Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-04-05
the posT-INTElucEMceR PUB. CO
seAttle. June 10 lSSa
fco,urspoSDENcE Posi- -INTELLrGEScER.
/ slf

CORRESPONDENCE PosT INTELLIoEScER.l
SANTA FE, N. NJ, March Il, 1884.
r,om kincon, where the road from
wexico forms junction with the main
ina of the Atchison and Topeka roaes
tho road TO this place is up tue valley OF
.h. Rio Grande. There ia some good
.ountry, but the most of 1t Is deso ed to
stock raising. Some OF the great cattle
kings of the territory have their head
nnar,ers in the valley. Cowboys are
r.merous, ard frequently undertake t.
,un the small station town To their
own motto n, which, by the way, ~ not
va,v credltable to the country. Several
train robberies have occurred on the
,;,a through New Mexico and Arizona
within the last few months. In every
instance tue desperadoes were captured,
s;ther dead or alive. and some were hung
nv the vigilance committees. These
"necktie sociables," as they are. called
an the frontier, are by no means All un-
common occurrence. Our train party
b,a much TO say about cowboys and
dssuradoes, and the doors of the cars
we're kept securely locked at night, 50
that no strangers could obtain admit
tance.
santa Fe is one of the Oldest settle
,nents in America. / remember, when
a asclO0lboy studying geography, that !
imagined this town aa almost out uf
the world. Kit Carson, Pike, and other
sarlv explorers. used to write interesting
reminiscences concerning The old town.
IL ia old for America: for just across tie
street from the old church stands a house
visited by Coronado IN l54O. LooainE
down upon the city from AN elevated
position, the appearance OF tho hat
rooted houses reminds one OF neet OF
hat-bottOmed boats on the ONO or MIS-
sissippi. The contrast between the
splsndor of the churches and the squal-
or OF the mud-hrick houses ID some
what like the difference between tue
sublime and the ridiculous. history
SAWS that when Pike first visited tue
town he only found one citizen OF the
United States in the place, fur trader
by the name of James Pursely. To-Day
the Yankees are by 20 means scarce,
and Yankee energy and enterprise are
to be seen on every side. San Miguel
church, like some others, IL said to Do
the oldest in the United States. 1t WAS
built in 1880 by Juan Onate. was par
tally destroyed ia the Indian war of
1850, and remOdeled in l7l0. Three
hundred years ago the Spaniards plant
I'd here the cross. the emblem of civil
izatiOn. Doubtless the poor Pueblo
Indians looked on in wonder. and with
superstitious dread were hold in subjec
ti0n. Many of them suffered death for
trivial Otfenses in that same church
yard and under its holy shadow. HIS
tory records that wherever the Span
lards went to conquer, they took the
sword and cross with them: 30 1t was
here.
One of the first things noticed Oh en-
tering the church il a beam overhead,
giving the date Of the rebuilding or
repairing of the church, III lIl0. The
adobe walls of the church, rs also of
many of the other buildings, look ~ If
they were ~ old AZ the hills, and from
appearances would last for centuries
vet. Across the bed of the stream
stands the chapel of Our Lady of the
Rosary. II il built of adobe and ia
seventy feet in length and about twenty
i've III width. 1t has no floor, no seats,
Nc ornaments. except few old pant
ings of the Alteration. Anpunciatious
aud the Crucifixion, hanging upon the
walls. In the vestry il fine picture OF
the Virgin Mary. An old Sister of
Charity carries the keys and il glad to
admit visitors, because a fee il expected
to be forthcoming. This church is
nearly two hundred years old, and IL
now only used for services once ~ year,
when the Mexican people. nearly all OF
whom belong to the Catholic church,
make their invocations for rain. This
10 one Of the religious festivals OF the
city; the people turn out and have
grand procession, and the image Of the
Virgin Mary is taken from the church
and carried at the head Of the line In
great pomp. Four persons carry the
Manquin in which the image IL trans
ported. and behind it is Il troop Of
Young girls followed b, large crowd
ot Indians and others. As the process
aon passes, the Catholic people bring
OUT their carpets and lay them In tue
1tcets and pray for the Virgin to rest;
whenever She does 50, as the priests
u'ctate, they (the priests) kneal aud
pfay and collection for money IL held;
'aen another marct and another rest,
PRAYER and collections: this Ia kept up as
pne as there is any money forthcoming.
Lastly, at the church the image IL placed
W tne altar and solemn service for
.an u held. The great and principal
,ssnval Is that Of Corpus Christi: this
wi ram comes just after, and invoca-
roas Tor rain continue for eight days.
.suaiiy rain follows soon. ~ ID is about
ue commencement of the rainy season.
a"ory Is told to the effect that on one
Tcasion the rain delayed it's coming.
sasn the Spaniards became enraged
uu dragged the Virgin image from the
SSpei, stripped her of her garments.
ssI aoused her in general way. That
xut' 20 the story goes. a terrific storm
,;s ssed that special locality. The ter
ed transgressors boltsd ont III the
soIm and hastened to restore the i'm
~ 70 its place of sanctity. Then
y fepented in sackcloth and ashes.
ia voe s might suppose. the storm ceased
1ae portion of the CITY where most of
americans reside and do business is
oano the plaza. The buildings are of
n".. esn style and architecture. The
Hsomce, banks, hotels and stores are
'oueoiy American in character.
Us +.
.of: Price's dental rooms, 7oO1s Front
desc If