Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-12-05
THE BEAUTIFUL
IA J0YA VALLEY
One of the Garden
Spots of New
Mexico
FRUIT RAISING SECTION
Agricultural disabilities Un-
excelled--.A Trip Worth
Taking.

80 hoe "lhleT III the ESpan0la
valley 1t is more like April these
December days and were It not for
the snow on the mountain peaks and
the bare limbs of the trees in the or.
chards, 1t would not be difficult to per
suade the visitor at midday that It is
June. Nature never takes a real long
sleep in that part of the Southwest
IL Is mere map between autumn
and springtide, with many beautiful.
sunshiny days on which the quick.
silver In thermometers creeps 10 to
the seventy and eighty mark and
drops but twice Or thrice below the
freezing point in the sun. It is a fair
valley, where one can ride or drive
miles and miles between cultivated
fields and orchards, starting south OF
the Indian pueblo, San Ildefonso, and
following the river to Embudo thirty
miles above. Every few miles other
valleys open into the main valley and
streams come from the mountains.
beginning with the Pojoaque formed
by the Tesuque and the Nambe, after
which come the Santa Clara, the
Santa Cruz, The Chama, the
Truchas, the Penasco and less.
er brooks. Surely, the noun
tain ridge which eliminates in
the four jagged Truchas peaks, each
over 10000 feet high, is the mother of
this valley, stretching out its arms
protectingly, and nursing it with the
clear sparkling waters that come tum-
bling down tree clad and snow-cov-
cred flanks that break into foot hills
resembling the waves of the ocean.
On every side Is this beautiful valley
EMBODIED by the hills; to the west by
the Jemez range eliminating In Pc
dernal Peak over 10000 feet high and
Abiquiu mountain, with the mysteri-
GUS Cliff Dwellers plateau reaching to
the very banks Of the Rio Grande
there forming steep, volcanic cliffs
that look forbidding enough to fright
en- away the visitor who would be sur
prised were he told that the plateau
above was most beautiful and held
prehistoric treasures and scenic splen-
doris that stand unrivaled. To the
north, tower the Picuris mountains,
bare of snow, while the Taos range
beyond seems to be wrapped in white
to the very bottom. To the east Is the
main range, the Sangre de Cristo,
Blood of Christ mountains, with one
peak after another over 10000 feet
high. In the valley itself, like huge
boulder, rise Battle Mesa, black and
| SCARED, and lesser hillocks.
To the south, the valley narrows un-
til the ramparts of the mesas on
| both sides seem to block the way of
the noisy river, but it has eroded
channel by way of the White Rock
Canon through this stupendous mass of
volcanic rock
The La Joya Valley.
Fairest of all, "fair as the garden of
the Lord" is the northernmost por-
tion of this valley, where it begins to
be pressed together by the Black Mesa
on the west and the Embudo hills on
the east La Joya," "The Jewel" 1t
is rightly named. 1t is among the
Oldest settled regions of the territory
and from time immemorial, the bot
tom land has been cultivated. There
are fields and meadows and or
| chards in a solid mass, never lacking
in abundance of water and with soil
so fertile that as high as $500 worth Of
chilli has been raised on one-half OF
an acre of it. No wonder that $500 an
acre is demanded for land under
ditch, price that Is rarely If ever,
equalled in any eastern farming Sec
ton so far away from large towns or
cities, as Is this lovely valley. The
center of this section is the settlement
of Velarde. South Of Velarde is La
Joya and on the west bank Of the riv-
er across from La Joya, on the Den
yer and Rio Grande railroad, Is Ly-
den, or Brady, as old timers remem-
ber it. In all, almost 1,500 people live
in this valley and about 5000 acres
are under cultivation. Orchards like
those Of Hon. David Martinez and
Eliseo Lujan are not surpassed for
yield and lusciousness of their fruit
Even this year, when fruit everywhere
failed on account of early frosts,
Mr.. Martinez managed to gather
enough Jonathan apples to last him
over winter. Alfalfa regularly yields
four crops and wheat and corn are
standbys that can be depended upon
for bumper crops.
1t is a prosperous population that
occupies this valley. Real poverty
seems to be unknown. The ancestors
of nearly all Of the families settled