Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-03-09

The present indication are Favorable
to the passage Of the bill creating
Leonard Wood county with Santa Ro
sa as the county seat, and the delega
ton of Santa Rosa citizens here push
ing the matter feels encouraged Thos,
here are c. H. Stearns, G. H. Smith
Jr., E. r. Wright, and Celso Baca. The
proposed new county includes all that
portion of Guadalupe county which has
not been taken into Quay and Roose-
velt counties and, should the bill be-
come a law, Guadalupe county will be
wiped out in the three new counties
In addition, 81 townships of Valencia
county are included so that the pro-
posed county is almost square and Is 66
miles east and west by 60 miles north
and south.
The estimated population of the
county Is 5000 and the present taxable
valuation is 100000. The Ell Paso di-
vision of the Rock Island railroad sys-
tenn runs through the county from the
northeast to the southwest corner and
when, in three or four years, the rail-
road company begins to pay taxes, the
taxable valuation of the county will be
$1.5O0,000. From the northwest to the
southeast corner of the new county,
the Pecos river flows and Santa Rosa,
the proposed county seat is near
ly the geographical center of the
county and is at the crossing of the
river by the railroad.
The country and particularly the Pc
cos valley, Is exceptionally rich. Up
and down the valley, from Santa Rosa
to Anton Chico, 35 miles, and as far
down the valley as Fort Sumner, 80
miles, the valley is well cultivated. The
famous fruit ranches of the Pecos val
ley were settled and set to trees from
30 to 40 years ago. The very best OF
deciduous fruits is grown in abundance.
But a very small per cent of the land
outside of the grants, is taken up and
the country is being rapidly settled.
East of Santa Rosa, cattlemen from
Texas are settling and the majority of
new settlers coming in are from Texas,
Oklahoma and Missouri. The promo
tiers of the new county believe there
will be great oil developments. They
have faith that the oil is there but they
do not have great faith in the compan-
les which have SO far bored for it. Re-
Gently new company has been organ
lied from which substantial results are
expected, or at least thorough test OF
the field will be made. Experts have
pronounced the indications of oil to be
excellent, but none of the wells so far
put down have gone deeper than 1000
feet. Oil is scarcely expected except at
from 1000 to 5000 feet and the new
company has equipment for going to-
that depth. Oil was struck In Colorado
at about 5000 feet and this depth is be-
lieved to be necessary in order to give
a fair test.
4 The business and trading center OF
all this country is Santa Rosa and 1t Is
the only town which Is accessible by
good roads or railroad from all parts
of the proposed county. The new town
of Santa Rosa has a population OF
about 1900, is growing in a substantial
manner and not by leaps as boom
town. The Santa Rosa Of old was To-
Gated short distance down the Pecos
from the present town which was
started in April, 1901, and is therefore
less than two years old. The new
town is regularly laid out with wide
streets and uniform blocks. The town
IL built around a plaza and the build
,nes which have recently been erected,
are now under construction or are pro-
iected. are substantial and OF CHAR
.acter far superior to the average OF
tha new western towns. From Santa
Rosa. star mail routes extend to all
towns In that section of the territory'
and 1t is the distributing center for mai
as we'll as supplies. The postai iacih-
ties are OF the best and there Is eooo
mail connection with all parts OF the
new county. The town now mas tnree
wholesale houses, several generai
stores, two meat markets, one drug
store, one undertaken and furnlture
store, one shoe store. two bakeries two
lumber yards, six hotels and restaur-
ants In addition to many good boarding
houses. The First National Bank is a
sound and we'll organized Institution
nh