Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-08-10
a COLORADO ROMANCE.
Why the River ut Trinidad hears Tire

a COLORADO ROMANCE.
Why tho River ut Trinidad hears Three
Names.
"Some queer kinks In nomenclature
are discoverable In this country of
ours" said Col. William Staplcton, OF
Trinidad, Col. Running right through
tho town OF Trinidad, In which live,
Is n little river. which familiarity and
indiscriminately does its muddy, How
ing business under three names. 1t is
called, variously, the Las Animas, the
Purgatoria and the Picket Wire. The
names came about In this way:
santa Fe claims to be, and Is, about
the same age as ST. Augustine, Fla.
Both towns are considerably over
three hundred years old, although
forget the exact date OF their settle
mcnt.
Back in the middle OF the sixteenth
century the Spaniards Mt Santa Fe
made up n military detachment to go
overland to St Augustine. The old
dons didn't know anything OF the
country which lay between. All they
were posted on was the distance and
the general direction. rs they knew
the latitude and longitude Of both
places. Rather late in the fall some
seven hundred OF them, stecl-clad SOL
diers, camp followers, baggage train
and women. pushed in through the
Ration pass over the trail now followed
by the Santa Fc railrond, and mt the
beginning of winter made a camp ut
what is now the site OF Trinidad,
which sits fairly in the mouth Of the
Ration canyon, looking out on the
plains.
There they were on the very thresh-
old of the Rockies. To the east of
them, over which their course must
trend, lay nm utter waste of plains, ap-
parcntly without limit. All that win
ter the Spaniards camped in the mouth
of the Ration canyon. With wine, wom-
an and song, they put in hilarious
time, and probably had rs much fun us
they ever had before or since. Winters
are not rigorous and spring comes early
in the vicinity Of Trinidad.
"With the first coming OF the early
grass the Adventures FURNISHED their
armor fitted up their houses and got
ready. to move. The camp followers,
the women and the extra baggage they
sent back to Santa Fe. When last seen
the party bound for st. Augustine,
numbering several hundreds, were
marching down the valley OF the little
river by which they had camped.
THAT was the last ever heard of
them Not feather ever iloated back
to tell the story of their fate. With
the last flap OF the last banner, and
the latest sun-glint on the rearmost
steel cap, they disappeared from the
earth. To this day no one isable to
make suggestion even rs to What be-
came Of them. except that 1t is sup
posed they were bntchered by the In
dams.
Fifty years ago there was an old
Comanche chief named Iron Shirt, be-
cause of the rusty old shirt of chain
mail which he wore. but neither he nor
any of the other Comlnches knew any
thing of the origin OF the garment nor
where 1t came from. 1t had been in
the tribe further back than the snort
Comanchc memory could reach. Many
have supposed that It was relic OF
this Spanish expedition OF three CEN
turtles ago. which had apparently
marched off the earth that PARKWAY
spring day in the mouth OF the Ration
canyon.
But now for the kink in nomen-
clature WAS thinking OF. The disap-
pcarance of these Spanish soldiers
seemed so cerie ana witchlike that it
made a profound impression on the
superstitious people they had left be-
hind. They named the little river Rio
de Las Animas. meaning the River of
the Lost Souls anil it is supposed to
hold the story of the expeditions dark
fate and repeat 1t TO itself In the river
language, which the Mexicans do not
pretend to understand.
"When the French fur traders under
Sublettc ana Saint Nrain came trap
ping in those waters from st. Louis, in
n French effort ut translation, they
made out that the River of the Lo,
Souls must mean TIE Plrgatory river,
and so gave the river its translated
name of Purgatoirc.
Later. when the American bull
whacscr marched through on his way
to Santa Fe he accepted the French
name. but called it the Picket Wire
To this day the river wears all the
titles, as the reader would soon learn
by turning 20 the Trinidad ncwspa-
pers, where he would find cattle
brands advertise rs having their
ranges variouslg Oh the Las Animas,
the Pnrgatoire AM the Picket Wire.
Every man picks out his name for
himself. bat they all mean the same
river 1t isn't mach OF u river, either,
only about twenty fest wi lie ut Trini-
dad. The MexicanS, however, Loyalty
stick to the name OF Rio de Las
Animas,' ami Mexican mothers tell
their children of the soldiers who,
hundreds of years ago. marched from
there and were never heard of again"
Washington Star.
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