Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-02-11
DESERT BLOOMS.
What Settlement and Especially Iri.
cation Is Doing for New Mexico.
TOWNS ALONG NEW ROAD.

ritory, has this to say about that pros
porous section of New Mexico:
The number of northern and eastern
people coming into southeastern New
Mexico and the upper Panhandle Il
try is beyond all comparison the larg-
est in the history of the section.
Lands of all kinds have been in de-
mand, from the stock raiser who wants
room for a herd of 1000 Herefords, to
the party with a team of horses, a wa
gon, a dog and the usual number OF
to~w-headed children, the latter, as a
rule, being satisfied with a quarter sec
ton and a chance to scratch a living
of his patch somehow.
Another class that is graually drift
ing this way in constantly increasing
numbers is the party, fairly well-to-
do, knowing the value of water in this
arid southwest, is in search of lands
that can be irrigated, or. as it is
termed. under the ditch" and has the
money to buy with. This element
among the newcomers is the desirable
one, for they come to stay and not only
build up a district, but develop and
leautify 1t as we'll. Nf3
AS a sample of how rapidly some of
the s~idetracks on the Pecos Valley &
Northwestern railroad develop into
villages and then into very respectable
towns, the town of Portales might be
named. A tribe over two years since
Portales boosted of a depot, a house
for the agent, q store where a few
shelves on one side of the building ac-
commodated all the stock, a small shed
with a board nailed or the outside with
restaurant" painted on it with a mark
ing pot and four saloons. At that time
verifying in the locality was con
nected in n way or another with the
cattle interests, and the floating popu-
lation consisted mainly of cowboys. To-
day this sidetrack has turned into n
OF the livliest communities in the west.
1t has it's churches-some three or
four-a bsuk, wagon and implement
hotels, restaurants, n sidewalks SO
crowded with eager, busy people that
1t is hard to make way through them.
Every quarter section within twenty
miles of the town now has its tenant,
and windmills loom up in every direc-
ton. The secret of the success of this
particular town Hes in the fact that
good water In abundance lies within
from twelve to twenty feet of the sur.
face throughout the district. Of course
this cannot be said of all these new
towns. In fact, the contrary is usually
the case, but from the great numbers
that are f1ocking into this country it
would appear that people believe that
the same conditions as to water pre-
vail everywhere. For many OF these
new towns there are hard times ahead
The dry. hot years are bound to come
4and where irrigation is impossible and
water lies from 1900 to 1000 feet be-
meath the surface profitable cultiva-
ton of the soil becomes impossible.
The history of Portales finds it's
counterpart in a very few other towns
on the line Of the road. Hereford,
Bovina, and others show almost a like
phenomenal growth.
As to Roswell, Its population has
more than doubled in the past eighteen
months, the number Of people now
there, according to a town census re-
Gently made, being 1900.
Between Portales and Roswell, a dis.
lance Of sixty miles, may be seen any
number OF sQuatters, and many bona
fde settlers as we'll, who have their
dugouts and shacks planted on the side
hills, and, as a general thing. appar-
emily trusting to Providence to send
SUFFICIENT rain to raise a little fodder
~roughness," as they call it-for their
few head of lean stock and a little
garden truck" Many of these last
named belong to a class often met with
in the Indian Territory and known
there as "nesters." They stay nowhere
very long and a few dry weeks gener-
ally finds them on the road again.
After one leaves Roswell and its
beautiful surroundings and proceeds
down the Pecos river toward Carlsbad
he sees some of the best improved
farms in the territory. Orchards that
hnNt dNhicNcu n eiONth VI clBAt VI stcA
years and which are wonderfully pro
ductiye and fine paying investments
are seen adjoining every dwelling
There is an air OF prosperity, an appear
nee of thrift about these new homes
that tell plainly of an intention to re
main. The improvements made ar
fixtures, not makeshifts,
AS the town Of Carlsbad is approach
ed a decided change is noted thes
winter days in the temperature. TIL
town lying 600 feet lower than Roswell
and seventy-ive miles farther south, 1
is at least 10 degrees warmer than tina
place and fully rs degrees warmer tina.
Amarillo. The absence of cold wind
has also much to do with keeping up
mild and wen temperature.
II is estimated that in the past fe'
months i~mDroyements exceeding 4