Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-09-22
SANTA FE N. M, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER g. 1906.
CAPTAIN STROVER ON
SPECIAL MISSION
Locates Disputed Boundary Of Mora
Grant-TeIs About Heiro.
glypnlcs Near Lamy.

II found the country over which |
travelled very prosperous in the east.
ern part of the Territory. The valleys
are looking fine and unprecedented
crops have been raised. Good crops
of oats were grown even on the
mountain tops. The farmers are busy
with harvesting. | tried my best to
hire two men while on the trip but
was unsuccessful even though I offer
ed to pay them 81 per day"
This is the pleasing information Civ.
en- out by Captain William Strover,
who Is connected with the general
land Office at Washington, and at pres.
ent visiting in Santa Fe. Capt. Strover
arrived In the city from Las Veg
as. The past two weeks he has been
investigating the west boundary Of the
Mora land grant. This western bound
ary has been mOoted question for
many years and has caused the gov.
ernment great deal of trouble late.
ly. He says that he was able to To-
cate it accurately and it will probably
be surveyed in the near future SO that
there will no longer be any doubt
about it's exactness.
81 will leave next week to locate
some prehistoric ruins in the ChacO
Canon. The government wants to
preserve these ruins and segregate
them from the public land that is
open to settlement understand that
these ruins are the most extensive in
New Mexico.
Speaking about ruins there are
some about which very little is known
within short distance Of Lamy. They
are located at the old pueblo of San
Cristobal, six or seven miles southeast
Of Lamy. At this place are some Of
the most intere sting specimens of
picture writing that have ever seen.
These pictures which are cut into the
rock extend for several miles. The
lava rock on which they are painted
is very hard. | could hardly make an
q
nail, and all these designs were first
cut into the rock to depth of a
quarter Of an incn. 1t must have been
tedious job, for the ancient people
who made them.
This ledge of lava rock which con-
tains the weird pictures Is hidden
from the roadway that passes within
iifty feet by immense boulders, and
people have been going by them for
generations without discovering their
existence: understand that they were
first discovered by Charles Haspel-
math. They are located on the Eaton
land grant, and the owner himself did
not know anything about them until
they were shown to him by Mr.. Has
pelmath.'"
Captain Strover says that in the
twenty-five years he has lived in this
part of the country he has never seen
it so prosperous. One thing that he
observed on his recent trip was the
modern farming machinery now being
used by the native farmers. He says
that he can remember only a few
years back when the home made
wooden plows and other crude farm
ing implements were in general use
in the vicinity of the native settle
ments.
In his opinion all that New Mexico
needs now is statehood to take its
rightful place in the Union. He be-
lieves with statehood 1t would devel-
op into a great commonwealth. If a
state, he pointed out, that it would be
better enabled to secure just share
Of the money appropriated by the gov
ernment for the building. Of reservoirs
for irrigation purposes. The Reclaim
alton Service has thirty-six million
dollars available for this purpose and
but little of this amount will be used
in New Mexico.
When Captain Strover left the city
about two weeks ago he went over
land in covered wagon and was ac-
companied by several assistants with
complete camping outfit.