Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-10-14
Honeseekers Are
Steadily Taking
Public Domain
CLAYTON IS PROsPER|NG
Satisfactory Crops This Sea-
son Without Irrigation
Ranges Disappearing. e

Howard Earnest who is in the real
estate and insurance business at Clay
ton, the prosperous county seat of
Union county, accompanied by his
wife, spent the past several days in
Santa Fe. Mr.. and Mrs. Earnest were
visitors to the Albuquerque fair and
en- route home stopped over in this
city to become acquainted and enjoy
the sights and the many scenic, eli
matte and historical attractions of the
city. They visited all the places of
interest and took side trips into the
Santa Fe mountains and to the Indian
pueblo at Tesuque. They enjoyed their
stay here very much,
Mr.. Earnest and Land Commission
er Robert p Ervien are brother-in-
laws, Mrs Ervien being sister of
Mr.. Earnest. Mr.. Earnest came from
his home in Philadelphia eleven years
ago and settled in Clayton, where he
now has prosperous and satisfactory
business. He has watched the growth
Of Union county and of Clayton care
fully and diligently during his resid-
ence in the latter town and gave some
interesting information to represen-
tative of the New Mexican according
ly. He said:
Influx Of Homeseekers Continues Un-
ahated
clayton is prosperous and increas-
ing in population steadily. There are
about a dozen new buildings under
construction, most of which are mod
ern residences One man who has re-
Gently arrived from Indian Territory
is erecting handsome three-story
residence in town. He, two grown
sons and two grown daughters have
also made entries, upon which they
will live, make improvements, and
raise live stock.
"The homestead entrymen are still
coming into the county in great num-
bers and the taking up of the public
domain as homestead and desert land
claims, is quite lively at our office.
During the past year very satisfactory
crops of cereals, vegetables and
feed stuffs have been raised by many
of the farmers. The season was very
propitious and the rainfall was above
the average. l know Of one man, five
miles south of Clayton who raised on
an average fifteen bushels of wheat to
the acre on his homestead. This crop
would have amounted to thirty
bushels had not hail storm destroy
ed half of it. It certainly has been a
prosperous year for the many new
comers in our county.
Majority Of New Settlers viii Remain.
"While I do not believe all these
homesteaders will remain and become
permanent residents, still in my opin-
ion the large proportion of them will
do So In addition to raising feed stuffs
mostly they will engage in sheep rails
ing and cattle growing on small
scale, which I am satisfied they will
find profitable. In the eastern part OF
our county the homestead settlements
have become so thick and many that
the big sheepmen will have to go out
Of business. The public range Is al
ready very much circumscribed. This
however, in my opinion, will not be
harmful, as the small farmers will 60
into sheep raising to a limited extent
and hundred farmers owning a few
hundred sheep each are of much more
benefit to the community than two or
three men owning fifteen thousand
sheep apiece.
Clayton Soon to Be Incorporated
Town.
clayton now contains as nearly as
can Judge about 1,400 people, who
are progressive and business-like We
have recently organized commercial
club which already has eighty mem
bers and which promises to do great
good for the town. DR.. S. I. North is
the president and | am the secretary.
We propose to agitate the subject of
incorporation of the town in which we
failed this spring, but which we hope
to accomplish shortly. We have very
handsome and commodious school
house which, with it's late additions,
cost over 100000 Our school popula-
tion now amounts to about 400 and
our public school system is a good
one.
Mushroom Like Growth Of Des Molnes.
"Des Moines is new town in our
county, the junction Of the st. Louis,