Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-07-15
THE UPPER
PEC0S
The Play Ground Of New Mexico
Made Accessible BY the
Scenic Road.
FOREST AND STREAM
A Mountain Region Of wondrous Beau
ty and Of Remarkable Resources
Partly Developed,

| Inc llSn or meadows, the ilYld green
! of alfalfa fields, the promise of acres
in wheat and corn, are rare sight
in the mountains of New Mexico in
this year of drouth, but they are to be
found today almost at the very gates
OF this city. From below Pecos to
Willis, on the Recos Forest Reserve.
distance of over thirty miles, there
is never scarcity of water and fields
| look as fiourishing in this dry season
as they do in the lower Pecos Valley
where never failing artesian wells and
big reservoir systems supply the broad
acres with the life giving moisture.
The upper Pecos, the playground of
northern New Mexico, is separated
from the Santa Fe Valley by majes-
tic ridge of mountains, and now that
this barrier is about to be conquered
by the Scenic Road, that section has
become of even greater interest than
before, as its accessibility, it's beauty
and its wealth are bound to draw more
and more people to it's forest retreats,
all coming and going by way of Santa
Fe. Even today, it is strange that peo-
pie will cross the desert to California,
or will seek the humid, steaming East
and its pleasure resorts, in order to
spend vacation, when trip of forty
miles, that can be made in less than
eight hours, will bring them into this
little paradise, so close to the heart
of nature, and yet, within few miles
n q ~ Two Tfr,o ~ ;,,o
ness would be hard to find in the
United States, and it acknowledges no
superior.
And if icnst nl1e paradise
either. A state like Rhode Island
could be cut out of it and for thirty
miles along the Pecos River it is as
we'll settled as almost any other farm
ing section of like extent in the West.
1t is true, that this settled portion is
only narrow valley, fanked by noun
tain masses on both sides, into which
the river has at places cut deep can
ons, but there is plenty of elbow room
for all the people of Northern New
Mexico in vacation time
The Battlefield Of Glorieta.
The drive from Glorieta to Willis.
81 miles, is one of uncommon interest.
The road is excellent, excepting mile
or so in Santa Fe County, which un-
fortunately pays much less attention
to its roads than docs San Miguel
County. In consequence, even the ia
nous old Santa Fe trail is becoming
almost as impossible as the INlian
Creek trail across the Dalton Divide.
The road passes over historic ground,
the Glorieta battlefield, upon which
tall cottonwoods throw grateful
shade, under which the old road house,
prosperous in the days before the rail-
road, is mournful monument of the
days when the Trail poured it's traf-
fic into the City of Santa Fe.
The Pecos Pueblo.
A few miles beyond, the ruins of the
Pecos Church, from which there are
a number of valuable relics in Santa
Fe is crumbling into little heaps of
sand, silent accusers of the citizens of
New Mexico, who fail to take care Of
their historic places as do the people
of England or Germany. The old Rut-
ledge Farm, where sawmill formerly
stood and which has been denuded Of
it's fine timber, and several abandoned
houses are passed Then comes the
Bartlett homestead, which has been
the headquarters of DR.. Bartlett dur
| ing several decades and from which he
goes forth even today, to work on his
| -, &IN rs1 s1rn n
west, having developed them into the
best iron property in the Southwest
excepting those at Fierro, Grant Coun-
ty.
The mountains loom up more form
idably as Hecos is approached. Tim
ber runs up to their SUBMITS and af-
ter crossing the little wooded ridge,
the lovely fields of Pecos Town flash
upon the sight A fairer scene the i'm
agination cannot paint. 1t is so entire
! ly unlocked for in that part OF New
Mexico that those who gaze upon it
for the first time, are filled with won
l. der.
Yet, in point of history. 1t was one
OF the first settled portions of the south
west. It may throw significant side
light upon the controversy regarding
the name Of Pecos, to know that thee
wears ago. flood coming down Cow
Creek, exposed the ruins of an exten
sive Pueblo village at Rowe, three miles
from the ruins of the Pecos church
The village had been covered by q
landslide which overwhelmed part of
| its inhabitants with death, for the wa
| ters washed out OF the houses skulls
viyors, so tradition says, settled the
H.sA;rnnd 0aAn Civ