El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-27
Today's News of the Great Southwest

hope of getting water, but only to meet
disappointment.
Dry Farmer In Evidence.
Now the dry farmer, who is omni-
present in the vicinity of Willard, has
pushed his way from the plains up
through the broad de Leon canyon, over
the mesa, and now he is occupying the
land which was titled by the Pueblos
for centuries before the Spaniard came.
In order to live, to raise stock, to de-
TelOp successfully as an agriculturist,
he must have water, and the stockman.
who is gradually giving way to the on
ward march of the farmer, is wondering
if the latter will solve the problem of
water in the Gran Quivira country. This
is certain
If the indian could make a living on
these mesas, then the dry farmer can
be depended upon, with all his improved
Mechanical apparatus for scientific
farming, TO make this soil, OF which there
is none better in America, blossom rich
ly year to year with the flowers of
the Irish spud. the potato having been
chosen as the emblem of the people in
and about Willard, owing to its pro-
life growth. The dry farmers, who
have located on the mesa, say if water
cannot be had within 1000 or 1000 feet
thereon, then they will evolve a scheme
whereby they will pump water from the
Willard plains into a large ditch. which
they will make traverse the waterless
country in all sections
'1GOOd Water
This at first glance may seem like
Joke but when one AS seen the indom-
liable energy, perseverance and intelli-
gence of the dry farmer put in opera
ton, one will not be surprised if time
will bring about this realization, espe-
l. sc hat he
country about Willard has a super
abundance of fine water to draw upon.
However that may result, the progress
of the dry farmer in the neighborhood
of La Gran Quivira is being closely
watched as his success or failure there
will give historians and archaeologists
some idea as TO the reason why its in
habitants were so easily overcome by
the Apaches. The ruins indicate that
when It fell at me onslaught of the
Apaehes in 1878, it was walled fort
ress, and should have beaten off It's
foes.
The idea that the Apaches besieged
it in large numbers, cut off ics water
supply, which was limited, is borne out
by the fact that its inhabitants were
not massacred. but were able to march
out in strong force, headed by a few
Spanish soldiers and the Francis
L
indians who escaped when the pueblo
fell may be found among the inhabi-
tants of Ysleta. Texas, and Ysleta, N NJ
History by Monk.
The Franciscan monks of America,
some years since, detached from his
monastery in St. Louis, the Rev. Zephy-
rim Engelhardt. to write an authentic
history fthe Franciscan missions that
were founded during the Spanish regime
in the southwest Father Engelhardt
has already published his works on the
missions of Lower California and Ari-
iona. It is expected that his next work,
Franciscans In New Mexico" will be
published al an early date, and those
who have given much thought to the
water question of La Gran Quivira
may then expect TO have their curiosity
satisfied Father Engelhardt has had
access to all the religious and state pa
pers at Barcelona, Salamanca and Mad
rid bearing on the history of the mis-
sions of the southwest. and hence his
labOrs in this field will be accepted by
future historians as authentic.