The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-01-15
ADVANCEMENT AND PROSPER
ITY OF NEW MEXICO

! (The following article, signed by Gov
/ ernor Curry, was published in the
January issue of t'The Earth the
Santa Fe Railroads immigration
| magazine)
To summarize the growth of New
Mexico during the past yea,, it is on
| ly necessary to turn to the records
of the four United States land Offices
in this territory, and take therefrom
| the number of homestead entries
made during the past few months.
| During the period of seventeen
months, from the beginning of tie
fiscal year, July 1st, 1906, to Decem-
| Der 1st, 1907, at total of 1929 land
| entries have been made in New Mex
leo. In the Santa Fe land Office, COW
| ering central and northwest New
| Mexico, 1921 entries were made; in
the Roswell land office, covering the
southeastern counties, 5,254; in the
Las Cruces land office, covering the
| southwestern portion of the territory,
1926; and in the Clayton land office,
covering northeast and east New Mex
| leo, 1888
This record of immigration, taken
| from the reports of the land Offices,
| takes no account of the thousands of
people who have come to New MeXi-
co during this period to fad homes
. in the irrigated districts, where they
have acquired lands by purchase, or
within the limits of land grants, many
of which are now being subdivided
and sold in small lots to farmers; nor
does it take account of the thousands
who have come here to find employ
ment in the cities and towns, in the
mines and factories, il stock raising
and other pursuits. The most conserv-
ative estimates indicate an increase
in our population, during this brief
period, of not less than 100 900. 1t is
record of which New Mexico has
some cause to be proud, and which
goes far to strengthen the claim the
people of New Mexico are now max
ing before congress, for admission to
the Union.
The most careful estimates made
from our elaborate school census:
from land office records, from local
election returns, and from post office
records, show that New Mexico, to-
day, has a population of more than
100000, as against 200 shown by
the census of 1900.
The vast majority of this splendid
population increase is of the highest
type of American citizenship: men
WAC may be safely trusted with the
work of building a state. for it is
drawn largely from the farming COM
munities of Iowa and Illinois. of Mis-
souri, and Kansas and Texas, and
from the great agricultural districts
of the South; men who have found
out the possibilities of the soil of
New Mexico.
Almost invariably the farmer who
comes to New Mexico stays here, and
with almost equal certainty, he is fol-
lowed by little colony of his friends
and neighbors. This immigration has
been well distributed throughout the
Territory, although a very large por-
ton has found it's way into the north
ern and eastern counties, where it has
been demonstrated that good crops
may be grown without irrigation On
" few years ago all that great re-
gion, between the Colorado border on
the north, and the plains crossed by
what is known as the Santa Fe cut
off, was an unbrokea range for cattle
and sheep. Now it is dotted in all di-
rections with comfortable homes and
at every cross roads new towns are
springing up. There is single valley
in central New Mexico, which three
years ago was open range for sheep.
in which today more than 4 900 acres
OF wheat are planted, there being no
single tract Of more than 100 acres
We have one county which on its Gre
alton, three years ago, had a pOpula-
ton of 500. Now it has a population
of not less than 5000. In the Pecos
Valley, where there are two complet-
ed national irrigation projects, and
in the Mesilla valley, where the great
Elephant Butte storage reservoir is
soon to be built, development has
been marvelously rapid. So, also, in
the valleys of San Juan county, and
throughout the valley of the Rio
Graade. There is scarcely a county
in New Mexico today in which some
large private irrigation project is not
building.
The year has been one Of great
prosperity for New Mexico. 1t has
been marked, not alone by the coming
of the army of farmers, but by The
opening of new mines, lead and zinc.
gold and silver, and coal; by the
building of new towns and rapid
growth of established ones; by extern
sion of railroad lines; by a broad. on
ward movement which has marked a
greater development, in single year,
than during any previous five year pc
riod in our history.
New Mexico is the land of the
small farm. 1t is coming to be under
stood that a better and surer liveli-
hood is to be made from ten acres of
highly cultivated irrigated land, than
from 100 acres of prairie land in the
farming districts of the middle west,
where the farmer is subjected to the
vagaries of drouth and flood. The Am
erican farmer has found out some
thing of this and he is coming to
New Mexico in tens and hundreds
and thousands. He is bringing with
him his energy and push and hustle,
and he is joining in the demand, now
being voiced by every New Mexican,
that the people of this territory be