USA > New Mexico > History of New Mexico : its resources and people, Volume II > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70
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, and 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 Fé 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 Fé, where he engaged in placer mining. Becoming acquainted with S. B. Watrous, he removed from Santa Fé and entered into partnership with Mr. Watrous, they locating on the Scully grant, in which they 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. 1891, 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 Hadley & Hallett for $25,000, 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 : Tessie 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 Clav county, Missouri, at East Las Vegas, October II, 1893. No children have blessed this marriage.
He has lived in Mora county all his life, and has no fault to find as vet 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 county 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,
665
LOCAL HISTORIES
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.
666
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 :- 1895. M. M. Salazar : 1895-6, A. C. Gutierrez: 1897-8, M. M. Salazar; 1890-1900, A. L. Hobbs; 1901-2, M. M. Dawson; 1903-6, J. P. Brackett.
County Commissioners :- 1895, Juan C. Lucero, B. F. McGarvey, Jesus L. Abreu, also (same year), 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 : 1901-2. Edmond N. Burch, Harry Brainard, Tohn C. Taylor; 1903-6, Edmond N. Burch, Pedro Y. Santistevan, John C. Taylor.
Old Court House, Socorro
Abandoned Court House at Springer, Colfax County
667
LOCAL HISTORIES
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; Poñil, twenty-five miles; Ver- mejo, forty miles ; Red, seventy-five miles; Uña de Gato and Chicarica, each fifteen miles in length. There is also much fine agricultural land in Moreno valley, Ute valley, Valle de Piedra and Poñil 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
Vol. II. 10
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; W. 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, Februarv, 1875; Mrs. Ada Stevens Oldham, May, 1884; William A. Chapman, Malden, 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 Johnson'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. June 26, 1882; J. M. Heck, May 27, 1870; A. K. Letton, July 15, 1862; O. A. Larrazola, November, 1872: W. B. Bunker, August, 1886; W. E. Gortner, July 31, 1886; William J. Mills, July, 1879: Charles Springer, Iowa, October 4, 1878; S. E. Booth, Connecticut, May, 1884; Albert G. Shaw and wife; Tony 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, 1860; Mrs. John E. Mckown. 1880; John B. Dawson, first came in 1853, settled permanently in 1867: Mrs. L. A. Dawson, 1870; A. G. Dawson, 1867; Mrs. J. B. Dawson, 1873; their family all natives of Colfax county: S. M.
669
LOCAL HISTORIES
Dawson, born 1870; B. A. Dawson, born 1872; M. M. Dawson, born 1874; Edwina 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 Fé 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 larger structure. The present repair shops employ about 600 men and constitute a strong feature in the local pros- perity of the 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; M. 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. Dwyer 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 I, 1892. Thus authorized, the company 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 New York. who became president; ex-Governor Cleves, of Maine, and William E. Hawks, of Bennington, Vermont. Under this man- agement the works were completed as a gravity system, 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, 1891, 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 Jelfs, Dr. J. J. Shuler, Chester D. Stevens, C. C. Wray.
1893 :- Mayor, J. J. Kelly ; recorder, Jules H. Kleinz ; marshal, J. Rus- sell Doyle; trustees, Dr. V. E. Hestwood, F. F. McAuliffe, J. J. Murphy, B. F. Houts.
1894 :- Mayor, W. E. Symons; recorder, J. H. Kleinz; marshal, J. Thomas Thatcher; trustees, G. W. Dwyer, James McPherson, John W. Crouse, Celso Chavez.
1895 :- 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 :- Mayor, 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, James 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. Thacker, 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.
1899 :- Mayor, M. B. Stockton; clerk, David G. Dwyer ; treasurer, S. W. Clark; attorney, D. J. Leahy; aldermen, W. B. Thompson, T. F. McAuliffe, J. C. Orin, J. 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; attorney, 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.
I902 :- Mayor, C. M. Bayne; clerk, J. C. Orin : treasurer, C. M. C. Houck; marshal, Robert Kruger; attorney, D. J. Leahy ; aldermen, C. O.
671
LOCAL HISTORIES
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. Frisby ; 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 tem. 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 tem., 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 tem., 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. Lyon; clerk, R. H. Carter; treasurer, George B. Frisby ; aldermen, 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 Fé 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 Chicago business man-Mr. Bartlett, of the firm Bartlett, Frazier & Carrington- which is one of the most attractive country homes in the United States.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.