Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-08-10
HOME OF THE LUNAS.
A Graphic letter Descriptive Of Valencia,
valiant County Seat.

"A "ihphlC Letter DeS"EiptlNe 81 NhlSHCld
valiant County Seat.
Los LUNAs, Aug. Q, 1854 thorough
ly Mexican town of the better class. like
this, is rare to find in New Mexico, Ii
lies low in the richest part OF the Rio
Grande valley The river has encroached
upon its ancient site, and the few stores
and unfinished plaza are situated far TO
the west OF the original location of the
town 100 years ago. This valley for soy
eral miles above and below Los Lunas is
occupied by Mexican ranches, They can
be traced from an elevated spot by groups
Of cotton woods or fruit trees, and fields
OF tall waving corn. Wheat or oats and
grass are growing everywhere around
these, as in the the broad farm lands OF
Ohio or in the valleys Of Pennsylvania.
There is said TO be much fruit in cultiya-
ton on these ranches. In the large
fields around the comfortable and spacious
adobe houses OF Los LuDas | have noticed
many vineyards and luxurious growth
Of the mock orange hedges lnclOslng
peach and apricot and apple orchards.
There are long pOrticoes surrounding
the outer walls OF the adobe houses
These are great square buildings with high
white walls OF one story and many white
posts supporting an Ornamented Cornlre.
An open central door disClOses the large
pacitas within, filled with trees and
towering shrubs. These New Mexican
mansions are scattered along wide
street running lrregularlv through the
town, past the adobe court hOnsc with a
marble slab claiming for it q ate OF 1876,
with the names OF the first commission
ers OF Valencia county, who erected il.
Its present officials are their most woIthl
successors. This was said to he the lin
est county court house at that time in
the territory. Following this street about
half mile from the railroad, we come to
the great store OF Louis Huning. esq This
busy merchant, still conducting large
country trade, is now the owner
OF extensive grants, $4,000 sheep
and 5000 cattle. 1t WAS once the
center OF trade for Valencia county
to Arizona and OF two-thirds of So
zorro county. Its long portals and store
houses were piled with produce aud
freight, and the great square IN front was
lled with Mexican teams and freight
wagons. The rows OF buildings, now
closed except Tor bar and billiard
saloon on one side OF the plaza, and the
long tavern Oh the other side, in one OF
whose spacious rooms slept last night,
could hardly accommodate, thirty years ago,
the numerous applicants for lodging,
4 railroad is destructive of old customs
and long established currents of trade in
an old country. 1t has been rs effective
to scatter the freight teams once supply
ing the business OF this town as al
Apache raid
And yet perhaps We should say it
changes the business. Sheep and cattle
roam in immense tiocks and herds over
Valencia county. There are at least 800,
900 sheep on these plains and mountain
sides and hidden in the cool Canons, where
they find shelter from the sun, cool springs
aud flesh grass. There are 100 900 cattle
feeding on these rich valley lands or VI
on the meSas which, without irrigation
must always remain pastures. There are
good tlOurln, mills, like the extensive one
Of Mr.. lIuning, near Los Lnnas, anu
others ut BPlen, seven or eight miles dis
tant, which turn all the wheat raised into
-four and supply these scattered ranches
bread and grain. Valencia county, though
1t has reat coal fields yet undeveloped, is
essentially stock and agricultural county
1t has an enormous area for county, eX
tending from Lincoln on tie east to the
Arizona line. But its almost incredible
acreage OF land sufficient for q large state
has only sparse population.
Los LunaS, its county seat, is the prin-
Gipal town and business center, and yet
has less than 1000 inhabitants. But ii
has among these a few Of the most sue
resaful politicians i'll the territory. Near
his county seat ls the home of Hon. J .
Francisco Chavez. known in every pollt'
zeal movement, prominent i'll every polit-
iCal convention and member OF every
territorial legislature where the Repub
lican party has had voice or influence fol
the last twenty years. No native New Mex
lean has done so much for the establish.
nient OF sound Republican principles and
L
as has this fearless leader of his party ir
the southern part of the territory. Hon
rranquilino Luna was delegate to con
gress from New Mexico, and thus repre-
scented Valencia county when all the in.
tuence Of rings and combinations Of the
politicians Of the thriving Commercial
towns and much more popuIous countie:
! could not put into the coveted seat any
one Of their able and distinguished 81
we'll as aspiring leaders. Mr.. Luna still
holds Office in his county and keeps hi
home near the county seat OF his anCes
tors, whose courtesy he maintains as ar
hOnored descendant OF good family Of
the oIdeH times.
Fifty years from now the foreign aspect
Of this old town, CrouChing under its trees
and Wavint corn, as II to escape the glare
Of the southern sun, will have almost
passed away. The great ditch which now
courses through this community grant t
fiuning's mills will have many branches
and water vineyards, alfalfa fields and
orchards and the empowered estates Of
more modern and enterprising farmers
These valley lands will then yield hun
dred fold OF fruit and grain TO their pres
ent product. And under the shadows o.
these grand mountains which now, lying
i'll the sheen OF hot sun and the haze
| OF murky atmosphere, dimly bound the
valley, wil be the cultured homes Of
American citizens representing every state
OF the union in their ancestry.
Yet in the changed manners and living
OF the people will pe found the represent
tatives vi these old New Mexican families
Close by the railroad is a stately Amer
lean house two and half stories high