Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1904-04-01
No. {
Nou and Forty Years Ago.


In the year 1861 the writer who in the employ Of
the United States mail the from Kansas
City to Santa Fe pressed into service with the stage
CONDUCTOR Henry Lowell take of the best and
coaches and hurry the Colorado troops from old Fort Union
to the the battle of Vaverde With the troops
was an old whisky boat called Captain Garrison who had
orders to spare neither animals until Il Colorado
volunteers were Our first relay of mules at the
Maxwell ranch. fifty miles OUT the point about four
miles below where Trinidad Isl the had not been
thought of at that time for years after. The second
night out cooked supper where Ration is, and
when half way up the Ration mountains dark upon
and terrific set in, compelling to stop until
davoht as we could not find way and the animals reus
ed to face the storm After trouble managed to
build good FIRE and keep spirits by taking occasional
toddes made by the soldier who acted body guard for the
captain who always kept dcm john Of old fashioned doub
trigger whisky and very free with toward In
This wav we managed to pass night reasonably comortab
e considering the ccums and in the morning pulled
up to the top Of the mountain through foot Of
snow and strange say there on the north
side Of the divide and reached the station early the day.
Here the captain ordered stay until o'clock the
next morning doubtless the old fellow sleepy he had
PLAYED eezeout the night before sitting coachanght
AT O'Clock we we're on the road and before night drove
into the camp Of the Colorado troops miles above old
Fort Benton on the Arkansas. Next morning the troops
were on the march Ft Union and wilder better heart
70 miles day and sing and whoop all night in camp
After few DAYS rest at Fl Union. the command march
ed toward Santa and the Confederate troops under
General Sbley Gloeta where they defeated, and
their supply train burned by Colonel Chivngon under Col
Sleigh After the of July OF the same year. was trans
ferrcd below Santa Fc Albuquerque from which place
south The whole country destitute Of food or forage and
the poor natives peoncd the few land owners of the
country and were under the abomnabe OF sa-
ver All supplies had to from the Missouri river IN
WAGONS so of course we're enormously high Native flour
s5 to $40 per hundred eoe and sugar 81 to S5o per H.
ard from 10 Meals at the stations were 81 each
and consisted Of mutton eggs fried in mutton aow, and
turned two three times give them flavor and that beau
tu dark brown color and black coffee all of which were
served bv waiter backer than the coffee and who looked as
if she had he'd since the last annual fiesta OF the town.
Such thing as n American plow not known at that
,me and the land was cultivated with forked stick drawn
b ;en driven by a native armed with goad slightly small
Ter than plow and mush sharper at The point me man
who could make Mexican plow oden carreta was
called !, those days bucn carpincro 1t took three
and little boy drive team TO one OF those carres
one man to lead in the road and each side
with the carrao pole keep them moving while the boy io
lowed pick up the things that fell off the carreta IN cross
ing the rougl places.
At that date the poor class Of poems had no teams o.
their and who fortunate pig would
kee chained by the neck Moving machines and scyhes
had yet made their appearance this region and the
hay and grain with sckcs This probably insPreo
the native of Erin who landed here excam. lhIs the
devils country sure where they tie up the hogs turh
loose the dogs and cut hay with hoe.
As look back the experiences OF the past forty
years hardly possible that the present civl
zaon could grow from the conditions that then existed very
few of the faithful men who bravcd the dangers and hard
ships Of those times alive the developments which
have grown from their beginnings nearly all having passed
the Great Divide and with them has passed the old
stage coach which used loaded with
express The fare rs per mile for the traveller N
those days and he expected walk through the heavy
sand the load was heavy which was usually the the