Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-08-08
PICTURES OF SANTA Fl
What Gen. Clarence Pullen Has
to Say of the Historic City in
aLate Issue of Harper's
Weekly.
Santa Fe Old and New-Strides To-
ward Modern Progress and Ad-
vancement Making in the
Capital City,
Climatic ttractions-Fruits and Min
eraI-An Ideal Health Re-
sort and Her Natural
Resources.
The Early History of City Now Awake
ming to New Life-Quaint Scenes
The Early History of a City Now Awake
ming to New Life-Quaint Scenes
of Other Days.

ming to New Life-Quaint Scenes
of Other Days.
High in the mid-continent, 100 miles
south of the Colorado boundary, the ole
town of Santa Fe, the capital of New
Mexico, lies 1000 feet above the sea, al
the base of the Sierra Madre. A canon
dividing the foothills widens at its fool
into a valley, which winds scuthwesterly
eighteen miles to the Rio Grande de
Norte, At the head of the valley the
town rests against a mountain background,
with deep recesses and dark pine woods
fringed against the sky; and tar to the
north, an outpost Of the snowy range, a
peak snow-capped from October to May,
looks down upon the town across the low
or elevations. High in the mountains,
amid the pines and poplars OF little park,
sleeps La Laguna Encantada, holding
ever in her sombre depths the image OF
the twin peaks which guard her slumbers
Fed by hidden springs and melting SHOWS,
the enchanted lake overfows in stream,
the Rio de Santa Fe, which tumbles in
long cascade down the twenty mile canon
to the valley to which it is a source OF
life and fertility.
There is a lack of precise information
about the details of the founding of Santa
Fe, but history and tradition commonly
assert that in the year 1541, only twenty
years after the conquest Of Mexico by
Cortez, the Spanish military expedition
commanded by Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado, pushing far to the north, found
on the present site of the town COM
munity of civilized Indians, who titled
the soil, and resided in adobe houses,
built terrace fashion, several stories high,
which could be entered only by means OF
ladders. They worshipped the sun, main
tanned sacred fire in their temples, aud
were ruled by cacique and council OF
elders. Teguayo or Cicuye-the name is
disputed point among antiquarlans-
was one of the eighty Indian pueblo
towns which at that time were scattered
through the wide arid region which is
now New Mexico and Arizona. Near the
end of the 10Th century Spanish colony,
acting under the royal authority of King
Philip III, which meant to make their
stay good, planted the cross in this upland
valley, and about a plaza or square, laid
out a town. which they christened Santa
Fe de San Francisco de Asisi-a name
shortened in use to Santa Fe.
Ancient among towns in the United
States is this Spanish-Indian city, a Eu-
ropean graft implanted upon an aboriginal
civilization in the century before the
epoch in which were founded the settle
ments of jamestown and Plymouth Rock.
Southwark along the windings OF that
great unnavigable river, the Rio Grande
del Norte, through 200 miles of savage
infested wilderness, lay the trail which
for 225 years was the only link that
Joined the Spanish province of New Mex
leo with the nearest other communities of
the civilized world. On the north, the
east and the west lay arid trackless plains
or difficult mountain ranges, seemingly
interminable, and for two and quarter
centuries the tide of conquest and occupa-
ton of an English-speaking race, as 1t
resistlessly moved westward across the
continent, was all unknown in this iso-
lated community, which was revolving in
epitome the phases of Spanish American
history. Wars and massacres, the black
shadow Of the inquistion, the despotic
and cruel acts Of the old governors, and
the desperate protest of instruction alter
nate in the pages OF its records with
drowsy idylls of peace. Two conquests
have fallen on Santa Fe within its writ
ten history, and in the fortunes of civil
war it has been lost an won many times.
The town from the first was OF command
ing importance in the province OF which
1t was the capital. Early in the history
it was raised to the rank of "villa," and
is known in the Spanish records as La
Villa Real de Santa Fe. Its traditions
and customs of to-day are derived from
the mingling of three separate civilizations
the aboriginal, the Spanish and the
English.
Santa Fe after the usual fashion OF
Spanish towns, is built about a plaza,
faced on every side by buildings and var
andas. On three sides are shops, offices,
saloons, and hotels. On the fourth and
north side is the Palace, the government
house in all times since the Spanish first
occupied New Mexico. 1t is one story in
height, with a vefanda along it's entire
front the face of it's thick adobe wall is
plastered into semblance of stone-work,
an innovation of recent times. The plaza,
measures about 300 feet each way, con-
tains an inner square, leaving streets
forty feet wide in front of the surrounding
buildings. The smaller square is neatly
fenced, and laid out in walks among alfalfa
lawns abundantly shaded by large cotton
wood trees. In the middle of the esplan-
ade stands monument of sandstone, in
scribed to the soldiers who fell in New
Mexico in repelling the confederate inva-
sion in 1862, or in the battle with savage
Indians. Near it is the pavilion occupied
by the military band, which gives pub
lie concert in the plaza on evenings and
Sunday afternoons.
Two streets lead from every corner Of
the plaza, each at right angles with the
adjoining side. Those on the north Of
the square open into the straight, shaded
avenues, on which are the spacious mill
tary barracks and headquarters buildings
of Fort Marcy, and the handsome cottages
of officers and civilian residents; from thu
high mesa on the northwest the ruinet
earthworks of old Fort Marcy, built wher
the United States troops first occupie,
Santa Fe, look down on the city. On tn
south the narrow streets, at little dis
lance from the plaza, ramify into crooke
and naryowar rOada and ollavu opnopo n