Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-30
NORTHERN SANTA FEE COUNTY.


just as the southern part of the county
is famous for and favored in its vast min
eral resources, SO is the northern half of
the county in its agricultural develop
ment. Beginning at the towns of Espa-
nola and San Ildfonso, about thirty miles
north of Santa Fe, is series of beautiful
valleys, known by the names of Espanola,
Santa Cruz, Chama, Pojoaque, Chimayo,
Quemado and Las Truchas valleys. They
are ramifcations of the great valley of
the Rio Grande, and support at present
population of somewhat over 1000 peo-
pie, who are mostly engaged in the raising
of fruit and cereals. In the first four
named the orchards are generally found,
in the latter three the grain and root
farms. There is an abundance of water
during the whole year. The Rio Grapde
at this section never goes dry. The sys-
tenn of irrigation in vogue is the COM
munity ditch, but the present construc-
tions are hardly equal to the demands of
the future. There is running water in the
river sufficient to irrigate far more land
than Is now under ditch and it should be
cultivated and irrigated either by taking
out larger bitches on higher lines or run
ming one large ditch on either side of the
stream close to the foothills. One gen.
tleman, Mr.. Lease, claims that he has
netted over $500 per acre from the ground
between the tree rows of his growing
orchard. "Why, sir" said he recently
to New MEXICAN reporter, II can make
$15 or $40 every year from patch of
my ground not more than 20 feet square.
do this by putting IN several quick
growing crops of vegetables and sell them
in the northern market in advance of the
season." Besides this Mr.. Lease has six
acres of orchard which will come into
bearing next year. Land in any of these
valleys may be purchased, unimproved,
with good water right, fer from $5 to
$25 per acre; and improved land, that is
planted, for from $25 to $500 per acre.
During the last three years about seventy
five American families has bought land
and settled in this region. Some of the
choicest locations in the territory are to
be found in the valleys just described.
The region is extremely rich and fertile.
During 1898, when the Denver & Rio
Grande officials were studying the reduc-
ton of expenses on their road, for short
time the daily train service over this road
was reduced to a tri-weekiy schedule.
Mr.. L. j. Helm, superintendent OF the
Santa Fe Southern protested that this
was not economy but pure waste of
money because 50 much business was
lost few weeks of this plan were
sufficient to convince the Denver mag
mates that this was SO. A daily train up
and down is now running, and will con-
tinue until this service is increased. 1t
will never again be diminished. The
great amount of vegetables, fruit, honey
and cereals that are shipped out of this
fertile region warrants this statement.
STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.
During the panic of this spring an
summer the city of Santa Fe has pursu'
the even tenor of her way. There ha'
been no business failures and no TIM
contraction of her finances. Indet
her merchants and capitalists have bee
appealed to from all sections for financi,
aid. 1t is demonstrate fact that SAINT
Fe has loaned out moro money in tn
past year than is usual. Her merchants
did not call in their accounts nor press
their creditors, and it is owing to the gen
erous concessions made by Santa Fe BUSH /
nessmen, and the prompt and kindly adj J
vances of money assistance, that many
concerns in the surrounding cities were
able to weather the financial storm.
At times there is petty sneer against
Santa Fe, that she is "Ancient." Yes,
that is true. She has the Oldest and best
equipped seats of learning in the south
west, st. Michael's college and Loretto
academy. She is surrounded by historic
monuments of our own race and the
pueblos. At Tesuque, Nambe and San
Ildefonso one can study archaeology and
ethnology, at Santa Fe he can compare
such blocks as the Webber and Catron
buildings with the old. He can see
city without single beggar or tramp.
He can see such Improvements as have
been made in the plaza and the residence
and business sections. During 1898
more than dozen substantial buildings
have been erected, among them the
Hanley block, and others have been ma
terially improved. This is solid
growth. There is no boom but there is
good business here; and the best evidence
of that is that in every pinch the bust
ness men of other moro blatant quarters
HE themselves to this town for assist
ance. OF course everybody knows that
the finest climate on earth is found here,
but Santa Fe does not herald her bust
ness successes enough and therefore it is
not generally known, that this town has
more money invested in other than home
enterprises than almost the whole of New
Mexico put together. During last year
1 hpAn ~ c%v H. !, 4.
dozens of miles of ten inch water main
are now being laid; electric lights illumin-
ate all the streets; the latest improved
telephone system is now being put in;
the order and sobriety of her citizens is
commendable; and best of all there is
scarcely day in the rolling year when
one can not sit in his sunny door-yard and
enjoyNit.
THE UPPER pEoos.
The Pecos timber reservation CON-
prises 7o2 square miles, covering q por-
tion of western San Miguel, southern
Taos and northeastern Santa Fe coun-
ties. The region is rugged and noun
famous, and here innumerable small
streams have their origin, and, flowing
southwark, form the source of the Rio
Pecos, which cuts the reservation about
midway between Las Vegas and Santa
Fe. Here for twenty miles north of
Glorieta mountain nestles one of the
most beautiful and attractive upland
valleys in all the Rocky mountains. Fine
farms with An abundance of water to ir-
rigate them string out along the rivers
edge of the streams, and crawl up under
the sheltered sides of the valley, and
along the tributary streams, Willow creek,
Rio de la Baca, the Chaperito and Windsor
craR are also to be found thrifty fairly r.
mall ranches. Oats. potatoes, b.