USA > New Mexico > History of New Mexico : its resources and people, Volume II > Part 11
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The dead sheriff was one of the recognized leaders of the Penitentes, and the news of his 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 the 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 days 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, 1898.
Physical Features .- The county is traversed from north to south by the Rio Grande, which from its eastern side receives the Red, Taos, Em-
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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 valley 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 .- Only 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 Fé 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,
Cacique of Taos Pueblo Who is Alleged to Have Held Office for 118 Years
The Present Cacique of Taos
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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 tribe 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) dav, 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 110 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
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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 Fé 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 Fé 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 Mexico. 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 Fé 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 Mr. 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. Joseph's will Mr. Santistevan and Kit Carson were made administrators, and, Carson being in the army 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
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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 early 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. Mr. 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 noteworthy 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
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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 Elizabethı.
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 '8os 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.
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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 county 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. It receives many affluents from the north and south, all of which are bordered by fertile valleys. The northeast corner of the county 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 Amarilla, 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
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acres, with water sufficient to 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 coming 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. Piñon 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 Abiquin, 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 Abiquin has been deserted for some time, but the modern 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.
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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 Territory; 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 Territory; on the north to be bounded by the county of Bernalillo.
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