Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-10-26
Wafrhnan & ynnrnaL.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 90, 1881.
Wonders Of the Rio Grande valIey.-.No. 8.


everywhere in its Arcadian realms.
From the four quarters of the compass, the
railroad and the telegraph have pushed their way
into the territory, carrying day into night, and
waking the inhabitants from dreams to realities.
The stately son Of Ahambra looks askance at the
restless worker from the north; and the meek
eyed burro stands amazed as his fire-breathing
rival rushes madly by and sends his hendish
shrek reverberating down the gorges OF the
silent mountains. Two years ago the first miie
of railroad track was laid in New Mexico. To-
day, the Atchison, Topeka Santa fe runs
across the country from northeast to southwest
for more than five hundred miles, sending its
main branch to the town Of Guaymas, on the
Gulf of California, and another to FL Paso, 70
connect with the Mexican Central. The Mexican
Central IL now building northward from the city
Of Mexico, and the two countries will soon be
commercially one. The Southern Pacific enters
the territory in the southwest from Arizona and
crosses the Atchison, Topeka Santa Fe at
Deming, thus making through southwestern
route to California much fancied by tourists.
Then there is the Atlantic & Pacific, which con-
meets at Albuquerque with the Atchison, Topeka
e. Santa Fe, and runs westward into Arizona.
This road is completed some distance into Ari-
zona, and will ultimately reach San Francisco
The Denver & Rio Grande enters the territory
from the north and runs as far as Espanola.
The Texas, Santa Fe and Northern-to run up
the Pecos valley--has been surveyed, and the
work of construction will soon be begun. Thus,
within two years, in what has been considered
the dreariest part Of the great American desert,
over one thous slnd miles of railroad have been
constructed. There are reasons for this. Capt.
tai does not expend itself for shadows or dreams.
Perhaps some of these reasons will appear fur
ther on.
Visiting the territory from the east, you would
leave Kansas City at night and ride all the next
day through the corn and wheat fields of Kansas.
In the afternoon you would reach the Arkansas
river, under whose waving popars the great Cor
onado camped three hundred years ago. and
along whose banks winds the old Santa Fe trail,
made historic and romantic by the adventures OF
| Kit Carson, John c. Fremont and Pike of Pike s
Peak Away to the west and up this valley you
are hurried, till the sun sets in cloud Of fire
and the distant hills melt into the azure sea
above, and the herds of cattle disappearing one
by one leave only the white tents of the cowboys
to dot the prairie like sails upon the ocean, and
nothing is left but the whrling train, the still
valley, the winding, silvery river, and the grea
full moon, with its image in the water, which fol
lows steadily on your track as long rs you keel
watch.
Santa Fe disappoints one sadly at first sight,
it is not as large as we expected, nor as fine Al
in most Mexican towns, there is, first the plaza
"A pretentons public square, containing few
trees, some dyspeptic-looking grass, and sol
diers monument To the north of this is a Ion,
adobe building, called the governors palace
This is the Oldest executive mansion in the Unitet
States Here lived and ruled for more than tw,
centuries a line of Spanish governors-proud ol'
dons, whose will was law. whose edicts fate
Later, the building was used for territorial stat
house, and is now occupied by various Unite'
States officials. tThis "palace,' by the way. /
only seven or eight feet high, and is built @
adobe,-sundried brick) The other three side,
of the plaza are occupied by business houses O
ordinary architecture. As for the rest of the
| city, leaving out the churches, hospitals, anc
Christian Brothers college, it looks to one gaznl
at it from the summit of the bluff off to the north
precisely like such town as the children bull,
sometimes out of mud or sand. The adobe house
are likely to strike you as mansard bottoms o
Chinese cellars dug through.
Santa Fe is a city of antiquities. Everything
which at all interests you there is old. Tn
churches are old, the manners and customs ar
old, the people are old,-all except the babies
the hotels old, and the hotel fare prehistoric
Every tourist is interested most Of all in the Sa
Miguel church. 1t was so even in Bob Ingersoll'
case. The date OF the erection Of this church is
little uncertain, but 1t was probably about tn
year 1888 The church has probably been tn
scene of more conversions than any other on tn
continent as the Spaniards were in the habit c
corraling the Indians in it and baptizing them b
herds. 1t was partially destroyed in 1880 and n
built in l7l0. 1t is of adobe brick, and probabl
a hundred feet long by fifty wide. The walls ris
some twenty feet to a kind of terrace, as in tn
Pueblo houses; and then, setting back from tn
first about six feet on all Sides other walls col
tinue upward, making the entire height Of tn
building forty feet or more. The steepe has for
terraces, and looks, as some one has said, lik
four mud boxes set one upon another, the small
est at the top. The floor is Of rough boards, an
the ceiling, quite narrow, Of undressed logs. o
either side of the altar are two old paintings rel
resenting the renuncation These bear marks
great age, but nothing is known of them excel
that they were probably brought over from Spail
There are very few seats in the church. and thes
are exclusively for the rich part Of the cong regi
ton. The poor simply kneel upon the bare foo
and come and go at all times during the servic
The rich, for that matter, may also come and 4
as they please; and / noticed that they we
always very prompt about 1t, too,-especially Il
going.
. a mn Qn n nrah mot oil
the San Miguel, seems to have aged prematurel,
/ for it looks much older. Everywhere within ar
around 1t, the ancestors of the present generate
) lie buried, some Of the inscriptions dating bat
, more than two hundred and fifty yeara The n
tives tell a wonderful story about the foundatiC
. of this church, which they themselves believe il
plictly, and which 1t will scarcely be safe for v,
openly to discredit before them 1t seems that
long time ago, the Virgin Mary appeared to
, certain upright and godly old Mexican, ,-sl
/, would hardly find such a one now, fancy,--al
commanded that church be built. The old mi
reported what he had seen to the bishop but Il
story was not believed second time the VI
gin appeared with like result. The third tim
she presented her chosen messenger with shaw
out OF which, when unfolded by the bishop, the
shone figure OF the virgin, with halo abo
: the face brighter than the sun, SO that 1t cou
not be looked upon Then the church was bui
and there it stands to-day a material, tangit
proof OF the truthfulness OF this narrative. Tn
| tell you, with all simplicity, you must believe
because there is the church.
Besides the churches, you must visit the Q
&C cemetery, the Indian Pueblo near by, Burro
ley, Charmed Lake, and the bishops garden. II
| Inf Ia a arla tt,nr ~ flo
ers fruits and trees. 1t contains two beautii
little lakes filled with trout, and has every sort
ornament, natural and artificial, that imaginati
l. can picture.
You will be especially fortunate II you can m,
Archbishop Lamy, wonderfully ideal man a
priest, such rs Victor Hugo paints so inmtab
His character, like the garden, IL an oasis In /
desert. In early days, before there were a
railroads west OF st Louis he made dozen til
betw cen that city and Santa fe ON horseback
tirely alone lie Is worshiped by his peop
and has perfect control OF them. When III
were opposing so bitterly the coming of the ra
road tearing up the track and killing the ope
tives, word from him was all that was necessa
nu to secure peace,
sn Well, Santa fe is changing. In the words
n another, " The foreign charm which was
" dover OF the historic city Is dying fast but
,rt quite dead. The spell long lingering IL slow
es pass away, though student and antiquary
VII blowing the dust from the books OF chronicles
'" letting the white light of day into obscured a
is- the poetic colOrDg of romance and chiyalry,
ns- which the vaorous Espejoand his knights found
is the City of Holy Faith II the ghosts OF the Y,
ny tuFagOue heroes revisit the fad of THAR