Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1906-10-25
THE EESTANCIAVALLEY
The Gift Of Delegate Andrews 10 New
Mex ;o--lts Principal Towns
BY Special Corresponds mt.

The building of the Santa Fe Cen.
tral Railway from Santa Fe to Tor.
rance, New Mexico, has made posi-.
bic the exploitation of magnificent
valley, located in the central portion
of the Territory or New Mexico, q
valley which Is now the scene of the
most rapid colonization of any part OF
the southwest.
The journey along the Santa Fe
Central Is continual surprise and
revelation, from Moriarty to Willard
on the south, what was few years
ago considered only semI.desert and
TT only as the forage ground of vast
focEs of sheep and the range of cat.
tie, has, suddenly, through the faith
and enterprise of Delegate w. H. An.
drews, the promoter and builder of
the Santa Fe Central Railway, become
the seat Of many thriving towns and
the home of innumerable settlers.
At Moriarty, named for one of IT.
oldest citizens, one may count from
the car window over fifty settlers
homes. Several new buildings are
now in process of construction at this
place, chief among them being fine
block by Mr.. Moriarty and splendid
store room and warehouse built by the
Hughes Mercantile Company of Mori-
arty and Estancia, this fine building
is fifty feet wide by two hundred and
forty feet in length
Here, as we'll as throughout the
valley, the soil is good and capable
of producing almost any variety of
crops, Indian corn, millet, kaffir corn,
broom corn, and all garden produce
grow well. An example of the pro-
ductivity of the soil is shown at Es
tancia, where John Kelley has raised
on his newly broken claim seventy.
five tons Of kaffir corn, for which he
has been offered $3.50 per ton, be-
sides Indian corn which went twenty
five bushels to the acre, and garden
produce sufficient for the family. All
this was accomplished on sixty acres
of sod.
The next town southwark Is McIn-
tosh, named for the well known, and
popular sheep king, who over twenty
five years has grazed his focks of
sheep over this valley. Mcintosh has
taken for its motto "Watch us grow"
and the little town is growing as well
as the country side around.
Estancia, the county seat, is the
finest yearling to be found anywhere
in the west with fine water sup.
ply, and an admirable location with an
enterprising citizenship, Estancia Of
fers a fine opportunity for investment
and exceptional opportunities for bus'
ness and homes.
A dozen new residence and store
buildings are now being erected, and
drilling has begun for an artesian well
just west of the town. They expect
to go down at least one thousand fee
and government experts have prom
ised the valley an artesian water sup
ply for irrigation, which will supple
ment a rainfall which the settlers
believe, and think they have proven
to be sufficient for all agricultural
needs.
Here, John w. Corbett, veteran
man is father of the town.
He is clerk of the probate court, acts
as county commissioner, serves as
register of the land Office, and from
the information the correspondent OBJ
tanned holds enough other Offices to
make one believe Estanca offers
fine opening for several aspiring
young politicians.
Willard, the last town of import.
ance in the Estancia Valley, is locat-
ed at the junction of the Belen-TeXico
cutoff of the Santa Fe Railway, and
the Santa Fe Central Railway.
Willard from her natural advan
tages as well as the advantages of
junction point, counts herself The
rival of Estancia, and this progressive
little city will make close competi.
tor of the county capital. The popu'
lation now nearly equals that of Es-
tancia, and many store and residence
buildings are going up. The Santa
Fe Railway will be completed between
Texico and Belen the latter part Of
this month, and Willard will be on
the line of trunk traffic of the Santa
Fe Railway.
Torrance, the terminal point of the
Santa Fe Central and junction point
with the Rock Island Railroad seems
to be one of the few towns of the Ter
ritory without prospects of future
growth. The great depth of water and
the lack Of rainfall conspire to make
it an undesirable place to live. Indeed
there is prospect that soon it will lose
its only large store, that of the Beck
ers, and be only a point for transfer
of passengers from the railroads and
the automobile line from Roswell.
With no school, no church, no saloon
forsaken by God and the devil, poor
Torrance seems hopeless indeed