The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-04-26
FROM new MEXICO.
INTEREST LETTER FROM
THE SOUTHWEST

Santa Fe the Oldest Town in the Uni
ted States--Situated at Altitude of
Seven Thousand Feet--Odd Monu-
ments With Inscription Containing
Word Rebels--Structures With
History-OId House Antedating Ar
rival of Spaniards in America.
This interesting letter has been re-
ceived from New Haven man now in
New Mexico:
Santa Fe, New Mexico, April Is.
Santa Fe is the oldest town in the
United States the Spanish coming here
as early as the year 1914, five years be-
fore st. Augustine Florida, was settled.
The town is a quaint old city and con-
tains about six thousand inhabitants
within the city limits, and ten thousand
within the grant limits. Two-thirds OF
the population are Spanish. 1t is situa-
ted seven thousand feet above sea level,
has one daily newspaper, THE New
| Mexican" two English and two Span
ish weeklies Three railroads center
here, the Santa Fe, Santa Fe Central
STANDARD guage) and Rio Grande,
marrow guage). A new electric road is
being constructed to Las Vegas, forty
miles distant, being built by convicts
from the penitentiary which is located
here. From reservoir four hundred
/ feet above the town pure mountain wa
ter is obtained. This is fine country
for apples, peaches and pears, but no
citrus fruits are raised The Plaza"
in the center Of the town, is about one
quarter the size of the New Haven
Green. In the center stands a soldiers
monument with the following odd in
scription: ITO the heroes of the Fedo-
raj army who fell at the battles of Can
on Del-Apache and Pigeons Rancho (La
! Glorieta), fought with the rebels, March
2S, 1862, and those who fought at the
battle with the rebels at Peralto April
10, 1852" You will notice the word
Rebels" is used instead of "Confede~
rates" We are told this is the only
soldiers monument in the United
States using the word rebels. The
town raised the largest number Of
Rough Riders" who accompanied
President Roosevelt to Porto Rico. The
town is sadly in need of a new opera
house; am informed the Lodge of
Elks' contemplate building one in the
near future. The so called opera house
now In use is a quaint building, one
hundred and fifty years old, and inearly
days was occupied as dance hall and
free and easy" it is 1870 feet long and
twenty-three feet wide; until the year
1882 it had no stage. Its present man
ager, Mr.. A. M. Dittelbach, deserves
the credit of putting in the first stage
and scenery,
! Among historical structures Is the old
Government Palace, 1.-TWO hundred and
fifty years old.) 1t is one-story
adobe building, two hundred and tif-
ty feet long, forty feet deep and from
1877 to 1881 contained the executive Of
fees of Ex-Governor Lew Wallace, fa-
miliar to the public through his book
anu pIdy,f Den I1uIs I1Slt IL iON1tSu
the oldest church in the United States,
san Miguel chapel" being erected
about the year 1850. Services are held
every morning by the Christian Broth
ers of st. Michael's college. Opposite
the church stands the oldest house in
the United States. This house is so old
that no records of the year when con-
structed are obtainable, it having been
built before the Spaniards first set foot
on this continent.
San Rosorio chapel is an old building,
built by General De Vargas to COM
memorate his victory over the Indians
in 1860. An imposing pilgrimage, last
ing ten days, is made each year to San
Rosario. Two government Indian
schools have an attendance of four
hundred pupils. st. GATHERINGS Catho-
lie Indian school has two hundred and
fifty scholars. There is only one three"
story commercial building in this town,
the Claire Hotel" all other buildings
are one and two stories in height The
streets here are narrow and devious.
Owing to a very high wind, which blew
at the rate of fifty miles an hour, my
time in sightseeing and observing,
was limited to certain degree.
With kind regards and best wishes,
Yours truly,
CHAS. H, KEESHIN.