The La Jara chronicle., 1910-03-04
PIXIES FORT NEAR THE
MOUTH OF THE CONEJOS
Gov. NcIntire Discovered Ruins
Before He Read Pixies
Description.

The article puDllSleu III mt S
lcle a couple of weeks ago has In
crested many in the movement 10
Duild a monument to mark the spot
where Lieutenant Pike, in 1906, built
his fort on the Conejos river.
On the Goth of January, 1906, PIKE
md his party arrived in the even
ing on the banks of a stream OF some
magnitude and which they believed
20 be the long looked for Red River.
Here they concluded to build stock
,de where four or five might de-
fend themselves while the others went
back to carry assistance to the poor
fellows who had been left behind on
account Of not being able to travel
Here DR.. Robinson left the party and
started for Santa Fe. On FeDruars
10. while most of the men were absent
bringing in their disabled companions
and the rest were at work building the
fort. two horsemen approached They
proved to be a Spanish dragon and
A civilized indian, both well armed
they reported that Robinson had ar
rived in Santa Fe and had been re-
reived with great kindness by the
governor. After expressing sur
prise at the appearance of the tort
hey left. saying that they could
-, ach Santa Fe in two days which
+ course was not true but pixies
men had no reason to doubt them at
ma, time. The building Of the fort
continued and gradually the frozen
men who had been left behind were
brought in-except two and of them
pike says. They sent me some Of the
bones taken out of their feet ana
ccnjured me by all that was sacred
not to leave them to perish far from
he civilized world"
On the 2Gth of February. the report
+ the guards gun announced the ap-
pcarance of two strangers. They
were Frenchmen who informed Pike
that Governor Alencaster Of New Mex
co had heard that the Ute indians
wore about to attack his party and
had sent an officer and fifty dra soons
10 protect them. The Dragons soon
''or arrived and Pike went outside
Ie fort TO meet them and invited the
officers. Don Ignacio Salte'o and
Bartalome Fernandez, to breakfast
with him. The soldiers told him that
they would accompany him to Red
River. What" exclaimed Pike. lis
his not Red River?" No. sir" said
the soldiers. lit is the Rio del Nor
te." Pixies first act after receiving
his information was to order his men
20 take down the L. S. flag which
had been flying over the fortification
which he had unwittingly erected on
Spanish soil.
The soldiers insisted that Pike ac-
company them to Santa Fe and this
he at first refused to do until the two
remaining men left behind could be
brought in. Finally half the Spanish
force was left behind to look after
The helpless and Pike went to Santa
tie. journey Of eight days. Pike in
ceiling of the event expresses great
remCtanoo at abandoning the fort
built with so much labor, and which
he says was admirably situated for
defense. But believing that the sol
iiers had orders to bring him to San
Ia Fe, by force if necessary, he
thought best to show an entire will
!ngness to make an explanation to
The governor rather than appear to
20 under constraint
Bearing on the location of the fort,
he following statement by Governor
McIntire relative to his discoveries.
Identify the site beyond doubt.
Governor a. w. McIntire. in speak
ing OF the place where Lieutenant
Pike was captured, says that it is To-
Gated on the Conejos river, about
five miles above its mouth. That a
spring described by Lieutenant Pike
in his diary is on the opposite or
south bank of the Conejos river, the
stockade being on the north bank of
The river and not far from the river
bank. That around this stockade were
the evidences of a moat or ditch par
tally completed. Gov. McIntire says
he discovered this moat or ditch in
its state of incomplete excavation
before he had read the footnote to
Pixies diary describing the location; /;
and that afterwards in reading the
footnote saw that it described the in
complete excavation as he found it.
That he first visited this place some
time about the year 1884. To identify
the location, Governor McIntire states
that it was upon a pre-emption taken
up by him and the stockade was