Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-06-13
LIKE THEIR MINT JULEPS.
able the People to Obtain Their
Favorte Beverage.

Major Eugene Van Patten, of Las
reporter of the New Mexican that
the overflow of the Rio Grande in the
Mesilla Valley from Earlham south to
the Pass, a distance of about thirty
miles. has done very serious damage
and that the losses in landed property
and in crops of alfalfa cereals and
fruit will amount to between five and
six hundred thousand dollars Had it
not been for this overflow, this year
would have proved one of the most
profitable and best in the history of
that section, as crops promised to
yield greatly and, in fact, unprecedent.
ly. A number of the villages in the
valley of the Rio Grande between
SO surrounded and cut up by water
that the inhabitants had to move to
the foot hills. The inhabitants of
the valley have suffered a great deal
from the Overfiows during the past
three years and some of the villages
that were on the banks of the Rio
Grande have had to be moved and are
now located miles from the river bed.
In this respect the villages of Cham
berino and La Union are notable ex-
amples. This is also the case with
the village of Berino. Nevertheless,
the farmers in that section are doing
the best they can, as they are a plucky
set of people and are fighting the vast
eXpanse of water which is all around
them
Real estate and landed property in
the Mesilla Valley between Fort Seld-
en- and the Texas line is steadily in
creasing In value and north and south
of Las Cruces for ten or fifteen miles
the increase has been from three to
four hundred per cent. The crops in
those sections of the valley not in
jured by the overflow will be of the
greatest in many years. More land
has been put under cultivation this
year than ever before and since Las
Cruces and Dona Ana were settled in
1887.
Major Van Patten is of the opinion
that the construction of the Elephant
Butte dam will prove of great benefit
to the Mesilla Valley and to Ell Paso,
as it will put stop to the annual ov-
erflow and give an abundant water
supply for irrigation and domestic
uses at the times when most needed. |
Were it not for the overfows of recent
years, the farmers of the valley would |
be the most prosperous people of the
United States. Although they have
raised good crops and received very
good prices of late years, the damage
and injury done by the recent annual
overfows have greatly cut down their
profits and crops.
Many people are arriving in the
valley and from a dozen to fifteen
strangers are coming there almost
daily. Land is changing owners very
rapidly and prices are constantly
climbing. A new $4,000 school house
has been erected in the county seat, |
Las Cruces, and the town has an air |
OF prosperity anu DuSlle WHICH Is
strange to the old timers, who were
wont to sit in front of the old Duper |
Hotel and count the number of per-
sons walking up and down the main |
street. Now there is rustic and hustle |
on Main Street; new brick buildings |
have taken the place of the old adobe |
casas; electric lights will be in the
streets within few days and the day
of the tallow dip has disappeared.
Major Van Patten knows something of
the ancient times and enjoyed them,
but after all, says that civilization and
modern improvements carry the day
An innovation, which will prove espe- |
cially pleasing to the people of Las
Cruces, is the ice plant which is ready
for operation and which will in few
days deliver pure, crystal ice to all
those who are thirsty and desire a
cool mint julep; Major Patten thinks
the number of these is rather large
considering the size of the town.