The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-12-05
STORY OF A RIVER.
n March Into Oblivion Tint Gave Name
to u Now Mexi.nn Strcnm.


March Into Oblivion Tint Gave Nnmo
to u Now Mexican Stream.
Over throo centuries backward, and
before the inquisitive De Soto had
lighted his campfire on the banks
OF the Mississippi. the Spaniards had
achieved two settlements in this land
OF the Occident--Santa Fe and St Au-
gustine. They had no knowledge OF the
country which lay between these points
or its inhabitants. AS 20 what might DO
the dangers and deadfalls Of journey
from ono place to another they were as
blindly ignorant as OF the history Of the
moon. But this ignorance affected them
not, and. full of the uneasy spirit OF tho
hour, military party in Santa Fe ro-
solved on an overland expedition to st.
Augustine. They knew the distance,
for they could figure the latitude and
longitude, and thoy could get the di-ec-
ton by the compass; but this was the
sum of their knowledge.
The expedition, numbering some hum
drcds of men. left Santa Fee late in tho
summer, and, crossing the noun tains at
the Raton Pass, the present route OF tho
Santa Fc railroad, thcy camped that
winter on the present site of Trinidad.
The grass was long i'll the valley, tho
game was plenty on the hills, their own
stores were ample, and, sending back
to Santa Fo for minstrel and glcc maiden,
thcse gentlemen of the sword with wine,
"omen and song got in Us gay sea-
son rs they ever have had since Those
Old dons were lads OF spirit and pos
cssscd high hearts rs we'll rs u taste for
.ravcl. Before them to tho eastward as
far az tho eye could sweep spread the
Desert unconilned What was to DO met
there they knew not, but their lack of
knowledge was coinciGont with an equal
lack Of care.
With the melting Of tho nows in tho
spring sunshine, their women and camp
followers returned TO Santa Ee. Tho
las: hand was waved goodbye, tho last
adi"us WAS uttered and the explorers
tnrnod their rcsoluto faces to tho work
IN hand. They marched down tho val
Icy OF tho littl" muddy river, which
hows as you read this through tho town
OF trinidad. Tho ones who were to re-
turn to Santa Fee watched thcm for
r'ics. assisted by the glare of the sun
on steel cap and harness. Al last they
were hidden in the willows far down tho
valley, and this was tho last that was
ever known OF them.
with the last flap OF the last banner
1T was as if they had marched out of OK
lstcncc and whether they sunk in rivers,
persisted in the drifting SHOWS or were
done to death by Indians was mover
told. NO sign or trace Of this expedition
o" its people were over found Tnoro
was something so ccric and mysterious
in tho complete disappointment Of This
oand something so dark in tho silence
OF thor fate, that the supcrstitious
Spaniarl made the sign of The holy cross
wren he recalled it. With that effort
at commcmoration which was the spirit
OF that timo the !ittlc muddy torrent in
whose valley tho lost cX plorcrs last wero
seen was called III Rio dc Los Animas-
Tie Eivcr of Lost Souls This was
tho Spanish name when Sublctte, Chou
teau, Bent Carson, st. Vrain and other
representatives Of the French Fur Com
pany, OF St Louis, first saw it. Know
ing nothing OF tho story, and assisted
only by their differences drawn from the
name, these translated the appollation
into the Purgatoire. When the iocund
bull-whacker Of tho overland trail got
to 1T In his free-and-easy French he
called it "tho Picketwirc." Every brand
it ever had still sticks, and to-day YOU
will find tho little vagrant OF a stream
pursuing its glistening mission to the
sea with as many names as n member Of
the British House of Lords. kansas
City Star.