Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-12-19
FAMOUS SANTA FEE.
Sketch of the Old and New Capital of
New exico-Resources of Adjacent
Valleys Sketches of Its Citizens.

New Mexico Resources of Adjacent
Valleys Sketches of Its Citizens.
Santa Fe, the ancient capital of New
Mexico, from historical point of view
is the most interesting city in America
Twenty years before the Pilgrim Fathers
landed upon the rock bound coast Of
New England, Santa Fe was already &
town of considerable Importance and the
center of commercial operations through
out the southwest. Who would find in
terest in investigating the early annals
of this ancient capital somewhat shroud
ed at times in the mist of tradition
must go back into rugged and romantic
past for over three centuries. Its his
tory is prominently associated with the
leading events of the Spanish regime in
this western world, as we'll as those OF
historic interest since the period OF
American occupation. Santa Fe illus.
trates the chief characteristics of two
periods, two races and two civilizations
! Here the two extremes of civilization
have met face to face-met, but not min
gled Here, as in no other city of Amer.
lea, or of the world, for that matter, are
conspicuously visible. side by side, the
modern and the antique, the restless
energy of the Ang Saxon and the
slower going methods Of his Latin
neighbor The crooked stick pillow used
by the Egyptians ten centuries ago here
stands beside the latest inventions in
mechanical science. From buildings of
the newest designs in architecture one
may look out upon the moss-covered
ruins of anchorage, upon ruins three
centuries old.
A pueblo existed on the site of the
present city as early as 1900. 1t was
probably visited by franciscan priests
in 1881. There is much doubt, however,
concerning the accuracy of those early
dates. The date of the actual founding
Of the town is placed at 1903,
fifteen years preceding the landing n
of the Pilgrime on Plymouth
Rock. Its Spanish pioneers came
from Cortez's conquering army or
were those who marched in it's
wake. They followed the Rio
Grande river up from Paso del
Norte.
The city was planted on the
banks of the Santa Fe river amid
the foothills of the Santa Fe
mountains. 1t was founded as the
City of the Holy Faith, and from
the affairs of the ancient church
(still standing) the incense of the
mass was ascending when the
Mayhower reached the eastern
coast of the American continent.
More than two centuries elapsed
before the descendants of the
Anglo-Saxon and the Latin, of
the Puritan and the Catholic met
face to face in this distant region.
The Spaniards had occupied the
great central regions of the CONT
nent before the Pilgrim Fathers
had settled the Atlantic coast, and
had the former been possessed of
the progressive characteristics of
the latter a different page would
have ornamented the history of
New Mexico.
No city in the west has a more
beautiful or attractive location
than Santa Fe, situated as it is
amid low. rolling foothills, beyond
which rise snowy peaks, and, with
broad fertile valley stretching
away to the southwest, it is the
center of lovely landscape. No
ticeable features are the gardens
and small fruit farms which fringe
the suburbs and dot it's interior
portions of the town.
The climate of Santa Fe is un-
surpassed by any spot on the
eastern slope of the Rocky noun, Il
tains. The altitude is 6,868 feet
above sea level and there is an es-
tablished saying that six months
residence here will cure tubercu II
losis consumption. 1t combines
all the advantages of other places r
all the year round without the
disadvantages Of sudden at u
mospheric changes character
istic of health resorts in other portions
of the United States The atmosphere
is dry and equable, mild in winter and
cool in summer. The local weather
bureau reports the average temperature
Alb, average relative humidity 5l.3, aver
age velocity of wind 7.3 miles per hour,
total rain fall 1878 inches, number Of
cloudless days per year 1875, number Of
fair days 1O7, number of cloudy days
sixty three. 1t therefore presents high
claims as sanitarium and is so gener-
ally recognized.
The tourist can spend weeks visiting
the numerous objects Of interest in and
about Santa Fe. Among them are the
soldiers monument in the plaza erected
to the memory Of the fallen heroes of
the Colorado and New Mexican regi-
ments who fell at Apache Canon. Val
verde and other New Mexico battle fields;
the monument to Kit Carson, the most
famous of all Rocky mountain scouts
and Indian fighters; the territorial
library containing the ancient Spanish
and Mexican archives from 1921 to 1916;
San Miguel church 1897 years old; the
Cathedral of San Francisco; the Palace,
built in 1898, continuously occupied by
the Spanish, Mexican and American
governors for almost 300 years, and to-
day containing the offices of the terrific.