula- 
tion, in  no  way  behind  the  older  states  in  her  public  school  system,  and  far 
ahead  of  many  in  other  educational  institutions.'  It  is  remembered  that 
at  Chicago  the  school  exhibit  represented  only  a  few  institutions,  and  these 
'n  a  limited  way,  while  here  a  very  large  number  of  splendid  graded  schools 
and  country  schools  are  represented  by  fine  exhibits,  besides  the  work  of  the 
College  of  Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts,  the  Military  Institute,  a  uni- 
versity, a  school  of  mines,  two  normal  schools,  also  a  number  of  denomina- 
tional schools  of  higher  order. 

"The  beautifully  arranged  ethnological  exhibit  which  fills  room  Xo.  3 
in  the  Department  of  Anthropology,  consists  of  a  most  valuable  collection, 
chief  among  which  is  the  wonderful  Harvey  collection,  brought  here  from 
Albuquerque.  From  an  artistic  point  of  view,  it  cannot  fail  to  interest 
anyone  who  delights  in  the  beautiful  and  that  it  is  very  superior  from  a 
scientific  standpoint  is  proven  by  the  great  interest  it  has  excited  in  per- 
sons from  all  parts  of  the  world  who  are  qualified  to  judge,  and  who  pro- 
nounce it  by  far  the  best  collection  of  its  kind  at  the  exposition,  and  one  of 
the  best  ever  brought  together. 

"At  Chicago  the  three  territories.  Xew  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  Okla- 
homa, joined  in  the  erection  of  a  building  which  was  scarcely  as  large  as 
Xew  Mexico  maintains  alone  at  this  exposition.  Among  the  endless  va- 
rieties of  beautiful  buildings  which  adorn  the  Plateau  of  States,  many  of 
which  are  reproductions  of  historic  structures  or  homes  of  some  of  the 
nation's  famous  citizens,  stands  the  pretty  structure  erected  by  New  Mexico, 
a  gem  in  point  of  architecture  and  interior  decoration,  a  monument  to  the 
progress  of  the  Territory,  a  credit  to  her  citizens  and  one  of  the  ornamental 
features  of  the  greatest  universal  exposition  of  this  or  any  other  age." 


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