Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-03-22
SHOPS AT SANTA ROSA.
Rock island Will Greatly Aid the
Growth of Santa Rosa.


Santa Rosa, N. NJ, is sure to grow
into a substantial little city of the
plains. 1t has been made the division
point of the Rock Island railroad. IT be-
ing the point where the Rock Island
made connection with the Ell Paso q
Northeastern railroad.
The present townsite of Santa Rosa
is about three-quarters of a mile from
the old town of Santa Rosa, where
stands the old Catholic church and the
few adobe houses that comprised the
town while it was only a station on the
treighting trail from Las Vegas to Fort
Sumner.
1t is at the old town of Santa Rosa
near the old church, where stands the
adobe house of Celso Baca. the wealth
lest land owner of that section. Years
ago Baca secured q land grant of sew
eral thousand acres fer which he still
holds the patent. The land for the
townsite was purchased from him by
the Alamogordo Improvement com
paly. and divided into town lots.
The population of the town is now
estimated at about 600. It is a very
new town and the depot has not been
completed. The place will probably
grow within a year to twice it's present
size. and it's possibilities in the future
are hard to guess. Santa Rosa will be
pushed to the front by the Rock Island
perhaps. more than any other town
along the line with the exception of
CloUdcroft. 1t is at this point hat the
Rock Island will establishe its car re-
pairing and erecting shops for the ter
ritory south of Dalhart, Texas.
The freight depot has been pressed
into use as the passenger station,
pending the completion of the station,
and the telegraph office has been main
tanned in a couple of box cars standing
IN a siding near the freight depot.
A great many of the workmen en-
ployed in the railroad work at this
point are Topeka people.
The new round house has not yet
been completed. 1t is being built of a
fine grade of white stone, and will
have ten stalls.
The matter of securing desirable
water has proven a great annoyance at
Santa Rosa. Pure water is found in
abundance a few miles from the town.
but until the present time the drills
have failed to get good water.
Only a short time ago oil was struck
in the hole bored on the Rock Island
right of way. The oil only showed a
trace, but it was enough to spoil the
water. The drill is being pushed farth-
er down at the same place in the hopes
that good water will be found at a
greater depth, and that the well may
be cased to get rid of the oil.
One of the natural curiosities of the
place is the apparently bottomless lake
at the summit of a rugged hill a half
mile from the passenger station. The
water in the lake, although alkali, is as
zl&-. ar,tI a-I IN rAalr thpnuyr
into the water may be seen for over a
minute of time as it sinks to the bot
tom.
Standing on a high .promontory
above the hill where the lake is situat-
ed a pretty view is had of the valley
between the two rows of peaks that
comprise the Pajarita mountains. A
little stream of water winds around
and leads to the lake. And from the
lower portion 1t runs owe and on down
the hillside. watering the fields be-
meath.
The land is more fertile about Santa
Rosa than it is at many points along
the new Rock Island short line. The
hillsides are covered to a certain ex-
tent with a short brush and ~shrubbery.
1t is claimed oil in paying quantities
has been discovered about five miles
from the town of Santa Rosa. and peo-
pie owning land t~hereabouts are great
ly worked up yer the discovery. Ma
chinery has been ordered from the east
and great preparations are being made
to develop tie oil industry.
Northeast of Santa Rosa about a
mile is where the Rock Island encoun-
tered the heaviest work in blasting
through the solid rock to bring the
roadbed down to a level grade. For a
distance of nearly a mile the conflict
ing projections were blasted away for
a depth of from 20 to "a feet.
Santa Rosa has one main business
street nearly half a mile long. Scat
tered over the prairie on either side of
the main street are the residences of
the people who form the permanent in
habitants.
Hotel accommodations at Santa
Rosa are limited, as is the condition in
most of the new towns. In many in
stances ii costs a dollar to get a cot.
Oftentimes these are used under very
~unfavorable circumstances.