Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-01-18
GOVERNOR TELLSOF
NEW MEX|C0'S
GROWTH
LAND OFFICE FIGURES
WONDERFUL SHOWING
Points Out Great Population
Increase as Our Strongest
Argument For Admission to
the Union,

series OF ltlltIS llpi'l lilN SpNNi iipA "
the ,.,r'a states ana terit.o..'3 .h'rg
the Sama Fe line, devoted &c IN Jut
limo. ri the development If n several
state during the past year, In the last
n'nll",r appears "A letter ~ - vei
nor Curry of New Mexico, illustrated
wjth a photograph of the = .tinor.
rho latler makes some slat ~ 49,
Nhi Ii i'll interest a great ma"N y
lie Who do not know iust what has
been ma pening in New Mex , ',utt :
the last two years in the way '!a-
velopment The letter follows in fun:
J summarize the gro~ll Of New
AleN.er during the past year, Il IS
only 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 or seventeen
months from the beginning of the
fiscal year, July list, 1906, to Decem-
Der list 1907, total of 2S,223 land
entries have been made in New Mex
leo In the Santa Fe land office, COW
ering central and northwest New Mex
leo, 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,
1895: and in the clayton land office,
covering the northeast and east New
Mexico, 1883.
This record of immigration, take1
from the reports of the land offices,
takes no account of the thousands of
people who have come to New Mex
leo during this period to find 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 subdividei
and sold in small lots to farmers;
nor does it take account of the thou
sands who have come here TO find
employment in the cities and towns
in the mines and factories, in STOCK
raising and other pursuits. The most
conservative estimates Indicate an m
crease in our population, during tins
brief period, of not less than 100 600,
1t is a 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 mace
from our elaborate school census;
from land office records, from election
returns and from postotfice records
show that New Mexico, today has a
population of more than 100000. as
against $4,000 shown by the census
of 1900.
THE vast majority of this splendil
population increase is Of the highest
type of American citizenship; mon
who may be safely trusted with the
work Of building state for it is
drawn largely from the farming COM
munites of Iowa and Illinois, of MIS-
souri, and Kansas and Texas, and from
the great agricultural districts OF IN
south; men who have found out the
possibilities of the soil Of New Mexico
Almost invariably the farmer WhJ
comes to New Mexico stays here, ana
with almost equal certainty, he Is tol-
lowed by a little colony of his friends
and neighbors This immigration has
been well distributed throughout tin
territory, although very large pro-
portion has found its way into the
northern and eastern counties, where
il has been demonstrated that good
crops NAV be grown without irrig l.
ton. Only a few years ago all thu.
great region, between the Colorado
border on the north and the plains
crossed by what is known as the san
ia Fe cutoff, was an unbroken range
for cattle and sheep Now it is dotte
in all directions with comfortable
homes and at every cross roads new
towns are springing up. There Is a
single valley in Central New MeMa3
which three years ago was open range
for sheep, in which today, more thdn
1000 acres Of wheat are planted
there being no single tract Of NOR
than 100 acres We have one county
which on its creation, three years a%o
had population Of 500 Now it Aas
a population Of not less than 5000
In the Pecos Valley where there are
two completed irrigation projects, and
in the Mesilla Valley, where the great
soon to be built development h'+
been marvelously rapid So. also, in
the valleys Of san Juan county, and
throughout the valley Of the Rio
Grande. There is scarcely a section in
New Mexico today, in which some
large irrigation project Is not building.
"rhe year has been one Of great
nrosuerity for New Mexico 1t has
been marked, moi alone by the coming
of the army of farmers bur by the
opening of new mines lead and zinc,
gold and silver and coal by the build
ing of new towns and rapid growth
of established ones; BY extension If
railroad lines; by a broad, onwai &
movement which has marked a great
or development, in a single year, han
during any previous period in oul
history,
New Mexico is the land Of the
small farm 1t is coming to be I'm er-
STOOD that better and surer ,i,c,i-
hood Is to be made from ten acres
OF highly cultivated irrigated laa
than from 100 acres Of prairie land il
The farming districts Of the middle
west, where the farmer Is subJarte !
10 the vagaries OF drCuth AMI fcO q
The American farmer has foua o 1
$. methng Of This and he IS conf g 10