Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-05-15
SETTLERS GOING
INTO QUAY COUNTY
Over 1900 Home
stead Entries
Made.
OF TucUMcAR|
Much Planting and Fencing
This Year...Very Desirable
Class of Immigrants.


cumcari Times and one of the original
settlers of Quay County, spent yester-
day this city on newspaper business
Mr.. Curren knows the conditions of
Quay County as well as any man in
that section and talked very interest
ingly to New Mexican representative
on the situation there.
Milo maize, kafIir corn and Durham
wheat are being planted by our farm
ers at present, and that in large guam
titles and in extensive areas. These
cereals were tried last year and pro-
duced satisfactory crops without irriga-
tion. The country south and southeast
from Tucumcari, the county seat of
Quay County, towards Texas and for
a distance of more than thirty miles is
we'll settled and more people are COM
ing in daily. In one township in that
direction, No. 10, north, of range "a
east, nearly every quarter section has
been taken up by an actual homestead
er and of the la intersections in
the township there not a dozen not
occupied. 1t is a ntinuous line of
farm houses and fe. ,es from Tucum,
carl in that directio.. for many miles
and the settlements seem to extend
from two, three and four miles south
andsnorth of line drawn that way.
Many of them are well off; they have
sold their farms in Kansas, Oklahoma
and the Indian Territory for good fig.
ures, all the way from $4,000 to $1,000,
and upon reaching our country have
built comfortable homes and have
fenced their claims. They have
brought, II many instances, superior
live stock, as horses, mules and cat
tie, and are not by any means poor.
In the breaks of the "Staked Plains"
There is much cedar timber which is
utilized by homesteaders for fence.
posts and hence many of them have
their 100 acres well fenced.
CattIemen Move West.
''The cattle and sheep men," said Mr..
Curren, "have left the eastern part
of Quay County and have moved across
the Pecos River to the mesas on the
west, where there is still much free
grazing range. On the east side of
the river to the Texas frontier, the
many farms and many fences have
interfered seriously with the stockmen
in grazing their herds, hence they had
to get out. In many places east of the
river, water is found at very shallow
depth and in some of the draws it is
struck at from ten to fifteen feet. In
most of this section water is found at
from twenty to one hundred feet and
a large number of wells have been dug
and are now being drilled or dug from
which water is raised cheaply and
easily by the agencies of windmills as
there is considerable wind movement
there. This is especially the fact in
the stretch of country between Tucum-
carl and the new town of Quay, which
is distant about twenty miles from the
county seat There water is not at all
hard to get and the settlers have taken
advantage of this fact. On many
claim two or three wells have been
dug and the water has been utilized
for live stock and partly for irrigation,
although the Campbell Dry Culture
System of farming is being used by
many of the farmers.
Tucumcari Growing Rapidly.
Mr.. Curren continued: '"Tucumcari
is growing at a satisfactory rate; the
business men are expanding, stocks of
are greater and more var
led than ever before and many people
are seen there daily on trading xpedi-
tions. New business blocks and pri-
vate dwellings are going up in every
John O'Shea, conductor
on the FL Paso & Northeastern Rail
way, has just concluded deal for part
of an addition to Tucumcari for which
he paid $1,000 cash. People are pro-
gressive, are taking advantage of the
situation and not afraid to invest. Di-
vision headquarters of the FL Paso &
will be established here
at an early date as it is understood
that a traffic agreement has been made
by which this road will use the Rock
Island tracks from Santa Rosa to Tu-
cumcari jointly. The Dawson line
from Tucumcari west to the Dawson
coal fields in Colfax County is being
improved in every possible way, bal.
lasted, equipped. with heavier steel
and much new bridging is under con-
struction. The local wool securing
plant Is about ready for operations and
expects to handle and ship from here
over 1000 pounds Of wool. The feecy
staple will come from as far west as
Roy and will be hauled by the Daw.
son road. Much of 1t will also be
brought from other directions tribu-
tary to Tucumcari.
Frank P. Harmon, president of the