Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-04-01
Santa Fe In the Spring Of 1880.
BY C.N. HoLFORD.


with arid sand-a miniature desert.
Santa Fe alone enjoyed the distinc-
ton of having in its plaza park. 1t
was neatly fenced and shaded with cot
tonwoods and such other trees as
could stand the arid climate. The
people were very proud of the grass in
the plaza, but, though it was undeni-
ably green and undoubtedly grass, the
sparse blades which only half hid the
sand from which they grew would
have made but a sorry contrast to the
blue grass sward in any Valley State.
In the middle of the plaza was SOL
dier's monument of granite bearing the
names of such of the New Mexican vol
unteers as died in the service. A few
of those names were of those Mexicans
who were not prompt enough in get
ting beyond the range of the Texan
rifles at Valverde, before the Colorado
Volunteers and the regulars could come
down to the rescue. The New Mexi-
cans were very loyal during the war,
not because they cared particularly for
the Union, but because they hated the
Texans rather worse than any other
variety of Americans. and because the
government, through its military and
Indian departments, dropped many
fat crumb for the people of New Mex
leo. A neat band stand was erected in
the plaza. From this each alternate
afternoon the band of the Ninth Cav
airy (colored) RECALLED the people of
the town with music for two or three
hours.
The crowd that thronged the plaza
on such afternoons was a motley one.
There were visitors from all parts of
the states and occasionally one from
Europe = shrewd business men and
swell tourists. The dandy lieutenant of
the garrison, with his gilt-trimmed
dress coat fitting as tight as a corset.
jostled against the rude ''mule-whack-
err" dressed in duck oyeralls with the
bottoms tucked in long-legged boots
armed with clanking mule spurs.
bread collared flannel shirt which once
was blue and a .broad-brimmed hat
which once was white. But the major
ity of the crowd were Mexicans of ev-
cry grade, from the wealthy, well dress
ed, ight-complexioned creole to the
swarthy peon, dressed in ragged breech-
es and dirty blanket, whose gaudy hat
was strange contrast to his bare.
black, chapped feet.
Along the southern side of the plaza
ran San Francisco street, the main bus
mess street. Upon this street were the
three hotels of the town. Two of
them were called first class and were
patronized by wealthy tourists and of
ticials both civil and military. AS they
were only one story in hight, they were
necessarily quite extensive on the
ground. The third hotel was kept by
a fat, jovial German, known through
all the, border as ''eld Herlow." IL
was the resort of all the numerous
stage men of the region and many en-
ployes of the freighters and the gov
eminent, who received good wages and
wanted square meals" but resented
| ha notion Nfh ainfr ut IL sEfin hait o1 ~
Upon San Francisco Street were also
the great Jew stores whose unpreten-
tious front swere the entrance to vast
caverns of wealth, for here were stored
the stocks which supplied all the retail
dealers of all the territory and most of
the state of Chihuahua. There were
several American merchants, old resi-
dents who had married Mexican wom-
en- and made themselves 'solid with
the natives;" but even with this adj
vantage they could not keep the front
rank against the business talent of the
Jews, who brought their wives with
them and formed lite social circle TO
themselves
Down to the west, beyond Herlow's,
the street shrank to width of about
twenty feet aud stretched away into a
regeon of petty shops and dwellings.
The latter architecturally resembled a
brick kiln just before it is burned
Many of them had no doors or windows
to the street, but opened to the rear or
into an inner court yard. The effect of
this line of low, blank mud walls lining
a narrow street filled with sand and
lite boulders, was very dismal.
On the north side of the plaza was
1.-The old palace" a building occupied
as the offices of the Governor and other
territorial officials. Despite its impos-
ing name, it was not an imposing
building. 1t was low, dingy, dismal
and adobe. Along the front ran u sort
Of piazza supported by wooden posts.
1t was said to be over three hundred
years old, but it had been repaired so
often and so much that it was hard TO
tell what part. il any, was original.
Its claim 10 antiquity reminded one of
the famous jack-knifc which had three
uew blades in succession and two new
handles.
The street running along the east
side of the plaza, at its northern part
entered the military part of the town.
The cottages of the officers, with
their high stone walls. large windows
and high peaked roofs, situated in open
and roomy grounds, were q pleasant
contrast to the narrow streets lined
with low, flat-roofed, windowless adobe
buildings.
Several streets to the east of the
plaza the building of large stone cath
edral was in progress - if this word
can be applied to work which had
been going on for fourteen years and
was yet little more than half done
The stone cutters for the work had
been brought from France and Italy.
The great new cathedral entirely sur
rounded the old adobe church in which
services were still held, while priests
and people lesurely waited the COM
plafion of tho nathadral Mora ,,rop,ot