Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-08-03
An Interesting Description of One of
the Finest Valleys in New Mexico
Plenty of Cheap Land and
Cheap Water.
The GARDEN SPOT OF new MEXICO
If You Wish to Become Healthy and
Wealthy Settle in the Espa-
nola Valley.

ties. Its entire length is traversed by
the d. & r. G.. railroad. The valley il
about 30 miles in length and varies in
width from one to three and one-heli
mile. The water supply for irrigation
purposes is derived from the Rio Grande
the Chama and Santa Cruz rivers. There
are now about $4,000 acres under cultiva.
tion including the valley of the Chama
north as far as the settlement of Abiquiu
The population will exceed 1000 souls
nearly all of whom are engaged in agri-
cultural and pastoral pursuits. The
principal business and trading points in
the valley are Espanola and San Juan,
the latter being Immediately across the
Rio Grande from the railroad station of
Chamita.
The lands in the Espanola, Chama and
Santa Cruz valleys do not differ mate
rally from the lands in the lower valleys
of New Mexico's greatest river. The
soil is principally sandy loan with clay
subsoil in some localities. In most
places however, it can hardly be said that
there is any subsoil, the entire sub
stance being wash from the neighboring
hills and mountains and deposits from
the several rivers flowing through and
into the valley.
The valley was one of the first settled
by the invading Spaniards, the settlements
of Abiquiu ard Santa Cruz being more
than 800 years old.
The entire valley from San Ildefonso
on the south to La Joya and Abiquiu on
the north and northwest is peculiarly
adapted to fruit growing. The early
settlers were pastoral and agricultural
people, and fruit growing has never been
engaged in by them to any extent, although
there have been producing orchards at La
Joya for many years. In other localities
apricot, pear, peach, plum and apple
trees have been grown during the past
forty years in very limited numbers, but
sufficiently to demonstrate the fact that
fruit growing would be a successful in
dustry if conducted upon business and
scientific principles. Every fruit grown
in the United States, other than citrus
fruits, will flourish in the valley. The
cost of improved lands, including water
rights, varies, in some places being from
per acre, depending upon proximity to
the several settlements and railroad
stations and the oharaotol of implo,s-
ments.
The cost of water per acre per annum
in no event will exceed 81. There are no
canal companies in the valley, the water
being conveyed entirely through COM
munity bitches. There is certainly no
place where agriculture is carried on in
this territory where water is cheaper than
here. Large farms or ranches cannot be
purchased in the Espanola valley, the en-
tire irrigated portion being divided into
small holdings, in few cases exceeding so
acres in extent. The great majority of
holdings have an area of from five to ten
acres, although there are many much
smaller.
During the past five years large num-
Der of persons, attracted to this locality
as fruit growing section, have planted
quite extensive orchards, some of which
are just beginning to bear and Others
are bearing full crops for the first time
this year Prominent among these are ex-
Governor l.. Bradford Prince, James Cur
ry, P. H. Lease, Ed. johnson, ex-Sur-
veyor General Hobart, Professor Mallin-
crodt, Cosme Herrera, Frank Becker, Hon.
j. A. Lucero, and the writer.
Experience has shown that the apple
does particularly we'll, as do also all the
varieties of prunes and plums, peaches,
nectarines, cherries of all kinds and april
cots are not excelled in any part of the
territory or in California, and small fruits
grow to perfection.
Any person contemplating the planting
of an orchard or who intends settling IN
this valley, should plant largely in straw
berries, raspberries, blackberries and
dewberries. The time, money and labor
consumed before an orchard of any kind
comes into bearing are best appreciated
by those who have had experience in that
line.
The small fruits mentioned will begin
to bear the second year and after the
third year we'll planted, we'll taken care
of plantation of berries of the kinds
mentioned will 20 long way toward
meeting the entire expense of the ranch.
The market is near at hand. The berries
ripen from two to three weeks earlier
than any other point in the territory,
where they are successfully grown and
can be laid down in any market in Colo
RADIO within "a hours after shipment from
Espanola or any other railroad point in
the valley. They can also be shipped to
any point in New Mexico in the same
length Of time. Labor in the valley is
cheap. Building material of all kinds is
cheap. Freight rates on all kinds of
products are very liberal owing to the
fact that Santa Fe, 25 miles distant, is
competing point to places east and north.
To the farmer who knows how to farm or
is willing to work and learn; to the health
seeker; to the business man and any
other person who desires to engage in a
profitable enterprise, the Espanola valley
offers many Inducements. The climate
ia superb, the railro I'd and mail facilities
are not excelled anywhere in the south
west and within few years the entire
valley will be given over to fruit and al
fslfa raising at the hands of an industri.
ous and intelligent community. Those
of US who are interested there now will
welcome the advent of others until the
last acre shall have been planted. We
have enterprising wholesale and retail
merchants at Espanola, Santa Cruz, Cha.
mita, as Bond & Bro. at Espanola, Frank
Becker at Santa Cruz, Samuel Eldodt at
San Juan, and others. We have churches
and schools. All we desire is more people.
Any one of the individuals mentioned in
this article will be only too glad to fur.
nish any aud all information to persons
aakf1;pD ;V Nan MaVico